The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Watch out for fake charities saying they’re raising money for Louisiana flood victims

If you’re like me, your phone is ringing and ringing with the IRS, Microsoft, and other scammers calling again and again.

However, if something new comes up, a caller asking for a donation to flood victims in Louisiana, be careful. Scammers exploit tragedies to appeal to your sense of generosity.

The Federal Trade Commission urges consumers to be cautious of potential charity scams. Do research to ensure that your donation will go to a reputable organization that will use the money as promised.

The Olympics: How long will it take to find out its role in spreading the Zika virus throughout the world

Although I enjoyed watching the Olympic games tremendously this year, I couldn't help wondering why the games hadn't been canceled.

In 2016 so far, there have been 160,000 cases of Zika in Brazil. Although it's currently winter there and the number of cases of Zika has dropped significantly, there's still a risk because the days in Rio de Janeiro warm up to 75 to 90 degrees.

In addition, athletes, visitors, and residents didn't seem to be following instructions from health officials on preventing Zika.

Although health of all Americans will be affected by climate change, older adults and other vulnerable groups face most impacts, report says

Every American is vulnerable to the health impacts associated with climate change.

That’s the conclusion from a report released Monday, the first day of National Public Health Week, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seven other federal agencies, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Climate change exacerbates some existing health threats and creates new public health challenges, the report, “The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment,” said.

Some examples of the increased health risks found in the assessment include:

• Air pollution and airborne allergens will likely increase, worsening allergy and asthma conditions.

• Extreme heat can be expected to cause an increase in the number of premature deaths.

Baby boomer bloggers comment on life’s unpredictability

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #444.

Baer is thinking about the unexpected because of the 37^th Anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant partial meltdown. The nuclear plant in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is 15 miles from where she and her family lived at the time.

There were concerns about how the leaked radiation would affect small children. Her youngest boy was 3 1/2 at the time.

Other boomer bloggers also are writing about the unexpected – booking a flight to Paris despite last year’s bombings, dealing with a sudden cold, and sunshine in the Seattle area tulip fields.

Please take a few minutes to stop by these boomer blogs and say “hi.”

Copyright 2016, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What’s happening five years after Fukushamia?

The environmental impacts of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster will last decades to centuries, according to a Greenpeace Japan report.

Man-made, long-lived radioactive elements are absorbed into the living tissues of plants and animals and recycled through food webs, and carried downstream to the Pacific Ocean by typhoons, snowmelt, and flooding, the report said.

“The government’s massive decontamination program will have almost no impact on reducing the ecological threat from the enormous amount of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster,” said Kendra Ulrich, senior nuclear campaigner at Greenpeace Japan.

The Best of Boomer Blogs, mid-winter edition

Laura Lee Carter of the Adventures of the New Old Farts is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #435.

Carter writes she’s stuck in a beautiful snowstorm in the foothills just east of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Southern Colorado. It’s beautiful, as her photo shows.

Other boomer bloggers are writing about what to do about too many timeshares, how to prevent kitchen fires, how older adults can avoid hypothermia, and the difficulties of finding great restaurants when on a road trip.

To read some or all the articles, click on the second link above.

Copyright 2016, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

30 million Americans drew money out of retirement savings for emergencies last year, while 21 million didn’t save anything for retirement

Thirty million Americans took money out of their retirement savings for an emergency during the past year, according to a Bankrate.com report. The report also found that 21 million Americans aren’t saving for retirement at all.

Millennials were the least likely to withdraw their retirement funds early, with only 8 percent doing so over the past 12 months. They’re also the age group with an improved overall financial situation over the past year; 40 percent say they’re better off while 11 percent say they’re doing worse.

For 50-64 year-olds, 26 percent say their financial situation has deteriorated over the past year – more than any other age group – and 17 percent recently took money out of their retirement savings to pay for an emergency.

Half billion dollars donated to Red Cross for Haiti earthquake relief builds six new houses

Did you hear the story on National Public Radio or read it on the ProPublica website about a half billion dollars in donated funds to the American Red Cross building only six permanent houses in Haiti after the devastating earthquake five years ago?

It’s shocking.

The news organizations said they found a string of poorly managed projects, questionable spending, and dubious claims of success.

As winter storms engulf the nation, EPA launches an analytical energy saving tool for consumers

As huge winter storms batter each coast this week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the launch of a new tool, the Energy Star Home Advisor, to help Americans save money and energy by improving the energy efficiency of their homes through home-improvement projects.

The timing seems ironic. Winter isn’t exactly the time to be studying your energy uses and hiring a contractor. A spring launch would have been much better. Consumers could undertaken the projects or hired a contractor in the summer.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy visited Durham, N.C., with local officials Friday for the agency’s Energy Efficiency Action Week and a tour a new Energy Star-certified Habitat for Humanity home. The home tour included blower door and duct blaster tests.

Durham was a good choice. It’s 53 degrees in Durham on Friday.

Today’s consumer tip: Think safety to avoid accidents as you celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a day of joy. The kitchen is bustling, and kids love to be involved in holiday preparations. However, accidents can happen before you know it.

Some tips to avoid disasters are: keep children away from the stove, stay in the kitchen when you’re cooking on the stovetop, stay home when cooking a turkey, don’t leave kids alone in a room with a burning candle, and make sure your smoke alarms are working.

See the National Fire Protection Association’s “Thanksgiving Safety” for details on these tips and for other suggestions.

In addition, see the NFPA’s “Kids in the Kitchen” guide for ideas on what different age groups can do around the kitchen as you prepare your holiday meal.

Note: The NFPA discourages the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers.

Copyright 2014, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist