Popular Verse Blog

Baby Boomers are expected to impact the US health care system for decades to come. A newly released report indicates the over-65 population will nearly triple by 2030, as 78 million boomers become senior citizens.

Fort Bragg, CA - July 10, 2007 -- "Boomers are just the beginning," notes Rich Umbdenstock, president of the American Hospital Association. "[They will change health care dramatically; [their mark will be lasting." The good news is that "boomers are focused on wellness and looking for new approaches to care." The bad news is that 6 out of 10 boomers will be dealing with more than 1 chronic condition by 2030.

According to health care professional Janet O'Connor, "Anyone over the age of 65 now has a 40% chance of entering a nursing home. More than 9 million people over the age of 65 will need long-term care this year. By the year 2020, it will be 12 million."

Ms. O'Connor has published a 207-page book for boomers -- Senior Long Term Care Choices: How To Select The Best Plan For Your Whole Family. It catalogues the full spectrum of available care, looks closely at resources, and provides essential information for making informed choices about long-term care.

What makes Ms. O'Connor's approach interesting is that she's integrated web technology, allowing her to deliver constantly updated, leading-edge advice to her readers.

"The challenge," O'Connor explains, "was to provide up-to-the-minute information that could be immediately accessed and easily updated. Publishing online allowed me to take advantage of internet technology. It's important to have easy access to the latest information and guidance when you're trying to set up effective long-term care."

According to Umbdenstock, boomers will be more active and focused on staying in their homes than previous generations. Senior Long Term Care Choices, provides detailed information that helps seniors maintain their homes. The book offers step-by-step advice on how to manage independent living, reliable home caregivers and find the financial support necessary to sustain independence.

Senior health care is a moving target. The changing demands of boomers along with new technology, will likely translate into new forms of care delivery. O'Connor's methodology is designed to keep pace with these changes. Senior Long Term Care Choices is downloadable and resource links are embedded in the text. As resources and information change, readers will receive free updates filled with new links and timely news.

O'Connor has 2 sites online: http://www.squidoo.com/care4elderly/ provides a host of resources, and http://www.help4longtermcare.com offers many additional articles.

"Ideally," says O'Connor, "the sooner you begin a dialogue about long-term care with your loved one and the rest of the family, the better. By broaching the subject in advance, you can make decisions as a family before you are forced by circumstances to decide in haste."


Press Contact: Frankie Kangas
Company Name: Win-Win Marketing
Phone: 707-964-6100
Website: www.help4longtermcare.com

As more seniors are tapping into equity to fund their retirements, companies like My Reverse Mortgage Pro are seeing a bigger share of the mortgage market.

Carlsbad, CA - September 13, 2007 -- While many mortgage lenders are seeing big slumps in their lending business, reverse mortgage brokers such as My Reverse Mortgage Pro are seeing their business booming. The reverse mortgage is a lending option for seniors over the age of 62 who own their home. This type of loan uses the home as collateral, and helps provide money for retirement which can be used for any necessary costs that arise during those years.

Reverse mortgage loans are definitely on the rise. Last year, reverse mortgages rose by nearly 10 percent on a dollar basis in the second half of the year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The total number of reverse mortgages rose by approximately 20 percent during the year, in fact, and these numbers are looking to repeat themselves by the end of 2007. Between 2000 and 2006 the number of reverse mortgages increased tenfold, according to the Federal Housing Administration.

My Revere Mortgage Pro is a group of lenders providing these important mortgage options, which more seniors are taking advantage of. This segment of the mortgage market is seeing tens of thousands of seniors taking out reverse mortgages each year - last year it was approximately 76,000 seniors, and lenders at My Reverse Mortgage Pro are sure that more seniors in the nation will be using their services this year.    

More brokers are specializing in these types of mortgages to gear up for the increased number of reverse mortgage customers in coming years. The cost of living continues to increase while many baby boomers reach retirement, so more people in the over-62 age bracket are using reverse mortgages to gear up for their golden years. Reverse mortgages can be used to get a lump sum of cash, or monthly stipends for various periods of time. The reverse mortgage does not need to be paid back until the end of the loan, or until the homeowners cease to live in that home.

Americans over the age of 62 hold an estimated $4.3 trillion in home equity, according to a recent report by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. With many baby boomers questioning whether they have enough money in their savings and investments to last through their retirement years, reverse mortgages should continue to grow.

For more information about reverse mortgages, visit www.myreversemortgagepro.com.

About My Reverse Mortgage Pro:

MyReverseMortgagePro.com is dedicated to providing reliable, complete and easy-to-use information about reverse mortgages for people over the age of 62. MyReverseMortgagePro.com also brings together the most suitable mortgage lenders with clients who are interested in revere mortgages. MyReverseMortgagePro.com provides as clear a picture as possible about the different types of reverse mortgages available. And for those who can't find the answer, they are ready to help with any information they need.

Press Contact: Mike Cheslar
Company Name: EVisibility
Phone: 877.728.4822
Website: http://www.myreversemortgagepro.com/

Author Amanda Young triumphs over her painful past in Silent Prisoner.

Las Vegas, NV - November 21, 2007 -- Silent Prisoner by Amanda Young examines the repercussions of abuse and inspires other lonely victims to change their course in life.

In Silent Prisoner, Young reveals her agonizing past, beginning with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her alcoholic parents. Her childhood was spent being tossed around between various relatives and foster parents, and she soon found herself on a destructive path that led her from one abusive relationship to the next. Ultimately, it was Young's faith in God, along with the help of some special people that helped her recognize her own strength and enabled her to reclaim her life.

Through this book, Young gives the power of hope, faith, and personal strength to other victims and encourages them to let go of the shame and guilt that is holding them back from truly living. Sharing her faith in God and angels, Young allows readers to see that they are never alone or unworthy of love from God.

To those who have suffered abuse, Silent Prisoner serves as a torch to light the way to a new life.

"Amanda Young has offered the reader an insider's view into the world of a victim of domestic violence. Her incredible insight and perception makes for an illuminating, touching and inspirational story. A flower that blooms under adverse conditions is truly the most beautiful of all." - Dr. Jeffrey Davis, Emergency physician and Director of the Palm Beach County Trauma System

For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at deniseau21 @ aol.com. Silent Prisoner is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author:
Amanda Young is a registered nurse with a degree in homeopathy from the British Institute of Homeopathy. She received an award in excellence for nursing assessment from St. Joseph and St. Jude Home Health. She currently resides in Las Vegas.

About BookSurge:
BookSurge Publishing is a DBA of On-Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., (NASDAQ AMZN). BookSurge is a pioneer in self-publishing and print-on-demand services. Offering unique publishing opportunities and access for authors, BookSurge boasts an unprecedented number of authors whose work has resulted in book deals with traditional publishers as well as successful authorpreneurs who enhance or build a business from their professional expertise.

Press Contact: Kathryn DuRant
Company Name: BookSurge Publishing  
Phone: 843-789-5214
Website: www.booksurge.com

 Nation's Foreclosure Prevention Hotline Shatters Previous Call Records

President Bush's announcement encourages more than 140,000 concerned homeowners to reach out for help

January 15, 2008 - MINNEAPOLIS - More than 143,000 calls from distressed homeowners were fielded by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation's Homeowner's HOPET Hotline in the fourth quarter of 2007, twice the number of calls received during the third quarter and nearly 10 times that of the first quarter of the year.

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) is a nonprofit organization that operates a national 24/7 hotline - 888-995-HOPE. The hotline provides free, bilingual, personalized assistance to help at-risk homeowners avoid foreclosure.

In December 2007, the HOPE hotline became the primary contact point for homeowners with delinquent mortgages, as part of the HOPE NOW Alliance, the Administration's initiative to stem America's foreclosure crisis. HPF is a member of the HOPE NOW Alliance of mortgage servicers, mortgage market participants and counselors. According to HPF, more than 37,000 homeowners received counseling during the fourth quarter alone - more than three times the 10,000 completed sessions in all of 2006.

"We're encouraged because more homeowners are being proactive in reaching out for help," says Colleen Hernandez, president and executive director of HPF. "Mindful of the significant call volume following the President's announcement, HPF established a triage response system that offers resources to those who need information and directs callers who need foreclosure prevention counseling right to counselors, allowing us to operate more effectively."

Among homeowners who called 888-995-HOPE, 31 percent were less than one month behind in mortgage payments up from 24 percent during third quarter 2007.

"It's reassuring that homeowners are addressing their mortgage issues earlier, however we need to continue to reach out to troubled homeowners to let them know there is help available," said Hernandez. "No matter the situation, HPF can provide options and information to keep more Americans out of foreclosure."

Key Statistics - Fourth Quarter 2007

Foreclosure can happen to anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, demographic or type of mortgage. The following are current trends observed by hotline counselors:

    * California continues to be the top counseled state, accounting for 18 percent of the total call volume; Ohio ranked second (9 percent) and Illinois rounded out the top three with (5 percent).
    * Adjustable-rate mortgages, in aggregate, made up 48 percent of calls; fixed-rate mortgages accounted for 28 percent.
    * 61 percent of callers reported annual household incomes of less than $42,000; 15 percent of callers reported annual incomes of more than $60,000.

About the Homeownership Preservation Foundation

Founded in 2004, the Homeownership Preservation Foundation is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing foreclosures and preserving homeownership for American homeowners. The Foundation partners with city, county and state governments; federal government agencies; community-based nonprofit organizations; and mortgage companies to offer creative solutions to preserve homeownership. HPF's cornerstone service is the Homeowner's HOPET Hotline, a foreclosure prevention counseling service available free to American homeowners by calling 888-995-HOPE. For more information about the Homeownership Preservation Foundation or the Homeowner's HOPE Hotline, visit www.995hope.org.

Contacts

Homeownership Preservation Foundation
Tracy Morgan, 612-230-4023
tmorgan@995hope.org

Nonprofits that are struggling to find more donors, volunteers, and clients and to build strong, long-term relationships with their supporters can now turn to a new nonprofit training resource -- a weekly webinar series from Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com. Every week, nonprofits can participate in Nonprofit Marketing Guide's affordable online training on a wide range of nonprofit communications topics, including annual reports, brochures, print and email newsletters, media relations, websites and blogs, social networking, marketing strategy development, donor and volunteer communications, and more.

Lexington, NC  -  January 16, 2008 -- Nonprofits that are struggling to find more donors, volunteers, and clients and to build strong, long-term relationships with their supporters can now turn to a new nonprofit training resource -- a weekly webinar series from http://www.NonprofitMarketingGuide.com.

Upcoming topics include "Writing Your 2007 Nonprofit Annual Report" on January 17, 2008, followed by "Ten Easy Fixes for Your Boring Print Newsletter" on January 23, "How to Make Your Brochures Pop!" on January 29, and "Getting Reporters to Cover Your Nonprofit" on February 6. Future webinars will cover how nonprofits can incorporate storytelling into their communications, tips for using social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube to find new supporters, search engine optimization for nonprofit websites, email newsletter best practices, nonprofit branding, and more.

At only $49/webinar, this affordable nonprofit training on numerous marketing and communications topics is ideal for "do-it-yourself" nonprofit marketers and one-person communications departments at small to medium-sized nonprofit organizations. Each webinar will be based on the real-word experience and know-how of the instructors and will be full of practical tips and how-tos that nonprofit staff can put to work right away.

"Nonprofits don't sell cars or cereal, but they do sell good causes. The key to finding the right donors and supporters to back your good cause and to getting people to act on your behalf is understanding how to communicate with them," says Kivi Leroux Miller, president of EcoScribe Communications and Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com. "With some marketing savvy and smart communications strategies, even the smallest nonprofit organizations have the power to make big, positive changes in our world."

The nonprofit training schedule will be posted up to three months in advance. Nonprofits can learn about new additions to the schedule by subscribing to "Nonprofit Marketing Tips," a free email newsletter. Sign-up forms appear on all pages at http://www.NonprofitMarketingGuide.com. The training schedule will also be promoted on Miller's popular Nonprofit Communications Blog at http://www.NonprofitMarketingGuide.com/blog. Nonprofits can subscribe to the blog via an RSS reader or email.

Miller, who has worked on communications and marketing campaigns for nonprofits of all sizes across the U.S. and Canada, from small community-based groups to national trade associations, will teach many of the webinars. She is also recruiting other leading consultants, authors, and nonprofit executives to appear as guest speakers in webinars (audio and visual presentations), teleseminars (audio only), and e-clinics (in-depth, coaching webinars with a limited number of participants).

For additional information and to register for webinars, visit http://www.NonprofitMarketingGuide.com/webinars.htm.

Press Contact: Kivi Leroux Miller
Company Name: Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
Phone: 336-499-5816
Website: http://www.NonprofitMarketingGuide.com/webinars.htm