Sample Articles: April-June 2005

Do You Have Glaucoma?

By Dr. Lorin M. Swagel

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, especially for older people. But, loss of sight from glaucoma is preventable if you get treatment early enough.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve. The optic nerve carries the images we see to the brain. Many people know that glaucoma has something to do with pressure inside the eye. The higher the pressure is inside the eye, the greater the chance of damage to the optic nerve.

The optic nerve is like an electric cable containing a huge number of wires. Glaucoma can damage nerve fibers, causing blind spots to develop. Often people don’t notice these blind areas until significant optic nerve damage has already occurred. If the entire nerve is destroyed, blindness results.

The best way to prevent glaucoma is early detection. You should have yearly eye exams with an ophthalmologist.

Who is at risk?
• Age
• Near-sightedness
• African ancestry
• A family history of Glaucoma
• Past injuries to the eye
• A history of severe anemia or shock

How is Glaucoma detected?
Regular examinations by your ophthalmologist are the best way to detect glaucoma. The various tests performed may include:

•Tonometry--measure your intraocular pressure
• Gonioscopy—inspect the drainage angle of your eye
• Ophthalmoscopy—evaluate any optic nerve damage
• Perimetry—test the visual field of each eye
• OCT —Optical Coherence Tomography

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a new technology that is used to detect changes to the optic nerve, changes to the retina and glaucoma at its earliest stages. By imaging the optic nerve, the OCT provides the ophthalmologist with an accurate picture in a non-contact, non-invasive approach—similar to a biopsy, yet without surgery.

Some of these tests may not be necessary for every person. You may need to repeat these tests on a regular basis to determine if glaucoma damage is increasing over time.

If you are diagnosed with glaucoma, the doctor may prescribe glaucoma eye drops or even recommend surgery. Frequent eye examinations are critical to monitor your eyes for any changes. Remember, it is your vision, and you must do your part to maintain it.

For any questions on your eyes or this article, please call the doctors at Swagel-Wootton Eye Center at (480) 641-3937.

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Driving Safety and Alzheimer’s Disease

By Jennifer Williams, MSW

Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter Driving brings a sense of freedom, independence and control. It is also a complex activity requiring quick thinking and reactions, good perception, and split-second decision-making.

For a person with Alzheimer’s, driving eventually becomes difficult. Although a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s does not mean the person has lost all ability to drive, caution needs to be taken to monitor the person’s driving regularly to determine driving safety.

Warning signs of unsafe driving include forgetting how to locate familiar places and getting lost, failing to observe traffic signals/signs, and becoming angry and confused while driving.

If these signs are present, an individual’s driving can be limited by following these steps:
• Ask a doctor to write a “do not drive” prescription.
• Have the person tested by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Offer to drive, by suggesting that you are now their “chauffeur”.
•Arrange other transportation by utilizing local resources.
•Have someone the person respects and trusts recommend he/she stop driving (to ease family pressure).
•Park the car on another block or in a neighbor’s driveway. Sometimes, “out of sight, out of mind” can be helpful.
•Hide the car keys or disable the car by removing the distributor cap, spark plugs, or battery as a last resort.

Losing driving privileges is not an easy task and can emotionally affect the person whose abilities are becoming impaired. It is very important to be sensitive and supportive during the non-driving transition, as the person may feel angry and depressed.

Because the person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s will eventually be unable to drive, it is wise to begin planning for this as early as possible, while respecting the individual, and balancing needs for independence and safety.

Concerns about driving can be assessed over time, by observing the person while driving. Keep a written record of observations, and share these with the person with dementia, family members, and health care providers.

Keep in mind that if the person wanders, he/she can wander and get lost while driving. Be prepared for a wandering incident and enroll the person in our “Safe Return Program”.

To ease the transition from driver to passenger, try to limit driving in steps, rather than all at once. Consider a written agreement between the diagnosed person and family regarding driving (see The Hartford Website http://www.thehartford.com/alzheimers/index.html
for an example).
Lastly, initiate conversations about driving and transportation needs early and often, and take the keys or disable the car as a last resort.

For more information on Alzheimer’s disease and driving, or for information on programs and resources on Alzheimer’s and related dementias, please call our toll-free 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-272-3900.

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Is Your Nest Egg Protected?

By Vince Annable

Safeguarding Your Retirement (Savings) and How to Avoid the 5 Most Common Retirement Planning Mistakes.

Every day we hear horror stories from seniors who have not taken the time to ensure their golden years are protected from common mistakes, which can be avoided through proper (and many times simple) planning.

These mistakes often cause asset losses, resulting in fewer assets to provide for your future income.

The primary concern of most seniors is the fear of running out of money before they run out of time. Every day we talk with seniors who, for a myriad of reasons, have not taken the time to plan for their futures.

Unfortunately, in most cases, procrastination has resulted in the person inadvertently making one or more of “The 5 Most Common Retirement Planning Mistakes”. These mistakes often result in asset losses, forcing a reduction of lifestyle.

Mistake #1: Failure to Protect Retirement Savings with Guaranteed Principal Savings Vehicles The safety of your retirement savings should be one of your top priorities. You’ve worked a lifetime to accumulate your nest egg; don’t risk losing your principal. The wrong investment vehicle (one that doesn’t guarantee your principal) could result in market losses…and fewer assets to provide for the future.

Mistake #2: Failure to Update your IRA Beneficiary Forms and Estate Plan Most people do not know their IRA beneficiary form controls the distribution and taxation of their retirement savings, regardless of the provision of their will or trust. Did you know the IRS enacted new laws enabling you to pass your IRA to your children and grandchildren in a way which allows them to eliminate the lump sum tax normally paid when they inherit your IRA? This is only allowed, however, if the proper forms and IRA custodian are used, allowing this important tax elimination strategy.

Mistake #3: Naming the Wrong Beneficiaries of Your Retirement Savings Are your wishes properly protected from lawsuits, divorce or other unforeseen uncertainties?

Mistake #4: Failure to Protect Your Assets And, failure to utilize the tax laws and other available tools to protect your retirement assets and provide for you and your family’s financial security.

Mistake #5: Failure to work with a Retirement Planning Specialist Working with a Retirement Planning Specialist will help you take advantage of the new rules and accomplish the following objectives:

•Avoid retirement planning mistakes
•Plan a proper distribution strategy for you and your family
•Reduce current income taxes
•Provide a lifetime income for you and your spouse
•Create a family legacy for your children and grandchildren

We have created a special FREE publication available to you entitled “Safeguarding Retirement Savings: How to Avoid the Most Common Retirement Planning Mistakes”. This publication includes a special section on How to Navigate the 401k rollover maze. Don’t make the wrong decision when it comes to your Retirement Nest Egg. For more information about “Protecting Your Nest Egg” or to order a FREE booklet (no one should be without this valuable information), call 480.346.1555 today. There is no obligation.

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Mouse Talk

By Amy C. Lowenstein

SENDING PICTURES VIA E-MAIL

Why not share your pictures with friends and family by including them in an e-mail? There are two ways to send pictures via e-mail. You can insert the picture directly into an e-mail or you can attach it. A picture that is inserted into an e-mail is visible when the recipient receives it. If you attach a picture to an e-mail, it must be downloaded before it can be viewed. These instructions are for AOL 9.0 users, but can easily be applied to earlier AOL versions and to other Internet providers.

Open a blank e-mail. Text can be inserted both before and after the picture is inserted or attached.

INSERTING A PICTURE INTO AN E-MAIL:

•Click on the Insert a Picture Button on the e-mail Toolbar (the one that looks like a camera). The Pictures drop-down menu appears in the right-hand column.
• Click on Insert a Picture. The Insert Pictures in Mail window appears.
• Scroll down the box on the left until My Pictures appears.
• Click on My Pictures, and any of the folders in My Pictures, until the pictures appear on the right-hand screen.
• Click on the checkbox in the upper left-hand corner of the picture you want to insert, (you can pick more than one).
• Click on the Insert button. The e-mail appears with the picture inserted.
• Click on Send Now when you have finished inserting pictures and text.

ATTACHING A PICTURE TO AN E-MAIL:

• Click on the Attach File Button on the bottom left side of the window. The Attach File(s) dialog box appears. My Documents appears in the Look In:Box at the top of the screen.
• Click on My Pictures. My Pictures folders appear on the screen.
• Double click on the folder that contains the picture that you want to attach to open it.
• Click on the name of the picture that you want to send. Do not open it. The name of the picture that you are going to attach appears in the File Name: box.
• Click on the Open Button. You are returned to the e-mail form. The name of the picture that you attached appears on the bottom of the screen.
• Repeat the process to attach additional pictures to the same e-mail.
• Click on Send Now when you have finished attaching pictures and inserting text.

Amy C. Lowenstein is the author of For Grandmas Who Do Windows, Dithridge Press. Available at Barnes & Noble and online. Contact Amy at Grandmawindows@aol.com