Archive for September 2011
Science Battling Social, Economic Disparities in Health
By James Gaffney
Mature Life Features
Science may be helping to eliminate socioeconomic disparities in health, according to researchers at Santa Monica-based Rand Corp. It could be accomplished in part by specific intervention, such as the adoption of a rigid treatment plan and intensive patient monitoring that help patients better manage their own treatment.
This could have far-reaching effects on the nation’s graying population.
The Rand study revealed an association between a patient’s level of education and adherence to complex treatment regimens for two diseases — HIV and diabetes. Researchers found income, age, race, and gender were not as important as education in influencing one’s level of health. Differences associated with less education could be overcome, resulting in improved compliance and improved health outcomes.
“Lower socioeconomic status — less education, and lower income and wealth – has for some time been strongly linked with poorer health,” said Rand researcher James P. Smith. “This research offers a new and practical explanation for why these differences in health may occur and how we might address them.” He noted that experts have looked at several possible explanations for health disparities associated with socioeconomic status. Researchers have found differences in access to health care and insurance or in smoking and drinking among affluent and poor groups, but exactly how these factors contribute to differences in health is unclear.
“This report takes a clever and useful approach to looking at health disparities,” said Richard M. Suzman, associate director of the National Institutes of Aging’s Behavioral and Social Research Program. “We knew that education was one of the most important contributions to health and life expectancy, but were not sure exactly why. These analyses give us hope that we can define strategies to help improve the health of people with less education, using interventions for illnesses that require adherence to complex regimens.”
The study of people with diabetes compared patients’ behaviors. When the researchers compared the conventional therapies with a more intensive therapeutic approach, they found that education no longer had an effect on outcome. There was little difference in health status among people in different educational groups using the more intensive, enforced treatment, showing that imposing strict adherence to a treatment regimen helped the less educated more than those with higher education.
“These analyses show that the ability to adhere to a treatment regimen, while it can be influenced by education, is the bottom line for better health,” according to the Rand report. “Our study suggests to health providers that not all patients are alike in their ability to adhere to and maintain complicated medical regimens. But we also demonstrate that socioeconomic effects are amenable to change with training, monitoring, and possibly other approaches.”
Many experts believe this could impact how the United States manages spiraling medical costs as the the largest population of seniors in the nation’s history begins using health-care resources at an unprecedented rate.
Mature Life Features, Copyright 2003
To eliminate the political gridlock in Washington …
… we can pass a bill to do away with the two-party system. OK, now which party will we do away with?
— Cecil Scaglione, Mature Life Features
Lean Financial Times Fatten Scam Artists
By Cecil Scaglione
Mature Life Features
Uncertain economic times are playtimes for con artists.
While the crooks are around all the time, they feast on the fear and greed that grips everyone when the stock market goes south, pensions shrink, and investment portfolios get sucked dry. Add other types of events such as flailing governments, terrorism, and natural disasters that include hurricanes, floods, and droughts that are fallow financial fields for scam artists.
There is no official estimate of how much money is bilked from Americans each year by a variety of crooked schemes, but most experts agree that it spirals into the billions of dollars.
In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks involving four U.S. airliners that killed some 3,000 Americans, the number of sleazy schemes multiplied. They all sounded full of promise.
In North Dakota, investors were milked of more than $2 million by a small group of salespeople linked with a local pastor who used religious and family ties to assure the victims they could achieve financial returns up to 300 percent. They were promised access to investment secrets of the world’s elite banks and their portfolios.
Schemers also preyed with victims in Indiana, where some 20 elderly investors were bilked of $1.4 million in a promissary-note scam. The folks were promised returns up to 12 percent on their money. Instead, it was funneled into off-shore bank accounts used by the perpetrators to subsidize a high-flying life style.
Also rampant are liars who laud little-known stocks with the expert assurances that they are bound to increase in value when the dust settles after these disastrous times end.
The biggest target for all these wolves are seniors.
Another sleazy scheme involves a referral from someone you know who already has made money on what he or she is about to recommend to you. All you have to do is come up with $20,000 or $30,000 and double it in a month or so.
The catch, you’re told, is that it’s not quite legal because it’s a tax dodge. The money will be used to buy high-ticket automobiles in a foreign country and bring them into the United States without paying import duties.
You feel comfortable because you’ve been given all the inside information you need. And your friend made money on this already. What you don’t know – and your friend may not realize, either, if he or she goes for the proposal again – is that the original deal was the “come-on.” That was the bait to lure you, and others, into the scheme.
This time, the crook will come back with some problems. One scenario is that the scam artist will report the vehicle, or vehicles, were stopped at the border and everyone involved in the deal has to come up with another $5,000 or $10,000 to pay taxes and penalties. Then he may come back for more money, claiming the truck driver needs a lawyer you’re going to have to pay for or the driver’s going to implicate you.
You’re relief may come in the form of an explanation that your money is gone but the trucker isn’t going to talk so you have no tax worries. That way, you drop the whole matter and forget the loss.
Because you feel you’ve been part of an illicit and illegal deal, you don’t go to the police or the government. These crooks are free to feast on another group of fiscal “fish.”
There are variations of this con, ranging from scalping tickets for concerts and sporting events to fencing stolen goods.
Another insidious scheme that lures seniors is the work-at-home scam. The crook convinces you there are ways to make money by working at home. Legal analysts can tell you the crooks make more than $30 million a year in this scam.
Victims usually are the elderly who need to supplement their fixed retirement income.
The prevalent schemes require victims to buy something up front – some materials, a manual to follow, or a mailing list – at prices as low as $40 or so.
The problem, of course, is that what you purchased may not be worth a cent. For example, the mailing list probably is old and already has been sold to hundreds, or thousands, of other people. Or the company from whom you bought the envelope-stuffing program may only pay you for recruiting other envelope-stuffers.
If you buy some material to make handicraft articles at home, you probably will never get a penny because you’ll be told that the results of your work don’t meet the company’s standards.
There are a couple of simple rules to follow if you’d like to avoid getting conned.
One is, if it costs money up front, it’s probably not a good idea.
Two is, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.
And then remember the words of W.C. Fields, who covered both sides of this matter. In one breath he said, “Never give a sucker an even break.” And then he said, “You can’t cheat an honest man.”
Mature Life Features Copyright 2003
Big Island Memorializes Liberated Queen
By Igor Lobanov
Mature Life Features
The Hale o Keawe temple at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Park on the BigIsland once was the home of the Hawaiian aristocracy.
— Big Island Visitors Bureau photo
HAWAI’I —- It wasn’t your average royal-family spat. It required a renowned English mariner to navigate the emotional shoals to resolve it.
Queen Kaahumanu, a liberated woman for day, was adored by her people and was the first King Kamehameha’s favorite among his 21 wives. But her independent ways were a source of conflict with the warrior monarch.
One day, she ran away. She eluded her pursuers and, accompanied by her dog, swam four miles across Kealakekua Bay to what is now Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Hawaiian custom prescribed that those who violated kapu (the ancient code of law) and made it to this lava-tipped intrusion into the sea some 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona were safe from harm. Priests provided ritualistic purification, allowing the law-breaker to return home.
Still fearful, Kaahumanu hid behind a large stone that still stands along the short nature trial and was discovered when her dog barked, but she refused to leave her hiding place.
The king opted for diplomacy in the person of Capt. George Vancouver, the British explorer who happened to be visiting. Persuasion carried the day. The queen emerged and was reunited with her husband.
The year was 1792, and King Kamehameha (The Great) was warring with powerful chieftains throughout the Hawaiian chain. In the next decade, he would unite the islands into a kingdom that would launch Polynesian Hawaii’s golden age and endure till the dawn of the 20th century.
His reign initiated a family dynasty spanning 80 years with five successive Kamehameha sovereigns. Those who followed included the popular Merrie Monarch, King David Kalakau, whose devotion to preserving nature, music, and dance ranged from sponsoring free nightly theatrical performances in front of his palace in Honolulu to reviving the revered hula, the story-telling dance condemned by straight-laced missionaries.
King Kamehameha I restored the Ahu’ena Heiau, an ancient temple to the god of prosperity, Lono. It remains on the grounds of the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona. Visitors can view the carved idols along its outer walls but the interior, still considered sacred, is open only to Hawaiians. The colorful early-June parade through town commemorating Kamehameha’s birthday ends here.
Other remnants of ancient Hawaii include the ancient fish ponds and petroglyphs on the grounds of the Mauna Lani Resort to the north in the Kohala district.
