Hello again from SeniorS SuperStoreS.

Welcome to our new subscribers; and to our established subscribers of Keeping in Touch, a special Welcome Back. We're glad to see you again.

If you like the content of Keeping in Touch, please feel free to forward each copy on to as many folks as you wish. And, encourage your friends and family to visit with us at SeniorS SuperStoreS and sign up for their own subscriptions. Or, they may sign up for their own subscriptions by emailing us at "seniors-request@seniorssuperstores.com" and include the word "join" in the body of the email message.

This issue of Keeping in Touch deals with more matters of interest to Prime Time Surfers:
1.) We've heard the term "secure site" in the context of the Internet, but just what does this mean?
2.) A solution for what to do with your walking cane when you're not leaning on it.
3.) Flowers are not just for us to look at and smell.
4.) How to Access Consumer Alerts.
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1.) What is a Secure Site?

Did you know that it's safer to use your credit card on many web sites, SeniorSSuperStoreS.com included, than it is to hand your card to a waiter in a restaurant?

Just think about it. When you give your credit card to a waiter, the card is taken to a computer terminal out of your sight, and it may be handled by more than one individual. Who knows if one of these people has one of those handy pocket card scanners. Those devices, when your card is swiped through it, can store your name, card number, and card expiration date. When that stored data is downloaded to another computer, your credit is at considerable risk.

On the other hand, when you use a secure web site, such as SeniorSSuperStoreS.com, your card information is scrambled so nothing or no one can read it except the descrambler on the other end. This is called "encryption". And strong encryption is like scrambling an egg, mixing it in a 55 gallon drum of water, then putting it back together again.

Actually, no individual sees your credit card number; it passes between your computer and ours and on to the credit card processing company, which forwards the data on to your bank. All of the transactions are scrambled, and your credit card information is not stored by anyone in this process, except your bank, of course.

When you bring up an order page, it should begin with "https" and not just "http". And the padlock symbol on your browser window should be locked.

Test this. When you get to a secure order page, double click on the padlock in your browser's status bar at the bottom. It'll open an interesting window of information about the security of the web site you're visiting.

You can safely order any of our products with complete confidence. Our secure ordering system, expensive to set up and maintain, certainly protects you better than that restaurant and waiter!

2.) The Handi-Cane

Do you use a walking cane, or know someone who does? Do you know what a nuisance a cane can be when it's not in use? What do you do with it? If you lay it on the floor or prop it against a chair or table, inevitably, someone is going to knock it over, trip over it, or move it so that you can't reach it.

Well, here's a great solution. It's called the Handi-Cane, and it has a built in clip that attaches it to a chair arm, table or desk. You can read the details about it by going to our Mobility & Seat Lifts department. It's a really ingenious idea (even patented!)

3.) And we thought flowers were just for Valentine's Day!
University Study Links Flowers to Senior Citizens' Well Being
Research Shows Flowers Boost Seniors' Happiness, Memory, Social Networks
(Courtesy of our friends at PRNewswire.)

Everyday, America's senior population - 40 million and rising -- faces the challenges of growing older, including depression, memory loss and social withdrawal. As a concerned nation, we are continually exploring new means to ease daily-life anxieties. Recently, researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, released the results of a six-month behavioral study on the health effects of flowers on senior citizens. The study demonstrates that flowers ease depression, inspire social networking and refresh memory as we age.

"The results are significant because as our nation grows older and life becomes more stressful, we look for easy and natural ways to enhance our lives -- and the lives of our aging parents," said Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, lead researcher and director of the Human Development Lab at Rutgers. "Now, one simple answer is right under our noses."

This research follows a study conducted in 2000, which links flowers to greater happiness and life satisfaction in women. In 2001, the Rutgers research team set out to explore the effects flowers would have on senior citizens, who experience different living situations and greater life changes.

Prevention in a Bud, Not a Bottle

More than 100 seniors participated in the Rutgers research study, in which some received flowers and others did not. The results shed new light on how nature's support systems help seniors cope with the challenges of aging. The results are as follows:
1. Flowers Decrease Depression. Study participants showed a significant increase in happiness and positive moods when flowers were present.
2. Flowers Refresh Recent Memory. Seniors performed higher on everyday memory tasks and experienced enriched personal memories in the presence of flowers.
3. Flowers Encourage Companionship. Seniors who received flowers re-engaged with members of their communities and enlarged their social contacts to include more neighbors, religious support and even medical personnel.

"Instinct tells us that flowers lift our spirits, but, their effects on seniors are especially profound, if not surprising," said Haviland-Jones.

New Evidence Sprouts Up

Specifically, 81 percent of seniors who participated in the study reported a reduction in depression following the receipt of flowers. Forty percent of seniors reported broadening their social contacts beyond their normal social circle of family and close friends. And, 72 percent of the seniors who received flowers scored very high on memory tests in comparison with seniors who did not receive flowers.

"Happier people live longer, healthier lives and are more open to change," said Haviland-Jones. "Our research shows that a small dose of nature, like flowers, can do a world of wonder for our well-being as we age."

4.) How to Access Consumer Alerts

Folks of the home repair persuasion buy stuff for their homes like appliances and mechanical systems, then install and maintain them.

When we do our own work, we take on the role of the professional, including taking on the responsibility of keeping up with changes in the industry and staying abreast of problems with products. One way to keep on top of things is to periodically visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site. You will find a wealth of information here!

Click here to link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site.

If you like the content of Keeping in Touch, please feel free to forward each copy on to as many folks as you wish. And, encourage your friends and family to visit with us at SeniorS SuperStoreS and sign up for their own subscriptions. Or, they may sign up for their own subscriptions by emailing us at "seniors-request@seniorssuperstores.com" and include the word "join" in the body of the email message.

So, until next time, here's goodbye. Remember, if you want us to add any resources or items of interest, just drop us an email from the SeniorSSuperStoreS Contact Us page. Watch your email box for future newsletters!

To stop receiving messages from the SeniorS SuperStoreS Keeping in Touch newsletter list, just send us an email message to: "seniors-request@seniorssuperstores.com" and include the word "unsubscribe" or the word "leave" in the body of your message.

Until next time, happy Prime Time Surfing!