Community Chat

[Deanie]

@OKPrincesssort of makes me wonder as to how good a financial adviser he was.Living in a trailer?  And, might I add, if they are indeed that desperate as portrayed, they would qualify for free health care through Medicaid. Would they not?

[tsavorite]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

This was from PEOPLE  on MSN. 

I think with more and more boomers retired and living longer, therir retirement savings fall short with todays high cost of living  and high cost of medical care.  I hope this is not my future retirement!   

To help pay for his wife’s mounting medical bills, Robert Blocksom is looking to come out of retirement. But instead of helping others with their financial planning as he had done for so many years, the 87-year-old is aiming to hit the road as a truck driver.

“I got a little bit of everything, but mostly I can’t walk very well, and I’ve had some breast cancer,” Robert’s wife, Jelaine Blocksom, tells PEOPLE. “I’ve just been diagnosed with asthma, so I’m having problems breathing. I was in the hospital twice last month. So it seems just about everything is falling off.”

The couple have sold off many of their possessions — including a mobile trailer — to help pay for medical bills since Jelaine’s health began to worsen, CNN affiliate  News first reported. They also moved from their home in Middleburgh Heights, Ohio, and relocated to an apartment that’s easier for 87-year-old Jelaine to move around in.

As the news station noted, more and more Americans in their golden years are coming out of retirement to find work. Over the last 12 months, some 255,000 people 85 years old or older were listed in the workforce. Many of these seniors took up jobs as farmers, ranchers, bookkeepers and accountants, and many, like Robert, are looking to become truckers.

According to a Social Science Research Network study, the rate of seniors 65 and over who filed for bankruptcy rose almost 204 percent from 1991 to 2016. The study found that high health care costs, coupled with reduced incomes and a decline in pensions, have contributed to the trend of financially strapped retirees.

While the trucking business is known for its rough work schedule, Robert said he hopes to stay local and work weekends so he can continue to care for his wife. He’ll start taking his commercial driver’s classes in September.

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That's just plain WRONG and SCARY!!!  87yr old's driving trucks!! I can't believe a company would take the risk of putting him behind the wheel on the road....the insurance to cover him would be out of sight!

Since he used to be a financial planner why doesn't he return to that part time or do taxes...very little driving needed and he can be home much more for his wife.

[nomless]

I wonder if she has a Medicare supplement plan. If so, I wonder what type of plan she has. If there is a supplement plan in place, it's a shame it hasn't met their needs. Good planning and wise choices are so important.

[OKPrincess]

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@millieshops wrote:

@OKPrincessI think you're right although I know statistics say a high percentage of single older SS recipients love solely on that income'  What we don't know is how -  whether they're alone in a paid-for home, living with relatives, living with another person but not married, etc.

But I also know here on Long Island a story about homelessness ran just last night on our local news -  one sentence got me:  "People whose incomes are less than $50,000 are having trouble finding apartments to rent."  I think that would be anyone single on SS, and that supports your point.

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I’m sure where a person lives makes a difference in what a person needs for retirement. It would be easier for us to retire here in OK than check out other states. Plus we based our monthly financial needs on no mortgage or rent. It complex.

[tsavorite]

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@scatcat wrote:

This story seems a little fishy to me. He was a financial planner but is broke? I am no where near retirement, but isn’t there Medicare and a Medicaid? And no 87 year old is going to be driving a truck for extra money. Maybe a grocery store or WalMart greeter.

Our 80+ year old neighbor man drove a Caprice and ran stop signs and hit the house a few times. 

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Yes my thoughts too....

Edit to add....my grandparents lived to 95yrs old.  My grandmother never worked or drove a car....grandfather worked for Chrysler welder in the shop.  Retired very early...55yrs old back then!!  He did have a small pension and benefits along with his medicare benefits.  They lived in a mobile home very tiny....never travelled....or bought anything worth anything.  I know as we went thur it all when they moved in with my parents.  They saved everything they had though and investments back then really paid out....I saw interest rates of 9% being paid out!  My parents saved all their papers even after they had passed and then I found it all after my parents passed.  

CD's and owning Chrysler stock....amazing what they made and saved with such a small income!!  But they didn't live beyond their means EVER....lived well below it.

So this story sounds almost like they on purpose had the man say he's gonna get behind the wheel of big trucks to freak out everyone LOL! and that way maybe get more donations pouring in thur a go fund me.  

[OKPrincess]

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@Deanie wrote:

@OKPrincesssort of makes me wonder as to how good a financial adviser he was.Living in a trailer?  And, might I add, if they are indeed that desperate as portrayed, they would qualify for free health care through Medicaid. Would they not?

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The situation makes a person wonder if he was a good advisor or what. I didn’t know much about finances but I know the more debt free you are, the better off you will be.

[Cakers3]

A GoFundMe account was set up for him by a woman in Canada.

Unfortunately this couple (or single person) are the norm and not the exception.

I think it is a darn shame that people have to decide between food and medical help, let alone heat and other life essentials. 

As far as being a financial planner, I'm not about to judge this man-medical bills most likely wiped everything out for them-considering they now live in an apartment.

Even with top financial cushions, $ is not infinite.

[Carmie]

I agree with those that say this story is fishy and raises many flags.

Here in the US, we have special Medicare programs for low income people.  You  get info on this program right after you sign up  for Medicare.  It is available on line and SS offices and senior centers.

You can also get Medicaid along with Medicare and even roll both Medicare and Medicare into a Advantage Plan of sorts. There are even advertisement in TV about this program.

i don't believe this story it at all....sounds like fake news to me.  It'll probably be productive for this couple and they will get  $$$$ funds from a go fund me account.

[RedTop]

I truly suspect this couple has no idea where to turn for help.   They are used to doing for themselves, and not relying on anyone for help, so they are not aware of agencies or programs that probably could’ve helped them long before now.

Answering on what I know is available in my area of WV, the hospital where I worked had a charity program to help with medical expenses.   Hospital employees working full-time often qualified for this program, so if this couple has outstanding medical bills, they could receive help this way.

They could have gone to DHHR and spoken with a social worker for any state assistance they might qualify for.   

At their ages, a reverse mortgage, or even bankruptcy makes more sense than him trying to get a CDL!

[Drythe]

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@Mominohio wrote:

And I'll add that I think a lot of stories like this are brought forward by either the people or the media to raise not only awareness, but more importantly, the funds (through donations and go fund my type fundraising) for people in situations like this. 

I think many times situations like this are exploited just for the ability to raise the money. Not that I'm against it, just that I think it is often a calculated plan, more than an elderly man really going to find a job driving truck.

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@Mominohio

Respectfully, I disagree.