The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomers need to be aware of possible hearing loss as they get older and the importance of getting a hearing test

 

By Rita R. Robison 

Hearing loss affects nine million older adults in the United States today. It's one of the most common health problems in the country – but also one of the most under-diagnosed and undertreated. 

May is Better Hearing Awareness Month and Older Americans Month.

The National Council on Aging, with support from United Health Foundation, wants older adults to know about the signs of hearing loss and the importance of getting screened.

"One out of every four older Americans has undetected or untreated hearing loss, and NCOA's research has shown that most older adults with hearing loss do not realize how much the quality of their lives has been affected," Jim Firman, president and CEO of the council, said in a statement.  

"As someone with significant hearing loss, I can personally attest to how the right hearing aids have dramatically improved my ability to work and play, my relationships with family and friends, and my self-esteem,” Firman said. “We encourage all older adults and their families to take a hearing test and find out what they've been missing."

When people began to use hearing aids, many see improvements in their lives, including their family relationships, 66 percent; mental health, 36 percent; sense of independence, 34 percent; social life, 34 percent; and sex life, 8 percent, a council survey on hearing loss and older adults found. 

"In recent years, hearing aids have improved significantly because of digital technologies," he said. "Therefore, we think people who use hearing aids today will see even more significant improvements in their lives." 

To learn more, including what are some warning signs of hearing loss to look for, visit www.ncoa.org/HearingLoss.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

National Consumer Protection Week: Take action to become an alert, informed consumer

By Rita R. Robison

This week, March 4 through 10, is National Consumer Protection Week.

Here are some suggestions from consumer groups and government agencies on what consumers can do during this important consumer week to improve enhance their consumer lives.

NCPW.com

This is the website for the National Consumer Protection Week organization. For information on how to set up activities in your community, see its Great Outreach Ideas page.

National Association of Attorneys General

Check the Attorney General’s Office website in your state for the resources consumers need to make informed decisions on issues that include home foreclosures, investments, credit, and business opportunities.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Read about the steps the new agency has taken to help protect your financial interests.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The department urges consumers to learn more about their new health insurance rights and the resources offered by the Affordable Care Act.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The agency encourages consumers nationwide to protect themselves and make better-informed decisions by taking advantage of available resources. Information on credit, debit, and prepaid cards are offered.

Consumer World

The consumer information website urges people to reserve a copy of the great resource, the “Consumer Action Handbook for 2012” or read it online now.

Consumer Action

The consumer group offers a Take Action Center, reviews of consumer books, consumer news, and consumer action publications.

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

The agency suggests consumers take a look at its HelpWithMyBank web page for answers and solutions for customers of national banks.

Federal Trade Commission

To learn about identity theft, investment scams, shopping tips, and telemarketing and telephone services, see the FTC’s Consumer Information web page.

Better Business Bureau

You can sign up to get a consumer tip a day from the BBB.

And don't forget to file consumer complaints when you have problems in the marketplace. Filing complaints lets companies and government regulators know when things are going wrong when consumers purchase goods and services.

 

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Take steps to protect personal information on Data Privacy Day

By Rita R. Robison

Today is Data Privacy Day. Its purpose is to promote awareness about privacy and to educate consumers about the best privacy practices. Data Privacy Day also is a reminder for consumers to check their privacy settings on social networks and wireless connections.

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King offers these tips for consumers for keeping private information secure:

1. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a firewall: Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Keep them up-to-date and check to ensure that your firewall is turned on.
2. Turn off identifier broadcasting. Most wireless routers broadcast a signal to any device in the vicinity announcing their presence. You don’t need to broadcast this information if the person using the network already knows it’s there. Disable the identifier broadcasting mechanism if your wireless router allows it.
3. Change the identifier on your router from the default. The identifier, SSID, for your router is likely to be a standard, default ID assigned by the manufacturer to all hardware of that model. Change your identifier to something only you know, and remember to configure the same unique ID into your wireless router and your computer so they can communicate.
4. Change your router’s pre-set password for administration: The manufacturer assigned the router a standard default password. Those default passwords are available to anyone, including hackers, so change it to something only you know. When choosing a password, make sure to choose one of sufficient length and complexity to prevent it from being hacked.
5. Turn off your wireless network when not in use: If you turn the router off when you’re not using it, you limit the amount of time that it’s susceptible to hacking.
6. Don’t assume public “hot spots” are secure: Café, hotel, and airport “hot spots” are convenient, but they aren’t secure.
7. Be careful about the information you access or send from a public wireless network: Consumers should assume other people can see anything you see or send over a public wireless network.

For more information on keeping your private data safe, see the National Cyber Security Alliance’s Staysafeonline.org.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a day of service

By Rita R. Robison

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The holiday is a good opportunity for Americans to honor King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service offers people a way they contribute to their community.

After a long struggle, legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The federal holiday was first observed in 1986, making 2012 the 26th anniversary of the King federal holiday.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading the effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." It’s a part of United We Serve, the president's national call to service initiative. The MLK Day of Service calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live.

People of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can get involved. Put your zip code in the Find a Project box to locate a volunteer opportunity in your community or plan your own project.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Winning videos show how kids, adults can add more fruits, vegetables to their diets

By Rita R. Robison

The winners of the MyPlate Fruits and Veggies Video Challenge show consumers of all ages innovative ways to "make half your plate fruits and vegetables."

Tips for Kids

1st Place: On the Go Snack Boxes – You can have a healthy option by creating easy to make snack boxes to put in your backpack. A busy student shares how she and her mom wash and cut up a variety of fruits and veggies and store them in individual snack boxes.

2nd Place: Let's Get Involved – A fun way to get your children excited about fruits and vegetables is let them select the fruits and vegetables they eat.

Popular Choice: The Fruit and Veggie Pokey! – These students share their tips for eating more fruits and vegetables while they dance to the "Hokey, Pokey Song."

Tips When Eating at Home

1st Place: Wrap Rap – A delicious and nutritious wrap is a great way to get more fruits and vegetables. A rapper provides us with an easy to remember "wrap" song to encourage us to make half our plates fruits and vegetables.

2nd Place: Eating fruits and veggies without straining your budget – Seasonal, local, and grow-your-own options are good ways to eat more fruits and veggies. This student provides some creative ways to stretch your dollar.

Popular Choice: My Tip: "Think Vegetables First" – A mom shares how she changed the meals for her family. Think vegetables first when planning a meal and add the rest of the foods to complement the vegetables.

Tips When Eating Away From Home

1st Place: Substitution and Replace...A story of Give and Take – A mom discovers her sons have been hiding junk food and avoiding more nutritional fruits and veggies. Through substitution and replacement her sons discover a healthier way to eat.

2nd Place: Pack Your Lunch Bag with Fruits and Veggies! – Here are some tips for workers/students on the go who want to make sure they fill half their plate – or lunch bag – with fruits and veggies. It saves money and calories.

Popular Choice: Richmond Avenue Café – Kids can make "make half your plate fruits and vegetables" when they eat out, too. A young student applies what he learned in health class at the Richmond Avenue School about healthy eating.

In September, U.S. Department of Agriculture asked individuals and teams to submit videos that provide innovative, easy, and practical tips on how to "make half your plate fruits and vegetables." The winners will divide $9,000 in prize money.

The videos are featured on ChooseMyPlate.gov. MyPlate is the USDA’s new icon that illustrates the five food groups, which are the building blocks for a healthy diet.  

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Gallup is off the mark to call federal government an industry

By Rita R. Robison

Things were going well as I clicked through the list from a Gallup Poll of the most hated industries in America:

10. Advertising and public relations industry

9. Pharmaceutical industry

8. Airline industry

7. Education

6. The legal field

5. Banking

4. Healthcare

3. Real estate industry

2. Oil and gas industry

Then I clicked on No. 1: It was the federal government. I couldn’t believe it.

In every economics class I’ve ever taken, including consumer economics, it’s clear that businesses make and sell “widgets.” Government has a different function; it provides services. Business and government are two entirely different segments of the economy.

Dictionary.com defines industry as follows:

1. The aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product: the automobile industry; the steel industry.
2. Any general business activity; commercial enterprise: the Italian tourist industry.
3. Trade or manufacture in general: the rise of industry in Africa.
4. The ownership and management of companies, factories, etc.: friction between labor and industry.

I don’t see any thing in the definition that would classify the federal government as an industry.

Gallup started polling about the popularity of American industries 10 years ago. Two years later, it added the federal government.

I think Gallup is way off with this poll that classifies the federal government an industry.

What do you think? Let me know in the Comment section below.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top second careers for baby boomers who need retirement income or entertainment

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

The number of workers age 50-plus is growing rapidly – from 20 percent of the workforce in 1996 to 31 percent in 2011. For many, getting older doesn’t mean a retirement full of golfing or other fun activities; it means a second career.

A second career can influence, reinvent, and enhance life after 50, according to “50 Jobs for a Second Career,” an article in the July/ August issue of the AARP Bulletin. The article looks at 50 job options for a second vocation and what jobs make for the best midlife transformations.

Here are five of the job categories covered:

Fastest growing jobs

• Dental assistant: $32,380 a year with moderate-term on-the-job training
• Dental hygienist: $66,570 year with an associate degree
• Veterinary technologist and technician: $28,900 year with an associate degree
• Physical therapist aide: $23,760 year with short-term on-the-job training

Most desirable fields – by percentage of those interested in an encore career

• Work with children/youth, 32 percent
• Conservation, 31 percent
• Teaching, 31 percent

Lucrative jobs that require no special education – by average salary

• Floral designer, $45,234
• Loan officer, $61,928
• Medical appliance technician, $57,484

Most common occupations for people ages 55-plus

• Secretary, administrative assistant
• Retail salesperson
• Registered nurse
• Counselor, social worker, religious worker

Best part time jobs, with average hourly wage

• Bookkeeping, accounting, auditing clerk, $16.08
• Customer service, $14.56
• Office clerk, $12.57

See the AARP Bulletin article for more job categories.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How to eat healthier

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recently, I enjoyed reading food journalist Michael Pollan’s book, "Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual."

