Grandparents' Day, check on Social Security benefits, National Eye Care Campaign, SeniorSSuperStoreS Keeping in Touch newslsetter for baby boomers, seniors, senior citizens elderly

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This issue of Keeping in Touch deals with several matters of interest to Prime Time Surfers:

1.) Grandparents' Day

2.) Check on Your Social Security Benefits

3.) Don't Return 809 Calls!

4.) Can't Read Your Bathroom Scale?

5.) A Full Life - Insightful look at life

6.) National Eye Care Campaign Bridges the Healthcare Gap for Senior Citizens

7.) State Regulators Announce Initiatives to Help Senior Investors Weather Dangerous Times

8.) Your Subscription Details

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1.) Grandparents' Day

Did you remember that the first Sunday after Labor Day each September (and this year it is Sunday, September 14) is a special day? It's Grandparents' Day! If you are fortunate enough to still have your Grandparents, do something special for them. If you are a Grandparent, forward this newsletter along to your family members as a subtle reminder. While a nice gift may be in order, often just a card, an e-card and/or a phone call is just as meaningful. Of course, we have a good variety of gifts for seniors at SeniorSSuperStoreS.com for your shopping convenience.

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2.) Check on Your Social Security Benefits

If you're still working and contributing to the Social Security System, you need to be sure that the Social Security Administration is crediting you with your correct earnings for purposes of computing your future Social Security benefits. This is even more critical if you are nearing retirement age and will soon be applying for benefits.

All American workers age 25 and older should receive a Social Security statement based on their earnings record about three months before each birthday. It will show what wages and earnings for Social Security purposes you've been credited with and how much you can expect to get in retirement benefits. The Social Security Administration is not immune to making errors; if you find that they have made an error in recording your earnings, the instructions you'll receive in your statement detail what you should do to bring the error to their attention to get it corrected.

If you don't get a statement, you can request one by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or going online to www.ssa.gov.

A good overview of the retirement savings process can be found in the booklet "Social Security - Basic Facts." It can be ordered by contacting the Consumer Information Center at 1-888-878-3256 or at www.pueblo.gsa.gov.

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3.) Don't Return 809 Calls!

(Courtesy of our friends at The Senior Citizens League 1-800-333-8725, www.tscl.org.)

I received a message on my answering machine saying that a relative was ill. The caller didn't say which relative, but asked me to call an 809 number immediately. I didn't recognize the area code and assumed this was an out-of-town call. I was concerned so I followed the caller�s instructions. I received a recorded message to "please hold the line." Then I heard soft music and I waited. I repeated "hello," "hello" to dead air. Then a voice came on the line and said "your party will be with you shortly." More minutes passed and more dead air. With no one to talk to I finally hung up. When I received my phone bill, I was charged $76.50 for this one call to that 809 number. I called my phone company and learned that 809 is the area code for the Dominican Republic. Have you heard about this phone ploy? - DVL, Arlington, VA

Dear DVL,
Yes indeed. AT & T, Verizon, Southern Bell and all the other major phone companies are doing everything possible to alert their customers. Here�s how it works. A person gets a message either when they pick up the phone or on their answering machine that they can receive information about a member of their family. The message may say their relative is ill, has been arrested, died or, won a super prize. In each case you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many area codes, you never suspect the 809 area code is a foreign country exchange or that it is a "pay per call" number.

A call from the U.S. to the 809 area code can be as high as $24.50 per minute. The object is to keep you on the phone as long as possible via recorded messages telling you to "hold on" and pleasant music. The longer you are on the phone, the greater your charges. The 809 code and other codes are similar to our 900 numbers. The con artist pockets the money made from your phone call. U.S. regulations govern 900 number calls: you must be notified and warned of charges and the rates involved. Since 809 is not a U.S. area code, however, you are thus not protected.

Also be alert to e-mail messages requesting you to return a call to an 809 area code. Bottom Line: Don't ever respond to messages asking you to call an 809 number! Trying to fight the high phone charges is a nightmare because you made the call. Your local phone company and your long distance carrier will tell you that they simply provide the billing for the foreign company.

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4.) Can't Read Your Bathroom Scale?

Are you having trouble reading the numbers on your bathroom scale? Maybe the problem is your eyesight when you can't read the small numbers on the scale (we mean the small digits, not necessarily the "low numbers." Or, perhaps that midriff bulge is getting in your way.

Maybe you need that verbal reminder about when those extra portions of desserts start taking their toll?

The bathroom scale with human voice read-out function is your solution. This new product features contemporary design, sturdy construction and the latest voice technology. No more crouching, squinting or squeezing your feet onto the unreasonably small weighing platforms of ordinary bathroom scales. The Talking Bathroom Scale in English and Spanish has the widest platform in the industry - measuring 14.5 inches width, offering superb stability.

No need to find someone else to read out your weight! You can now stand tall and be proud of yourself and your weight management achievement. It is also an excellent audio reinforcement tool to keep you on the right track! Knowing your weight has never been easier!

Features include: weight read out in clear female voice, user-friendly greetings. No programming is needed. No need to search for buttons, and the voice reading can be turned off. Four high-precision strain gauge sensors provide accuracy - it measures in 0.2 lb graduation. The LCD display is extra-large 3 inches x 1.5 inches. It weighs up to 330 pounds and has a simple conversion to metric system at the touch of a button. It is powered by four AA batteries and the power automatically shuts off after 10 seconds of idle time.

To learn more about this remarkable product, as well as other new health care products we have added to our offerings, go to our Bathing & Grooming department..

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5.) A Full Life - Insightful look at life

(Courtesy of our friends Kathy, Linda and Cleva at the Center for Disability Resources at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.)

A professor stood before his Philosophy 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a jar of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar and of course the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18.

"There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

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6.) National Eye Care Campaign Bridges the Healthcare Gap for Senior Citizens

(Courtesy of our friends at PRNewswire on August 14, 2003.)

First, blurry... then, unrecognizable... finally, gone. That is what happens to the familiar faces of family and friends as many seniors are faced with failing vision. In fact, the number of Americans with age-related eye disease and the resulting vision impairment is expected to double by 2020 if nothing is done to reverse the trend.

"By age 65, one in three Americans has some form of vision-limiting disease. Unfortunately, many believe poor vision is a natural part of the aging process," said Dick Mills, MD, an ophthalmologist.

The reality is frightening, but there is a charitable organization called EyeCare America that connects our senior community with the eye care they need.

EyeCare America's Seniors EyeCare Program, co-sponsored by the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., offers eye exams and care to seniors who are without an ophthalmologist, often at no out-of-pocket cost. To see if you, a loved one or friends, 65 and older, are eligible to receive a referral for an eye exam call 1-800-222-EYES (3937). EyeCare America operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.

Never heard of this program? EyeCare America, a public service foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, actually operates the largest public service program in American medicine. The country's seemingly best-kept secret boasts a variety of eye care programs including ones for seniors, glaucoma, and diabetes. Those eligible receive a referral to one of 7,500 volunteer ophthalmologists dedicated to serving their communities across the country. Since 1986, the EyeCare America volunteers have treated more than 180,000 cases of eye disease.

The Seniors EyeCare Program provides a comprehensive eye exam and treatment for any condition detected in the initial visit for up to one year. More than ninety percent of these referral visits are often at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. What's the catch? There isn't one. In fact, volunteer physicians have agreed to accept Medicare or other insurance as payment in full. Individuals without insurance of any kind are not billed.

So, give them a call or go to their website at www.eyecareamerica.org. After all, seeing is believing ...

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7.) State Regulators Announce Initiatives to Help Senior Investors Weather Dangerous Times

Volatile stock markets, record low interest rates, rising health care costs, and increasing life expectancy have combined to create a perfect storm for investment fraud against senior investors......state securities regulators warned in a news release dated September 4, 2003.

The collapse of the bubble economy, coupled with interest rates at 40-year-lows, and rising costs for medical insurance, prescription drugs and basic living expenses, have brought con artists from the side streets and back alleys to Main Street where older investors live. These are dangerous times for seniors. They need education; they need protection.

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), which represents state and provincial securities regulators in the United States, Canada and Mexico, alerted senior investors to the dangers of investment fraud and urged them to take control of their financial health.

To find out more of the details of this initiative, we invite you to go to our article entitled "Senior Investors Facing a Perfect Storm for Investment Fraud".

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8.) Your Subscription Details

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