The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomers focus on the holidays and life’s ups and downs

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting went to her town’s official party to usher in the holiday season, a Saturday evening with a holiday parade and block party. It rained early in the day, but by the 5 p.m. start, no rain fell and the temperature was almost balmy. Fire engines, school bands, home-made floats, and enthusiastic spectators created a festive atmosphere. 

Other boomer bloggers are writing about:

• Creating a calendar for the holidays to help you enjoy the time and stress less over it.
• Researching whether a charity you’ve heard about it a good choice.
• Recounting stories of holidays past.
• Contemplating our life’s journey.
• Being a caregiver to someone who is chronically ill.

Baer writes about these articles for the Best of Boomer Blogs #575. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Scam artists trying to get information from new Medicare cards

The new Medicare cards have now been mailed to recipients in most states.

The cards have a new Medicare number that’s unique to you, instead of a Social Security number. This helps protect your identity. Carrying the old cards around in your pocketbook or purse meant that if either were stolen, the thief would have your Social Security number. I’ve wondered for years why this change wasn’t made. 

You should only give your new Medicare number to doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, or your insurers.

Scam artists are busy trying to get your Medicare information by contacting you about your new card. If someone asks you for your information, for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don’t share your personal information, hang up and call Medicare at 800-633-4227.

The holidays begin for baby boomers

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty hates Thanksgiving. Not a football fan, Sightings says all you do is sit around, overeat, and watch football. Often you have to withstand the perils and pitfalls of traveling on some of the busiest days of the year, fighting traffic, airport lines, and surly crowds, he says. In addition, Sightings doesn’t like shopping.

But the Thanksgiving curmudgeon loves Christmas.

Sightings offers a report on how his boomer blogger buddies are getting ready for the holidays. They’re writing about:

Baby boomers pondering the holidays, travel, and change

Thanksgiving has always been nice celebration for me and my family. However, in recent years, I’ve been thinking more and more about the criticisms of the holiday.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting sheds some light on Thanksgiving. Baer did research and discovered some historical facts not taught in school, at least not when she went to school. Her “A Thanksgiving Story for Adults” isn’t X-rated, but includes details that might shock kids and many adults, too.

Carol Cassara at A Healing Spirit reminds us it's not Thanksgiving yet, and it’s still early in the holiday season. Cassara offers a gift guide for the special people in your life.

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com has updated her holiday gift guide for 2018. Look and see what she recommends for fun gifts you can order online for family, friends, and colleagues. And if you’re looking for something tasty to make for Thanksgiving check out her "Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup" of family favorites.

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over 60 is visiting Charleston, South Carolina, billed as America's most historic city. Take a look at “Discovering the Lost Cause” for a glimpse of the city – and a look at what really went on in its gilded past.

Jennifer Koshak of Unfold And Begin reminds us we’ve all been through change. Some easy. Some hard. But imagine finding out that not only is your husband leaving you for his mistress but that he’s lost all of your money and is leaving you in massive debt. That's what happened to Lee Gaitan who is the most recent Starting Over interview on Koshak’s blog.

Laura Lee Carter of the Adventures of the New Old Farts suffered a close call this past summer with wildfires in southern Colorado. Carter shares her thoughts about those caught in California's recent firestorms, and those who simply don't understand how it feels.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #573. Click on the links and see what boomer bloggers have to say. And, be sure and join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Is it true that half of older people have diverticulosis?

A friend of mine called and told she’s spent the better part of the day in a clinic due to an attack of diverticulitis. She wanted to know if I knew about half of older adults have diverticulosis. She said I should write about it.

Half sounded like it was too big of a number. However, my friend was right.

One American in 10 over the age of 40 has diverticulosis, and about half of all people age 60 and older have it, according to the National Institute of Health.

The institute offers the following information on diverticulosis:

Baby boomers deal with life in today’s world

 

The midterm elections are Tuesday and some of our baby boomer writers are getting excited about the outcome. America could be on the cusp of political change. It all depends on who comes out to vote.

This week, boomer bloggers are writing about:

• A 50^th high school reunion.

• A family’s immigrant past.

• Bullet journals.

• The child-like part of us.

• The deferred credit card trick.

• How Congress is out of step with the rest of us.

Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of BabyBoomster is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blog 571. Click here to get links to this week’s boomer articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Blood pressure medication recalled due to impurities that could cause cancer

ScieGen Pharmaceuticals Inc. is recalling some lots of Irbesartan tablets because they may be contaminated with an impurity.

The impurity, N-nitrosodiethylamine, is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The Irbesartan tablets recalled include 75 mg., 150 mg., and 300 mg. dosages and were manufactured by Aurobindo Pharma Limited.

Baby boomers offer hope in these dark days

Carol Cassara at Heart•Mind•Soul calls these dark, dark days. It’s been a terrible and tragic week with the massacre of 11 people in a synagogue near Pittsburgh, bombs being sent through the mail to top Democratic leaders and critics of President Trump, and the continual leaked news about the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist in Istanbul, Turkey.

Cassara said it’s hard to think about anything other than the families of victims of the recent mass shooting.

She offers a prayer of healing and protection, which we’re all mightily in need of.

However, it’s that time of the week when boomer bloggers provide some of their articles for your review. Consider this an opportunity for a brief respite from the darkness around us, Cassara said.

Baby boomers focus on autumn opportunities

The weather here is changing, with temperatures dropping and brightly colored leaves beginning to pile up sidewalks so you can swish through them when you walk. 

There's a fall nip in the air, foreshadowing Halloween and the Day of the Dead – just around the corner.

Our boomer bloggers are writing about fall activities – how to cut a white pumpkin in memory of your loved ones, how to decorate for Halloween, and how a candidate meeting for the U.S. House of Representatives turned out.

Other topics include lottery fever, the routine use of antibiotics in livestock, and one way to slow atrial fibrillation.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #569. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to leave a comment. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Baby boomers provide information on daily living, including relationships and stress

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty is back in the classroom every week this fall, once as a teacher and twice as a student.

Many baby boomers are interested in pursuing their education, whether for profit, leisure, or cultural enrichment – whether they go to a local adult-education class, attend an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute course at a nearby university, or take off on an educational trip with Road Scholar.

Our baby boomer group, too, is interested in education. They write hundreds of articles every year to provide helpful information to boomers. Here’s this week’s offering: