Guard against identity theft

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identity theft
news.sfimg.com

Identity Theft Takes a New Turn

By Terry Savage

February 15, 2017

       “If you think your finances are safer now that you use a chip card, think again. The latest Javelin Identity Fraud Study reports the number of identity fraud victims increased by 16 percent in 2016 to more than 15 million consumers. And the amount the thieves took grew by $1 billion to more than $16 billion in the past year.
      A large part of the increase came from ‘card not present’ fraud in the first year since chip cards became widely used. Fraudsters are resorting to more invasive ways of getting your identity details than simply counterfeiting mag stripe cards.
      So-called ‘phishing’ schemes have become far more sophisticated. Gone are the days of the misspellings and clumsy grammar that made fraud emails obvious. Fraudsters have gotten better at tricking you into clicking on a link in one of these emails. Once you do that on your computer or smartphone, these links deploy malware called ‘bots’ to collect all your data, including PIN and CV authentication numbers as you shop online.

      There’s also a growing trend of identity fraud crimes enabled by victims’ social media posts. Harmless items on your pages, including celebrations of your birthday, or a college graduation or reunion, give thieves information they use to open new accounts in your name. Fraudulent new credit accounts for more than half the increase in identity theft crime last year.

So what should you be doing to guard your identity? Here are some suggestions, which mostly involve common sense and a commitment to regularly review your finances:

  • Check online accounts regularly.
  • Check your credit report at least quarterly.
  • Guard your personal information.
  • Create two-factor authentication for your banking, credit and brokerage accounts.
  • Be aware of your vulnerabilities.”

Read specifics to guard against identity theft.

Terry Savage is a nationally recognized expert on personal finance, the economy and markets.  She responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com.

Financial exploitation…it can happen to you

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Are you likely to get swindled? Be on alertFinancial exploitation

By Marci Vandersluis, Dayton Daily News

February 27, 2017

“On a recent trip to New York, just before arriving at the taxi stand, I was approached by someone wearing a nametag with the logo of a popular car service offering to drive me to my destination. My initial thought was that this was not the typical way that this company promoted its service. Nevertheless, there was a large line at the taxi stand and I was tired so I hopped into the back of his car. I did arrive at my hotel but later learned that I overpaid for the trip by $75. Along with reprimanded by my children for getting in a ‘stranger’s’ car, I was not surprised to discover that the driver was not an employee of the company. While my poor judgment caused more ego than financial damage, it made me much more aware that financial exploitation doesn’t just happen to someone else. Regrettably, our elders are particularly vulnerable to this form of abuse.

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Robots for seniors

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robots for seniors
Photo by Star Telegram

UTA Researchers Using Shakespeare & Robots To Help Seniors

By Ken Molestina, CBS 11 News

February 27, 2017

“Researchers at the UT Arlington Research Institute in Fort Worth, known as UTARI, are trying to figure out how high-tech robots can offer much needed therapy to an aging American population.

Dr. Julienne Greer, an Associate Professor of Social Robotics and Performance, says they are using something called participatory art to help robots interact with senior citizens.

Participatory art is described as a type of exercise with emphasis on fine arts.

The content of the art is said to enhance a person’s cognitive skills, as well as offer companionship for older adults.

UTARI researchers have taught their robot to recite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 along with a human.

‘We want the older adults to feel engaged in an art form,’ said Professor Greer. ‘We are very hopeful the same positive results that happen in human to human model will happen with the human to robot model.'”

Read more and see a video about robots for seniors

Coping with grief

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What got me through the grief: The best advice from one widow to another

By Jan Robinson, The Telegraph

“When I  wrote my first book Tips from Widows, I gathered advice verbally from 29 women who had lost their husbands. When I wrote my second, Tips from Widowers, I found that the 15 men felt more comfortable writing their feelings down for me, rather than speaking them aloud.

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Geriatricians–Would you, or someone you know, benefit from seeing one?

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Geriatricians
(iStock)

Geriatricians Can Help Aging Patients Navigate Multiple Ailments

By Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News

“For months, Teresa Christensen’s 87-year-old mother, Genevieve, complained of pain from a nasty sore on her right foot. She stopped going to church. She couldn’t sleep at night. Eventually, she stopped walking except when absolutely necessary.

Her primary care doctor prescribed three antibiotics, one after another. None worked.

“Doctor, can’t we do some further tests?” Teresa Christensen remembered asking. “I felt that he was looking through my mother instead of looking at her.”

Referred to a wound clinic, Genevieve was diagnosed with a venous ulcer, resulting from poor circulation in her legs. A few weeks ago, she had a successful procedure to correct the problem and returned home to the house where she’s lived for more than 50 years in Cottage Grove, Minn., a suburb of St. Paul.

Would her mother benefit from seeing a geriatrician going forward, wondered Christensen, her mother’s primary caregiver, in an email to me? And, if so, how would she go about finding one?

I reached out to several medical experts, and they agreed that a specialist in geriatrics could help a patient like Genevieve, with a history of breast cancer and heart failure, who’d had open heart surgery at age 84 and whose mobility was now compromised.”

Read more about geriatricians

Find a Geriatrics Healthcare Professional

The founder/author of LivingLifeRetired.com is not related to Teresa Christensen.

2016 bathroom remodel

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Vanity area before (Photo by slc)
Shower area before (Photo by slc)

Reasons for bathroom remodel: tub reglazed by previous owner made it too slick to stand in safely, cracked tile floor grout, granite tile counter, short toilet, old/moldy tub/shower, outdated shower fixtures, short shower head, one unnecessary doorway and hallway, popcorn ceiling, poorly patched walls

Initial Budget:  $7,000        Actual:  $10,500

I started this six-week remodel by removing the popcorn ceiling texture and the shower door enclosure. I used a small garden sprayer to apply water to the ceiling and then scraped the popcorn off.  It was messy but easy. Taking off the shower door was also an easy process.  I saved all the parts and put it up for sale on Craigslist after the Habitat for Humanity Restore turned down the donation.  No takers on Craigslist so I ended up putting it in the landfill. Bummer!

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50 Shades of Gray…Hair

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50 shades of gray
witness2fashion

Gray, graphite, pewter, smoke, silver, slate, ash, dove, charcoal, gunmetal. No matter the name or if 50 shades of gray exist, most of us will experience a change in hair color as we age.  Many women and men dye their hair so the gray doesn’t show. Ads tell us:

“L’Oreal Age Perfect by Excellence is specifically developed to color mature, gray hair….  Discover haircolor that flatters you perfectly.”  Just for Men products, “Target the gray for a natural look.”  The ads say gray doesn’t “flatter” and isn’t “natural.”

But the Bible says in Proverbs 16:31,

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

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