Pasco County Health Statistics

The University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have gathered health statistics on nearly every county in the United States.They use these statistics to rank the counties within states, so that you can compare your county to other counties in your state. The rankings are based on how healthy people are and how long they live in each county. The rankings also take into account key factors that effect health, such as: air pollution levels, rates of violent crime, smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care providers, and the number of children living in poverty. These County Health Rankings are online and can be searched here.

Pasco County is ranked 42nd out of 67 counties in Florida in Health Outcomes and 26th out of 67 counties in Health Factors. The Pasco County Summary for 2014 provided the following statistics:

•  8,716 premature deaths (the overall Florida average is 7,310)
• 19% of people reported poor or fair health
• the average number of poor physical health days reported by people in the last 30 days: 4.6 days
• the adult obesity rate is 29%
• the motor vehicle crash death rate per 100,000 population: 20

The Florida summary report can be found here.

Plan For Retirement Safely

 The Securities and Exchange Commission provides a webpage with a lot of information to help Seniors invest their money wisely.  This web page has links to information about what questions to ask when considering investments and how to avoid internet scams and affinity fraud. In addition, they have published a pamphlet called "A Guide For Seniors: Protect Yourself Against Investment Fraud". 

 They have also created a brochure called "Early Retirement Seminars 101: Smart Tips for Spotting Retirement Scams", This pamphlet can help you to recognize fraudulent retirement pitches, that promise much more than they can deliver. For example, here are some common tactics used by scammers:

• the "scarcity tactic" - claiming there is only a limited supply left for an investment.
• the "reciprocity tactic" - offering to give you a discount on commission if you buy now.
• the "source credibility tactic" - the broker claims to be a reputable expert.
• the "social consensus tactic" - other savvy people have invested in this product.

Another useful resource is the investor bulletin, "Social Media and Investing - Tips for Seniors". This bulletin can help you avoid online investment fraud. Finally, be very wary of "free lunch" investment seminars. These lunch seminars are advertised as "educational", but they are really geared to sell you investments. You can read more about these "free lunch" sales seminars in a previous post here.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

Tomorrow, April 26th, is "National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day". It is important to dispose of your prescription medications properly to protect the environment and human health. You can turn in your expired, or no longer needed, prescription drugs at a collection center from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, April 26th. You can find your nearest collection center via this page.  

If you miss the collection tomorrow, you can still dispose of unwanted prescriptions using household disposal tips. You can learn the steps to dispose of unwanted prescriptions by reading this pdf : "How to Dispose of Medicines Properly".  

Older Adults and Technology Use

The Pew Research Center has just published a report called "Older Adults and Technology Use". This report is based on findings from a telephone survey of 6,224 people ages 16 and older living in the United States. The main findings from this report are:

• 59% of seniors (age 65 and above) go online - which is a 6% increase in one year.
• 47% say they have a high-speed broadband connection at home.
• 77% of older adults have a cell phone.
•  Among older adults who use the internet, 71% go online every day or almost every day.
• Among older adults who use the internet, 27% use social networking sites, such as Facebook.

You can read the full report here.

Retirement Resources

Do you need information to plan your retirement? The federal government has many resources that can help. First, there is the Retirement Toolkit from the  the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This toolkit has links to information about 401Ks, social security, and Medicare. 

The United States Department of Labor also has created a publication called "Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement". This publication provides a lot of good information, such as "Almost 20% of retiree income will be spent on healthcare". This publication also states that after age 50, you can begin making catch-up contributions to 401(k) and other retirement accounts.

In addition, the Social Security website has a Retirement Estimator, so that you can get a good idea of what your Social Security benefits will be when you retire. You can use this estimator if you have enough social security credits to qualify for Social Security (at least 40 credits), but you are not currently receiving Social Security benefits.

It is not too late to start saving for retirement. Here is a link to a helpful article from usa.gov, "Retirement Saving Strategies for Late Starters", which has good tips for retirement planning.

Upcoming Library Programs

Would you like to watch a great movie, play chess, or join a knitting group? These are just a few of the upcoming Pasco library programs. The Friends of the Library sponsors our programs.  Here are some of the upcoming library programs for Older Adults in Pasco County:

Sat, Apr 12th and Sat Apr 26th at 2:00pm
    LOL Chess Club
    Land O'Lakes Library
Join us to play chess and learn the basics from our volunteer teacher. All ages and skill levels welcome. Bring your favorite chess set or use a library chess set.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214 

Tues, Apr 15th at 10:00am
  AARP Driver Safety
  New River Library
To register for this AARP class, you will need to call (813)907-3908.
New River Library
34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills, FL 33543
(813) 788-6375

Tues, April 15th at 12:00pm
     Libary Knitters 
     Hugh Embry Library
 People who enjoy working with yarn, here's your place to meet, share and enhance your knowledge! Bring a brown bag lunch, if you wish.
Hugh Embry Library14215 Fourth Street, Dade City, FL 33523 
(352) 567-3576

 Thurs, Apr 24th at 10:00am
    Senior Games
    Land O'Lakes Library
Join us for fun and games at the library. Meet new people while playing cards, board games, or challenging video games.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214 

Fri, Apr 25th at 2:00pm
    Senior Cinema and Popcorn
    Hugh Embry Library
 Seniors and adults, enjoy recently released movies with popcorn! Free thanks to Friends of Hugh Embry Library.
CALL 352-567-3576 for the movie title!
Hugh Embry Library
14215 Fourth Street, Dade City, FL 33523 
(352) 567-3576

Sat, Apr 26th at 11:00am
     Sit-n-Knit            
     South Holiday Library
Join our knitting club for ALL AGES! No experience necessary. Supplies are provided for in-house use or bring your own project.
South Holiday Library
4649 Mile Stretch Drive 
Holiday, FL 34690 
(727) 834-3331

Also, many branches offer book discussions and technology programs (such as an introduction to windows 8, an introduction to ipad, and a tablet Q & A).

SHINE volunteers needed!

The State of Florida has a program called SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) that provides free counseling to Seniors about Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care planning, and prescription assistance. The program is administered at the county level through our local "Area Agency on Aging" (other states also have this program - either in their Department of Aging or in their Department of Insurance).
 
SHINE is an unbiased information and counseling program that trains volunteers to help older adults to get the information that they need to make informed decisions on health insurance issues. They provide information to elders, their caregivers, and their families. To receive Medicare counseling in Pasco County, you can call 1-800-963-5337. 

The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, Inc. and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs are seeking volunteers for this program. They are offering professional, comprehensive training on the basics of Medicare in a three-day program to individuals interested in volunteering with the SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) Program. The next training will begin on April 22, 2014. Volunteering with SHINE will not only help you gain an understanding of the complex world of Medicare for yourself or your loved ones, but it will also empower you to help others in your community.  

If you are interested in becoming a SHINE volunteer in Pasco County, please call the local Elder Helpline at 1-800-96ELDER or call Susan Samson SHINE Liaison, at 727-570-9696 ext. 23.

The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco - Pinellas also provides many other services for seniors and caregivers. You can click on the picture below to access their website: