Still Clickin

What kind of pet person are you? There are bird-lovers, dog-lovers, cat-lovers, and goldfish-lovers. Everyone has their own particular favorite that was usually established during their youth. People that have had pets can even be classified as such. For example, we have dog-people, cat-people, and bird-people. Are you a certain pet-person?

If you are, maybe you are currently pet-less and rethinking that decision. Obviously, there are a number of pros and cons to such a decision, but the choice of the type of pet has a lot to do with most of them. There are a wide variety of pets that seniors may choose.

Dogs -
Dogs need and give love. Many studies indicate that having a dog really can help a senior’s health and attitude. Not only do they offer companionship, but their needs serve as an ongoing encouragement for some good exercise as well. Also, they are probably the best security system available on the market today.

If you are particular about breeds, you can contact the American Kennel Club and get a list of local breeders. Be prepared to open your wallet, however, since many breeds now go for $1,500 or more.

Another approach is to take a visit to the local animal shelter. These pets often have that wonderful price of ‘free’, although small donations are very welcome. These pets can vary widely, so you must look carefully to find the right dog for you. The people in the shelters understand animals and can provide you with a wealth of information. Don’t be afraid to ask. Before you “take the plunge”, consider -

• Age - If a dog is older than 18 months, it will not only be housebroken, its teeth will have grown in and it will also be less inclined to eat your slippers. If a dog is older than six, you may find not only health problems but an inability to adapt to new surroundings.
• Size - Golden Retriever mixes and Labrador mixes are great, but if you are going to walk the dog, you may need a smaller dog (who won’t pull you over when it chases after a squirrel). However, if you aren’t used to having a small dog around, you probably shouldn’t get a dog weighing less than 25 pounds. You don’t want to trip over the little thing because you didn’t see it.
• Allergies - If you have avoided dogs because you are allergic, look for dogs that don’t shed. Many terriers and poodles have this trait.
• Temperament - Undoubtedly, the vast majority of dogs have better temperaments than many people. A few, however, may have experienced poor treatment and developed a nasty streak as a consequence. Pay attention to how the dog reacts to you, since initially you are a stranger.

Cats -
“For a balanced ego, a person that has a dog to adore him should have a cat to ignore him.” That old quote is harsh, but contains an element of truth. Cats are much more independent than dogs. As long as they are properly fed and stroked occasionally, cats require far less attention than dogs. They quickly learn how to use a litter box and can amuse themselves for hours with a favorite toy. This independence allows a cat to tolerate much longer absences from their owners than dogs.

If you are looking for a cat at a shelter, many of the same cautions for dogs apply to cats. Their sizes, however, are much smaller. They compensate for their small size by their pronounced ability to quickly leap out of the way.

Other Critters -
For the most part, other small animals kept as pets live in defined enclosures. This reality makes them far less intrusive than dogs or cats. They each offer their own special qualities that can both divert and delight. They still require care, however, and someone else must mind them if you take a trip.

If you do live alone, having another living creature around the mansion has distinct benefits for all involved. Yes, they do require you to expend extra effort and care, but that is a gift. Answering needs is what life is all about.

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A couple of weeks ago, I heard some news commentators talking about Page Plus Cellular. The story-line centered upon a subscriber to their “unlimited” service whose contract was canceled because of overuse. Obviously, there was a disconnect at many levels.

Without question, the marketing crew at Page Plus should change the plan name to “universal” or “vast”, but that is all they should change. I’ve been a customer of Page Plus Cellular for nearly a year, and I could not be more pleased. Their plans are flexible and aggressively priced, and their service is rock solid. I have recommended them on this site, and I continue to recommend them to family and friends.

You have to understand the realities of their business.

Page Plus Cellular is a re-seller. They buy large blocks of time from a network operator, i.e. Verizon, create usage packages for different market niches, and then service their customer base in an efficient and effective manner. This approach allows Verizon to supply users they would otherwise never capture, and users access to services they could otherwise never afford. It is a true win-win.

This service model breaks down whenever certain users lock onto a connection for an extended period of time, because the switch is prevented from reallocating its resources. An occasional incident is never a problem, but continued patterns do upset the apple cart. At the end of the day, any re-seller can only offer as much as it has acquired.

But I continue to find the Page Plus Cellular service compelling. It is so easy to buy one of their phones at the Circle K. Using their standard plan, a senior citizen can have 300 minutes of access to a reliable network for $30 a year. That is a service that offers both peace of mind and value. Who knows how many worries it has eased and lives it has saved.

Thank you Page Plus Cellular for your outstanding service!

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Most of us picture our homes as castles or nests. Places of comfort and security. Insurance agents look at things differently. They have to. Its their job.

“Picture your own home on fire”, was the comment of an old insurance pro that had been in the field for years. “Think of all the questions that the firefighters have to answer.”

“In what part of the home did the blaze start? Are there people inside? How many trucks have responded? Are any ambulances on the way? How close are the hydrants? Is the water pressure adequate? Is there natural gas or propane at the home? Is it turned off? Are there cars, i.e. mobile gas tanks, inside the garage? Are there cars in the way on the street? Are any nearby homes threatened?”

