Aging Well February 5th 2013

You have probably seen the Capital One credit card commercial asking “What’s in your wallet?” But even if you aren’t interested in collecting extra travel miles, it is still a good question if you care about protecting yourself from identity theft.

Most importantly what you should NOT have in your wallet is your Social Security Card. But what you may not know is you should also avoid carrying your Medicare Card since it also shows your Social Security number. Instead, make a copy of your Medicare Card and then black out at least the last four digits of your Medicare number – the digits that make your number unique. 2) Don’t carry blank personal checks in your wallet. But if you still do because you prefer to pay using personal checks, make sure your checks contain as little information about you as possible. And the next time you order checks, order them with just your first initial and last name – making it more difficult for con artists to forge checks in your name or commit identity theft. 3) Carry only one credit card - it’s much easier to close one credit card account than several. 4) I know it is hard to keep track of bank account numbers or pin numbers, but don’t keep a “cheat sheet” in your wallet. 6) And lastly, don’t keep large amounts of cash in your wallet. But really, who has to worry about that anymore!

There are several types of information you should carry in your wallet. 1.) Emergency contact information of the person(s) to be contacted in case of an emergency. 2) A list of the medications you are taking, so in an emergency, first responders will have access to as much information as possible about your physical health. 3) And if you no longer have a driver’s license, consider obtaining a State Identification Card from the Oregon DMV which serves the same purpose as a driver’s license when you’re asked to verify your identity. And it costs only $44.50.

Knowing what you should have and don’t have in your wallet, could save you time and money – more than the extra travel miles you can earn on your credit card.

The monthly iPad and Kindle Learning Circles will meet again on Wednesday, February 6^th (iPad group at 1:00 and the Kindle group at 2:00) to explore, discover and share the many functions of these electronic devices. The Learning Circles are not your typical instructor lead classes. Instead they consist of folks like you, who want to learn more about their iPads or Kindles, and are also willing to share what they already know.  

At the Center’s Tuesday Lecture, Julie Reynolds will be presenting “A Look at Aging in China”. Julie recently returned from a trip to China and since her professional training is in the field of aging, she was particularly interested in observing the cultural norms and characteristics of aging in China. She will share her insights, anecdotes, and photos from her trip on February 12^th starting at 11:00.

And before the tide rolls in - playing tonight at the Center is the Strawberry Mountain Band followed next week by John Martin and Friends. Music begins at 7:00, everyone is welcome and donations are always appreciated

The answer to last week’s “Remember When” question is Maxwell Smart, the bumbling secret agent in the 1965-1970 television comedy series “Get Smart”. (And out of the eleven entries the winner of five quilt raffle tickets is Don Hansen.)

This week the question is about the longest running and most successful lawyer series on television. We all know Raymond Burr played the fictional attorney-detective, but who was the author of the over 80 Perry Mason novels and short stories that were the basis for the television series. E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with an original copy of the children’s magazine “Youth’s Companion” from 1899.  

Well, it’s been another week, wondering whether it will and hoping it won’t - snow again. Until we meet again, as it is often said – “it is not the years in your life, but the life in your years”.  

“The older I get, the more I see there are these crevices in life where things fall in and you just can't reach them to pull them back out. So you can sit next to them and weep or you can get up and move forward. You have to stop worrying about who's not here and start worrying about who is.”  Alex Witchel, The Spare Wife