Eating
Well
Many older people have trouble eating well. This booklet form the
Food and Drug Administration tells why. Then it gives ideas on what
you can do about it. This brochure is one of many on the FDA site.
FDA
Easy Readers
A collection of 21 easy-to-read brochures from the Food and Drug
Administration — in English and Spanish - on topics such as eating
well, arthritis, AIDS, and clinical trials, available through an
updated FDA Web page.
Tax
Season Tip
The Internal Revenue Service has a handy booklet, Publication 553
which highlights 2000 tax changes. You’ll find information on IRAs
and retirement plans, estate and gift taxes, and more.
Where
To Write for Vital Statistics
The National Center for Health Statistics provides up-to-date
information on where to write for birth, death, marriage and divorce
records in each State and Territory.
Now,
Medicare Consumers Can Compare Dialysis Facilities
The Health Care Financing Administration, the federal agency that
administers Medicare, announces the launch of Dialysis Facility
Compare, a new tool on www.medicare.gov
to help Medicare beneficiaries learn about Medicare-certified
facilities that offer kidney dialysis to patients with end-stage renal
disease.
Federal
retirement system delays mount
The
new Thrift Savings Plan recordkeeping system won’t be up and running
until next year.
The
Straight Dope On Alternative And Complimentary Medicine
"CAM on PubMed" contains citations of journal articles
related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It was
developed jointly by the National Library of Medicine and the National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to help people
search easily for journal articles related to a variety of CAM
therapies, approaches, and systems - from acupuncture, to herbs, to
traditional oriental medicine.
TRICARE
Senior Pharmacy Benefit
On April 1, 2001, uniformed services beneficiaries 65 years of age and
older will begin receiving pharmacy benefits provided by the 2001
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). An estimated 1.4 million
beneficiaries are eligible for the benefit.
Federal/Non-Profit
Agencies Advance War On Heart Disease And Stroke
The Federal government and the American Heart Association -- including
its division the American Stroke Association -- are joining forces in
the fight against heart disease and stroke, America's number one and
number three killers, respectively.
A
Grandparents' Guide For Family Nurturing & Safety
The most exciting thing about being a grandparent is watching your own
child become nurturing. You have a special role as grandparent. This
guide from Consumer Products Safety Commission provides sound advice.
Canadian
Telemarketing Scam Targets Seniors
Law enforcement authorities on both sides of the border have moved to
halt a Vancouver-based telemarketing scam targeting senior citizens in
the United States. The FTC charged that the telemarketers, who
operated under a variety of names called consumers guaranteeing
substantial monthly payments between $5,000 and $12,000 in return for
a one-time payment of up to $5,000. Alternately, the telemarketers
called claiming to be marketing bonds -- in some cases British Premium
Savings Bonds -- purchase of which would qualify consumers for cash
prizes, monthly cash payments or bond investments with the chance to
participate in monthly drawings for cash prizes.
Achieving
Cultural Competence: A Guidebook for Providers of Services to Older
Americans and Their Families
Recognizing the growing diversity of our aging population, the
Administration on Aging has written this informative guidebook to help
the aging services network to adapt to changing needs.
WebTV
– Another Alternative For Web Access
Several of our readers wrote to us about the advantages of
WebTV for seniors. Ease of installation, ease of use and low cost were
the factors mentioned most often. Please remember that FirstGov for
Seniors does not specifically endorse any of these services. When you
select a service, fit your selections in with your needs and your
pocketbook.
The
Emphysema Foundation For Our Right To Survive (EFFORTS)
One
of our readers brought this remarkable site to our attention. It houses an
incredible amount of information about research and treatment of this
debilitating disease. Emphysema is
also called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). MEDLINEplus has
additional resources
on COPD. (See article below on MEDLINEplus.)
