Shortage of Medical Staff
The aging population not only is creating more demand for medical services, it’s also accelerating the shortage of doctors and nurses as they approach retirement age.
As the 65-and-over population grows by almost 50 percent over the next decade, almost the same percentage of doctors will join that phalanx during the same period.
We expect to be almost 140,000 physician short of what we need by 2033, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, reports Bottom Line.
To protect yourself, you can look for a younger doctor to care for you should your current physician retire. You also can seek a primary care physician affiliated with a group practice so there will be a medical doctor there to serve you should your current doctor leave.
Pandemic Packing
There are so many of rules and regulations affecting travel these days, you have to make sure you don’t get quarantined during your journey. There’s more to be concerned about than the COVID -19 coronavirus.
Diseases that have been conquered here still run free in many other parts of the world.
Travelers can protect themselves by taking some extra care when packing medications for their trip.
Malaria still is a threat because it’s transmitted by mosquitoes. Travelers should pack mosquito repellant and avoid areas where the insects thrive. Mosquitos also spread yellow fever and some countries require proof of vaccination before allowing travelers entry.
There is no known protection against West Nile virus, Dengue fever and a few other similar possibly-fatal disorders spread by mosquitos so the only protection is to avoid areas where these creatures breed.
Hepatitis A & B still are perils that you can be shielded from by three immunizations. A vaccination can protect you from meningitis and a booster shot can ward off polio if you’ve been immunized earlier.
Before leaving on any trip, have a chat with your primary care physician to protect yourself on your travels.
The End of a Saga
It girdled two years: from January 2020 to the other day.
The plot was pegged to an Air Canada Phoenix – Toronto round-trip business-class ticket.
After receiving flight confirmation that January and looking forward to what I deemed would be a final fare-thee-well visit to family, relatives and friends around my brother’s July birthday, Air Canada began suspending flights in March and things still haven’t returned to normal for cross-border travel.
The airlines’ first response was to offer ticket holders vouchers valid for two years. I filed a claim like everyone else but had little hope I would get to use it. Then, after Air Canada applied for financial assistance from the Canadian government, the assistance was provided with a condition the Air Canada give its stranded ticket holders refunds if they wished instead of vouchers. I filed for a refund.
A simple phone call was all it took to recoup my travel insurance charge.
Early last year, I received an email with a case number telling me how much Air Canada was going to deposit in the account of the credit card I used to purchase my ticket. I was instructed to check on the status of my case/claim at an online address that I couldn’t get into and called Air Canada reservations a couple of times before being told during a phone call last summer that I was still in the system but there was no information on when my claim would be dealt with.
Suddenly last Wednesday an email popped up telling me my refund had been processed and would be sitting in my credit card account sometime within the next two months. If it didn’t show up on my credit card statement within that time, I was to call the credit-card company and give them the purchase date and ticket number to check and make good on the refund.
I was set to sit out another series of emails and phone calls when MAGICALLY is showed up Sunday on my credit card account, which I check regularly on line.
It set up a feeling that maybe I should look at resurrecting plans for that trip to celebrate my brother’s birthday and attend the relatives’ annual picnic in a nearby city but coronavirus rules and regulations are still in place. When I did a cursory check, I discovered that settling for a voucher would not have been a good idea because the lowest price for that same ticket is almost $600 more.
Followed an Old Piece of Advice . . .
. . . and just watched the final few minutes of Sunday’s football games, each with fabulous finishes. Underdogs won — Cincy beat Kan City 27-24 and Rams beat 49ers 20 – 17.
These two winners weren’t supposed to get through the first round of their play off runs but they’ll face each other in the Super Bowl in two weeks.
Just Read a Piece . . .
. . . son Michael sent me about the origins of February.
Way down deep is the statement that we no longer pronounce the first “r”, making it Febuary — “much like we do with ‘suh – prise’ and ‘guv – uh – nor’.” Well, I pronounce the “r”s and say February, surprise and governor.
But where the hell did impor – d – ant come from???
Had To Turn Down . . .
. . . an offer for a ride the other day by a neighbor with failing eyesight. He said he had no trouble making the turn onto the street.
“Just tell me when,” he said.
There’s a Gentleman . . .
. . . living here who does all his own cooking and doesn’t eat in the dining room.
Since the only things I can cook are toast, bacon and eggs, and corned-beef hash, I asked him how to do some pork ribs I’d picked up the day before to assuage my hunger for these delicacies. I cut the slab into three packages of five ribs each and stored two bundles in the freezer.
He told me he doesn’t like to do dishes and, after I lauded his foresight, he said use a sheet of alum foil to cover any sort of baking pan and set in a 300 degree oven for a couple of hours. Since I like ’em dry, I rubbed some salt, pepper, oregano and garlic salt on them while the oven heated, tossed them in and it all worked out. The kitchen gave me a cup of potato salad and I poured a glassful of Gatorade/cranberry juice and life was good. Next time I’ll pour a Stella Artois.
Am I now a chef? No. But I can add baked ribs to my list of can-do. And no dishes to do.
During Flashbacks . . .
. . . a memories-recall session I honcho a couple of times a week, we touched on what our favorite topic or quote was.
It occurred to me I really don’t have one, but I do have a prime mantra/rule-of-thumb:
“When In Doubt, Pray .”
That doesn’t mean kneeling down and reciting catechismal writings. It just means saying “I need help” or “thanks” or “what do You what me to do” when you hit those critical corners of daily living.
Negotiate the Sticker Price
It’s taken the current inflationary spiral to yank our attention onto the price of ordinary things around us we buy every day, from a gallon of gasoline to a slice of pizza.
A feeling of helplessness seems to have dropped around us as we either dig deeper into our credit-card debt or decide to bypass the purchase.
There is a way you can save a few bucks on your shopping trips. It goes under several names – negotiate, haggle, and make a lower bid are just a few. But the simple way is just ask.
Many vendors, major and minor, offer discounts to veterans and to seniors. But you usually have to ask. In many cases, such as seasonal close-out sales, shops will accept a price lower than advertised.
This is not as easy in major chains such as Target and Safeway and Home Depot, but if you ask for the store manager, you can deal directly with him or her.
Recently, a relative was lounging around a jewelry store while his wife had a dental appointment. Several items had luxurious price tags but there were a few “deals” in one corner counter. A wrist watch caught his eye so, to pass the time and since he didn’t have a wrist watch at the time, he asked to take a closer look at it.
The sales clerk told him it was the last of a particular lot and that was why it was so cheap. The sale price was $140. That ended the conversation.
He thanked the clerk and put it back, sauntered around the store a bit more and then walked out. Seconds out of the door, the clerk called after him and asked how much he’d pay for the watch. My neighbor blurted out, “I have $100 in my pocket.” The clerk asked him to wait a minute and came back to tell him her manager would take it.
He bought the watch and, checking its costs online when he got home, his watch was e-tailing at more than $700.
Acting like he didn’t want it cut his price without even haggling.
A nettlesome cost these days is the monthly cable/internet bill, which can get close to $300 a month if you opt for multi-cable service and high-speed internet service.
If you feel you’d like to lower the cost of your existing service, call and tell them you want to cancel your subscription. You’re likely to be connected with a company representative whose job is to keep customers and has all the latest promotional programs and fees at his or her fingertips.
Rather than complain about the lack of service for the price you’re paying, be nice. Point out you really appreciate what you’re getting but just can’t afford it on your income and budget.
You don’t have to accept the first offer. You might point out that you’re a senior and will have to shop around for a plan you can afford. And if you find one, you’d like to sign up for a long-term program so you don’t have to interrupt you service every few months.
All of this is designed to help the company rep you’re speaking with come up with the best program that suits you and keep on their list of customers.
Mature Life Features 