As you envision these questions and their responses, think of the actions that you, as a homeowner, could take to prepare. It may be time to review your escape plan for every member of the family and practice it. Also -

• Do you have the fire alarm number on your speed dial list?
• Do you have a working flashlight near the bed?
• Have you put new batteries into your smoke detectors this year?
• Do you have a working fire extinguisher near the stove?
• Do you know where your gas main shutoff valve is?
• Does your assembly point still work, or have those people moved?

Also consider how your home is situated. Is there someone you can call to assess your location?

• How close are you the fire station?
• What is the water pressure like in your area?
• Can the fire engines access your home easily?

Any thought of a home fire is terrifying. The preparation necessary to develop an escape plan is sufficiently worrisome that people can put it off so that they will not have to have think about it. But that is short-sighted. A handy extinguisher or a quick exit give you options in the event of a calamity. They can help a great deal.

For more information, look at the -

• Fire Safety site,
• USFA guide, and
• NACHI check list.

Have you practiced your escape plan lately?

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A few years ago, when my son was in college, he took a pick-up job at a telemarketing firm selling magazine subscriptions. His description of the job was telling. He would walk in, sit at a table lined with telephones and computers, log in, and then wait for the computer to connect him to his next prospect. Whenever his sales pitch led to an order, he would get up, reach over, and ring the brass bell.

After a couple of months, his conscience started to bother him. He felt he might be selling things to people who didn’t need them and may not be able to afford them. Although the extra money really helped, he quit. He didn’t want to be part of that operation.

The blunt truth is that people who try to sell you things over the phone are NOT your friends. They simply want to ring a bell.

Now, however, the situation has gotten much worse. Thieves are out there trying to get enough information to steal from you. Some may operate in the states, but others may be connecting to you from overseas. Moreover, if their computer reconnects through a 900 number, YOU are paying for the call.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself.
*First, register your telephone number with the Federal Trade Commission’s DO NOT Call Service. This service removes your number from the lists of most tele-marketers. If you don’t wish to use the link or do not have an email address, you can register by phone at 1-888-382-1222. You should register all your phone numbers, but especially cell phone numbers.
*When you pick up and hear the dead silence of a delay (the computer is transferring the call to a worker), hang up. The computer won’t mind. It will dial the next number on its list.
*If an actual person is on the line asking you to do some sort of business, simply respond that you don’t do business, ANY business, over the phone. Tell them to mail you their request. If they do not already have your address, it is NOT a valid request.

On a telephone or on a computer, it is quite easy to mask the identity of the source. They can say that they represent some wonderful charity, or are simply trying to help you with your interests, but you have no way of validating that information. Even if it is a charity I know and the person sounds genuine, I do my business via the mails . . . NEVER over the phone.

Recently, my wife got a new cell phone with a new number. We registered the number with Do Not Call right away. After a couple of months, she started receiving computer calls from a “lawyer’s office that wanted to talk to her about a very important business matter.” Using Google to research the phone number of the Caller ID, we learned that it was a scam. I simply reported the number to Do Not Call, and they never called our number again. It works!

It is a shame that there are so many scams today, but that is the world we live in. As a consequence, “I never do business over the phone.”

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If you have an Internet site, you must let the search engines, e.g. Google, know that you’re there. There is a detailed registration process involved. However, anyone with a little smarts also signs up for Google AdSense, which permits Google to place ads on your site. The few pennies involved aren’t worthy of discussion, but the enhanced visibility certainly is.

Now, website owners are being alerted by Google to the upcoming (April 8, 2009) launch of interest-based advertising, which “will allow advertisers to show ads based on a user’s previous interactions with them, such as visits to advertiser website and also to reach users based on their interests (e.g. “sports enthusiast”).”

To alert our visitors, we have changed the heading of these ad sections to “ads: no privacy”. But does anyone here in the United States care?

In Sweden, where there is a finely-tuned sense of privacy, they certainly would. In America, however, no one seems to care.

• On social networking sites, e.g. Facebook and MySpace, people publish all sorts of information and photos of a very personal nature. (Note: In contrast, wikiSenior supports total anonymity in order to protect privacy.)
• We continue to hear of organizations that have “lost” our credit card information.
• So many vendors ask for the last four digits of your social security number that you suspect that you’ll be asked the next time you’re going to the movies.

The results of this loss, e.g. ID theft and stalking, have not yet caused enough outrage to elicit firm controls from the government sector. Essentially, you are on your own. Proactively, what can a person do?

1. Politely decline any invitation to become a “friend”, “associate”, of “member” of a social networking site.
2. Limit the disclosure of social security numbers to employers and financial institutions that must report to the IRS. If you insist, even phone companies will accept other forms of ID.
3. Never supply personal information to any email request - EVER. Any reputable organization will have a more formal process.
4. In the Internet Options tab of your browser, limit your “cookies” to “current session” so that your clicks from two weeks ago aren’t following you.
5. In general, watch where you click. It sounds terrible to say, but Big Brother IS watching you.

Click below to make a comment. Even better, expand on the original article by going to wikiSenior and clicking on ‘edit’.

Maybe we’re not so bad.

We live in a mobile society. For most of us, the ability to drive a car is intrinsic to the ability to live independently. How else can you “get about”.

However, after the Drivers-under-twenty category, the Drivers-over-seventy-five are the next most problematic. In comparison, the younger drivers speed more frequently, drink before driving, and underestimate weather conditions. But, although drivers in the younger category are four times more likely to crash that the older category, their crashes are less deadly.

For older drivers, slower reaction times and spells of disorientation affect their performance, especially at intersections and highway merges.

In truth, we all know that our muscle tone, reaction times, and eyesight will diminish as we age. If we keep surviving, then sooner or later we all know that there will come a point in time when we will have to give up the car keys. I remember being on the other side of that decision when I had to “lose my Dad’s keys”. My Dad made that decision easier for me because I knew that he loved to walk. Through walking, he prolonged his independence.

Jane Broady, that clarifier of so many health issues, has spelled out the problems facing older drivers in many articles. For example -

• in this NY Times article, she spells out all of the health factors that can impair older drivers.
• while in a subsequent NT Times article, she provides a number of suggestions to combat those impairments and prolong the ability to drive, e.g. never tailgate, avoid rush hour, nighttime and bad weather trips, take a defensive driving course, and update your car. It should be noted that the AARP offers a drivers test for self-assessment.

But despite all these realities, there seems to be some encouraging signs regarding older drivers. It’s not that the issue is going away, but maybe it is being delayed. In the latest statistics, it seems that we might be getting better.

Although there will always be a day when we will have to surrender the keys, maybe it is not coming quite as soon as we thought.

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“The weather outside is frightful!”

One of the assurances my children gave us when they encouraged our move to the northwest was - “It rarely snows. When it does, it’s gone within a couple of hours.” They lied! This very morning we even had THUNDERSNOW!

Last night, it started snowing once again. It wasn’t the 32″ we experienced our last winter in Rhode Island, but enough for ice to form under your feet. That ice will not go away within two hours because the thermometer is projected to stay below freezing for a number of days. I have to admit, I am very wary.

I fell twice on the ice during the week we moved out of Connecticut in 2003. I learned then that a ‘frozen shoulder’ has nothing to do with the cold. I landed more softly on my Rhode Island slips. However, I managed to find black ice during my first winter in Seattle and had to have my scalp stapled. That’s why I am wary.

I have since learned that simple falls become the greatest accident exposure for senior citizens. We need activity to keep our bodily systems engaged, and the simple act of falling can result in enough damage to curtail that activity for prolonged periods. The snow may be pretty, but the ice is dangerous.

To cope with the situation, I am -

• staying indoors as much as possible despite the fact that I can’t stand the cabin fever,
• wearing ugly high-traction boots whenever I must go out,
• driving only on tires with decent tread,
• carefully selecting parking places that are somewhat drier and closer to covered walkways,
• noticing some of my fellow seniors using ski poles while walking, and am considering adapting their style, and
• spreading kitty litter (my latest ‘wonder product’ discovery) on the walks around our house.

Love to hear any other ideas that would forestall a visit to the ER. Other than that, the snow is beautiful to see. I love to watch the kids rolling around in it.

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‘Tis the season to keep the ID scam artists at bay.

As a senior, there are few things that make me more uncomfortable than the exposure to ID Theft. It is a mystifying, ever-present reality that I, like most seniors, feel ill-equipped to deal with.
However, there are some simple steps that anyone can take to limit their exposure. There are more extensive steps to take than these that you can access at the links below, but you should at least attempt to follow these basics.

Telephone -

• Place your telephone number on the national Do Not Call List. An enrollment is good for five years.
• If you receive any call from a government entity, bank, mortgage company, credit card company, or retailer asking for any information, just SAY NO! Ask them to make their request in writing, and then HANG UP!
• Unfortunately, some charitable organizations use the phone to solicit donations. Again, just say NO! Ask them to send a written request. Hang up.

Email -

• If you receive an email from a government entity, bank, mortgage company, credit card company, or retailer asking for any information, just delete. No trustworthy organization operates in that fashion.
• Do not even open emails from sources you do not recognize. Most especially, do not open their attachments.

Regular Mail -

• Rip to bits any piece of mail that includes an account number or any personal information. Discard it with the food garbage, the wetter the better.
• Rip up and discard into the garbage any unsolicited credit card applications.

Credit Card and Bank Statements -

• Keep credit card and ATM receipts, and compare the items on the statements you receive to these receipts.
• Contest any unfamiliar transaction. This is your first alert system and first line of defense against ID Theft.

These are just basic activities. Additional information can be found at -

• Your Credit Advisor
• AARP ID Theft Prevention Seminar

N. B. Click below to make a comment. If you would prefer to make an enhancement to the original article, please go to wikiSenior.com and click on edit.