MedMinder Is Nifty Pill-Reminder Device

You have to love an inventive mind. There's a man in Maine who has developed a nifty pill-reminder device called a MedMinder. He's even given the device a pet name: Maya.

Maya has 28 compartments, each containing a small pill cup. When filled, Maya holds a week's worth of medication to be taken up to four times per day. The device plugs into the wall and runs over wireless technology from MedMinder's server, but you don't have to have a computer or any kind of Internet service.

The refill trays can be filled by you, your caregiver or even your local pharmacy.

When it's time to take a pill, the correct compartment will flash. You open the lid and remove the cup with the pills and return the empty cup. If the medication isn't taken, an alert will sound as a reminder. After a little while, if the pill still isn't taken, a caregiver or relative will get a phone call, e-mail or text message.

Scammers Will be Out in Force in 2010

One of my neighbors recently received a phone call from a well-known charity organization asking for donations. At least she thought it was the same organization calling. It wasn't. It was a scam, with the thieves using well-known charity names to bilk people out of money.

Rule of thumb: If someone is pressuring you to make a purchase or donation by phone, hang up. It's your phone and you can take charge of whom you're willing to talk to. Unless you make the call, you can't be sure who's at the other end. The Internet continues to be a nightmare of potential scams if you accidentally put in too much information or if you make a purchase online.

Rule of thumb: Have two e-mail addresses. Use one for family and friends. Use a second one for everything else and where an e-mail address is required.

Chase Those Winter Blues

There's one sure-fire way to get through a cold winter and fight the blues: Think spring. This is the perfect time to start planning for warm weather.

Here are some ideas:
Plan a garden, whether that means pots on your balcony, a bigger space in your yard or a spot in a community garden. Send for catalogs and lay out your plans on paper.

Meanwhile, a green plant or two in your living space can help you think "spring," as well as cleaning the air. (If you have pets, be sure that you can put the plants where they can't get to them.)

Design the perfect cruise or vacation. Check online for information, but go through a local travel agency, as it's safer than ordering anything online. For adventures closer to home, ask the senior center if it is planning any local trips.

Investigate warm weather volunteer work, such as assisting with Habitat for Humanity. Not all of its work involves heavy lifting.

Medicare: Making Changes in Your Coverage

It's open enrollment time again. Have you reviewed your Medicare plan and made any wanted changes to your insurance or drug plans? You have a few more weeks to get this done before the deadline on Dec. 31, 2009.

Even if you've been happy with your coverage this past year, it's still a good idea to review what you have because the costs could change. Did you receive your 2010 Annual Notice of Changes? Providers are required to send it to you once a year. The information includes what you can expect for co-pays and insurance next year, as well as the costs and any changes in coverage. It's also possible that your specific drug plan might not be offered next year. If that happens you'll be shunted off to another plan -- one you might not want.

Working Past Retirement

When we were in our 30s, most of us couldn't wait for the day we could retire. Now, at retirement age, many of us aren't doing what we expected.

There is a new study out that says many seniors actually want to continue working after retirement. Some want to continue to be around people, making work a social outlet. Some want something to do so they can feel productive. And some, 63 percent of those who responded in a survey, said they needed to keep working due to finances.

Generally, though, the majority of us are happy working -- much happier than our very young counterparts. Chances are that it's because older workers past retirement age work part time and aren't supporting families.

Another study was able to determine that continuing to work is good for our health, both physical and mental. Researchers found that those who work in "bridge employment" (part-time work in the same field as before retirement) develop fewer diseases and functional limitations.

Caffeine Could Treat Alzheimer's Disease

Can caffeine cure Alzheimer's disease? That's what researchers are wondering. In 2006, at the Byrd Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla., caffeine was shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in mice that were specially bred to get it. Over time, the caffeine protected them in areas like memory and recognition.

Here's how they believe it works: The caffeine suppresses an abnormal protein called beta amyloid in the blood and brain -- at least in mice. That protein produces plaque that blocks nerve cells in the brain.
N
ow, in 2009, scientists at two research centers in Florida have shown that a certain amount of caffeine (the equivalent of five cups per day) actually can reverse the effects of Alzheimer's -- again, at least in mice. The protein levels were reduced significantly.