To fully grasp the Big Island’s startling range of natural beauty, consider a self-drive tour of at least two or three days for the 200-plus-mile circuit. From the Kona International Airport, it’s a 10-minute drive to the tourist center of Kailua-Kona, with its historic buildings and white-sand beaches. Continuing south, you pass through small settlements and the stark lava landscape at the bottom of the island.
The route rises to north almost imperceptibly to 4,000 feet above sea level and the entrance to the island’s premier attraction: Volcanoes National Park. Give yourself several hours to view the home of Pele, goddess of fire, and the ongoing interaction between molten lava the island’s vegetation, wildlife, and human habitation.
Then it’s downhill to the rainy windward side and Hilo, the island’s administrative center. Better known as a “natural greenhouse,” Hilo’s verdancy marks the gateway to the Hamakua Coast, a north-shore region with towering waterfalls, lush rainforests, and gentle communities whose lifestyle differs sharply from the resort-oriented sunny west coast. Waipio Valley, a bit of Eden extending inland, is home to a few farms. It’s accessible only by locally available four-wheel vehicles or on horseback.
As you roll around the northern end of the Kohala Coast, you run into a string of fine accommodations. First in line is Laurence Rockefeller’s legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Perhaps you’ll arrive in time for dinner on the terrace at dusk, and be as lucky as we were to see a crescent moon hanging over the evening star. Later, we strolled to a nearby rocky point to watch manta rays surface seeking dinner among fish drawn to the illuminated waters.
Mature Life Features, Copyright 2003
Crunching Candy, Ice-Cubes Crumples Teeth
By James Gaffney
Mature Life Features
Using your teeth to rip off clothes tags or crack open nuts or crunch ice and hard candy can wear down and weaken the surface of your enamel.
Over time, these habits can chip the enamel or break a tooth at the gum line, said Dr. David McFadden, a Harvard Medical School associate professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Enamel protects the core of each tooth from the pressure and attrition of chewing as well as from invasive bacteria. Even though it is the hardest substance in your body, it can still incur damage.
“When you chew food, pressure is equally distributed over the entire surface area of your mouth,” said McFadden. “But the force drastically increases when the focal point is concentrated on a
small surface area, as is the case when you eat hard candy.”
While you shouldn’t forget to brush and floss to maintain dental health, McFadden suggests
chewing not chomping to preserve your teeth from undue pressure.
Mature Life Features, Copyright 2002
To avoid tedious cocktail conversations …
… my response to “How are you?” is:
“I’m living proof that the good die young.”
– Cecil Scaglione, Mature Life Features
Go Ahead, Live Abroad
By Igor Lobanov
Mature Life Features
The 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City’s the World Trade Towers and on the Pentagon a decade ago heightened Americans’ concerns about their safety, both at home and abroad. More than 3 million Americans live in foreign countries, according to some estimates.
If you’re still mulling such a move as part of your retirement dream, there are plenty of information available in books and online. For example, you can type “The Grown-Up’s Guide to Retiring Abroad” into your search engine. Author Rosanne Knorr who, with her American husband, has spent several summers in France’s Loire Valley and winters in Florida, outlines factors to be considered if you’ve longed to live in a foreign land.
Americans who choose to live outside the United States have a variety of reasons for choosing a particular country. First there’s the environment or ambience.
Knorr points out that, unlike vacationers who stay at a resort or condominium complex where daily needs are easily met, you need to consider how close markets and shops are and what your social life will be like when you live long-term among the local populace. Will you want to spend time only with fellow foreigners who may be there for only a short time? Or will you make an effort to blend into the rhythm and routine of the community. If you choose a resort area, you’ll have to put up with crowds of visitors during the season and possibly empty streets and shuttered shops the rest of the year.
Then there’s the climate. The warm and cozy days of summer may turn cold and miserable when winter arrives. Don’t take others’ assessments. Get information on the weather in all seasons and, if possible, visit at various times of the year. For example, you may decide the south of France, which is known for its warm weather, is unbearably hot in the summer.
Local culture and way of living also are important. In Spain, for example, restaurants customarily don’t begin serving dinners until 10 p.m. or so. The Spanish love dining late. You may not. Many restaurants in Spain do start to serve earlier, but chances are your fellow diners will be mostly tourists.
Language also plats a role. Can you order from a menu that’s all in Greek? Or Japanese? Other considerations include a country’s cost of living, its transportation network, and its legal code. The latter could be vital in its application to how your estate will be distributed if you die over there. Finally, there’s health care. A key reason that many American expatriates decide to return home is the availability of superior medical care here.
It’s important to do your own research into areas or countries that interest you. Sources include guide books, travel magazines and videos, websites, tourist offices for the nations involved and books, such as Knorr’s, that discuss moving to or living in a foreign locale. For up-to-date information on safety and security in areas you’re considering, go to the State Department’s Citizen’s Emergency Center at www.travel.state.gov/travel-warnings.html. Local newspapers, which you or a friend can pick up during a visit, often contain classified ads for homes or apartments to rent. Call the country’s embassy or consulate for rules governing an extended stay.
Mature Life Features, Copyright 2003
Cliff Robertson Redux
By Cecil Scaglione
Mature Life Features
The death of Oscar- , Emmy-, and Theater World Award-winner Cliff Robertson (shown in photo) revived a flash of our thoroughly enjoyable meeting decades ago.
It was in the late ’60s at the annual Quill Award dinner held by the Windsor Press Club (across the river from downtown Detroit). I chaired the annual black-tie presentation of the award that I co-founded a few years earlier to honor people who “made outstanding contributions to the flow of information on Canadian affairs.”
Mr. Robertson was in town the same weekend as that year’s dinner to attend the premiere of “The Devil’s Brigade,” in which he starred with William Holden and a cast of several recognizable names and faces. We had invited Mr. Robertson weeks earlier to our dinner and asked if he would like to participate in the “official” presentation in some form or other.
We didn’t hear from him until he showed up with the manager of the theater where the film opened. It wasn’t a problem because all we had to do was pull up a couple of chairs at my table. While that was going on, I asked him if there was anything he wanted to do and if there was anything I could do for him. He held up his left hand, spread his thumb and forefinger about four inches apart and said, “I’d like a little shot of Scotch.” That set the tone. He said, if it was alright with us, he preferred to schmooze rather than intrude on our program. So I introduced him to our club president and the Montreal editor/publisher who was the Quill recipient.
I made certain he never ran out of Scotch for the rest of the evening. One of the things he mentioned in our conversations was that he had just bought the film rights to “Flowers for Algernon,” a sci-fi short story I had read, that he said was going to win him an Oscar. It did. The movie was called “Charly.” I thanked him for adding some gloss and class to our gathering and he thanked us for the invitation and invited me to knock on his door if I ever got to Hollywoodland. As it turned out, I got to his old stomping grounds here in San Diego — he grew up and went to school in La Jolla — but never managed to cross his path.
But I still smile when I think of that evening.
When it comes to finding out …
… what caused the southern California-northern Mexico blackout, San Diego Gas & Electric is still keeping us in the dark.
– Cecil Scaglione, Mature Life Features
Making a Will Won’t Kill You
By Cecil Scaglione
Mature Life Features
If you want to get even with your kids, don’t make a will.
Let them squabble over your savings and stuff while they’re being scolded by your surviving spouse. But despite any spite you may feel toward your family — you can make a will bequeathing your estate to your favorite pet, if you wish — you should prepare documents to prevent the government from snatching a chunk of your estate.
Taking some estate-planning steps ensures that your assets go to whom you wish after your demise rather than leaving the decision up to the courts. This also slashes much of the legal costs that linger after you’re gone if you’ve made no plans for your estate.
The basic document is a will. This avoids leaving the disposition of your financial assets and
memorabilia to chance. You should choose an executor to process and administer the terms of your final testament. You also can name a guardian to handle the financial legacy for any under-age grandchildren named in your will.
Preparing a will can be done as easily as writing one out by hand on notebook paper with your signature and without a witness or notary. Stationery stores have handy-dandy write-your-own-will forms that allow for signatures of two witnesses after completion.
There’s plenty of assistance available in your local library and on the Internet if you don’t want to
take on the expense of an attorney or proceed to more detailed estate-planning processes. While
estate planning is highly recommended whether you’re 25 or 75, you should at least write a will.
Mature Life Features, Copyright 2003
Mature Life Features 