It's Too Good to be True

Have you ever had an offer that was just too good but you had to make up your mind right away, the offer won’t last? You can be sure that such an offer is really too good to be true. It is 99.9% sure to be a scam. The good offer will be available for today, tomorrow and next week.  Avoiding scams by applying this as a gauge will help you or your loved one to hold onto your hard earned money.

Common elements of scams are that the money you are to have at the end of the transaction is a wind fall for you and the scammer, you need to spend money to get the money and there is a slightly underhanded feel to the whole thing. There is NO logical reason why someone you have never met, living in Nigeria (or other third world country) needs your help to get a large sum of money out of the country. One new twist on the Nigerian scam is to involve a reference to the FBI that implies that you will be arrested if you do not respond. There is nothing to fear from the FBI if you have done nothing wrong, you know nothing about this money, don’t fall for this one.

More on other scams next post.

Legal Documents

It is true that most of us will execute a will at some time in our lives but we can easily wait longer than we should. If you are old enough to vote, you are old enough to need a will. Along with a will, it is also a good idea to create a power of attorney(POA) for legal and financial matters and a health care POA so that you choose the person or persons you trust to step in if you are incapacitated. As young persons, our parents are the logical persons to designate but our needs change over time. These documents should be reviewed at least every ten years and when a life changing event occurs.

At the same time we meet with an attorney to create our wills and POA’s it is a good idea to create an Advance directive for health care that puts your desires into writing. Last week, during a conversation with a friend who happens to be an attorney, it was suggested that you be sure to include what interventions you want in the event of a traumatic event. The likelihood of recovery from trauma as opposed to disease is much better and more aggressive treatment may be to your advantage.

Keep Moving

If the news media has it right, all of us need to move more than we currently do. This includes older adults as well as the rest of us. The benefits of simple activity are much more than it would seem at first glance. We also do not need to sign up for expensive gym memberships or purchase fancy exercise equipment to have a benefit from exercise.

Some of the benefits are an improvement in stamina, improved muscle tone, weight loss and maintenance of bone strength.

The simplest of exercise needs nothing more than a good pair of shoes and a direction. Walking need not be strenuous to return a multitude of benefits. Having a buddy with whom to walk goes a long way to help us to keep up with the activity. If we live within walking distance of the market, work or other places we travel to regularly, it becomes easier to walk with consistency. Remember that weight bearing exercise promotes bone strength and works against the development of brittle bones.

Swimming is another activity that does not require a huge investment in equipment. Joining a swim club or gym with a pool will allow one to swim on a regular basis. This is especially good for those who need to take it easy on joints that have become stiffer with age.

When we start an exercise program after a period of inactivity be sure to verify with your Primary Care Physician that you are able to participate in what you plan and to start slowly and build up from there.

Family diseases - Part 2

Making a point of knowing your parents’ medical history is a good start toward good health care.  It is not uncommon for families to maintain secrets concerning diseases or causes of death. It is important to spend time learning about these issues. Illnesses that were not treatable 40 or 50 years ago may be easily treated today. It is also possible that a disease is manageable even if it is not curable. 

One point that needs to be made is to verify whether or not one or both of your parents were adopted. Children who were adopted during and prior to the middle of the last century may not even know if they are not the biological children of their parents. This would also include having no medical history related to their biological parents.

If you were adopted in the later part of the last century, there may be medical history available. If there is any reason to question things, approach it gently. I would suggest picking a quiet time and plenty of time to get through the discussion. It has become less likely that adoption is a secret but you may need to ask.

Family diseases

There are numerous diseases the have a tendency to “run” in families, in some cases it is more of a gallop. Diabetes is expressed in two forms. The early onset variety is Type I in which there is no significant amount of insulin produced. Type II diabetes is a result of a diminished response to insulin (insulin resistance) or a reduced amount of insulin production. Both have a family connection. Other diseases that have a familial connection are heart disease, a heightened susceptibility to cancer, an increased likelihood of depression and Alzheimer’s disease.  These are the most common but by no means are all diseases with an inherited component.

It is important to know your family history. Your parents will hopefully be able to tell you what medical conditions your grandparents had as well as their own medical history. Sitting down to get your parents’ history is a good start. Maintaining a medical history file and a surgical history file in your computer for your parents will go a long way to helping health care professionals to make a better diagnosis if your parents become ill or need to change physicians for any reason.

Depression and Nutrition

Persons of any age can exhibit the signs and symptoms of depression. There has been recent media coverage of post partum depression and advertisements abound for antidepressant medications. An Obstetrician is perfectly able to diagnose post partum depression and a General Practitioner should be informed of your concerns for yourself or for a loved one. We need to keep in mind that it is not uncommon for an aging person to become depressed.  It is best to involve a Psychologist in the treatment of depression. It is also advisable to work with a Psychologist who is able to work with a Psychiatrist if medication is needed.

A preliminary approach to depression that does not need to include these professionals is to improve one’s nutritional status. If you can work with a nutritionist as well, all the better. It is possible to be malnourished regardless of your weight in relation to your ideal weight. Weight is dependent on the balance of calories in (eaten) versus calories expended (activity).  It is easy to consume enough calories to be over weight without getting proper nutrition. We all need proteins (meats, eggs, etc), carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, etc) and fats (butter, oil, etc) as well as vitamins and minerals. The more a food has been processed, the less likely it is that it will have the nutritional components it had as it was harvested.

It has been noticed that if someone is depressed, improving their nutritional status will at least diminish the intensity of depression. If you or your loved one is in a blue mood consistently, has difficulty sleeping or is sleeping excessively, crying spells, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness or changes in appetite, it would be well to relate this to your PCP. Improving your nutritional state should make it easier to treat what ever may be wrong.

Choosing a doctor

As we age, our bodies need more medical attention. This attention should be coordinated through a primary care physician (PCP) whom we trust, however we are increasingly likely to need the care of a specialist. The specialist recommended by our PCP will probably be a reliable health care provider and will also be “in network” as recommended by our insurance carrier. All of this is very helpful but does not directly address another issue to be considered; is the doctor board certified in his/her specialty?

Recognized specialist organizations set standards for all physicians practicing as specialists. We need to know that all care is within the scope of practice of any licensed physician. Practicing in a particular specialty calls for additional education regarding the particular knowledge base and standards of practice developed by the board of that specialty. A Board certified practitioner will have taken additional classes and usually passed a test to prove that he/she has mastered the information needed to practice safely and effectively as well as demonstrated any techniques commonly used in the treatment of conditions related to the specialty.