Pollan did research to help consumers make their way through the huge array of information and persistent advertising about what to eat.

His advice is simple:

1. Eat food. By this means, Pollan means eat food that looks like real food, not highly processed items loaded with chemicals and high in fat, sugar, and salt.

2. Mostly plants. He recommends using meat as a flavoring in vegetable dishes. I tried it. I stir fried a huge cabbage with garlic and ham chunks. It was tasty. I’m going to add this item to my mean plans. Pollan also advises consumers to buy as much food as they can at local Farmers’ Markets.

3. Eat less. Pollan suggests leaving the table when you’re 75 percent full.

I highly recommend Pollan’s book. You can use the Amazon ad to the right to order it.

 
Today, the federal government took a stab at making its food recommendations simpler, although its suggestions don’t go as far as Pollan’s.

First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin unveiled the federal government's new food icon, MyPlate. Its purpose is to remind consumers to make healthier food choices. The icon shows a plate half full of fruits and vegetables, with one quarter of lean proteins, one quarter of whole grains, and a serving of low-fat dairy.

"MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles," Vilsack said in a statement.

MyPlate will replace the MyPyramid image as the government's primary food group. MyPyramid will remain available to interested health professionals and nutrition educators in a special section of the new website.

The federal government’s new website, ChooseMyPlate.gov featuring the new icon, provides resources and tools for consumers, health professionals, nutrition educators, and the food industry to help consumers build healthier diets.

The government officials think the resources will help Americans who are experiencing epidemic rates of overweight and obesity.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, launched in January, form the basis for the federal government’s nutrition programs. The guidelines include these recommendations:

Balance calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains.

 Foods to reduce

• Compare sodium, salt, in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

As part of this new federal food initiative, the USDA wants to see how consumers are putting MyPlate in to action. The agency is asking consumers to take a photo of their plates and share on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate.

For more information, visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. Additional resources include: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/guidelines/index.html and http://www.letsmove.gov/. 

Update: Andrew Weil, M.D., gives his critique of the USDA’s new food recommendations in "MyPlate USDA Nutrition Guide Has Its Cracks." Weil thinks MyPlate doesn’t provide enough guidance, for example, not pointing out the difference between fruit and fruit juice and "pulverized" and whole grains. Instead, he recommends his Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid, with, in addition to the usual food groups, categories for fish, soy, mushrooms, herbs and spices, supplements, tea, and red wine.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Has your child’s identity been stolen?

An 8 year old is in foreclosure on a home in another state. A three-year-old is being sent to collection for a huge utility bill.

Identity theft among children is on the rise, according to a report by Carnegie Mellon CyLab.

Based on scans of over 42,000 U.S child IDs by Debix, an identity protection company, the report offers these key findings:

• 4,311 or 10.2 percent of the children in the report had someone else using their Social Security number.

• Child IDs were used to purchase homes and automobiles, open credit card accounts, secure employment, and obtain driver’s licenses.

• The largest fraud – $725,000 – was committed against a 16-year-old girl.

• The youngest victim was 5 months old; 303 victims were under the age 5.

“From my perspective, having tracked the evolution of cyber crime over two decades, it is only common sense to surmise that the problem goes beyond those breached accounts included in this report, and that there are many thousands more children and their families at risk,” Richard Powers, author of the report and director of strategic communications for CyLab, said.

Powers is author of the book “Secrets Stolen, Fortunes Lost: Preventing Economic Espionage and Intellectual Property Theft in the 21st Century.”
 
For more information, see Child Identity Theft: New Evidence Indicates Identity Thieves are Targeting Children for Unused Social Security Numbers.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Assess your consumer power during National Consumer Protection Week

This week is a good time to take stock of how you’re doing as a consumer.

It’s National Consumer Protection Week, March 6 through 12.

More than 120 events in 25 states will be offered by 30 federal agencies, consumer groups, and state, county, and local government agencies.

The consumer week is a time to examine whether you have the information you need to make effective consumer choices, and, if you’re lacking information, where to go to find it.

For the 13th year of the campaign, President Barack Obama said in a proclamation:

For more than a decade, National Consumer Protection Week has encouraged Americans to make better-informed decisions about saving, buying, borrowing, and investing. This year's theme, "Your Information Destination: www.NCPW.gov," highlights the resources offered by federal agencies and partner organizations that encourage the public to manage their money, stay safe online, and understand mortgages and other financial transactions. By seeking out this information, families can both strengthen the economy and protect themselves from fraudulent behavior. For information and resources, I encourage American consumers to visit www.NCPW.gov...

As a nation, we must foster an environment that supports informed decision making, supports fair and robust competition in the marketplace, and guards all citizens from unfair and predatory practices. During National Consumer Protection Week, I encourage all Americans to learn about their rights as consumers and seek out the knowledge to manage their finances more effectively by visiting www.MyMoney.gov and www.ConsumerFinance.gov.

Among the agencies and groups participating in National Consumer Protection Week are: the AARP, Better Business Bureau, Consumer Federation of America, Internal Revenue Service, National Association of Attorneys General, Federal Trade Commission, and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist