"Spotlight on Pasco" Senior Fair

Gulfside Hospice and Pasco Palliative Care will be sponsoring a senior fair called "Spotlight on Pasco" at the Gulfside Square Mall in Port Richey on Thursday, May 29th. This fair will have many presentations and performers, including:

• a veteran pinning ceremony
• a fraud protection presentation
• a senior self defense demonstration
• a silver sneakers presentation
• an Elvis impersonator

 The fair will be held:

Thursday, May 29th from 10:00am - 2:00pm
Gulf View Square Mall
 9409 US Highway 19, 
Port Richey , FL, 34668

Memorial Day Event

There will be a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Florida National Cemetery on Monday, May 26, 2014.  Steve Jerve of WFLA TV News Channel 8 (Tampa) will be the Master of Ceremonies.  Joseph Harrin will lead the Hernando High School Band and there will be performances by Linda Burnette, The Double Trouble Quartet, Naomi McClain, and Isaac Bobonis.  There will be a rifle salute by the Marine Corps League 708 Detachment from Spring Hill, FL and Central High School NJROTC Color Guard will post colors.  Ye Mystic Air Krewe will provide a flyover.  Seating is limited, so please bring a lawn chair or blanket. 

Memorial Day Ceremony -
A Time to Honor America's Heroes

Speaker:   Major General Michael T. Plehn
                  Principle Director for Middle East Policy
When:    May 26, 2014 at 11:00am
Where:   Florida National Cemetery
                  Flag Assembly Area
                  6502 SW 102nd Avenue
                  Bushnell, Fl 33513

Upcoming Library Programs

Would you like to play chess, play board games, or attend an Alzheimer's Support 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:

Tues, May 20th 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

Wed, May 21st and Wed May 28th at 6:30pm
    Hugh Embry Chess Club
    Hugh Embry Library
Enjoy chess out on the main floor from 7-8 pm! We have chess sets, or bring your own.
Hugh Embry Library
14215 Fourth Street, Dade City, FL 33523 
(352) 567-3576

Thurs, May 22nd 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

Thurs, May 22nd at 6:00pm
     Knitting Club
     New River Library
 Learn basic knitting techniques. Please bring a pair of size 8 knitting needles and a ball of #4 yarn. This club is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
New River Library
34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills, FL 33543
(813) 788-6375

 Fri, May 23rd 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, May 24nd at 2:00pm
Chess Club
Land O'Lakes Library
"The Game of Kings"...Chess! 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 

Wed, Jun 4th at 11:00am
Alzheimer's Association/Caregiver Support
Land O'Lakes Library
This program will explain the services and support available for patients with dementia.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214

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).

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.