Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health
Newsletter
June 1, 2006
Issue Vol. 6 No. 6
In This Newsletter
Introduction
Healthfully yours
Health Hints
Introduction***
The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter
is written monthly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers
and anyone who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a
vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. It does not
constitute the practice of medicine and is not meant to prescribe
treatments. It is offered strictly as an educational aid. Any medical
problems you may have, we recommend that you seek the help of your
physician or other healthcare professional. Discussing your intentions
with your doctor is always the proper procedure. The newsletter also
includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive
material on the Internet. You may wish to share this newsletter by
sending a copy to a friend, neighbor or relative and suggesting they
subscribe to it.
This newsletter is scanned for viruses and is virus-free before it
is sent to recipients!
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Healthfully Yours***
Safety…A concern for everyone…
We live in dangerous times. You only have
to pick up a newspaper, turn on the television or radio to read, hear or
see the latest happenings to see what horrible thing is happening to
people. Some of the incidents are so horrible as to be unbelievable. If
you were to read these occurrences in a novel, they would be hard to
imagine.
I don’t mean this article to be morbid in any
aspect, but it is important for people to realize we live in dangerous
times. This should only heighten their resolve to protect themselves and
their loved ones. Personal safety begins in the home and becomes
paramount when you go out the door of your home.
Safety not only mandates that you protect your
physical self, but you need to know there is a need to protect your good
name and financial assets as well. Identity theft has grown by leaps and
bounds, and is continually on the increase. There are always scam
artists waiting to steal your identity and turn your life into a
nightmare. Many of these con artists are completely without conscience,
and their actions mimic an animal that will seek out the weakest or
wounded and attack them because they are the easiest prey. That is why
they especially target the elderly and those who leave their guard down.
This is not to say that only the elderly are at risk, but age is not a
criterion when it comes to being safe.
Have you ever given thought as to what is going on
in your own neighborhood? Usually in your local paper there is a daily
report of crimes that have occurred in your area. I am willing to wager
that the greater majority of the readers just skim by this report
without ever reading it. Read this report the next time you read the
paper, and I guarantee it will be an eye opener. These are only the
police reports for the immediate area, but you can be sure that there
are other incidents, such as robbery, house invasions, scams, etc.
Protecting yourself starts at home. The next step
is when you open the door and leave your home. Continued protection you
must be aware of is on your drive to work, shopping, etc. Arriving at
your destination, and your guard should be continued. How to be on guard
through all the phases mentioned will be discussed in the health hints
below. Before we do, let me say that this newsletter is not to be
alarmist, it is meant to be a wake-up call that everyone can be at risk
at one time or another and that we need to be on the alert at all
times.
Health Hints***
Safety at home:
- Always keep doors locked. Windows should also
be kept locked, especially at night.
- If you have an alarm system, keep it on even
during the day when you are at home. Make sure you have a sticker
displayed on the door, and even a sign on a posted stating that this
property has an alarm system.
- If someone comes to your door, be sure to
check who it is before opening your door. They may say they are from
the electric, telephone or some other company. They may even flash a
badge and say they are from the police. Should that occur, call the
local police department and ask them to verify the badge number
before opening the door. If they are legitament they won’t mind
waiting. If they aren’t they won’t be waiting around long. It’s
better to be safe than sorry.
- Protecting your-self when the phone rings is
paramount. Know who your caller is .Ask for their name, company,
etc. If they ask for personal information, inquire what the reason
is. They may say they are from some financial institution, such as a
credit card company, and they need to update your information.
NEVER, give out this information because these companies do not ask
for this information on the phone. JUST HANG UP!
- Always leave a little light on in the evening.
This can prevent a break in when the thief realizes there is someone
at home.
- Do not have high hedges or foliage that will
give a thief covers and makes it less visible to break in.
- Know your neighbor and look out for each
other. Be aware of any suspicious noises that may be coming from
their house or apartment. Discuss these things with them before so
that you both can be on the lookout for anything of a suspicious
nature. Should something occur, do not hesitate to call 911
immediately.
When leaving your home:
- If your car is in he garage of your home, get
into the car, lock the doors and open the garage door.
- If your car is parked outdoors. Look around
before leaving your home. Should you see anyone lurking nearby, or a
car parked behind you for no apparent reason, go back inside and
lock the door. Observe from the window, until you feel it is safe to
leave the house. If these suspicious individuals remain even for a
shot time call 911. When you feel it is safe to leave, have your car
keys in hand when you approach your car. Get in immediately and lock
the the doors.
- f you are not using a car and are walking to a
bus stop, be aware of anyone that seems to be observing you or
following you. If there is someone that seems suspicious to you, do
not hesitate going into the nearest home or store and tell him or
her that someone is following you and ask to use the phone and call
911.
- When you arrive at your destination, if it is
your place of employment, park as close to the entrance as possible.
Be aware of your surroundings as you enter the building. If you used
public transportation, and are offered a ride home by another
employee, be sure you know them well before getting into a car, or
accepting an invitation to visit their home. Do not work in a
building at night if you are alone. If you do, do not open the doors
to anyone, even if they say they have a delivery. Try to do the
necessary work at home if at all possible. If you drove to work and
you have to work late, try to walk to your car in the company with
another person. The same applies if you used public transportation.
Precautions for making your home secure when
leaving for a few days or on vacation:
1.
Check your alarm system to make sure it is working properly.
2.
Use a timer in 2 or 3 rooms that are connected to lamps that are
set to go on and off at different times.
3.
Stop your newspaper and mail delivery if you expect to be away
for an extended period of time. Or, ask a neighbor to take your
newspaper and mail in and hold it until your return.
4.
You can purchase a simulated dog alarm that will go off when it
detects motion or noise.
5.
Place a window sticker or put a sign on your door displaying the
name of your alarm company as previously mentioned. If you do not have
an alarm, get a sticker or sign anyway from any company and use that.
6.
Make sure you have double dead bolts on all doors. If you have
sliding doors, place a piece of wood, even the handle of broom or mop on
the slide part of the door.
Safety when you are in your car:
- Always buckle up.
- Lock your car doors as soon as you get into
the car.
- Drive at posted speed limits.
- When stopped at a red light and it changes,
always be sure that another car is not running a red light before
you start into the intersection.
- If you have the right of way at a stop sign,
always make sure that another car is not running the stop sign
before you proceed.
- When parking, never leave packages, laptops,
cameras, etc. on the front or back seat in plain view. Always place
them in the trunk.
- If you stop at a gas station, always stop the
motor and remove keys and hold them in your hand. Here too, never
leave a handbag, or other valuables in plain view while you are
pumping gas, or going inside to pay. Valuables should not be in
plain sight even if you don’t leave the car and pay by credit
card.
Personal Safety
- Here your safety starts in protecting your
good name. You should have a shredder at home.
- Shred all papers that have any personal
information on it such as social security number, bank account
records, credit card statements and any other papers that might
contain personal information.
- You certainly will be getting blank checks
from your credit card companies. If you are not going to be using
them, make sure to shred them.
- Check your credit card and bank account
statements carefully. If you notice any suspicious activity in your
bank statement, or charges to your credit cards that you didn’t
make, report them to the proper company or bank immediately. If your
credit card has been compromised, the company will deactivate that
card and issue you another with a new number.
- Also be sure to check your phone bills and in
particular your cell phone statement for calls you didn’t make. This
can happen more often than you think.
- You may receive an e-mail that looks official
and seemingly is from your bank or other institution you may or may
not be doing business with. They will be asking you to update your
account information and ask you to click on a link to do this. This
is called “phising”. Never under any circumstances click on this
link. However, you should forward this email to the institution it
seemingly came from, and then delete it.
- If you have inadvertently responded to any of
these phishing links, contact your credit card company, bank or any
other institution involved and report this immediately. They will
start the ball rolling to protect you. If you feel extremely
comprised concerning this fraudulent e-mail report it to:
Internet Crime Complaint
Center:
www.ifccfbi.gov . This agency is a partnership of the FBI and the
National White Collar Crime Center.
- You should also report the fact that you have
been fraudulently compromised to the three major credit bureaus, and
tell them to place a fraud alert on your files. These are:
- Equifax at: 1 (800) 525-6285
- Experian at: 1 (888) 397-3742
- TransUnion at: 1 (800) 680-7289
- You also need to contact the Federal Trade
Commission’s fraud hotline to report this fraud at: 1 (877) 438-4338
I would greatly suggest that the above information
be printed out so that you have the contact numbers readily at hand if
ever the need arises.
Doc Cane
