The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Federal initiative to reduce asthma rates in minority and poor children laudable, but more specifics needed on pollution reduction requirements

Today, U.S. federal agencies unveiled a plan, called “The Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities,” to lower asthma rates among minority and poor children.

Nearly 26 million Americans are affected by asthma, including 7 million children, especially minority children and children with family incomes below the poverty level.

Asthma rates of African American children are 16 percent, while 16.5 percent of Puerto Rican children suffer from the asthma, more than double the rate of Caucasian children in the United States. The annual economic cost of asthma, including direct medical costs from hospital stays and indirect costs such as lost school and work days, is about $56 billion.

“As the mother of a child with asthma, I know what it means for our children to have clean and healthy air to breathe,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a statement.

The action plan will enable federal agencies and their partners to work together in better ways to tackle a major health threat, Jackson said

“Low-income and minority communities often face an unacceptable burden of pollution in this country, diminishing their economic potential and threatening the health of millions of American families,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

The plan is part of the Obama administration efforts to integrate environmental justice into the missions of federal agencies, Sutley said.

The plan is a blueprint for how federal agencies can work together to reduce asthma disparities and help ensure children with asthma get the right care with the right support,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said.

“One key factor that is so critical to controlling a child’s asthma is access to health care, Sebelius said. “Uninsured people with asthma are less likely to take the preventive medicine they may need to keep their condition under control, making them more likely to suffer an attack.”

While the action plan has merits, information on whether EPA is stepping up its efforts to curb pollution control is missing. It should be part of any action plan for reducing asthma rates for children and all consumers in America.

The action plan will coordinate efforts to improve asthma management and prevention:

• Reduce barriers to asthma care: Ensure that the populations most severely impacted by asthma receive comprehensive care, which includes access to medical services, education, and environmental interventions.

• Build local capacity: Enhance capacity to deliver integrated, community-based asthma care systems.   

• Target services: Identify the children, families, and communities most impacted by asthma disparities.

• Accelerate prevention efforts: Increase understanding of the causes of asthma and test interventions that may prevent the onset of asthma. 

For more information on the action plan, please visit http://www.epa.gov/asthma/childrenstaskforce.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Blogging Boomer Carnival #261: Read about veterans, weight loss, hepatitis C testing, investments, part-time work, and food storage

By Rita R. Robison

This week’s Blogging Boomer Carnival is hosted by Vaboomer.com.

Take a look at the weekly roundup of boomer articles on a variety of topics including remembering veterans, losing weight, testing for hepatitis C, investing, working part time, and solving food storage problems.

Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are America’s largest age group so far, and a fascinating group they are.

Boomers are leading corporations, serving as governmental officials, heading up non-profits, worrying about retirement, and experiencing layoffs at a higher rate than younger workers. They’re also reinventing themselves in trying economic times, with some looking for their dream jobs to keep them happy in retirement.

At each stage in their lives, boomers have changed things. They’re continuing to make America different as they begin entering into their retirement years.

In addition to The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, members of the Blogging Boomer Carnival are: The Accidental Locavore, The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings at 60, Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Vaboomer, Empty House Full Mind, and Witty Woman Writing.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Blogging Boomer Carnival celebrates its fifth anniversary with travel tips, financial discussions, food and health issues, and pet love

By Rita R. Robison

Blog carnivals collect links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A blog carnival is like a special interest magazine. It has a title, a topic that flows through its postings, editors, contributors, and a focused audience. Editions of the carnival come out on a regular basis, often weekly.

A couple of weeks ago, I joined the Blogging Boomer Carnival. This week, the carnival is marking its fifth anniversary with a roundup by Laura Carter, blogging at The Midlife Crisis Queen.

Laura reports on using trout in salad, sightseeing in Dubai, helping adult children financially, hearing problems boomers face, challenging investment decisions, loving pets, and looming food shortages. See "Blogging Boomers Blog Carnival #260" for details.

Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are America’s largest age group so far, and a fascinating group they are.

Boomers are leading corporations, serving as governmental officials, heading up non-profits, worrying about retirement, and experiencing layoffs at a higher rate than younger workers. They’re also reinventing themselves in trying economic times, with some looking for their dream jobs to keep them happy in retirement.

At each stage in their lives, boomers have changed things. They’re continuing to make America different as they begin entering into their retirement years.

In addition to The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, members of the Blogging Boomer Carnival are: The Accidental Locavore, The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings at 60, Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Vaboomer, Empty House Full Mind, and Witty Woman Writing.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Most states don’t protect patients from substandard physicians, citizens’ group study shows

Most states, including one of the largest – Florida – aren’t living up to their obligations to protect consumers from doctors who are practicing substandard medicine, in part because of budget cuts, according to Public Citizen’s annual ranking of state medical boards.

This information is important to baby boomer consumers because older adults receive a large porportion of medical care in America.

“Action must be taken, legislatively and through public pressure on medical boards themselves, to increase the amount of discipline, and thus, the amount of patient protection,” Sidney Wolfe, M.D., director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, said in a statement. “Ensuring that medical boards are adequately funded is an important prerequisite to achieving this, especially because doctors’ licensing fees, intended to fund medical board functions, are sometimes taken to fund other state functions, which has recently occurred in California.”

South Carolina was the worst state when it came to disciplining doctors, and, along with Minnesota and Wisconsin, has consistently been among the bottom 10 states for each of the past nine Public Citizen rankings.

Connecticut has been in the bottom 10 for each of the past six rankings. For the fourth time in a row, Florida is among the 10 states with the lowest rates of serious disciplinary actions even though it’s beginning to improve.

Other large states, such as Texas, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, have been in the bottom half of state rankings for all nine rankings and California has been in the bottom half for the past six rankings.

 “One likely reason for some medical boards’ declining rate of discipline is tighter state budgets,” Wolfe said. “The ability of certain states to rapidly increase or decrease their rankings, even when calculated based on three-year averages, can only be due to changes in practices and staffing at the board level. The prevalence of physicians eligible for discipline cannot possibly change so rapidly.”

Public Citizen’s analysis of medical board data from all states and the District of Columbia found that the rate at which doctors are disciplined by state medical boards has declined significantly over the past seven years, and some of the worst states have been consistently poor performers.

Nationally, in 2011, state medical boards took 3.06 serious actions per 1,000 physicians – up slightly, 3 percent, from last year but still down 18 percent from the peak rate of discipline in 2004 of 3.72 per 1,000 physicians.

The worst state is South Carolina with Washington, D.C. next. Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Nevada, New Jersey, and Florida make up the rest of the ten worst boards.

Wyoming was the best state when it came to disciplining doctors, taking 6.79 serious actions per 1,000 physicians, a rate five times higher than South Carolina. Three states – Alaska, Ohio, and Oklahoma – have been in the top 10 for all nine rankings.

Only one of the nation’s 15 most populous states, Ohio, is represented among those 10 states with the highest disciplinary rates. The best states when it comes to doctor discipline, in order, are Wyoming, Louisiana, Ohio, Delaware, New Mexico, Nebraska, Alaska, Oklahoma, Washington, and West Virginia.

The annual rankings are based on data from the Federation of State Medical Boards, specifically on the number of serious disciplinary actions taken against doctors in 2009-2011.

Boards are likely to do a better job disciplining physicians, according to Public Citizen, if the boards:

• Receive adequate funding – all money from license fees going to fund board activities instead of going into the state treasury for general purposes.
• Have adequate staffing.
• Engage in proactive investigations, rather than only reacting to complaints.
• Use all available/reliable data from other sources such as Medicare and Medicaid sanctions, hospital sanctions, and malpractice payouts.
• Have excellent leadership.
• Have independence from state medical societies.
• Are independent from other parts of the state government.
• Use a reasonable legal framework for disciplining doctors, the “preponderance of the evidence” rather than “beyond reasonable doubt” or “clear and convincing evidence” as the legal standard for discipline.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

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

Tips for stressed-out women this Mother’s Day

There’s no doubt about it. Being a mom in these modern times can be stressful.

Women are more likely than the general public to cite as sources of stress family health concerns – 57 percent for women, 53 percent for the general public – and family responsibilities – 62 percent for women, 57 percent for the general public, according to the American Psychological Association survey, “Stress in America: Our Health at Risk.”

In addition, caregivers, both men and women, are more likely to report higher levels of stress than others, 6.5 for caregivers and 5.2 for the general public, in 2011, on a scale of one to 10 where one is low stress and 10 is high stress).

“What I see in my practice is that too often women are so focused on other people’s needs that they neglect the stress in their own lives,” Rosalind Dorlen, Psy.D., chair of the New Jersey Psychological Association Public Education Committee and spokewoman for the American Psychological Association, said in a statement. “With so many competing responsibilities, women often don’t take time for themselves, and their overall wellness can be compromised.”

For Mother’s Day, New Jersey Psychological Association offers these strategies for busy women, mothers, and caregivers:

Take care of yourself – Set aside time to engage in healthy activities that you enjoy or that help you relax. Identify hobbies, increase exercising or eating healthy foods. Making time for yourself will help you better manage stressful situations and allow you to better care for the whole family. Also, find something that makes you laugh – humor is important, and laughter can make life a whole lot easier.

Recognize how you deal with family stress – Some people deal with stress by engaging in unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, comfort eating, or yelling and becoming irritable. Remember that stress is inevitable. What makes the biggest difference is how you manage that stress.

Reach out to others – Enlist and accept help from others including friends and family. Identify ways your family can help with specific needs that must be met such as proving a meal or babysitting so you can find time to take a break and rejuvenate. Take time to connect with your women friends when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Strong female friendships can help women overcome stressors.

Keep things in perspective – Remind yourself that each morning offers a new start and take things one step at a time. Realize that there’s no one perfect way to parent. Staying optimistic lowers stress.

Prioritize – You can only do one thing at a time. Delay or say no to the unimportant tasks, and make appointments for more important tasks, such as spending quality time with a spouse or child.

Be organized – Keeping the family and yourself organized reduces stress. Put family health information in separate folders; get family members to keep laundry in color-coded baskets; keep book bags in assigned bins. Harried searching for things adds to mom’s stress. Enlist your children’s help in developing an organization plan for your household – if they’re involved in the planning, they’ll be more likely to follow through.

Ask for professional help – If you feel overwhelmed by stress or the unhealthy behaviors you use to cope, you may want to talk with a psychologist who can help you address the emotions behind your worries, better manage stress, and change unhealthy behaviors.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Consumer group says U.S. needs better system to track animals to prevent ‘mad cow disease’

By Rita R. Robison

Two consumers that I know don’t eat meat or poultry anymore due to outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or “mad cow disease” in the 1990s.

With a case reported last week in a California dairy cow, I wondered if their plan of action is something I need to consider.

The cow was never presented for slaughter for human consumption and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement. In addition, the agency said milk doesn’t transmit BSE.

"The United States has had longstanding interlocking safeguards to protect human and animal health against BSE,” USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford said.

These include the USDA ban on specified risk materials, or SRMs, from the food supply. SRMs are parts of the animal that are most likely to contain the BSE agent if it’s present in an animal. The USDA also bans all nonambulatory or "downer" cattle from entering the human food chain.

For animal health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban on ruminant material in cattle feed prevents the spread of the disease in cattle herds.

"Evidence shows that our systems and safeguards to prevent BSE are working, as are similar actions taken by countries around the world,” Clifford said. “In 2011, there were only 29 worldwide cases of BSE, a dramatic decline and 99 percent reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases.”

USDA remains confident in the health of the national herd and the safety of beef and dairy products, he added.

However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest doesn’t agree.

The U. S. has first-world resources and technology but a third-world animal identification system, Sarah Klein, food safety attorney for the center, said in a statement.

“In fact, some third-world countries do a better job of tracking livestock than America does,” Klein said. “Botswana, for one, uses RFID microchips to track its animals up and down the supply chain.”

She said if American cattlemen suffer economic losses at the news of discovery of BSE in the California dairy cow because some consumers reduce their meat consumption, they should blame only themselves and other opponents of a mandatory animal identification system.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Got drugs? Get rid of unused medicines at drug Take-Back Day

Today, April 28, is National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day.

Law enforcement, public health, and environmental professionals recommend take-back programs as the safest and most responsible way to dispose of old and leftover medicines to protect your family and to protect the nation’s waters.

Some communities, pharmacies, and law enforcement are paying for ongoing take-back programs to help consumers properly dispose of old medicines in their homes.

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day is a good one-time opportunity to dispose of drugs, but ongoing solutions also are needed. Year-round programs ensure consumers have ongoing access to safe disposal of leftover and expired medicines.

To locate a Take-Back Program near you, check with your local law enforcement offices or your state health department. Most hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The DEA’s database for drop off sites seems to be jammed or offline now.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Boomer consumer journalist wins awards from state organization

By Rita R. Robison

It was fun yesterday to go to the awards luncheon for the Washington Press Association.

I received the following awards:

• First Place for Consumer Affairs – “FDA Misses the Mark on New Sunscreen Requirements”
  

• Second Place for Consumer Affairs – “FDA Action on Sunscreen Too Little, Too Late” 

• Second Place for Sports – “Super Bowl 2011: Another Round of Violent, Sexist, and Ageist Ads”
  

•  Second Place for Food – “What’s a Gluten-Free Diet?”

• Second Place for Agriculture/Environment – “Ways to Help the Planet on Earth Day”
  

That’s me in the photo with John Lesow, a WPA member and Bellingham writer, who helped present the awards.

I enjoyed visiting with my journalist colleagues. It was interesting to learn about their work and tell people how much I enjoy blogging about baby boomer consumer issues.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Free shipping was my best consumer experience this week, while loss of my strawberry patch is upsetting

By Rita R. Robison

I was able to get free shipping from a firm that hasn’t offered any coupons or deals. That cheered me up. However, when the weather turned nice, my weeds bloomed.

My best consumer experience: Free shipping from New York firm

Since I have allergies, I order my shampoo and body soap, laundry detergent, and dishwasher detergent from N.E.E.D.S., a company in New York. That’s heavy stuff. Often, my shipping bills are high.

On my last order, I was able to get free shipping. The customer service representative also pointed out that the sale catalog I’d received had a $5 coupon. I dug through the recycling and found it – the last thing in the bottom of the barrel.

My worst consumer experience: Loss of my strawberry patch to weeds

I don’t use pesticides in my yard. Pesticides are harmful children, adults, and pets. I don't think consumers should use them.

So I pull the weeds in my yard by hand. This spring, when it finally warmed up, the weeds seemed worse than usual.

Last year, I had a nice strawberry patch.

Here’s a close up of some of the strawberries.

I picked these strawberries for a tasty treat.

This year, my strawberry patch has completely disappeared. In its place is a weed patch.

Maybe the cold weather killed the plants.

I have lots of weeding to do. Are the weeds worse this year, or did I not keep up with them enough in the fall?

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist