The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Memorial Day 2012: Let’s work for peace as we remember the wars of the past

By Rita R. Robison

In remembering the service men and women who have fought in wars, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace.

Obama designated 11 a.m. today as a time to unite in prayer. He also asked all Americans to observe in their own way the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.

Best wishes on Memorial Day.

See the website of Veterans for Peace for activities you can join to help bring peace to America and war-torn countries throughout the world.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Watch out for Memorial Day schemes that target members of the military and their families and supporters

Memorial Day is a time to honor those who serve and remember those who have died in war. But, it’s also become a time for scammers to target those who are serving or have served their nation, especially elderly veterans.

The Better Business Bureau is urging consumers and donors to be on the lookout for deals that seem too good to be true and for disreputable charities.

“Military personnel are targeted for a few reasons: they get a steady paycheck, they tend to be young, they move around a lot, if they’re deployed they may not be watching their finances/personal info closely, everything in the military revolves around their social security number, so it’s easy for them to have their identity stolen,” Coleen Smith, executive director of the BBB Education Foundation, said in a statement.

To avoid problems, visit www.give.org to verify a charity before donating and be on the lookout for these common scams:

Scams that target military personnel:

• Fraudulent investors try to convince veterans to transfer their assets into an irrevocable trust.
• Callers pose as the Veterans Administration and request military personnel to update credit card, bank, or other financial records with the VA.
• Scammers pose as government contractors recruiting veterans and ask for a copy of the job applicants’ passport.
• Companies specifically target military for services they could get for free or less expensively elsewhere.
• Ads offer “instant approval” military loans – “no credit check,” “all ranks approved” – that can have high interest rates and hidden fees.
• Ads offer military discounts and incentives online on housing and then cheat service personnel out of their security deposit.

Scams that target military supporters

• Scammers try to sell services such as security systems to spouses of deployed military personnel by saying the service member ordered it to protect his or her family.
• People sell stolen vehicles at a low price and claim to be soldiers who need to sell quickly because they’ve been deployed.
• Individuals pose on online dating services as a lonely service member in a remote part of Iraq or Afghanistan, and ask for money to be wired to a third party for some emergency.

The BBB advises service members, veterans, and all consumers never to give personal identification information – Social Security, bank account, military identification, or credit card numbers – to anyone who contacts you by phone or e-mail, and to be wary of any solicitations that involve purchasing something or transferring money.

Consumers can check out businesses and charities at www.bbb.org.

For more information, visit www.bbb.org/us/military-line.

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

Boomer Guide joins Blogging Boomer Carnival for weekly reports on boomer happenings

By Rita R. Robison

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.

For about five years, a web community of boomer bloggers has been covering the boomer scene and posting weekly about what their blogs are covering. They call themselves the Blogging Boomer Carnival and last week, I joined their ranks.

This week, Anne Maxfield at Accidental Locavore is hosting the roundup with “Blogging Boomer Carnival 259: A Celebration of Mother’s Day.”

Anne reports on blogs about grandmotherly advice for teenagers, what working mother’s want, and tips for stressed out moms.

Other members of the Blogging Boomer Carnival are: 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

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

Better Business Bureau: Check out firms before you buy your Mother’s Day gifts from them

Flowers, candy, gift baskets, jewelry, and spa treatments may be at the top of the Mother’s Day shopping list, but consumers need to be careful.

“Mother’s Day shoppers should be thinking about ‘when’ and ‘where’ to buy, especially with online orders and last-minute purchases,” Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington, said in a statement. “Whether it is days or months in advance – or even after the holiday – BBB can help buyers screen sellers.”

The BBB has had the following inquiries in the last 36 months:

• 6,609 on “Florists – Retail”
• 5,362 on “Candy & Confectionery – Retail”
• 7,785 on “Gift Baskets & Parcels”
• 71,335 on “Jewelers – Retail”
• 9,537 on “Day Spas”

Smart start: Search retailers, shops, and other services on bbb.org.

Online orders: Review guarantees, shipping policies, delivery dates, and charges on “rushed” orders. Provide contact information so companies can confirm shipping status.

Store shopping: Inspect products thoroughly and keep track of all purchase paperwork – including gift receipts.

Payment protections: Collect customer service information, save receipts, and pay by credit card when possible.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Million of Facebook users risk sharing updates beyond their ‘friends’ because they don’t use privacy controls

Nearly 13 million U.S. Facebook users don’t use or aren’t aware of the site’s privacy controls, potentially exposing personal information widely beyond their network of Face book “friends,” according to Consumer Reports.

Its report on Facebook and privacy also shows that more than 4.8 million people have posted about where they planned to go on a certain day, a potential tip-off to burglars, while 4.7 million have “liked” a Facebook page about health conditions or treatments, details that insurers might use against them.

Facebook is the largest social network with more than 900 million users worldwide and 150 million users in the United States.

Facebook makes it easy for people to keep up with friends, family, and colleagues, discover great content, and connect to causes. To deliver this service, Facebook and other social networks collect enormous amounts of often highly sensitive information and distribute it widely and quickly.

This data collection has risks. About seven million households using Facebook said they had trouble last year, ranging from someone using their log-in without permission to being harassed or threatened – up 30 percent from the previous year, according to the Consumer Reports Annual State of the Net survey.

Unless an individual chooses his or her privacy settings carefully, a friend who runs an app could grant it access to the person’s information without his or her knowledge, including information that was set to “friends” only view. Only 37 percent of users say they’ve used the site’s privacy tools to customize how much information apps are allowed to see, according to the Consumer Reports survey.

What does Facebook know? Americans feed all kinds of personal details into Facebook’s vast database by posting status updates on their “wall,” updating their profile, “liking a page,” or using other Face book features. The numbers below show how many people engaged in each activity during the past 12 months, based on projections from the Consumer Reports State of the Net survey:

• 39.3 million identified a family member in a profile.
• 20.4 million included their birth date and year in their profile.
• 7.7 million “liked” a Face book page pertaining to a religious affiliation.
• 4.6 million discussed their love life on their wall.
• 2.6 million discussed their recreational use of alcohol on their wall.
• 2.3 million “liked” a page regarding sexual orientation.

While some privacy or security issues arise from poor choices Facebook users themselves make, other problems can stem from the ways the company collects data, how it manages and packages its privacy controls, and the fact that users’ data can wind up with people or companies with whom they didn’t intend to share.

Some users might be surprised to know that Facebook gets a report every time they visit a site with a “Like” button, regardless of whether or not they click on that button, have a Facebook account, or are even logged in.

Better protections. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, wants:

• A national privacy law that holds all companies to the same privacy standards and lets consumers tell companies not to track them online.
• Industry and privacy groups to meet to set clear rules for how personal data is collected and used, an Obama administration initiative.
• Consumers to sign a petition urging Facebook to improve privacy controls and address concerns about sharing practices.
• Facebook to fix a security lapse that permits users to set up weak passwords including some six-letter dictionary words and help users avoid inadvertently sharing status updates with the public, either by alerting them more prominently when they are about to do so or by changing the default audience for posts to the user’s preferred audience.

The report can be found in the June 2012 issue of Consumer Reports, available on newsstands on May 8, and online at www.ConsumerReports.org. The issue also features a report on online security and what consumers can do to protect themselves.

My next post will offer information on Consumer Report’s recommendations on “Nine Ways to Stay Protected” when you use Facebook.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What does May Day mean to you?

By Rita R. Robison

On May Day, when we were kids, we used to make wildflower bouquets with cone-shaped, construction paper holders. We’d place them on door steps, knock on the door, then run.

I also remember some maypoles that were done at school or by other organizations.

In many countries, May Day is a day to celebrate workers and workers rights. This holiday has its origins in the struggle by American workers to win the eight-hour work day in the 1880s.

When I worked for state government, I belonged to a union. I participated in its activities, including rallies. The union helped me when I had problems as an injured worker.

I believe workers need to unite and take action to improve working conditions.

Conditions for American workers and workers through the world have declined significantly since the Great Recession of 2008. While the economic fortunes of many companies are improving, the situation for workers remains bleak.

Younger and older workers are having great difficulty finding jobs. Benefits are being slashed for most workers, including government workers, teachers, fire fighters, and police officers.

Economies in Europe are teetering on the edge of economic collapse. The Chinese economy is cooling down, while economic growth in the United States continues slowly.

The situation for workers is dire. Poverty rates are increasing, while the richest few are making even more money.

Today, many rallies are being organized by Occupy Movements throughout the U. S. Some events are peaceful. In others, police are using various kinds of force to stop the demonstrators.

For details on May Day celebrations, see The Huffington Post’s “May Day: How the International Day of Protest Is Celebrated Throughout the World.”

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

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