Pebble Beach, CA Elder Abuse Alert, Beware Of Fraudsters Asking You To Use CashApp, Venmo Or Zelle

An old woman with an injured face

AARP has been great about tracking the latest scams tracking senior citizens, but a surprising number of people continue to fall for scams, mostly pitched over the phone.  First, I have a practice of using caller ID and won’t pick up the phone if I don’t recognize the caller.  This can screen out a lot of the potential scammers.  AARP says that historically fraud operators have tried to get your money in one of four ways—gift cards, wire transfers, cyber currency or cash.  These are all untraceable once you send them.  However, AARP says a fifth form of payment is on the rise, peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfer services like CashApp, Venmo or Zelle.  Beware of anyone asking you to send money using these apps.

Few Taking Advantage Of Free Lung Cancer Screening

An old woman smoking a cigarette

According to a study by Kaiser Permanente Colorado Institute for Health Research, only 5.8% of those eligible for a free lung cancer screening are getting them.  Many people believe that because they quite smoking many years ago that they are not at risk of getting lung cancer.  However that may not be true.  Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer in the United States, killing about 130K Americans each year.  About 60% are caught after the tumor has spread beyond the lung and is past the point of being cured.  The five year survival rate for lung cancer is only 25% so please take advantage of this free screening!

Beware Of Fake Telehealth Companies

A doctor holding a stethoscope with his hand

A flurry of start-ups have been advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Tik-Tok touting medications which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the purpose the advertisement is pushing.  For instance, the Wall Street Journal reported that start-up Home Health ran an ad with a middle-aged man holding a dumbbell and saying testosterone “literally changed my life” restoring his energy and happiness.  The problem is, the man is an actor who has never used the drug and the ad doesn’t mention that testosterone is only approved by the FDA for treating specific disorders and carries with it the risk of heart attacks and stroke.  Beware of these ads,  they have increased significantly since the pandemic began.

FDA Signs Off On New Booster COVID-19 Vaccines

Close up shot Covid vaccine dose

Great news!  With the threat of a new wave of COVID-19 coming, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just signed off on two new booster shots, one from Moderna and one from Pfizer/BioNTech.  The mRNA vaccines have been updated to teach the body to fight the XBB.1.5 Omnicron subvariant of the coronavirus and other closely related strains that are circulating.  The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will make recommendations for their use—they are scheduled to meet tomorrow.  After the CDC director signs off on those recommendations, the vaccines can be administered.  Therefore, they could be available in pharmacies in just a few days. 

Salinas, CA Seniors Should Check Out Alliance On Aging Farmer’s Market

A variety of fruits and vegetables

If you haven’t already, check out “Market Day” at Alliance on Aging’s headquarters in Salinas called “The Hub” at 236 Monterey Street which occurs the second and 4th Thursday of every month.  Get fresh and affordable quality produce.  Recent examples of deals include organic broccoli for $1, organic cauliflower for $1.25 and green onions for only $0.25 per bunch!

For more information go to www.allianceonaging.org/hub/

Prescription Drug Discounts To Come By 2026

An old couple sitting together and watching laptop

The first 10 prescription drugs the federal government will negotiate under a new federal law were released Tuesday, paving the way for big discounts by 2026.  The drugs are some of the most widely prescribed or expensive drugs that older Americans used for everything from hear disease to diabetes and autoimmune conditions.  The Biden Administration will negotiate prices for:

Eliquis

Jardiance

Xarelto

Januvia

Farxiga

Entresto

Enbrel

Imbruvica

Stelera

In addition, some inflammation medications are expected to be targeted.

Salinas, CA Seniors Should Check Out Alliance On Aging Farmer’s Market

A variety of fruits and vegetables

If you haven’t already, check out “Market Day” at Alliance on Aging’s headquarters in Salinas called “The Hub” at 236 Monterey Street which occurs the second and 4th Thursday of every month.  Get fresh and affordable quality produce.  Recent examples of deals include organic broccoli for $1, organic cauliflower for $1.25 and green onions for only $0.25 per bunch!

For more information go to www.allianceonaging.org/hub/

Getting On Social Security Disability Getting More Challenging

A man moving the lady in a wheelchair to the car

It has always been a struggle to get a full blown disability insurance claim approved.  However, in recent years it has gotten even more challenging due to a staffing shortage at the Social Security Administration.  According to an analysis done by the AARP’s government affairs staff, it can take more than 1.5 years go get in and have your disability claim heard.  This is the worst response rate of any government agency, according to the Government Accountability Offices, or GAO, 10K people each year die while waiting to hear back on their claim status from the GAO.

Senator Dianne Feinstein Alleges Financial Elder Abuse

Close up shot of an old woman wearing glasses

Senator Dianne Feinstein has sued to remove the trustees of her late husband’s estate, and in the process accused them of committing financial elder abuse.  There are two charges; 1 that they have refused to respond to any requests for disbursements and; 2 that they have financially enriched his daughters from a prior marriage.  Diane’s daughter, Katherine Feinstein, has a limited durable power of attorney to act as her representative in litigation.  Steven Braccini, the attorney representing Blums two daughters told the San Francisco Chronicle the trustees “have acted ethically and appropriately at all times; the same cannot be said for Katherine Feinstein.  This filing is unconscionable.  The trustees have always respected Senator Feinstein and always will.  But this has nothing to do with her needs and everything to do with her daughter’s avarice.”  He claims delays in payment are due to the lack of liquidity in the estate and the fact that a large tax bill needs to be settled before any claims can be paid.

 

Those Taking Acid Reflux Meds Have A Significantly Greater Likelihood Of Getting Dementia

Doctor Robert Califf in white color coat and colorful tie

A new study has found that drugs used to treat acid reflux for more than 4.4 years have a 33% greater likelihood of developing dementia, compared to those who did take the medication.  The study was published in the Medical Journal Neurology.  The study is the latest to link these medications to millions of Americans to a growing list of conditions such as stroke, heat disease and kidney disease.