Kansas Senior Press Service News ArticlesKansas Senior Press Service News ArticlesBy Kansas Senior Press Service
Tips to brewing your perfect cup of coffee
Remember, it takes practice and experimentation to brew up a perfectly tasty cup of coffee.
Courtesy of Dunn Bros Coffee
By Kansas Senior Press Service
When temperatures dip in the 20s and below, something seems to happen that suddenly “zaps” your skin. Dry, red, even painful cracks around the eyes and mouth crop up; hands and shins get painfully parched and itchy.
Some tips on prevention:
*Create a moisture-rich barrier after bathing or washing. It’s important that the product not sit on the skin and suffocate it, as something heavy like petroleum jelly, vegetable shortening or cooking oil. Some people actually turn to these in desperation!
*Instead, place a generous application of body cream rich in oils and emollients. You can find an extensive assortment of products like this at any drugstore. Eucerin is excellent. If you prefer more natural care, calendula (aka marigold) cream, while not as thick, is a time-tested soother. Find it at health-food stores.
*We know how good a hot bath or shower feels, but you may end up paying for it later with horrible itching. Keep the water at a body-friendly temperature. According to www.webmd.com, hot water breaks down the lipids in skin and contributes to itchiness and dry patches. The site recommends a lukewarm bath with baking soda or oatmeal for a sufficient amount of time. Adding a few drops of lavender essential oil is a natural fix, too.
*Exfoliate, but don’t torment your skin. When skin is irritated from dry winds, and/or too much indoor heat, it’s not the best time to use intense acids and peels. A nourishing scrub made from “nice” things like sugar, coffee and hazelnut oil is ok. Moisturize lips with lip balms. For a little color, try Burt’s Bees or Aveda lip tints. Stay away from lip balms that have a minty or menthol enhancement – it tends to irritate the lips.
Source: the Web site Bloomacious (www.Bloomacious.com)
By Gordon L. Davis
Kansas Senior Press Service
The 2008 individual income tax form again allows for donations to the Senior Citizens Meals on Wheel Contribution Program. If you donate to the fund, 100 percent of your contribution will go to local programs serving in-home meals to home-bound seniors and people with disabilities.
In 2008, more than $131,000 was contributed through the check-off program, according to Kathy Greenlee, secretary of the Kansas Department on Aging.
The Senior Citizens Meals on Wheels Program is a fund that the Kansas Legislature created in 2002, allowing taxpayers to make a donation to support home-delivered meals. The program is a channel for people who want to support food programs for seniors but perhaps can’t participate in ways such as meal delivery.
The intent of the fund is to supplement nutrition services for the elderly and people with disabilities in the community, making it possible for them to live independently in their homes as long as possible. The personal contact with meal volunteers is helpful to the seniors’ well-being, and the delivery process is a way to learn of clients’ changing needs or of emergencies.
If you will receive a state tax refund this year, indicate on line 37 of the tax form the amount you wish to donate. You may contribute $1 or more, a portion of your refund, or all of your refund to the Meals on Wheels fund.
If you owe state taxes, indicate the amount you wish to donate in the designated space and write a check for the tax balance plus the amount contributed to Meals on Wheels.
For more information about the Senior Citizens Meals on Wheels Contribution Program, contact the Area Agency on Aging in your area.
Tax forms are available at many city and county clerk offices, banks, libraries, and other convenient places. To obtain forms by mail, call the Kansas Department of Revenue voice mail system, 785-296-4937. You will be asked to give your name, address, telephone number, and the forms desired. Allow about two weeks for delivery of your forms. Tax forms are also available on the Department of Revenue Web site, www.ksrevenue.org.
Gordon L. Davis is an aging information specialist with the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging.
By Kansas Senior Press Service
Q: My father signed up for a Medicare private health plan last year, but he has not been happy with the coverage. How can he get back into Original Medicare?
A: Although disenrolling is a simple process, it can only be done during specific times of the year. Your father may switch plans during the annual coordinated election period, which runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31 every year. If he misses that period, your father may also switch plans once during the open enrollment period, which runs from Jan. 1 through March 31 every year.
If your father was misled into joining his current Medicare private health plan, he might be entitled to a retroactive disenrollment. He should call 800-633-4227 to request his disenrollment from his private health plan. As soon as he disenrolls, he will be automatically enrolled in Original Medicare.
Here are some more guidelines:
If you have... |
You may switch to... |
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A Medicare private health |
Another Medicare private |
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Original Medicare and |
A Medicare private health |
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A Medicare private health plan without drug coverage. |
Another Medicare private |
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Original Medicare alone |
A Medicare private health plan without drug coverage |
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If your Medicare private health plan leaves your area or you move out of your plan’s service area, you may switch to another private health plan or to Original Medicare.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBy Kansas Senior Press Service
By law, full-power television stations nationwide must begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format by June 12. The U. S. Congress approved an extension of the deadline, which originally was set for Feb. 17, through passage of the DTV Delay Act.
Many households risk losing television reception unless steps are taken to accommodate digital signal reception. Some stations already have made the switch; others are geared up to make the change Feb. 17; and all others will make the switch before June 12. To preserve your television reception, it is recommended that all conversion steps be in place by Feb. 17.
For more information on the conversion and the DTV Converter Box Coupon Program, visit www.dtv2009.gov or call 888-388-2009 (877-530-2634 TTY).
Shortly after the new year, the coupon program, which provides two coupons per household, each worth $40 toward the purchase of eligible converter boxes, reached its authorized funding ceiling. Coupon requests from eligible households are still being accepted, however, and applications are placed on a waiting list, to be processed as funds become available.
These articles are also available electronically at the Center on Aging Website: http://www2.kumc.edu/coa/Senior_Press_Article/Topic_Index.htm