Kansas Senior Press Service Weekly Newsletters Kansas Senior Press Service Weekly Newsletters By:By Officer Dan Robles
Kansas Senior Press Service
You can’t have my car or any belongings in it! These are thoughts I sometimes have when I witness the ever-increasing number of auto theft and auto burglary reports. It can be so easy to leave valuables and other important items lying around in plain view inside your vehicle in our hustle-and-bustle, fast-paced society.
But what typically happens is that people become forgetful and do not remember whether they locked their vehicle, left their keys in the ignition, or left valuables in plain view for the bad guy to see and steal. Here are some prevention tips:
By following these simple security tips, you’ll have better luck keeping auto thieves and auto burglars outside your car and yourself in the driver’s seat.
Do not hesitate to dial 911 when you observe suspicious activity.
Dan Robles is an officer in the Crime Prevention Unit of the Prairie Village Police Department.
Kansas Senior Press Service
In its rate of suicides, Kansas ranks 16th among the 50 states—and many of those deaths occur in the over-65 population. A new brochure raises awareness to prevent suicide among seniors.
The brochure, “Suicide Awareness for Older Kansans,” is available on the KDHE Web site:
http://www.kdheks.gov/idp/download/Suicide_and_Older_Adult_Brochure.pdf. It is also available by calling the Kansas Department on Aging, 800-432-3535.
For good mental health, the brochure advises people to:
By: Julie Brookhart
Kansas Senior Press Service
Taking a preventive approach to heart disease is one of the smartest things you can do to protect your health. Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the United States, but you can take three steps to prevent or delay heart problems—and Medicare can help:
1. Lower your risk for heart disease. Most heart disease develops over time, so living a healthful lifestyle is the best way to keep your heart in good shape. Whether you are healthy, at high risk for heart disease, or have already survived a heart attack, the advice to protect your heart is the same:
♥ Watch your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
♥ Maintain a healthful weight.
♥ Eat a healthful diet and limit fried and fatty foods.
♥ Stay active.
♥ Find healthful ways to cope with stress.
♥ Don’t smoke!
2. Talk to your doctor. It’s important to ask your doctor about your risk for heart disease and what you and Medicare can do to lower your risk. Medicare covers several screenings and tests to check your cholesterol and other blood fat (lipid) levels to spot possible heart problems early. Medicare also covers treatments to help you quit smoking and lower your risk. Visit your doctor regularly to make sure you get the tests and services you need. Within the first six months you have Medicare, you may want to take advantage of your Welcome-to-Medicare physical to review your health and medical history with your doctor.
3. Register at MyMedicare.gov. Register at MyMedicare.gov on the Web to receive personalized information about your Medicare health care claims and updates about heart screenings and other preventive services. You will also find information about Medicare health and prescription drug plan options in your area that can help you stay healthy.
Look for a Medicare event called “A Healthier US Starts Here” in your area to learn more about how Medicare can keep you heart-healthy, and about other Medicare-covered preventive services. Visit www.medicare.gov on the web. Under “Search Tools,” select “Find a Medicare Publication” to look at or print a copy of “Staying Healthy: Medicare’s Preventive Services.” You may also call 800-633-4227 to learn whether a free copy can be mailed to you. TTY users, call 877-486-2048.
For further information, contact Julie Brookhart, public affairs specialist with the Kansas City Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: 816-426-6312; julie.brookhart@cms.hhs.gov.
By:By Annette McDaniel
Kansas Senior Press Service
In the 1960s and ’70s, a major communications giant used the slogan, “Reach out and touch someone”—so we did. We did not, however, telephone our loved ones from every restaurant, shopping mall, and automobile. We were frugal with our long-distance minutes, too, and delighted when friends and family spent their nickel to phone us.
What did we do before cell phones? We waited for family to arrive home to have a conversation. We waited until they reached their destination while traveling to hear that they had arrived safely. And we learned patience.
Patience is not required if you own a cell phone. Convenience has replaced it. Forget an item on your shopping list? Call someone who is still out and about. Despite this convenience, there are drawbacks.Several weeks ago, my sister answered her cell phone and heard loud moaning and crying. She was frightened because the caller was her daughter, and there was no response to shouting out her name. Then the phone went dead. My friend finally reached the daughter, who denied placing a call. The mystery was solved when the daughter, a registered nurse, realized she had recently been in the room of a patient who was experiencing considerable pain. The cell phone in her pocket must have pressed against the bedside and accidentally dialed her mother’s number.
As my nephew, a teacher in California, showed his students the film “Saving Private Ryan,” known for its authentic depiction of World War II, he heard a commotion outside. Peering through the blinds that had been drawn to darken the room, he found himself looking at a contingent of SWAT officers in full gear with weapons drawn. The reason for this potentially catastrophic event turned out to be a student’s cell phone, which had inadvertently dialed home. The mother answered and heard gunfire and yelling. She became terrified and dialed 911.
These accidental calls are not uncommon. It has happened to us on several occasions. I’ve been told that there is a locking feature that prevents this from happening in phones without flip-top covers, but I have yet to figure out how it works.
Reports of erratic driving by those talking on the phone while speeding down freeways are numerous, but who of us would deprive anyone of a device that could save lives in summoning help after an accident? Likewise, while personal use of cell phones in the workplace is attributable to hundreds of unproductive hours, are we not comforted that those in the Twin Towers or on the highjacked airplanes had that one last conversation with their families on a grim September day in 2001?
For every device that comes along, the tendency for misuse or abuse follows. We see more of it with cell phones because they seem to have multiplied like Star Trek’s tribbles, and are often as annoying. The solution will not be found in banning the instrument or even legislating its appropriate use. Responsibility is learned, not legislated.
People will go on doing what they are doing if they are emotionally rewarded. Odd as it may seem, some folks with a cell phone on their ear admit that they are not talking to anyone. They just feel that they look connected and important by doing so. If prestige is attached, people will continue to reach out and touch someone, even if only in pretense. But can’t we be courteous about it?
Annette McDaniel is a former elementary teacher, former accountant, and sometime poet and writer, who lives in Edgerton.
These articles are also available electronically at the Center on Aging Website: http://www2.kumc.edu/coa/Senior_Press_Article/Topic_Index.htm