Social Security Checks Won't Increase Next Year

Some of us are going to be disappointed next year: There will likely be no increase in COLA -- the Cost of Living Adjustment, that is. For the first time since 1975, we'll see no increase in the amount of our Social Security checks.

The COLA follows the Consumer Price Index. The Congressional Budget Office compares the cost of things this year to the previous year to estimate what will happen the following year. They estimate that there will be no increase in COLA because there is no inflation.

Specifically, the annual report from the Board of Trustees for Social Security says, "A substantial decrease in the CPI from the level of the third quarter of 2008 is projected to result in zero COLAs for December 2009 and December 2010." The Board will decide later this year, but right now, all signs are pointing to no increase.

Walkers, Canes Raise Risk of Painful Fall

Seniors who use walkers or canes have a much greater risk of injury from falls than those who don't use them.

A survey of hospital emergency-room records offers some statistics:
--Injuries involving walkers accounted for 87 percent of falls. Canes accounted for 12 percent.
--Women had more injuries than men, and walkers were the worst culprits: 78 percent of women were injured in walker falls, versus 22 percent of the men.
--A third of those injured in a fall ended up being admitted to the hospital.
--Sixty percent of the falls happened at home, and there were five times more falls from tripping than from slipping.

Here are some steps to reduce the risk of a fall, even if you don't use a walker or a cane:
* Get your eyes checked at least once a year. As our vision changes, what once worked in our homes might be dangerous to us now.

* Don't let newspapers or books stack up by the reading chair. Keep things off the floor and keep paths cleared of anything you have to step around or over.

* Use double-sided tape to hold down scatter rugs. (Best bet: Get rid of them.)

Fractures most common injury; one in three injuries required hospitalization

From 2001 to 2006, an average of 129 Americans ages 65 and older were treated in emergency departments each day—a total of more than 47,000 each year—for injuries from falls that involved walkers and canes, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The study, which examined six years of emergency department medical records, found that, for older adults that had falls related to walkers- or canes, most of the injuries involved walkers (87 percent). People were seven times more likely to be injured in a fall with a walker as with a cane. Older women sustained more than three out of four walker-related injuries (78 percent) and two out of three cane-related injuries (66 percent).

“Walking aids are very important in helping many older adults maintain their mobility. However, it's important to make sure people use these devices safely,” said Judy Stevens, Ph.D., the study's lead author. “Walkers are often used by frail and vulnerable older adults; people for whom falls, if they occur, can have very serious health consequences.”

Shake Those Holiday Blues

You don't have to be alone during the holidays to feel lonely. You could be married or in a relationship and still feel the absence of children or grandkids that live at a distance, or even saddened by memories of holidays past.

But there is a way to fight the blues: stay busy. Plan now for things you'll do over the holidays. The key is to be around others. Here are some ideas:

* Invite others to a potluck where everyone contributes something to the feast.
* Hold a game night at your place. Have a few people bring a game and snacks to share.
* Volunteer to cook or serve at a homeless kitchen. Sign up at a hospital or rehab center to pass out gifts or read to patients who don't have visitors. Don't show up at the last minute, though. Organizers need to know in advance how much help they'll have, so call soon.
* Play Secret Santa for neighbors. Homemade treats in a tin or basket, topped with a bow and left at their door, will put a smile on their faces.
* Check church listings to see if any are holding public holiday meals, then go!

Create Your Own Family Heirloom

If you start now, you have time to make the best holiday gift your family has ever had.

What I have in mind is called Life Story Writing. You'll tell pieces of your life story, either written down or as an oral history on tape or video, and give it as a gift to your family.

Here's a suggestion for getting started: As quickly as you can, make a list of your life's early events, things your family might not know, jotting down a word or two to remind yourself later. Make the list as long as you can, and keep it handy because other things will come to mind as you get started.

By events, I don't necessarily mean big things. It's in the small, everyday life occurrences you'll find the greatest value. If you have a computer, use that. Copy the files onto CDs. If you have a tape recorder, use that to record your stories. Tapes can be duplicated.

One Flu Shot ... or Two?

Confused about whether to get a flu shot this year? You're not alone. The flu has been all over the news, and some of the "facts" don't match, depending where you get your information.

There are two versions of the flu right now: the seasonal garden-variety that comes around every year, and the swine flu, also called H1N1 flu. There are slightly different symptoms for both, with severity ranging from mild to severe. There are two different flu shots, too, one for each type. Just getting a seasonal flu shot won't cover you for the H1N1 flu, and vice versa.

The swine flu vaccine naysayers have been busy, putting out information that might not be true. There's even a question about who really needs a swine flu shot. (Do seniors really have a built-in immunity to it?) But it's possible to get correct information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a comprehensive Web site with all sorts of facts about the seasonal and H1N1 flus and vaccines at www.flu.gov. Also check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's site: www.cdc.gov.

Seniors Crushed Under a Mountain of Debt

A recent study called "The Plastic Safety Net" pegs those over age 65 as having the largest increase in percentage of debt of all the age groups. That's not a label we should be proud of, certainly.

How did this happen to us? There are real and compelling reasons for the way we've run up credit-card debt.

* Topping the list is medical-care costs. Co-pays for doctor visits, prescription costs, dental work that insurance doesn't cover -- it all adds up. The study says that we have on average $4,000 in medical expenses on our credit cards.
* For many of us, the value of our homes has plunged. What we assumed would be a nest egg for our advancing years has in many cases become an overpriced, under-valued albatross. When repairs are needed, we have to hire others.
* If we own a vehicle, car repairs can be very expensive. Outside of oil changes, there's not a single thing that can be repaired inexpensively on a car.
* Our fixed income is not enough to pay for everything we need, so we put purchases on credit cards.

Pass the Chocolate!

Last year, medical researchers said dark chocolate was good for lowering blood pressure. It's the antioxidants that do the trick, they determined, by increasing nitric oxide and opening blood vessels.

Now there's even better news: Chocolate can reduce the risk of dying from cardiac problems, according to an article in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Researchers in Sweden studied men and women between the ages of 45 and 70 years old, tracking them for eight years after they had a heart attack, with special emphasis on their diet -- and how much chocolate they consumed. Both men and women had the good results.

Specifically, chocolate can cut the risk of dying from heart problems by almost 70 percent if you eat chocolate regularly. Snacking on chocolate only once a week can cut the risk in half. Eating chocolate only now and then still has an effect and cuts the risk by 27 percent.

Risk of Heat-Related Problems Increases with Age

As we age, our ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become a serious problem. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has some advice for helping older people avoid heat-related illnesses, known collectively as hyperthermia, during the summer months.

Hyperthermia can include heat stroke, heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after exercising in the heat), heat cramps and heat exhaustion. The risk for hyperthermia is a combination of the outside temperature along with the general health and lifestyle of the individual. Health-related factors that may increase risk include:

The Internet is a wonderful resource for seniors! It connects you with a world of good information about many vital topics, offers you the convenience of online shopping from the comfort of your home and can also be a means of inexpensive and immediate contact with friends and family. You may find that the younger members of your family are more accessible than ever, because for so many of them e-mail is the communications medium of choice.

here are dangers, however. You can easily avoid them if you observe a few simple precautions.

SPAM is junk mail sent to your email instead of your mailbox. Sometimes, however, SPAM can appear personally addressed to you. In either case, avoid it like the plague.

The key is to LEAVE SPAM alone. NEVER reply to it, NEVER click links embedded within it or open any of its attachments. If you reply to SPAM for any reason, spammers know your email address is active and they will continue sending you even more SPAM.

Unfortunately because the Internet is largely unregulated and most SPAM originates from outside the country, we cannot stop all unsolicited emails. Enforcement against foreign spammers is difficult even for federal authorities.

Beware of imposters (pretending to be your bank, your friend whose name you forgot, a well known store, even a government agency, etc.) This is just more SPAM. You should ignore, delete and block it. Unsolicited emails seeking your personal information should set off a red flag. Real businesses, government agencies, banks, and similar entities will never ask for your personal information in this manner. DON'T FALL FOR IT.

Ignore tempting ads with offers that sound too good to be true. Be especially careful of prescription drug offers. The drugs can be substandard, made in a country with no controls, or even contaminated.