Living Safer - Vol. 7, Ed. 3 by LivingSafer

editor-in-chief

Stephanie Andre sandre@livingsafer.com

art director

Eva Talley

A LETTE R FROM TH E E D ITOR

etalley@livingsafer.com

a s s o c i at e e d i t o r

Dear Friends,

Brittany Monbarren

Do you ever feel like you just can’t keep up with technology? There’s always something new; there’s always a more recent update. Listen, I like to think I’m tech savvy and I try to stay current on all things technology, but I feel like any day now, I’m going to become that mom who says, “My kids understand this more than me.”

bmonbarren@livingsafer.com

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advertising@livingsafer.com

From apps to devices, I think we’ve learned that if you can dream it, it’s most likely possible to create it. Want to turn down the lights in your house from 1,000 miles away? Done. Need to order a pizza? Just text an emoji and it’ll be there.

ordering

orders@livingsafer.com

living safer

209 South Howard Avenue

It’s truly amazing what the human mind can create.

Tampa, FL 33606 “Technology is nothing,” said Steve Jobs. “What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.”

813.225.1313

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I believe this to be true. And that’s why we’ve dedicated this issue’s cover to all things gadgets. From healthy living apps to home and more, we’ll delve deep into what you can be, should be and probably will be using in the near future. But this issue isn’t just about the mechanics and technology of gadgets. We also look at the other side of things—the human condition, with stories that range the entire lifespan, from birth to death. Stories include early prevention of birth defects, senior driving and the ultimate decision to place your loved one in a nursing home.

@livingsafer

We’ll also meet young widow Katherine who recounts her husband’s untimely death less than three years ago, how it changed her and what life looks like now.

© 2015 by Claris Marketing, Tampa, Florida. All rights reserved. Editorial and executive offices at 209 S. Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606. Telephone: 813-225-1313. Material in this publication may not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be made to Stephanie Andre, Editor-In-Chief, Living Safer, sandre@livingsafer.com. The opinions

And, if I could get personal for a minute, I would ask you to please read this story. Katherine is such a very special person to me and Wesley was my friend. He was a devoted husband and father, and he’s gone. While no one ever imagines they’ll be a widow at the age of 34, Katherine’s poise, grace and gratefulness will inspire you.

expressed in this publication are those of specific authors and are not intended to or do not necessarily represent the opinion or views of the publisher, staff or other authors.

Best to you and yours,

Stephanie Andre, Editor-in-Chief

living safer is your guide to all things safety.

Inside This Issue ON THE COVER

VOLUME 7 • EDITION 2

MAGAZINE

FEATURES

WHY KEEPING YOUR CORE TIGHT IS VITAL TO LONG-TERM HEALTH

DO YOU HAVE A LIVING WILL?

5 REASONS TO STOP DRINKING SODA

5 WAYS TO MOTIVATE KIDS TO SAVE THEIR MONEY

10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A SECURITY SYSTEM

38 The Gadgets Issue You’re busy. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some cool gadget to help you make life — with the kids, for your health, in the home — easier? Now, there is. Have you seen some of the amazing gadgetry inventions over the past few years? There are some incredible items out there that help maximize your time, organize your life and better manage your health. Check out this issue’s cover story for a great sampling of the future.

TRENDING TOPICS

BIRTH DEFECTS ARE MORE COMMON THAN YOU MAY REALIZE

IT’S TIME TO STOP SMOKING

17 23

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SOMEONE WITH AN EATING DISORDER

DEPARTMENTS 05

the pulse

tech trends

gadgetry : hit the road driving with these vehicle safety gadgets

THE CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS SAFETY

We’re on the Web and in Your Hands. Welcome to the all-new Living Safer, the same magazine you’ve come to know and love...just with a more inviting look and feel. And while the face may have changed, our pledge to you remains the same: to offer the best in safety information— from new trends and wellness to lifestyle, home and more.

Join the Conversation. Share and comment on Living Safer stories by joining us on Facebook and Twitter and by visiting LivingSafer.com fb.com/LivingSafer / @livingsafer

TRENDING

Are You Registered to Vote? by Stephanie Andre

Too busy conflicting schedule 17.5%

Did you know that only 57.5% of Americans voted in the last presidential election?

In a country that saw its presidential decision change by what seems like nothing, you would think that as Americans, we’d get it. In 2000, every single vote literally counted. So why don’t more Americans exercise their right to vote? Time? Indecision? Apathy? In a world so riddled with war, violence, intolerance, poverty and a lack of education, you would think that having a voice would be more important than ever. So we challenge you — register to vote. And if you are registered, make sure you use your voice. Let it be heard. There’s power in numbers and real people can affect real change. But you can’t do it by sitting on the sidelines.

57.5% 57.5%

Illness or disability Not interested

14.9%

13.4%

Did not like candidates or campaign issues 12.9% Other

11.3%

Out of town 8.8% Don’t know 7% Registration problems 6% Inconvienient polling place 2.7% Transportation problems 2.6% Forgot 2.6% Bad weather 0.2%

For more information or to register, please visit registertovote.org @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 5

Peeping into Drone Privacy by Ken Riley

f you’re a drone owner and operator and also happen to be a lawyer, you’ve been following, studying and commenting on the evolution of drone privacy issues for a couple of years now. The current pace of government, on both the federal and state levels, to regulate this industry seems to be moving at snail’s pace and many people are not amused. But the real question is, do we really need new regulations or do we need to simply look closely at our current laws and statutes for better and applicable interpretation for drone usage? Privacy issues concerning the eyes in the sky became prevalent in the 1960s when “spy satellites” made mainstream fodder and caused paranoia in almost every household. The dialogue continued through the 80s when parachute pants and headlines about reading a newspaper from space were trending norms. Today, government satellites can easily see into our fenced backyards. But that doesn’t seem to bother us nearly as much as the idea of a “Peeping Tom” hovering just a hundred feet above our piece of the American Dream. The fact that the pilot/observer may be a barely acquainted next door neighbor somehow makes it more creepy than your government looking in on your family reunion barbeque. One’s property rights extend from the ground down as far as you can dig and as far up as you can see, or at least until around the

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500-foot mark, where the FAA has sovereign control over airspace for obvious and good reason. What modern-day homeowners are concerned about is the 25-75 feet above your yard, where a drone could perch and provide entertainment to someone who may be a voyeur, or even more disturbing, could provide a criminal roadmap to a caper of his/her choosing. From a common law perspective, if you are on someone’s property or within their airspace, without being invited, you are in fact trespassing, which carries criminal and potential civil penalties. Americans expect privacy when there is a reasonable expectation of it. My backyard? Yes. A football game? No. This is ultimately where the discussion begins and ends, despite it seeming lengthy, convoluted and heated in the media. The federal government may, at some point, regulate what a drone user is permitted to see and not see. State governments may do the same, if they have not already done so. But politics and red tape have a tendency to get in the way of reform and while an update to privacy laws may seem obvious to some, to others more regulation and government is an unnecessary evil. As time goes on, currently existing common laws and state statutes will likely be applied and interpreted such that there is actually no real need to enact new regulations.

EDITORIAL

Ashley Madison Fallout Begins by Jonathan Nace his summer’s Ashley Madison hack was something of a sideshow because of the supposed “comedy” of cheating spouses being caught. But it appears there is now some real fallout from the hack. People who were on the site are now find themselves the subject of “scammers and extortionists.” In fact, there’s now word of scam sites charging hefty fees to expunge the data of exposed members and attempts to extort people caught up in the privacy nightmare. One of the best known offenders is known as Trustify, which bills itself as a private investigator service. According to security researcher Troy Hunt, Trustify is sending unsolicited emails with the subjects such as, “Your boss might know,” to many of the 36 million addresses included in the resulting dump. To its credit, Trustify later required email verification before allowing the search service to continue, but some reports have even disputed that. Now the Washington Post acknowledges how severe this hack could be, reporting that “Personal information about millions of

Ashley Madison customers, including emails, member profiles, credit card transactions and other sensitive information, showed up online.” Some are even claiming that those who deleted their accounts— potentially determining they had made a bad decision and wishing to quit the site all together—were still caught up in the data breach because Ashley Madison misled consumers about its data destruction policy. And misstatements like this from the Ashley Madison privacy policy seem to be a viable basis for legal action: “We treat data as an asset that must be protected against loss and unauthorized access. To safeguard the confidentiality and security of your PII, we use industry standard practices and technologies including but not limited to ‘firewalls’, encrypted transmission via SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and strong data encryption of sensitive personal and/or financial information when it is stored to disk.” Ultimately, members of the Ashley Madison site made some poor choices. But not so poor that their financial information should be exposed, and not so poor that they should be extorted by people willing to use information to get them fired or otherwise.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 7

TECHNOLOGY

Apps to Fight Distracted Driving by Brittany Monbarren

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in accidents caused by distracted drivers. To help keep you focused on what matters most and eliminate cell phone-related accidents, we’ve provided you with some safe driving apps for your smartphone.

Drive Beehive

Cellcontrol with DriveID

The official app for PADD (People Against Distracted Driving), Drive Beehive is the first peer-to-peer rewards based mobile app focused on eliminating distracted driving. Drive Beehive works by connecting drivers with sponsors (friends, family, peers, other users) who can set rewards for safe miles driven.

Cellcontrol uses Bluetooth-enabled technology that directly connects with the vehicle’s onboard diagnostics to determine motion. In addition to the cellphone, it also prevents distractions from other mobile devices, including laptops and tablets.

DriveFirst by Sprint This app allows you to focus on what matters most. DriveFirst automatically activates when the phone is in motion. When in use, it prevents texts, calls and other unsafe distractions from coming through. Those who do call or text will be sent a message letting them know you are currently behind the wheel.

AT&T DriveMode DriveMode is designed to engage when the vehicle you are driving reaches a certain speed. Once activated, the app automatically silences all text message alerts and sends a customizable reply to incoming text messages, notifying the sender that the user is driving and unable to respond.

Canary

DriveSafe.ly

This particular app is geared for parents with teen drivers. While it doesn’t stop text messages or calls from going to your teen’s phone, it will however send an alert notifying you if your teen has unlocked the phone to use it while driving.

This app has the ability to intercept texts or emails, and reads them aloud in real time so you don’t have to handle your phone while driving. The app requires manual activation, but will send automatic response to any incoming calls, texts or messages while the vehicle is in motion.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 9

Hit the Road with These

Vehicle Safety Gadgets by Brittany Monbarren Driving requires you to be all in. However, being all in can be difficult with all the “dings” and “rings” of our cellphones. To help keep your eye on the road and stay focused on what matters, we’ve listed some of the latest safety driving gadgets.

MyKey by Ford Introduced in 2010, the MyKey system is specifically aimed at protecting teen drivers and helps parents encourage teens to drive responsible. With MyKey, parents can program the key to a restricted driving mode setting that promotes good habits such as enabling incoming calls or messages, increasing seatbelt use, limiting vehicle top speeds and decreasing audio volume. To date, Ford reports that MyKey has been installed in more than 6 million cars.

Groove Groove by Katasi is a small device that connects with all cellular phones, not just smartphones. The Groove technology works with cellphone providers to help limit distractions by cell phones. The device plugs into a socket underneath the steering wheel and once the vehicle is in motion, all incoming and outgoing calls and messages are limited by the cellphone provider.

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Drivecam Drivecam by Lytx is a program that helps identify why accidents happen by using a video event recorder to capture and assist in correcting risky driving habits. Historically, it has been used by commercial fleet truck operators, however, parents are now utilizing this tech solution to understand problem areas in their teen’s driving, allowing them to teach ways to improve their driving.

ORIGOSafe The ORIGOSafe is a fully integrated system that requires drivers to dock their phone in order to start the vehicle. Through Bluetooth, ORIGOSafe allows drivers to use their phone’s existing handsfree capabilities. However, if the driver attempts to remove the device from the dock, an alarm will sound, and the car will not be authorized to restart until approved by an administrator.

SMARTwheel SMARTwheel is the first intelligent steering wheel cover that uses a patented sensing technology to encourage safe driving. The device monitors the position of the driver’s hands on the steering wheel and gives real-time feedback via Bluetooth when there are no hand on the wheel, one hand is off the wheel for too long or two hands are too close together. The SMARTwheel app also logs any unsafe driving behavior and can send data to parents and/or employers.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 11

WELLNESS

Early Detection of Birth Defects Can Make a Difference by Steven J. Pokiniewski

ost birth defects are not preventable. However, being aware of the condition before birth can aid tremendously in securing the best medical care for the baby and assisting the parents in being able to cope emotionally with a very difficult situation. Surprisingly, birth defects (a baby born with an anatomical or genetic abnormality) are more prevalent than most suspect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, birth defects occur in 3% of all births in the United States. That means 1 in 33 children born suffer from some type of birth defect. The most common birth defects by types are heart defects (one in every 100 births); cleft palate/lip (one in every 600 births) and Down syndrome (one in every 700 births). An example of a rare birth defect is bladder exstrophy, a condition where the baby’s bladder develops outside his abdomen (one in every 50,000 births). Besides amniocentesis, which entails the extraction of a small amount of amniotic fluid to ascertain whether a baby has a genetic abnormality like Down syndrome, fetal sonography or ultrasound testing is available to ascertain prenatally whether the baby has a

birth defect. Fetal sonogram is the use of sounds waves to allow visualization of the fetus inside the mother’s uterus (“in utero”). Ultrasound technology is now developed to the degree that many structural defects in the fetus can be detected in ureto. Almost all pregnant women now undergo an ultrasound at 20 weeks of gestation to allow the assessment of fetal development. The combination of advances in ultrasound technology and physicians’ skill at interpreting sonograms allow many developmental abnormalities, like bladder exstrophy, to be detected before birth. Additionally, there are now some conditions that can be surgically corrected in utero. However, even if in utero surgery is not possible, if the birth defect is recognized by way of a fetal sonogram, it will allow parents time to investigate where to obtain the best care for their child’s condition. Additionally, prenatal detection of a birth defect allows the parents to prepare emotionally for the birth of their child with such a condition. Timely performed and properly interpreted fetal ultrasounds allow parents to learn of their baby’s birth defect so that they can be prepared as best possible deal with the situation. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 13

Keeping Up with

Your Kids’ Teeth by Ryan D. Hurd

“An apple a day keeps the dentist away,” so the saying goes. However, as parents, we need to do more than feed our children apples to ensure good dental health and a full happy smile. We need to get our kids to the dentist, early and regularly! The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that children go to the dentist within six months after their first tooth erupts or at least around their first birthday. Typically, a child’s primary teeth (aka “baby teeth”) begin growing in around six months of age.

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According to the AAPD, it is very important to keep primary teeth in place until they fall out to be replaced naturally. For some kids, this process may not be completed until the age of 12 or 14 years old. The primary teeth are important for many reasons, including to aid in chewing properly, to develop speech, and to save space for permanent teeth. In addition, your child’s teeth promote a healthy smile that helps them feel good about the way they look. Tooth decay (commonly called “cavities”) is the single most common childhood disease and can lead to the premature loss of primary teeth. As a parent, you want to do everything you can to keep your children’s primary teeth in place. Of course, that means

regularly brushing and flossing your children’s teeth. It also means limiting your children’s intake of foods that cause decay (such as candy or juice before bedtime). It is equally important that you take your children to a pediatric dentist for a regular checkup and professional cleaning every six months. Maintaining regular dentist visits helps promote a healthy mouth through cleaning and polishing and allows the dentist to monitor your children and practice preventative dentistry. The routine removal of plaque, a thin layer that contains bacteria and grows on teeth over time, will prevent gum irritation, tooth decay, and premature loss of teeth. The dentist may also apply sealants or fluoride treatments to help keep teeth resistant to acid attacks from sugars and plaque and keep your child cavity free. Of course, during the examination, your children’s dentist will examine their teeth for cavities. The dentist will similarly be on the lookout for any other concerns such as abnormal growth or developmental problems with their teeth or jaws. Regular appointments allow the dentist to monitor your children’s ongoing dental heath to detect problems early, while the problem is small and manageable. Ongoing assessment also allows the dentist to recommend changes to your children’s brushing habits or technique, diet, and the need for additional sealants or fluoride. Failing to receive such regular attention may result in emergency

dental care. It is not uncommon for poor dental hygiene and a lack of professional attention to result in tooth or gum pain or even an infection in your child’s mouth. Left untreated, bacteria from a cavity or gum disease can cause in a dental abscess, which is an infection of the mouth, face, jaw, or throat that begins as a tooth infection. Abscess can be very painful and lead to other health complications. It may ultimately require antibiotic treatment and even early extraction of a primary tooth. Although they will always be your “children,” one day they will be adults. Adults want and need healthy teeth too. Studies show that a person’s smile is often the first thing that others notice about them. Nearly 50 percent of adults think a smile is the most memorable feature after they meet someone for the first time. Establishing positive dental habits, such as regular dentist visits, while your children are young will help your children maintain those good habits into adulthood. In the meantime, take your children to the dentist early and keep their appointments every six months. Otherwise, you may find that the Tooth Fairy is visiting your children prematurely and collecting rotten teeth! Early dental visits are important in establishing a dental home, a comprehensive and continuous source of dental resources for your family. This provides the foundation for a positive dental relationship.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 15

Why Keeping Your Core Tight is Vital to Long-Term Health by Jeremy O’Steen o you find yourself slouching? Do you have migraines, neck pain or lower back pain? Do you ever experience fatigue or a feeling of lethargy? These are just a few of the possible consequences of poor core strength. Commonly misunderstood, your “core” muscles include the abdominals, back and hips. A strong core affects your entire body, being attached to your legs, arms, neck and head, and provides balance, control of movement and the ability to generate force. When you pick up something, throw a ball, sprint or jump, your core is being utilized. However, your core provides even greater benefits. Your core protects you from injuries and aging by promoting good posture and spine health. Good posture is achieved by more than just the way we sit or stand, and means more than just feeling confident and looking strong. A good posture directly affects the health of your spine and spinal cord, and is achieved by strengthening your core, because it provides stability and alignment. Your spine naturally consists of three curved segments, the cervical spine (your neck), the thoracic spine (your upper back), and the lumbar spine (your lower back), and includes 24 moveable vertebrae. Good posture and a strong core promote the natural alignment of your spine, which in turn prevents degenerative disc disease, stenosis, disc herniation, arthritis and back pain. Your spine also protects the spinal cord, the part of your body which connects your brain to the nerves throughout your body. Poor posture may actually lead to a stretched or narrowed spinal

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cord, which results in a decrease in blood supply and, consequently, diminished motor skills and sensory organization. A strong core keeps your posture straight and the nerve messages flowing. It is never too late and never too early to begin developing a strong core. Many older adults have chronic back pain due to past traumatic injuries and poor posture from their childhood and can obviously benefit from strength training. Children, as well as those more recently injured, should not wait for chronic injuries to popup down the line. As today’s children are more apt to sit in front of the television, play video games and forget the outdoors, core strengthening exercises and good habits to develop proper posture are more vital than ever. For those with recent traumatic injuries, whether as a result of sports, car accidents or falls, prevention of arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and future joint problems means giving attention to the core now. Additionally, those who are currently dealing with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, or muscular dystrophy, may reap the benefits of good core strength. Core-strengthening exercises include: »» Long sit reach

»» Rowing

»» Lateral bending

»» Standing crunches

»» Sitting or standing upright

»» Sit ups

»» Sitting on a thera-ball

»» Bicycle crunches

»» Marching

»» Side plank

It’s Time to

Quit Smoking Already by David M. Hiestand, M.D., Ph.D. obacco smoking has been a practice in society for centuries. In the 20th century, manufacturers invested heavily in marketing and advertising to increase sales and promote tobacco use. Soldiers engaged in World War I were given cartons of cigarettes free of charge and the few who went to war as non-smokers returned with a steady habit. This practice continued for decades. Tobacco companies were so creative in marketing they even enlisted the American Medical Association and physicians to support advertising endeavors. There was evidence of adverse health consequence in the form of lung cancer in the 1920s. It was not until January 1964 that Luther L. Terry, M.D. released the first of the Surgeon General’s reports on the adverse health consequences of smoking. We now know that tobacco use results in more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. In a time when we are acutely aware of mass casualty accidents, such as train theater shootings, train derailments, and plane crashes, it is sobering to realize that smoking deaths are equivalent to three 747 crashes every day for an entire year. Just as we can prevent plane crashes, we can prevent smoking related deaths.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Laozi, Chinese philosopher Quitting is not an easy process. Those who believe it is, have never tried. Physicians now know there are steps, that must be taken before an attempt should be initiated. The State of Change Model identifies five stages through which smoker’s likely progress: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Pre-contemplation is a bit of overstatement as a stage because those in that stage are not ready to quit. Those who are ready to quit are in the contemplation stage. Preparation represents the stage where there is active planning and action is the active attempt. We often neglect the maintenance stage because achieving and maintaining is an ongoing process. Once the decision is made to give quitting a try, enlisting the help of friends, family, and your physician is imperative. Success rates among those who go “cold turkey” are lower than for those who have a support system and even pharmacologic support. In the U.S., all insurance plans are required to cover tobacco cessation. Behavioral support has been shown to be helpful and many options are available. A national resource is the toll-free line 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Various local resources are also available

in the form of support groups, counseling, and other innovative opportunities. Pharmacotherapy has been shown to have significant benefit in enhancing quit rates. Nicotine replacement therapies including gum, lozenges, and transdermal patches are readily available without a physician’s prescription. Prescription medications, such as buproprion (Zyban), varenicline (Chantix) and others, are available to reduce cravings and enhance success rates.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas A. Edison A little known fact among those who try to quit is that the average smoker attempts seven times before being successful. While no one wants to fail, it is important to continue efforts to quit. A significant reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease is observed within five years, and after 20 years it is believed the risk is the same as people who never smoked. Even the risk of lung cancer is decreased after quitting smoking, with up to a 20% decrease in the likelihood of developing lung cancer in as little as five years. Long-term studies are not yet available, but anecdotal evidence clearly points toward reduced risks of many illnesses associated with smoking upon cessation. Be it asthma, COPD, lung cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, bladder cancer or a host of other diseases, the benefit of quitting far outweighs the difficulties associated with quitting. It’s time to quit. It’s time to quit now. If not for you, for all the innocent children and family members affected by secondhand smoke. STOP. SMOKING. NOW.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 17

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When It’s Time to

Give Up Driving by Anthony Leone

emember those early teenage years when we could not wait to get our driver’s license? We’d count the days until driver’s education, permits, and finally getting our driver’s license. We were free to drive ourselves to school, ball games, and movies with our friends. The independence, freedom, and responsibility of having our driver’s license was so exciting. As the years march on, and we start to drive everyday, we almost take for granted what a fundamental level of independence that driving provides in our daily lives. Now, many of us drive countless miles everyday without much thought. As we all get older, our vision, hearing, and reflexes eventually start to decline. For some it means that driving can become dangerous. Normal aging does affect driving, but there is certainly not a set age when a person is no longer safe behind the wheel. In fact, most people can safely drive well into their senior years. When people become unsafe to drive, it is generally the result of an underlying medical condition or medications, not reaching a certain age. In 2009, there were 33 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. By 2012, that number increased as 14% of the total U.S. resident population (43.1 million people) were 65 and older. Driving helps older adults stay mobile and independent. We must be mindful that the statistics show that the risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases as you age. An average of 500 older adults are injured every day in crashes. Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase starting at age 75 and increase notably after age 80. This is largely due to increased susceptibility to injury and medical complications among older drivers rather than an increased tendency to get into crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration, in 2012, there were 5,560 people 65 and older killed and 214,000 injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. These older people made up 17% of all traffic fatalities and 9% of all people injured in traffic crashes during the year. Compared to 2011, fatalities among people 65 and older increased by 3%. Among people injured in this age group there was a 16% increase from 2011. The good news is that evidence also shows that despite a growing number of senior drivers on the road, researchers have

found that they are crashing less often than just a decade ago. Senior drivers are also less likely to be injured or killed in a crash, compared to years past. This is thanks, in part, to seniors living longer, healthier and more active lives than ever before. Senior divers are also more likely to wear seatbelts, tend to drive in the safest conditions, and have lower incidences of impaired driving. Get involved by regularly checking the driving of your parent or other senior driver in your life. There are things that loved ones should look out for when assessing senior driver safety. Here are two common warning signs. First, watch for the senior driver who has been issued two or more traffic tickets or warnings in the past two years. Tickets can predict greatest risk for collision. Second, be mindful when the senior driver has been involved in two or more collisions or “near-misses” in the past two years. Rear-end crashes, parking lot fender-benders and side collisions while turning across traffic rank as the most common mishaps for drivers with diminishing skills, depth perception or reaction time. Thankfully, there are steps that older adults can take to stay safer on the roads: »» Exercise regularly to increase strength and flexibility. »» Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review medicines—both prescription and over-the counter—to reduce side effects and interactions. »» Have eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year. Wear glasses and corrective lenses as required. »» Drive during daylight and in good weather. »» Find the safest route with well-lit streets, intersections with left turn arrows, and easy parking. »» Plan your route before you drive. »» Leave a large following distance behind the car in front of you. »» Avoid distractions in your car, such as listening to a loud radio, talking on your cell phone, texting, and eating. »» Consider potential alternatives to driving, such as riding with a friend or using public transit that you can use to get around. Driving is a vital source of independence for seniors. Following these steps will help seniors drive well into their older years. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 19

The Need for Caregiving is Over

What Next? by Bret Hanna eing a caregiver for a loved one who can’t care for themselves can easily consume all of your time and emotional energy. While it’s generally a labor of love, it can lead to several negative side effects such as exhaustion, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, self-medicating with alcohol, food and tobacco, and feelings of resentment toward the loved one receiving the care. It can also lead to a lack of interest and/or time in leisure activities and personal responsibilities. It’s safe to say, the demands can be overwhelming. But what happens when our loved one transitions to full-time skilled care or passes away? The void that is left in the absence of all those demands can be just as taxing on your mental health.

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In fact, some people have compared the feelings that come from the sudden downtime to the feelings of losing a job. So, it’s important to know that there are ways to fill the void and make a smooth transition.

Savor the Experience You invested your heart and soul into the caregiving you provided to your loved one, so there is no reason you shouldn’t take some time to reflect on the experience when it comes to an end. As a caregiver, you have provided an invaluable service to a loved one in need, and you should take stock of all of the skills and psychological insights you have picked up along the way.

Talk About It Look for support groups both online and in your community. Caregiving is often times a powerful relationship and when it’s gone, it feels much like a break-up. Talking through your sense of loss and learning how others coped with the same situation can be valuable and therapeutic. In turn, become a friend and mentor to others to continue the healing process and pass on what you have learned.

Put the Skills You’ve Developed to Work Now that you have time on your hands, consider turning the skills you have learned as a caregiver into a job or volunteer opportunity. Consider becoming a nurse or institutional social worker who works with disabled people or the elderly. Or consider volunteering with a public or non-profit agency that provides non-medical support for the disabled or the elderly in your community.

Get Back in the Game of Life Reconnect with family and friends that you have not had time to stay close to while you were a caregiver. Pick up old hobbies that have gone to the wayside during the time you were too preoccupied to enjoy them. Establish new routines for getting exercise. Pick up your guitar. Engage in gatherings like book clubs. Go back to church on a regular basis. Whatever it is, get back out there and embrace the types activities you used to enjoy or always wanted to enjoy.

Focus on Yourself Many caregivers overlook the basics of their own lives while they are caregivers. When the need for full-time care is gone and you have more time to focus on yourself, take advantage of it. First, get a full eight hours of sleep! A good night’s rest will help improve your mood, energy, productivity, and ability to handle stress on a day-to-day basis. Second, focus on eating well! Cleaning up your diet and ditching the convenience food, will help you develop higher energy levels to keep you moving forward. Third, develop a consistent exercise schedule or better yet learn yoga & meditation! Physical activity is proven to help relieve stress, improve your mood and feel more centered when you start to get that empty feeling. Despite the demands on your own life, caring for a loved one can be an exceptionally rewarding and fulfilling experience. But when the demands are gone don’t forget about you and about what life was like before. Focus your energy on your emotional and physical well-being, so you can be in the best place possible for the next chapter, whatever that may be.

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THE CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS SAFETY

Join the Conversation. Share and comment on Living Safer stories by joining us on Facebook and Twitter and by visiting LivingSafer.com fb.com/LivingSafer / @livingsafer 22 / LIVING SAFER / VOL 7 ED 3

LIFESTYLE

Protecting Your Online Reputation by Nicholas Primrose

ou tweeted a crass comment about the latest political gaff on other side of the aisle. You went on a rant about the New England Patriots being cheaters on your Facebook page. Everyone has posted something on social media that when looking back, they regret. But it’s important to realize, the Internet has become the first place for employers, love-interests and potential clients’ to investigate you or your business. So hasty and emotional posts done without thinking of the long-term implications could be the reason why you do not get hired for your dream job or a potential client selects a competitor. This is why your online reputation is just as important as your reputation amongst your closest friends and colleagues. It is part of your personal brand. In a world where social media can turn a relatively insignificant

moment into an international news story, the occasional slip of the tongue can have dramatic and lasting consequences. Often, the publicity we get from viral stories are not positive and the ramifications can be fatal. Just consider the damage done to Walter Palmer and his dental practice when news about Cecil the Lion hit social media. While a positive online reputation would not have saved Palmer, on a smaller scale protecting and cultivating your positive online reputation can be a critical aspect of your daily routine. There are many tips and techniques to consider before pressing “post” or “tweet.” Each individual and business has different needs, but these tips will get you started and may open your eyes to some ways to improve.

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Google Yourself – Know What Others Are Going to See!

What to do with Negative Posts?

First and foremost, Google yourself or your business. Do it regularly. It is important to see what the general public has at their fingertips when looking you up before a job interview or before they hire your company. This will help you determine if any negative posts or stories are affecting your online reputation. If you find negative posts, write down what is said. Did you post something that could be viewed as negative or a turnoff to others? Perhaps a disgruntled client wrote a bad review? Not only will this help in determining how to combat negative online posts, but it will also help in re-evaluating your online reputation or business model. You can always learn and grow from reading the criticism.

As for combatting negative posts or reviews, it is best to not comment and engage the author. Not only have you likely lost that person’s business, but a comment engaging the individual only highlights the negative post/review for those who view your profile or website in the future. So what do you do? Utilize the tips above regarding commenting positive messages to “bury” the negative ones. Also, if you own a business, you may want to consider developing a system to have customers/clients review your services throughout various social media sites. Perhaps offer an easy link or method of reviewing you. Create a reward system for reviews. Also, do not be afraid to ask for reviews. If your customers/clients are happy with your work—ask them to help spread the word! For personal pages, make sure your posts are professional and respectable—would your mom or dad approve? On personal pages, it is also important to not engage in negative banter or comments with others. As the saying goes, “if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.” Finally, do not think that one or two negative reviews are the end of the world. Remember that one negative review will be lost amongst 25 positive ones. Potential customers/clients are more likely to do their homework and read multiple reviews before making a decision.

Develop an Online Strategy Next, develop a strategy for your online profiles, including how often you will post, what topic areas, incorporating client reviews, and combatting negative press. One of the best ways to boost your online reputation and bury the negative press is by creating new content. Develop a theme or range of posts. Determine how often you will post. If you run a law firm, make sure your posts are about the areas of law you practice, do not give opinions about unrelated issues. Once you have determined the type of content, come up with a weekly calendar of when you will post. It is very common to make post topics day specific. Just as #tbt (Throw Back Thursday) is a popular trend with Millennials, consider using specific days for specific posts because it creates a routine for those who view your page. On personal pages, consider the persona you are publishing. For example, if you are a fitness-minded person wanting to get more involved into fitness/personal health, limit your posts to reviews of health products, training tips, and positive messages. Do not go on a rant about the person who cut you off in the parking lot. If you are seeking employment, consider posting about industry-related topic areas to show your knowledge level. On both personal and business pages, the more positive content you post, the more visible and viewed your profile becomes, while those pesky negative posts/comments becomes less of the focus.

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Ask for Help/Advice If you are not sure about your online reputation, or you just cannot seem to post on a regular basis, ask for help. Consider hiring a social media manager to help create content and monitor your online profile. On personal pages, ask your friends and family if your page is appropriate. Ask them to research you and try to find posts that may be unsettling to an employer. Too often we are drawn towards over-posting personal information. The negative implications far exceed the initial need to inform the world. Ultimately, ask yourself before every post—what will my future employer or a potential client think? Will this post give people a positive opinion of me? You should use your best judgment, but remember once it is posted, it is likely permanent.

Laugh Often to Live Well by Brian Nettles ne of the best feelings in the world is having a big belly laugh. Laughter is the most powerful antidote to stress, pain and conflict, as it releases chemicals from the brain to alleviate those bad feelings. Nothing is faster or more reliable at bringing your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others and keeps you grounded, focused and alert.

LAUGHTER IMPROVES YOUR HEALTH BY: »» Lowering blood pressure: eople who lower their blood pressure, even those who start at P normal levels, will reduce their risk of strokes and heart attacks.

»» R e ducing stress hormone levels: he reduction of stress hormones in your body may result in T higher immune system performance.

»» Giving you the ultimate ab workout: hen you are laughing, the muscles in your stomach expand and W contract, similar to when you intentionally exercise your abs.

»» Improving cardiac health: L aughter gets your heart pumping and burns a similar amount of calories per hour as walking at a slow to moderate pace.

»» Boosting T-cells: hen you laugh, you activate T-cells that immediately begin to W help you fight off sickness.

»» Triggering the release of endorphins: y laughing, you can release endorphins, which can help ease B chronic pain and make you feel good all over.

»» Producing a general sense of well-being: octors have found that people who have a positive outlook D on life tend to fight diseases better than people who tend to be more negative.

A growing body of research supports the theory that laughter may have therapeutic value, and today more than ever before, people are turning to humor for therapy and healing. Medical journals have acknowledged that laughter therapy can help improve quality of life for patients with chronic illnesses. Many hospitals now offer laughter therapy programs as a complementary treatment to illness. Laughter can help you feel better about yourself and the world around you. It can be a natural diversion to a bad day or stressful situation. When you laugh, no other thought comes to mind. After laughing for only a few minutes, you may feel better for hours. We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure temporarily go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues. People who believe in the benefits of laughter say it can be like a mild workout, as it offers some of the same advantages as a workout and appears to burn calories, too.

Can you develop a sense of humor? The biggest obstacle to obtaining the benefits of laughter in your life might be stress in your job or in your personal relationships. But maybe you’ve never made an effort to develop a good sense of humor. Humor is well-documented to be a powerful tool in coping with life stress, and you can create a sense of humor and the skill of laughter if you don’t already have them.

Laugh at yourself. »» Share your embarrassing moments. »» Talk about times when you took yourself too seriously.

Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them. »» Look for the humor in a bad situation »» Uncover the irony and absurdity of life.

Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. »» »» »» »»

Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun.

Keep things in perspective. »» Many things in life are beyond your control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, and unhealthy. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for coping with problems, enhancing relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Finding ways to laugh every day is important, so if anyone tells you to be more serious, just reply that you are laughing for medicinal purposes. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 25

When You Can’t

Make the Decision by Mark Bello ave you ever thought about your “life wishes” in the event you were lying in a hospital bed with tubes and machines everywhere to keep you alive? What if you were unable to communicate your wishes to your loved ones? You can avoid this situation and help your family with end-of-life decisions by having a living will.

they do not want the doctors and nurses to do CPR or take other measures to bring them back to life. A living will assures that if you’re in such a situation, doctors would be required to follow the wishes you set out in writing. Most living wills also allow you to name a trusted person to ensure that your wishes are carried out, or to use his or her own judgment in directing your medical care, if you become unable to do so.

What is a living will? A living will, also called a healthcare or medical directive, is a legal document in which you identify the kind of healthcare you wish to receive if you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself due to illness, injury or advanced age. It can also be used to direct a doctor to withhold or withdraw from certain treatments. For example, many patients who have a terminal illness have a “do not resuscitate” order in place because once their vitals have stopped,

At what age do you need a living will? Many people think a living will is not necessary until they reach senior citizen age, but it is important that adults of any age have a living will.

What should be included in a living will? Choosing what to put in a will is up to you; it can be as specific

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or as broad as you wish. Would you want treatment to extend life in any situation? Would you want treatment only if a cure is possible? A living will typically covers instructions concerning: »» CPR/Fibrillation: Do you want doctors to attempt to restart your heart if it stops beating? »» Breathing Tubes: Do you want doctors to take measures to help you breathe, such as putting you on a ventilator? »» Feeding/Hydration: Do you want to be indefinitely fed/ hydrated if you are in a vegetative state? »» Dialysis: Do you want to be put on a dialysis machine if your kidneys cease to function? »» Comfort Care: Do you want palliative care (interventions that may be used to keep you comfortable and manage pain)?

How do you prepare a living will? Although you can create a legally binding living will by using reputable estate planning software, the process can be complicated. An experienced attorney will be able to make sure that your living will meets all state requirements and is legally valid. An attorney can also help you consider all the possibilities and draft a document that specifically incorporates your wishes. A living will is often paired with a healthcare power of attorney, in which you name a representative to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you end up incapacitated, but not in a vegetative state. Some states combine these two documents into one called an advanced healthcare directive.

What if you change your mind? What happens if you don’t have a living will? Without a document expressing your wishes, family members and doctors are left to guess what your preferences are in terms of treatment. The medical professionals in charge of treating you have a big say in what happens to you once you are in a state in which you cannot communicate what you desire. If you do not have a living will, you may be given treatments to prolong your life. You may be given treatments you do not want. You could live for months or years with these treatments, but not be conscious or aware. Without a living will, there may be painful disputes, which occasionally are decided in a courtroom.

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A living will can be revoked at any time by simply destroying the document or by a written revocation. If you want to change your will, it must be done by making a new will or by an amendment to the original living will. The new will must be signed and notarized just as the original. By planning ahead, you can receive the medical care you want, avoid unnecessary suffering and relieve family members of decision-making burdens during an emotionally difficult time, as well as financial burdens in the future. Once you have your living will, make sure you keep it in a safe and accessible location and ensure your immediate family has access to it if needed.

R E H T HOW WEA S T R U O C Y E F AF

MOOD

by Bryan Pope hy so SAD? Maybe you’ve felt that way in the dead of winter. There was probably a moment when the weatherman told you that the temperature wouldn’t get above freezing for five days and more snow and ice was on the way. Or maybe you live in a warm climate like Texas or Florida where the summer months’ highs are above 100 degrees and it never dips below 80 degrees at night. If that’s the case, you probably rarely go outside and enjoy the sun during the brutal heat waves—and your air conditioning bills soar. Believe it or not, there’s a reason you feel this way. You may be SAD—short for Seasonal Affective Disorder. It’s a real depressive disorder wherein someone’s depression can be connected to a specific season. Most studies seem to indicate that SAD impacts people the most during the winter months when the days are short and there is very little sunlight. Our bodies need plenty of Vitamin D (called the “sunshine vitamin”) to make our bones strong and to ward off depression. Recent studies have shown that a lack of Vitamin D may be a causal factor in depression. People with low Vitamin D in their bloodstream tend to be more depressed than others. People who live in areas where there is little sunlight during the winter months are well known for their relocation to the more sunny Southern areas of the country. These “Snowbirds” are seeking a warm and sunny climate to escape the harsh winter in the Northern areas of the country...and the benefits of the plentiful sun found in Sunny Southern California, Arizona, and Florida. In addition to SAD, another way that weather affects people’s mood can be found in a link between human aggression and higher temperatures and/or higher than normal rainfall. One study showed that women who were interviewed on days with “more rain and higher temperatures reported statistically

and substantively decreasing life satisfaction, consistent with the affect results.” The opposite occurred on days with lower temperatures and no rain when the same women reported a higher life satisfaction. Finally, the impact of weather on your mood may depend on your weather personality type. The results of a recent study on Dutch teenagers showed the following weather personality types:

Summer Lovers (17%) - “Happier, less fearful, and less angry on days with more sunshine and higher temperatures. More hours of precipitation as associated with less happiness and more anxiety and anger.”

ummer Haters (27%) - “Less happy and more fearful and 2 S angry when the temperature and the percentage of sunshine were higher. With more hours of precipitation they tended to be happier and less tearful and angry.” ain Haters (9%) - “Angrier and less happy on days with 3 R more precipitation. By comparison, they were more happy and fearful, but less angry, on days with more sunshine and higher temperatures.” 4 Unaffected by Weather (48%) - Largely unimpacted by changes in the weather So where do you fall on the spectrum? Are you in the almost 50% who is immune to mood swings depending on the weather? Maybe a Summer Lover or Hater? Rain Hater? Having an understanding of how weather may affect your mood could be important to living a healthier and happier life. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 29

How to Get Over the Fear of Flying by Mark Kitrick any people are afraid to fly. They believe that if the plane crashes, they will die. The loss of control, the weather conditions, the hecticness of flying itself, concerns about terrorism and the security that is involved, not knowing what all the sounds mean on a plane, reading about and seeing plane disasters and the associated horrors on the media all contribute to this fear. But is this fear justified? Will you die if a plane crashes? What should you do if the plane is in trouble? How do you cure this fear of flying?

Said differently, in bad crashes more than 3/4 of the passengers live. »» People actually don’t panic such as running around losing total control. Instead, most freeze until told what to do—this is called “negative panic.” If one is running for one’s life, this is considered a natural response called “panic flight.” Social mores such as altruism also heighten in emergencies. People bind together and help each other quite frequently.

Plus Three/Minus Eight & the 90-Second Rules The Myths of Death & Panic The starting point to overcoming this fear is knowing the truth about flying: »» When you fly, the chance of dying is 1 in 60 million. That means you could fly every day for the next 164,000 years before dying. »» If your plane crashes, your survival rate is a whopping 95%. Even those in terrible crashes have a survival rate of 76.6%.

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The next consideration is what to do when getting on a plane and how to handle a problem. Most people on the plane, especially frequent flyers, enter and immediately ignore safety instructions, have a drink, pop a pill, start napping, listen to their iPod or music, and take off their shoes. These are the worst things to do! That is because of the Plus Three/Minus Eight rule, which states that the most dangerous, prime times for an aircraft emergency are the first three minutes and the last eight minutes of a flight.

Therefore, one must be ready for action during these times. Your action is also critical because another survival rule is that you only have 90 seconds to get out of a plane if you want to live. How should you prepare? When you enter the jet, count how many rows you are from an exit—try to stay within five rows and don’t stay in the bulkhead. Pay attention to the safety handout and the attendant’s instructions. Keep your shoes on. Create a back-up plan assuming one exit is not good or blocked. Make sure your seat belt is tight. If you are going down, brace yourself as demonstrated by the flight attendant, as this minimizes the blunt force to your body. If you must evacuate, forget about your personal belongings; remember you only have 90 seconds to exit. Statistically, there is no better or worse choice as to the perfect seat other than being close to an exit because it is not the crash that causes the most fatalities; it is what happens during the evacuation that matters most. Being prepared all the while being mentally fit is the difference between life and death.

Training Courses If you are still not over your fear and you want help, there are many outstanding courses you can take to help alleviate flight anxiety. These courses provide knowledge about flight safety and then there are actual practice and flying sessions/drills that are incredibly beneficial. »»http://www.fearofflying.com/ »»http://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/ special-assistance/flying-with-confidence »»http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/03/10/ fear-of-flying-airports-airlines/6084677/ In conclusion, when you fly you are not likely to die or even be injured. If you follow these rules and suggestions and remain vigilant at important times, you will not only reduce your fear of flying but significantly increase your chances of survival.

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Identity Theft: Tax Refund Fraud by Matthew Casey

What is it?

Tax refund fraud is the use of a stolen identity to steal money from the United States treasury by filing fake tax returns that claim refunds. Stolen identity refund fraud has become a national epidemic. In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that tax refund fraud was the number one consumer complaint for the misuse of an identity theft victim’s information. Tax fraud went from 4.8% of overall consumer complaints in 2005 to a skyrocketing 34.8% in 2014.

ontact the three major credit bureaus and place a 90-day C fraud alert on your Social Security number. You can also place a credit freeze on your Social Security number.

otify the Social Security Administration that you are a victim N of identity theft tax fraud.

et an IRS secure filing PIN, which you will need to use for G the next three years when filing your return. The IRS will send you a new PIN each January to use when filing the previous year’s return.

How is it committed? To commit tax fraud, all a criminal needs is your name, social security number, your date of birth, and a falsified W2 to file a tax return and attempt to claim a refund. This information is relatively easy for thieves to obtain. But, a thief does not need to be a computer whiz to steal your identity. For example, your personal information can be stolen by an employee at your doctor’s office looking in your records, or by someone calling you and pretending they work for the IRS, or by someone simply snatching W2s right out of mailboxes.

What to do if you are a victim. Oftentimes, people have no idea their personal information has been compromised or used fraudulently until they file their tax return and it is rejected by the IRS. The true tax return gets rejected because the IRS believes the taxpayer has already filed a return. Upon learning that you are a victim of stolen identity tax refund fraud, there are several steps that must be taken. The fraud victim must file a paper tax return along with a signed Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) and a photocopy of their driver’s license, passport or state issued I.D. After mailing the real return with the supporting documentation, the fraud victim must also do the following:

otify the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at (800) N 908-4490.

ontact the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer. C ftc.gov or (877) 438-4338 – they will provide a reference number for the case.

Notify your local police department.

Call the IRS back and give them the FTC reference number and the police report number.

otify all financial institutions (bank accounts, N retirement accounts) that you are a victim of identity theft tax fraud.

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While the IRS is working to streamline identity theft case resolution to help innocent taxpayers, the reality is these cases are complex and can take months to resolve. Taxpayers are likely to see their refunds delayed for 120 to 180 days while the IRS researches and resolves the matter. During the investigative period, victims still need to continue to file their tax returns. The IRS may contact you by U.S. mail to notify you of duplicate returns or unreported wages. It is important to note that the IRS will only make initial contact with a taxpayer via the U.S. mail. They will never use email, text, or a social media message. If you receive an email from the IRS asking for personal or financial information, do not reply or click any links. Instead forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.

How to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Don’t become a victim of tax refund fraud. Steps can be taken to minimize the chances that your identity will be stolen and fraudulently used to file a tax return. Experts recommend taking the following safeguards to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft or tax fraud: »» Never carry your Social Security card and/or number in your purse or wallet »» Minimize the amount of information you carry in a purse or wallet »» Don’t give out your social security number to any person or business unless it is absolutely necessary »» Never give out personal information over the phone, through email or the Internet »» Check your credit report annually »» Review bank and credit card statements carefully »» Reduce the number of preapproved credit card offers you receive by calling 800-5OPT-OUT »» Strengthen passwords – minimum 8 characters with both alpha and numeric symbols and upper and lower case »» Make sure your home computer firewall protection and your antivirus software is up-to-date »» File electronic returns only through secure connections; never use an IRS link provided in an email »» Mail paper returns at the post office or other secure carrier, never leave in a mailbox with the flag up

Do You Have Life Insurance? by J.R. Whaley ark Twain famously stated that “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes.” Despite these certainties, a 2013 study conducted by the Life Insurance and Market Research Association estimated that only 62% of consumers have life insurance of those 62%, the question remains as to whether they have enough life insurance. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a large number of life insurance policies are obtained through the insured’s full-time employers. Yet, policies offered by employers typically only cover one to two times of the insured’s annual income, which may be insufficient, especially if the insured is married and has dependents. In truth, the importance of adequate life insurance cannot be overstated. Life insurance policies are invaluable to a sound financial plan—they offer asset protections, long-term financial protections, and consistent value accumulations.

plans, life insurance death benefits paid to the beneficiary in lump sum are generally not included in gross income and thus not subjected to income taxation, which can be as high as 39.6%. It should be noted that death benefits are included as a part of the decedent’s estate if the decedent was the owner of the policy at the time of death. This inclusion may subject the death benefit to federal and state estate taxes. However, estate taxes can be avoided if the owner of the life insurance is someone other than the decedent. Under the Three-Year Rule, if assignment of policy occurred less than 3 years prior to the death of the insured, the IRS will consider the decedent as the policy owner for estate tax purposes. In addition, the original owner must forfeit any legal rights to change beneficiary, borrow against the policy, and surrender or cancel the policy. If any of these activities signaling ownership are carried out, the original owner risks negating the tax advantages of transferring the policy.

Types of Life Insurance Life insurance comes in numerous forms and depending on the type of life insurance you obtain, the costs, duration and structure of the policy may vary drastically. The most common types of life insurance are Whole Life, Term Life, Universal Life, and Variable Life. »» Whole Life – Also known as permanent insurance, Whole Life policies provide a guaranteed lifelong protection. Premiums under this type of insurance are fixed and typically will not increase with age. The policyholder will pay premiums until death, upon which the stated face amount will be paid to the beneficiary. Part of the premiums will go toward building cash value that grows at a contractually guaranteed rate. »» Term Life – Unlike Whole Life, Term Life policies are limited in duration and do not guarantee lifelong protection. Benefits will be paid only if death occurs during the term of the policy. Common Term Life policies will range between 5 to 30 years. The premiums for Term Life are usually much lower than that of Whole Life, but premiums will increase as the insured grows older and as the term nears its completion. »» Universal Life – As a variation of Whole Life, Universal Life is also a permanent policy. Universal Life policies are more flexible— premiums, face values and cash values can be adjusted as the insured’s needs change. »» Variable Life – As another form of permanent life insurance, Variable Life combines the protection of Whole Life policies with the growth potential of investment funds. Cash value is invested into separate accounts comprised of various funds within the insurance company’s portfolio, such as bonds, index funds and money market funds. Because of the variability of the market, the death benefit payout may fluctuate accordingly.

Tax Benefits of Life Insurance One of the most attractive component of life insurance is its tax benefits. Unlike IRAs, tax-deferred annuities or qualified retirement

How Much Life Insurance Should You Carry? According to Carl Venable, an experienced State Farm Insurance Agent in Madison, Mississippi, a great way to determine the amount of coverage you need is to use a formula called LIFE: Loans, Income replacement, Funeral expenses, and Education for your children. »» Loans: It is ideal to have enough face value to cover your debts, such as mortgages and car loans, particularly if you live in a Community Property state where the debts incurred by the decedent may be passed on to the surviving spouse. »» Income replacement: This is the most important factor in determining the size of the policy. Financial advisors generally recommend a face value of at least seven to ten times of the insured’s annual income, plus an additional year of income to offset inflation. »» Funeral expenses: Cost of funeral and burial services can easily exceed $10,000. Funeral expenses should be taken into consideration to protect your family from financial burden on top of emotional trauma. »» Education for your children: College tuitions for your children should be estimated and included into the face value calculation.

More Affordable Than Most People Believe The most cited reason from consumers who chose to forego life insurance was that they perceived life insurance to be too costly. However, Life Happens, a non-profit insurance education group, found that 80% of consumers overestimate the cost of life insurance. In actuality, life insurance premiums are lower than other forms of insurance for most people. A large majority of life insurance policies can be obtained for less than $100 per month. While we can’t avoid death or taxes, as Mark Twain so wisely pointed out, we can outsmart the fates by simply considering the amount of insurance that would cover L.I.F.E. and make preparations to protect our loved ones today while we’re still here. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 33

When You Have to Choose

Critical Steps to Finding a Nursing Home by Adam Graves ncreasingly, adults are faced with caring for aging parents on top of the balancing act of their own family and career. For some, the responsibility can be too difficult to bear. Although the culture of the American workforce continues to shift toward more flexible work options, some occupations donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lend themselves to the time and resources caregiving requires. When caregiving becomes overwhelming, adult children must seek alternative care options such as nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. These decisions are extremely difficult, and people must be armed with the best information available to make informed decisions for their loved ones.

Understanding the Potential Risks in Nursing Homes Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all seen the exposes on nursing home disasters, but the truth is there are many nursing homes that provide older adults with good quality of care. However, when evaluating nursing homes and other long-term care options, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to understand the potential risks involved. Despite federal and state laws intended to safeguard residents, abuse and neglect in nursing homes occurs far too often. An estimated 1 in 20 nursing home residents has been the victim of negligence or abuse, yet only 1 in 14 cases ever gets reported to authorities.

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Unfortunately, people may not have a clear understanding of what constitutes elder abuse and may have difficulty identifying when it occurs. And, victims may be too scared to report abuse or neglect, even to those they trust. The term “elder mistreatment” encompasses abuse and neglect and is defined as:

“The intentional actions that cause harm or create risk of harm (whether harm is intended) to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder. This includes failure by a caregiver to satisfy the elder’s basic needs or to protect the elder from harm.” Elder abuse in nursing homes can take on many forms and leave victims physically, mentally or even financially injured. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, physical abuse is the most common type of complaint in U.S. nursing homes. Examples of physical abuse include assaults such as shoving or hitting, or the inappropriate use of drugs, restraints and confinements. In nursing homes, neglect occurs when a caregiver refuses or fails to provide basic needs such as food or drink, health care or

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protection to an older adult who is vulnerable. Signs of neglect include malnutrition, dehydration, bedsores, poor hygiene and unsanitary living conditions. Other common forms of abuse in nursing homes include resident-to-resident, psychological, sexual and financial abuse.

Why Abuse Occurs While intentional abuse in nursing homes does happen, the more common fault behind the large number of nursing home injuries and deaths is unintended negligence. Most nursing homes are operated by corporations that are in business to make a profit. Nursing homes can be severely understaffed and staff members are sometimes poorly trained. Studies show that more than half of nursing homes are below the suggested levels for nurses’ aide staffing and 1 in 4 are below the suggested staffing levels for total licensed staff. Residents in nursing homes are more vulnerable than they used to be, and the complexity of health issues has increased significantly. Nursing home residents tend to have significant functional and/or cognitive limitations and multiple chronic conditions. Residents’ conditions can change suddenly, and registered nurses (RNs) are the only qualified nurses on staff to determine the best course of action for treatment. Often, those decisions must be made within minutes.

Yet, nursing homes are severely lacking in around-the-clock RN coverage, and federal regulations only require nursing homes receiving Medicare and/or Medicaid funding to have an RN on staff eight hours, seven days a week. Only 13 states require 24hour RN coverage in nursing homes. Research has shown that low RN staffing levels are associated with negative health outcomes such as increased occurrences of pressure ulcers and use of antipsychotic drugs. In addition to low RN staffing, nursing homes are consistently understaffed. Time and again nurses’ aides provide most of the needed care, yet they are the lowest paid and least trained staff members. Low pay and work overload often result in caregiver burnout, poor morale, inconsistent attendance and high turnover rates. The residents pay the price in the form of inferior care and adverse health outcomes. In the end, nursing home corporations can be guilty of trying to maximize profits at the expense of residents’ health and safety. When considering nursing home or other long-term care options, staffing levels are a critical factor to evaluate. Important questions to ask include: »» How many hours a day is a registered nurse on site? »» What is the nurse-to-patient ratio? »» How many hours of direct care do residents receive daily? Of those hours, how many are provided by an RN and how many are provided by a certified nurse assistant (CNA)?

Resources to Evaluate Nursing Homes The federal government’s Nursing Home Compare website is one resource for evaluating U.S. nursing homes certified by Medicare or Medicaid. The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services launched the Nursing Home Compare website in 1998 to help consumers and their families find a nursing home and to encourage the facilities to achieve higher quality through public reporting of nursing home performance. Nursing Home Compare provides star ratings based on quality measures for all Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. While the star ratings provide information about the quality of care provided at nursing homes, the ratings have been criticized because of heavy reliance on self-reported data. A study by the Center for Public Integrity found that more than 80 percent of facilities reported higher registered staffing levels on the government’s Compare website than those the Center calculated through cost reports made annually to the statefederal Medicaid program. In addition, daily staffing levels were lower in thousands of cases. In February 2015, the government modified its star rating system to address some of the concerns related to reporting discrepancies. The changes didn’t bode well for a large number of U.S. nursing homes, whose quality scores dropped under the revamped system. More than one-third of the nation’s nursing homes, which account for 39% of all nursing home residents, received low ratings of 1 or 2 stars under the new system, according to a recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The current five-star rating system calculates an overall star rating—with one star being the lowest possible score and five

being the highest—based on performance in three types of measures: tate health inspections, which provide several types of S information on nursing home deficiencies identified during annual inspections, including the number and severity of the problems, such as failure to prevent or treat pressure ulcers or environmental hazards like electrical fires.

2 Staffing measures, including information reported by nursing homes on the ratio of nurses to residents and measured by nurse hours per resident days and calculations of both RN hours per resident days and total nurse hours per resident days. 3 Quality measures, which are calculated using an assessment tool that nursing homes use to document the function and health status of their patients. In 11 states, more than 40% of all Medicare- and Medicaidcertified homes received overall star ratings of 1 or 2, according to Kaiser’s study. The ratings raise serious questions about the level of care provided at nursing homes and the level of risk that residents may face. If considering a nursing home for yourself or a loved one, a critical step is to thoroughly research and evaluate all nursing home options. If conducting research on Nursing Home Compare, follow these simple steps: »» Review the star rating summary for each quality measure. »» Look for how many and what type of health deficiencies were found as compared to the national average and view the full report for more detailed information. If you visit the facility, ask about specific deficiency citations and how and when they were addressed. »» Evaluate the staffing levels to see which facilities have high levels of RN staffing compared to the national average as well as the number of Certified Nursing Assistant hours. »» Find the total number of licensed nurse staff hours per resident, per day as compared to the national average. Note: 4.1 hours of total nursing time (RNs, licensed practical/vocational nurses and CNAs) is the daily minimum standard recommended by the federal government, and nursing homes tend to fall woefully short of that measure. Staffing levels below two hours and 45 minutes per day could result in serious harm to nursing home residents. »» When evaluating the Quality Measures rating, compare a facility’s score with other facilities in the area and look for facilities that score below the state average. All of these scores measure conditions that are undesirable, so the lower the score the better. A word of caution: Do not assume the information on Nursing Home Compare is 100% accurate. It’s not. But, it can provide a starting point for evaluating nursing homes and the level of care they provide. Visiting the facility is paramount to the research process and gaining a more complete picture of the quality of care provided. Careful research can be a powerful tool for safeguarding your loved one and ensuring their long-term safety and well-being.

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COVER

TH E FUTU RE FO R H EALTH , H OME AN D FA MILY by Stephanie Andre

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STEVE J O BS Can you keep up? Technology continues to race toward the latest and greatest, with constant downloadable “updates” and newer versions of existing products you didn’t even know you needed. Did you leave on vacation and need to reset the A/C? Interested in using your iPad to measure your food? Done. Want to measure your child’s body temp while you’re at work? Got it! In this month’s cover story, we take a look at the most innovative and cutting-edge gadgets. Take a peek. It’s truly amazing what the human mind comes to think of. Take a look at this list now and then ponder where you think we might be in five more years.

From the FitBit to the dozens of fitness apps, the health and wellbeing corner of the tech market is running (forgive the pun!) strong. Take a look here.

Goji Play transforms any cardio equipment into a game machine, making 30 minutes of exercise feel like five. The wireless game controllers attach to cardio equipment, such as elliptical trainers, treadmills, exercise bikes, or nearly any other piece of equipment. The Activity Sensor measures progress toward fitness goals and incorporates movement into the games.

CEFALY Cefaly is an FDA-approved medical device for use in helping to reduce migraine occurrences. Cefaly has been approved for use in adults 18 years of age and older. According to the vendor, patients who followed the recommended guidelines for use saw a 77% reduction in migraines and a 75% reduction in use of medications.

SITU is a food scale that talks to your iPad. It weighs your food in calories and total nutrients, as well as in grams and ounces. The reason that’s so amazing? That means this gadget can give you the precise calorie and nutrient content of what you’re about to eat.

The NordicTrack Desk gives both corporate and home workers an easy option to incorporate movement into their workday. The large desk surface quickly swings out of the way while keeping your laptop and projects in place. Then the treadmill easily unfolds into position to walk or run at speeds up to 10 mph and incline to 10%. The desk height can be adjusted up to 14 inches of range for sitting, standing and walking/running positions. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 39

VIO LET Violet is the first wearable device that provides customized user guidance on optimal sun exposure. In sync with a mobile phone app, Violet monitors your real-time UV exposure, alerts you before potential skin damage, and calculates your daily natural vitamin D production. By quantitatively measuring both detrimental and beneficial effects of UV light, Violet provides objective guidance to help users achieve optimal sun balance. Quell uses non-invasive neurostimulation technology to provide relief from chronic pain, particularly nerve pain such as that due to diabetes and lower back problems. The advanced wearable device is lightweight and can be worn during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of chronic pain without a prescription. Users of the device also have the option of using their smartphone to automatically track and personalize their pain therapy.

Through the GoBe, Healbe FLOW Technology measures calorie intake through your skin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by reading the glucose in your cells. It tracks your activity, calories burned, stress, hydration and sleep habits.

Home device trends tend to be pretty cool. With an emphasis on remote capabilities, these technological advances are aimed at convenience, ease and comfort.

The Ring is a wearable, gesture-controlled device that allows you to do things such as open your curtains or turn on your TV. Many actions can be programmed into the wearable, and it's not just limited to the home. With a wave, you'll be able to hail an Uber or save a note to Evernote.

The technology keeps moving forward, which makes it easier for the artists to tell their stories and paint the pictures they want. GEO RGE LUCAS Boogio is a set of sensory stickers and tiny computers that activates any shoe to play in mobile and virtual reality games, tracks movement from the ground up to improve physical performance and health, and takes hands-free control of technology. Boogio was made into the lightest and thinnest design so it becomes almost invisible when installed on a person's favorite pair of shoes. It can sense gravitational force, center of balance, and 3D acceleration of the feet.

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PETCU B E Want to make sure your pet is OK while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gone? Petcube is a video-camera system that allows you to remotely tune in to what your pets are up to. There's also a built-in mic so you can talk to your pup or kitty. You can even enable a laser pointer for entertaining!

The Netatmo Welcome is a smart-home security camera that uses facial-recognition technology to alert you when your family members are home. If it sees an unknown face, you'll get a ping. The smartphone app also provides a timeline of who arrived when. You can also view a livestream at any time! The best part is that the videos are recorded to a local SD card, which means you don't need to pay for a subscription service.

The Sengled Snap is a light fixture that actually doubles as a security system, with a motion sensor, microphone, wireless camera, and facial-recognition software programmed in.

Ecovent is a smart thermostat system that sets the temperature in every room individually. It's a kit that uses smart sensors, hidden in plugs in each room, to monitor that specific area's climate. Smart thermometers like Nest are compatible with Ecovent. Of course, everything can be controlled with the tap of a smartphone.

First Alert's WiFi Safe is WiFi- and Bluetooth-enabled, which means it can be locked and unlocked with your phone. When necessary, you can grant remote access to friends and family.

If you look at tech trends over the past few years, gadgets for babies and kids have been on the rise more than most. Here’s a sampling.

TWIN WASH SYSTEM Check out this washing machine! LG's new TWIN Wash System has a second washer beneath the main machine, which means you can do two loads at once. It's also connected to WiFi, so you can start your load while you're across town and receive notifications when your clothes are ready for the dryer.

Fan favorite! It can be extremely tough to get your kids to brush their teeth properly. Enter Grush, a Bluetooth connected toothbrush that hooks up to your Android phone or iPhone and transforms brushing into a game. Sensors on the brush record your child’s movements and the action in the game on your smartphone corresponds with what they’re doing.

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Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless. TH OM AS EDISO N

The Paxie kids wearable does so much, it's hard to keep count. Working with an app, the new device tracks location as well as surrounding temperature, heart rate, and fitness stats. It also pings you if your child goes past the boundary you've set. The band requires two hands to remove, so kids can't take it off themselves.

BABY GLGL Does your baby need a "smart bottle?" Baby Glgl monitors how much, how fast, and when baby is drinking so you can keep a solid feeding schedule. Access the data from an app, plus get alerts like if the bottle is clogged up as well as suggestions on how to angle the bottle so baby doesn't swallow air.

PA XIE The Paxie kids wearable does so much, it's hard to keep count. Working with an app, the new device tracks location as well as surrounding temperature, heart rate, and fitness stats. It also pings you if your child goes past the boundary you've set. The band requires two hands to remove, so kids can't take it off themselves.

Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology indispensable. J OSEPH KRUTCH , WRITER 42 / LIVING SAFER / VOL 7 ED 3

Calling all child athletes! Hexoskin Junior shirts are packed with sensors that relay data via a small Bluetooth device to an Android or iOS app. The complete readout is comprehensive, covering heart rate, steps and cadence, calories burned, heart rate recovery and variability, breathing rate, pace and distance, and more.

Billed as the world's first smart pacifier, Pacif-i monitors babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temperature and sends results to an app. There's also a built-in sensor that tracks location and alerts you if the little one has gone past the distance you've set. You can even add medication details into the app like type and dosage so you don't forget.

SLEEP IQ KIDS Called HereO, the gadget syncs with a location app that the whole family can use to share whereabouts. It also comes with other security-focused features, like a panic mode that immediately sends an alert to parents.

As your kids get older and graduate to a bed you have a whole new set of potential nighttime mishaps to worry about. The SleepIQ Kids bed is designed to monitor their sleeping patterns and offer up various safety-minded solutions. It measures their breathing, movement, and heart rate to give you a chart of their sleeping patterns. It also alerts you when they’re awake and when they jump out of bed.

How about a wearable baby monitor? Check out the MonBaby, a smart button that you can attach to your baby’s onesie and it sends a real-time update of their breathing pattern, movement, and sleeping position to your iPhone or Android phone. It’s tough to keep up with technology and trends, but choosing a few, key gadgets may be the right way to ease into this next generation of devices.

The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential. STEVE BU LMER @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 43

NUTRITION

EVERYTHING Revolves Around Food: A Day in the Life of Someone With an Eating Disorder by Steven Davis

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merican culture makes much of physical appearance and statistics on the growing obesity problem are easy to find. You can also easily find a wealth of advice on weight loss, healthy eating, and body sculpting—it may be even hard to avoid. For most people, physical appearance is something to consider or not, and then life goes on. Diet and exercise, whatever that may entail, are part of life, but not the driving force. But for those with eating disorders, food, exercise, and body image are an obsession, even to the point of death. While certain behavior associated with the common eating disorders is taught in schools, the impact of these disorders can go far beyond the binge, the purge, or the refusal to eat and go beyond counting calories or the pounds that are adding up or falling away. Megan suffers from an eating disorder, and she has agreed to provide a glimpse into her life. What follows are her words, describing how her eating disorder affected her “normal” day. My life revolved around numbers and knowledge of caloric intake. My thoughts were constantly wrapped up in what is known as an eating disorder, ranging from anorexia, to over-exercising, to eventually purging. I believed that I didn’t deserve to eat. I craved

food, but the eating disorder told me I couldn’t eat. In my mind, I heard it telling me to take the walk from my living room to the kitchen, to look in the cabinets for something to eat, but once I got there, the voice of the eating disorder in my head would mock me for being so weak. It got to the point that this trip to and from the kitchen was no longer about me being hungry, but was about calculating how many times I could add it into my day and burn calories. I would intentionally leave things on a separate floor of the house, forcing me to climb the stairs more often and burn more calories. I was burning more calories in a day than I was taking in. Everything I did went through the filter of my eating disorder. It served as a rewards and punishment system for me, but always ended in punishment. I woke up every morning thinking about how I could sneak around and burn calories. I hated my body. Every chance I had to see my reflection I would stop and pick apart every inch of my body. Going out with friends and family was nonexistent, because everything revolves around food. I couldn’t make myself eat, much less do so in front of other people. If I tried to eat, I felt like I was choking, and it was hard to swallow anything. I would twirl my fork and shake my foot every time I was required to sit at the table. My health was declining. My blood work would come back with dangerously low levels of vital nutrients. I was on a path to losing my life, and nothing anyone did or said seemed to matter. I didn’t know how to respond to my eating disorder, other than to do what it said. I could not recognize that the eating disorder was harmful, because all I could see was the many ways it protected me from being fat. It was a living hell. Megan eventually sought help, which included “numerous counselors, eight months in treatment, too many prescribed medications to count, and breaking my family and friends’ hearts.” Fast forward three years - how is Megan today? I have come from being a hopeless, low functioning, depressed person that was controlled by numbers in food, exercise, weight, and clothing sizes to pursuing who I want to become. I had to learn that what I was holding onto for safety was an anchor that was sending me straight to the bottom of the sea; my biggest fears were coming true and I was being drowned by the waves. By letting go of those fears and allowing my dreams to surface, I’m now creating my own waves. I no longer feel the need to apologize for who I am, or the need to control every aspect of my life. I can now stand with courage to face the areas where I don’t feel safe, knowing that my value is not found in an eating disorder. If you or someone you know has an eating disorder please don’t waste time; get help.

Additional information on eating disorders is available from the following sources:

National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders /index.shtml

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National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders: http://www.anad.org/

National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

STOP the Insanity – STOP DRINKING SODA by Matthew Devoti e’ve all heard the reports that soda has been linked to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, depression and heart disease. But, if you think switching to diet soda is the answer—think again. Consumption of diet soda is linked to a 60% increase in stroke and the neurotoxins in the artificial sweeteners are known to cause behavioral and cognitive problems, and an even greater increase in depression. And yet, as a nation, we continue to consume massive amounts of soda. Soda today is vastly different from the soda of yesteryear. The original bottle of Coca-Cola held 6.5 ounces and people didn’t drink it every day. It was a special drink for special occasions—a treat. Compare that to today when the average size drink is 20 ounces (and that’s small compared to ‘Big Gulps’) and people are drinking two, three, sometimes four or five of these per day. Below are five reasons why you should stop drinking soda now:

corn are ending up in many things we eat and drink; soda being one of them.

Soda has no nutritional value – zilch. Plus, it actually disrupts the microflora in the intestine, which decreases the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

Tips to cut down or replace soda in your diet: »» If you must drink a soda, try to cut down to drinking them only as a special treat. During the special treat, drink a regular soda and avoid diet soda. A soda made from natural cane sugar is better than one made with HFCS.

Soda makes you hungry. High fructose corn syrup, found

in most sodas, actually triggers a hunger hormone. And this phenomena isn’t limited to regular soda. Diet soda does the same thing. So, on top of consuming a bunch of empty calories—now your brain is telling you to eat more.

Just say no to GMOs. Regular soda is made from high-

fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is derived from corn. Most corn grown in the United States is genetically modified so it can sustain large amounts of pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed on it. So naturally, these chemicals that are sprayed on

Have a Coke and a…Carcinogen? Most colas get their

The packaging can kill you, too. Consider the delivery

dark hue from “caramel-coloring,” which is actually a mix of synthetic chemicals that have been found to be carcinogens. If you drink diet soda, you get a carcinogen double dose of the artificial coloring and the artificial sweeteners.

method of most sodas—plastic bottle or aluminum can. These containers are made from or are coated with BPAs or BPA derivatives. BPAs can mimic the hormone estrogen and interfere with nervous and reproductive system development, and they can cause a whole host of other problems like obesity, diabetes, heart issues and behavior problems.

»» If you crave the carbonation, try drinking carbonated water instead of soda. Use caution and try to avoid anything made with artificial flavorings or sweeteners and watch the water source. »» Use a SodaStream to make your own carbonated beverages at home. You’ll have more control over the sweetener and water source. »» Reacquaint yourself with water. If you drink high-quality, filtered water you will find that it’s the most refreshing thing you can drink and it actually tastes pretty good. You’ll feel better, too.

F A M I LY

I’m a 34-Year-Old Widow A first-person account

ne e Cli n i r e h t by Ka

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n March 30, 2013, the pages of the book that I thought made up my life were suddenly blank. A love story that began with two, young 20-somethings—linked by a common friend—shyly talking on the phone. The respect, affinity and adoration that grew like green, verdant ivy intertwining Wesley Cline and Katherine Colombo suddenly ended. The pages that had been filled with a beautiful wedding in 2004, Wesley’s graduation from Emory Law School in 2007 and the birth of our dear Julia in 2009 were abruptly made blank. The final entry on March 30 inscribed with, “...and then Wesley died.” My darling husband, Wesley, was 37 years old when he developed what we and he thought was simply stomach flu on the morning of March 29. The intestinal bug had been going around our daughter’s preschool. We were both overworked and overtired as the days neared toward Easter. It was a miracle if we did not all get ill with the way we were hustling and bustling, getting prepared for the big bunny’s arrival on the morning of Sunday, March 31. But only Wesley felt ill, and despite his attempt to go to work, he came home midday and tried to rest. I picked Julia up from preschool and attended Good Friday services at our church, giving Wesley more quiet time to rest and get better before the whirlwind of our excited 3-year-old descended. We spent that night—what would be our last night—watching as Wesley started to feel worse. As the sun rose over the lake behind our house, a frantic melee of activity began as I rushed Julia away from the EMTs and machines that were trying to save Wesley’s life. His breathing labored, then silent. I remember following the ambulance to the hospital; the small waiting room, peaceful with generic pictures and artificial flowers; and then the moment I knew something was very wrong. The young and fresh-faced ER doctor telling me that Wesley was dead on arrival and he was so sorry. Dominoes of reality then tumbled as I viscerally felt my life crumble. My brother wisely extricated me from the hospital and I began the days and weeks of living in commune. My parents’ home was where I found solace and began a new life for which I had never prepared. My sister-in-law, Katie, recalls that after being told Wesley had died, I was completely mute, silently staring with tears dripping from my eyes, no motion to wipe them away as they pooled at my chin and darkened the white shirt I was wearing. For hours afterward, people implored me to go to sleep, to nap and rest from this devastating shock. Finally cajoled to lie down, although I knew sleep would not come, Katie pulled a blanket over my legs as I lay in the room in which I grew up, wallpaper yellow and cheery and the light through the window bright. I looked at her, my voice without inflection and said, “I’m a 34-year-old widow,” and the new identity of who I was that had changed so drastically in mere hours was spoken. I was a widow. Although I was young and our little family of three should have had lots of memories ahead of us, it was no longer my reality. What we did not know but discovered in the days following was that Wesley had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a terribly aggressive form of leukemia. His death was due to a phenomenon called “blast crisis,” which causes the body to flood with immature

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red blood cells that form clots in the lungs. The clinical aspects of Wesley’s death were always easy to explain for me; terms and anatomy and biology do not require thought or emotion. All of us—including Wesley—were blissfully unaware of how ill he was. I think the knowledge that he was going to die and leave his young wife and child would have been devastating. I consider it a true blessing that he was spared that knowledge. I have spent two-and-a-half years now as a widow, navigating through the quicksand of grief and uncertainty. I recall friends, family, strangers saying that I always seemed so strong and how moved they were by my ability to persevere. While such a kind thing to say, it was an observation of life on the surface, not the true way I was coping. I have months in which I have no memory and it took all of my focus and ability to survive and nothing more. When I cried until I was unable to produce tears; dry heaving my grief for months upon end and feeling that my life was consumed by sorrow. I lost my husband, but also my best friend; the father of my child and the man with whom I thought I would have more children and delight in being old together. I had lost my past, present and future in an instant and was completely, emotionally unmoored from the dock of safety and security. I lost my ability to believe that bad things cannot happen; because they can and do … but then you somehow pick up pieces of shattered life. You gingerly hold shards and are careful to not slice your fingertips as you try to put them together again. But, of course, it cannot ever be the same; cracks mar the mirror that reflects who you think you are and I was changed irrevocably. I said to someone that I do not “feel” sad; I am sad. It is part of who I am and in the marrow of my bones. My identity is framed by loss, but in loss comes grace. My life is inexorably changed and the sharp edges have worn duller to where I can touch them and not feel such acute pain. I can think about Wesley and my life and find the joy amidst the sadness and see my daughter growing and changing and know he is seeing it; just not in the ways we had thought. My heart hurts, but it is not like in the start where each breath I took was painful and ragged with sadness because my heart is healing. My book of life is written very differently than I thought it would be. It contains sad passages and years of trying to make sense and peace with the death of Wesley. I have spent my mid-30s not cradling the children I thought Wesley and I would have together, but rather navigating the grief experience of our young daughter whose story also is written and shaped by loss. But I find hope and have found it again and again throughout these years. I have friends and family who bolster me up when I cannot stand on my own and whose kindness I will never be able to repay, and a community of other widows who walk this road with me. And my Julia, sweet and gentle, who everyday reminds me that Daddy is with us. We cannot see him like we once did, but he is there—just out of sight, silently watching and guiding and loving. And for me, that is grief and healing; to find peace that the ones who are loved and lost are close and encouraging us to embrace the lives we have fully and with great joy.

Are You a ‘Judgy’ Parent? by Lily Grace o you judge other parents? Come on, you know what I’m talking about. Here’s a list of “judgey” situations that automatically come to mind: »» Childbirth: drugs or no drugs »» Breastfeeding »» Temper tantrums »» Saying “no” »» Meal time »» Bedtime »» Appropriate TV and/or electronics »» Overall disciplining »» Study habits »» Curfews »» Helicopter parenting »» Latchkey parenting Honestly, this list could go on for days. Other parents—especially mothers—judge just about everything. Sometimes they mean to, sometimes not. Some believe this comes from the notion that mothers have so many expectations placed upon them right from the start that they don’t know how to sort through it all. Maybe they too are struggling with parenthood and the idea of putting others down—in typical human nature fashion— gives them a bit of peace of mind. Who knows. Another reason: Have you ever walked in their shoes? We don’t know what it’s like to be that person. Therefore, we assume the worst and judge a snapshot of their lives.

Deep down we all have the same fears that we are just doing it all wrong. Unfortunately, this manifests in an extremely negative way. The mothers at the park who glance at you as you look at your phone may be jealous of your ability to let your child play free instead of hovering or being overly protective. Judging often comes from jealousy. Maybe your baby sleeps well, but they are having a tough time with their child. Do you let your child “cry it out” but they won’t? Seems like a very judgey topic, no? Deep down, all parents are hoping they’re doing the right thing for their child. But by voicing disapproval, you are attempting to convince yourself that “your way” is the right way. It’s much easier to put someone else down than to look in the mirror and critique yourself or deal with the tantrums your own children are having. And as our children get older, it doesn’t change. It’s much easier to selectively remember all the times you were such an all-star parent when your kids were young than to admit the mistakes you made. It takes far less effort to criticize someone else and their child’s behavior. It’s always simpler to think, “not my child.” All in all, we judge because we are terrified that the mistakes of others could happen to us. And, they often do. Because no parent is perfect. Every experience is a lesson. As a parent, you will make mistakes. You will judge. You will be judged. But hopefully through it all, at some point, you’ll realize that your shoes don’t look or feel the same as someone else’s. So, just wear the shoes that fit and you’ll be fine.

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Why Finding a Babysitter

is Like Dating by Margaret Machaiek

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At some point, every parent will need to rely on another person for child care. Using babysitters, hiring nannies and sending children to daycare is a virtual necessity. Choosing the “One” is much like dating. You have to ask the right questions and investigate past relationships and history in order to get to know the person before you commit and trust him/her with your heart—your child/children. All parents want to believe that they have good judgment when it comes to selecting caregivers. However, there are many potential ramifications of turning over control of your child to another person. For these reasons, it is important to approach the process with the same healthy skepticism with which you would approach selecting a dating partner. Here are some tips and some cautionary tales to keep in mind.

babysitter was injury “arising out of” a sexual assault. Courts in several other states have interpreted similar exclusions in insurance policies the same way. However, in the case of a babysitter who is simply negligent, a parent’s homeowner’s insurance policy can likely be reached to compensate a child who is injured by the babysitter’s carelessness.

Are you a dog person? Find out if your potential babysitter has any pets. Again, this is especially important if you will be leaving your child at the babysitter’s home. In 2013, an Arizona babysitter who watched several children in her own home was injured, and a 21/2-yearold boy was killed, when a fight broke out among the babysitter’s four pit bull-mix dogs. That same year in Iowa, a 4-year-old girl was mauled to death by her babysitter’s pit bull. In that case, the babysitter was convicted of neglect of a dependent person and sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Do you want to be exclusive or date around?

So, what’s your family like? In many cases, it will be important to learn as much as possible about a potential babysitters’s immediate family. This is especially true if you will be leaving your child at the babysitter’s house or if the babysitter will bring family members to your home while caring for your child. In a highly publicized case arising in Maine, a woman responsible for babysitting an infant left the child unsupervised with her own 10-year-own daughter. The daughter, who had troubling encounters with young children in the past, gave the infant medication and smothered her to death. The girl was charged with manslaughter, and the parents of the infant filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the mother, alleging that her negligence in leaving the infant alone with her daughter caused the infant’s death. On the other hand, if you hire a teenager or any babysitter under the age of majority, it may be important to learn as much as possible about his or her parents’ financial circumstances, including the availability and terms of any homeowners insurance or other insurance that might be available to protect against the negligence of their own children. In 2007, two New Hampshire parents filed a lawsuit against the parents of a teenage babysitter who had sexually molested the two children he had been hired to babysit, alleging negligent entrustment and negligent supervision. The teenager’s parents sought coverage from Liberty Mutual under their homeowners insurance policy, but Liberty Mutual denied the claim based on an exclusion in the policy that denies coverage for any claims for bodily injury or property damage “arising out of” a sexual assault. The New Hampshire Supreme Court concluded that this exclusion applied, noting that although the claim against the parents was for negligence, the harm caused by the teenaged

Many babysitters will supervise several children at a time in their own home. At first glance, this may seem like an attractive option to parents—it may likely cost less than hiring a one-onone babysitter or sending a child to a preschool or daycare center. Parents may also be attracted to the idea of trusting their children with someone who has experience caring for many children. However, if a babysitter is single-handedly attempting to care for multiple children at once, the chances that your child may be harmed accidentally by another child, increases greatly. For instance, a babysitter in Louisiana was arrested earlier this year after a child she was caring for suffered mysterious injuries. The woman was caring for eight children in her home when the 22-month-old boy’s mother received a text message asking if her son had a history of biting himself. When the mother arrived at the woman’s home, she discovered that her son was covered with deep scratches and human bite marks on his face, arms, fingers, feet and legs. The babysitter claimed that she left him alone sleeping on a couch while she made snacks for all of the children; one of the children also in her care was known to have a problem with biting, and the babysitter had no explanation for why she would not have heard crying or a struggle while the boy sustained so many injuries. The boy was treated with antibiotics because the bites were so deep and suffered an infection. The babysitter was arrested for operating an unlicensed day care, as Louisiana law requires a childcare facility license for anyone watching more than six children. As this case sadly illustrates, if you are considering hiring a babysitter or nanny who cares for multiple children at the same time, you should always inquire whether he or she is properly licensed according to the laws in your state. Even if the person has the appropriate license, you should seek references, view the home and ask detailed questions to ensure that the person is adequately equipped to safely care for several children at once. @LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 53

Do you have any ‘protection?’

How accurate and recent are your profile pics?

Common sense might dictate that in any of the horrifying situations described above, the negligent babysitter is the one responsible for any harm your child suffers. Many parents don’t realize that they may end up being held responsible for a babysitter’s negligence under certain circumstances. In some cases, however, this may be a positive thing. For instance, if you allow or instruct a babysitter to use your car to transport your child, you may be responsible if the babysitter is involved in a car accident. In a 1995 case out of New York, the court held that the mother’s automobile insurance, which provided coverage for the “maintenance or use” of an automobile owned by a family member, included coverage for the babysitter using the car at the mother’s direction to transport her son. The reasoning was that the car was for all practical purposes, being operated for the mother’s use—even though the mother was not the one physically driving the car at the time of the accident in which her son was injured. If you plan to allow a babysitter to use your vehicle to run errands or to transport your children, you should check the specific language of your own insurance policy or contact your insurance carrier to determine whether your children will be covered in the event of an accident.

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to ensuring that the person you hire will safely care for your child. In recent years, the popular website care.com, which links parents with prospective babysitters, has come under scrutiny. The website allows parents to browse profiles of babysitters and, for an additional fee, offers background checks of prospective hires. In 2012, the parents of Rylan Koopmeiners hired Sarah Gumm as a nanny after finding her profile on care.com. They had paid for a background check on Gumm from the site, which came back clean. In July 2012, Gumm became intoxicated while caring for 3-month-old Rylan in her home, even leaving the house twice to buy wine. Then, while Gumm was changing the baby’s diaper, the baby became fussy, and Gumm slammed the infant’s head onto a table. She called police and reported that the baby was not breathing; the child died later that night. Rylan’s parents filed suit against care.com, alleging that, but for their negligence in conducting the background check on Gumm, their child would not have been killed. After Rylan’s death, they discovered that Gumm’s record included two citations for drunk driving and one incident of battery. Rylan’s parents stated that, had they been informed of Gumm’s record, they would not have hired her. Gumm’s criminal trial on the charge of first-degree murder was set to begin this September. In a tragically similar case, the parents of 4-month-old Cash Bell filed suit against Sarah Cullen, a nanny they hired in 2012 after finding her profile on care.com. The Nebraska parents had paid for a background check on Cullen, and care.com reported that no criminal charges against Cullen could be found. In February 2013, Cash suffered severe head trauma consistent with a violent shaking, including multiple skull fractures and hemorrhaging, while in Cullen’s care. Cullen gave police several varying accounts of how the baby was injured, eventually admitting that she slipped and dropped him down the stairs. As it turns out, Cullen had a conviction for drunk driving in June 2012. In addition to her prior criminal conviction, Cullen had also been accused of causing injuries to children at two separate daycare facilities in the past. Cullen was convicted of intentional child abuse resulting in death and is currently serving a sentence of 70 years in prison.

It’s not you. It’s me. On the other hand, if you fail to take appropriate precautions in the hiring of a babysitter, there is a possibility that you, yourself, can be held responsible either criminally or civilly. For example, in 2014, the parents of a young boy who was killed by his babysitter were arrested in Connecticut and charged with risk of injury to a minor. In that case, the parents had used the same babysitter to care for their 19-month-old son on several occasions. In December 2013, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families intervened after medical personnel reported unexplained injuries the boy sustained while in the babysitter’s care. The parents entered into an agreement with DCF that they would no longer allow the son to be left alone with the babysitter. However, they continued to hire the young woman to watch him. She was later charged with manslaughter in January 2014, after the boy died from severe skull fractures. The parents were arrested later once it came to light that they knew or should have known that the babysitter was violent with children and that she had likely injured the boy in the past. In addition to potential criminal liability, there is also the possibility that you could be exposed to civil liability. Many states have eliminated the doctrine of parental immunity, even for minors. This means that, yes, your kids can sue you. Although there are exceptions for ordinary decisions made in the course of parenting, most states permit children to sue their parents for wanton or willful disregard of a known risk. The Connecticut case proves a perfect example of the type of serious carelessness that would likely meet this standard. This is just one more reason it is important to do your research when hiring someone to take responsibility for your child’s safety and wellbeing.

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Thankfully, tragic catastrophes like the ones described above are very rare when compared to the ones often encountered in the world of dating. But, they serve as important reminders to wellmeaning parents pursuing what may seem to be the simple task of hiring a babysitter. When trying to find the right “match,” research and preparation are key. The unexpected legal ramifications of bringing a babysitter into your child’s life may be significant. The number one concern, however, should always be your child’s safety.

Five Ways

to Motivate Kids to Save Money by Jon Lewis you have children, you know the challenge and reward of teaching them about EVERYTHING. One major lesson you should focus on is about their future security when it comes to finances. You can read and hear about the demise of our Social Security in the media everyday. In Falling Short: The Coming Retirement Crisis by Charles D. Ellis, Alicia H. Munnell, and Andrew D. Eschtruth, we are reminded that our loved ones are living longer, the cost of care in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home care is increasing, and the cost of college is never slowing down. With all of these financial concerns, filling your kids with ideas about saving is not only smart, but necessary. Here are five things that might help you get the conversation started.

Allowance – Starting an allowance system for your children

is something that is applicable to life. Tell them, “I’m going to pay you a certain amount each month, which should cover all of your needs/expenses. When you run out, don’t come back to me

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for any more.” Having jobs to do around the house to earn their allowance is also beneficial and just like any job, paying your child for the quality of the work done will instill a sense of responsibility and satisfaction in completing a task with excellence or the consequence of less or no money paid for a job not completed or done inadequately. By setting their allowance up this way, they learn to budget themselves, or if they don’t, they learn what it’s like not to have money, which prevents them from buying things they want, going out to dinner with their friends, etc.

Financial Planner – Introduce your children to your

financial planner. Sometimes having another person speak with your children about the importance of saving and planning is more impactful and effective. Have your planner discuss the financial markets, stocks, bonds, etc. with them. Maybe even have your children buy a stock or two in order to learn about the time value of money, investing, and the volatility of the markets. They

may not understand all of the intricacies of the markets right away, but they have to start somewhere, and this gives them reallife experience and something to build upon.

Articles – The media is filled with articles and videos about

managing finances and as an adult, you pay attention. Why not share them with your children, especially teenagers? Whenever you come across information about money, saving, debt, etc., print, text or email it to your children. Do they always read it? Of course not. But, it’s like marketing; if you continue to put things in front of them, one day it will click and they will read it.

Talking About Money – It’s always a good time to start the conversation about money and the cost of items, whether they be necessities or items they want. Letting them know the truth about how expensive things are and differentiating between needs and wants, will increase their understanding of finances and value. Tell them that if they really want that Apple Watch, they need to save for it. You should also ask them if it’s something they really need, and encourage them to wait a few weeks to see if the feeling subsides. Talk about credit card debt, insurance, mortgage payments, etc. Kids need to fully understand how things work

financially and the notion that it’s much easier to start saving now rather than later can never repeated enough. Graphs like the one below can be really effective in showing that the earlier they save, the more they will have.

Seeing it in Action – There is nothing like the actual

reality of the kids seeing their money grow. If you get your child invested in stocks, they will see how money is gained and lost in real time. The stocks might not rise immediately, in fact they may fall. But, eventually they will hopefully see financial growth and earn valuable knowledge that can’t be learned in textbooks. Through gaining and losing money in the markets, your child can see how money works and understand what can happen over time economically both individually and nationally. Even if your child loses money on a stock, it will be a learning experience that will not be easily forgotten. Raising adults and future leaders is complex and exhausting work. Hopefully, by encouraging your children to avoid debt and to increase saving, these kids who will become our government and corporate leaders, will help our country reach better financial heights. At the very least, maybe your kids and their families will have less financial stress.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 57

Fact or Fiction:

Maternity Leave by Jim Edward It’s hard to believe, but with all the freedoms and rights our country offers, the financial freedom to nurture and care for one’s newborn child is not one of them. This fact is true: the United States is still the only developed country that doesn’t guarantee paid maternity leave for new mothers. While you may already know that fact, do you know other details surrounding maternity leave? Take a peek at what’s what in this edition of “Fact or Fiction.”

Paid Maternity Leave Is Essentially a Vacation for Moms Fiction: Actually, paid family leave has serious, and often essential, benefits for both mother and baby. Paid family leave reduces infant mortality by as much as 20%. To note: Despite being a developed nation, the U.S. ranks high—37th of all countries—in infant mortality. Research indicates that women who return to work earlier than six weeks postpartum are three times less likely to breastfeed. An additional study found that extended paid leave increases the duration of breastfeeding.

You’re Legally Entitled to Paid Leave in the U.S. Fiction: Nope. Presently in this country, we have only the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which holds your job for 12 weeks unpaid.

Employers Must Offer a Place for Women to Pump Breastmilk

Fiction: Also not true. According to MomsRising.org, 51% of new mothers don’t have paid maternity leave. Most of those women get by through some combination of FMLA, disability leave, vacation days, and sick days. However, some ultimately quit or lose their jobs.

Fiction: The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) requires employers to allow women to pump breast milk while they are at work, which includes providing a designated room for pumping that is not the bathroom. However, much like with FMLA, there are loopholes. Businesses, even those with fewer than 50 employees, are required to stick to this law unless they can prove it’s a “hardship” for the company. In which case, they don’t. Furthermore, women are not entitled to be paid for their pumping time (or the time it takes to retrieve/clean/store breast pumps). For women who are paid on an hourly basis, this represents a huge dent in earnings given that pumping generally takes about 30 to 40 minutes and many women need to pump every three hours or so. And that’s only if your breastfeeding circumstances (health, type of pump you own, etc.) are optimal.

You Can’t Be Fired While Pregnant

Women Can Get Time Off to Go to the Doctor

Fact and fiction: Not legally, but absolutely, you can be fired while pregnant. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) says it’s illegal to fire a pregnant woman, there are many loopholes couched in “performance” language. A study in Gender and Society found that employers often get away with firing pregnant women by saying their performance is suffering (perhaps because they are growing a human?).

Fiction: Time off for anything medical-related cuts into your FMLA (or vacation or sick days). If you’ve maxed out all those meager offerings, any time you take off for your health or the health of your baby is unpaid. This puts mothers with high-risk pregnancies between a rock and a hard place. Given that women of “advanced maternal age” (having your first baby at 35 or older) are a fastgrowing demographic, high-risk pregnancies or pregnancy complications are all the more likely.

You’re Legally Entitled to Unpaid Leave in the U.S. Fiction: No again. This piece of legislation is applicable only to women (and men) who have worked at a company for at least a year AND work at a company that employs at least 50 people fulltime. Don’t have both those things? Ugh, it’s probably going to be a problem for you.

Most Women in the U.S. are Offered Paid Leave Anyway

Most Women Want to Quit to Be Home with Their Baby Fiction: A new study of Harvard Business School alumni found that (high-earning) women still want high-achieving careers after they have babies. Female breadwinning is on the rise: Four in 10 households with a child under 18 have a mother who is the primary or sole breadwinner. Two-thirds of these women are single mothers. And before the recession in 2007, 20 percent of ladies polled said they would prefer to work full-time rather than part-time or opting out. (That number rose to 32% by 2012.)

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It Must Be Like This All Over the World, Right? Fiction: Actually, the U.S. is one of only four developed countries that doesn’t offer paid leave to new mothers. FOUR. The other countries are Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho. Most of the developed world respects their mothers and families a lot more.

If You’re Offered a Job While Pregnant, You Are Stuck With Terrible Maternity Leave Fiction: Nonsense. Negotiate.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 59

Is Your Daughter Hitting ‘Early Puberty?’ by Lily Grace aising a tween girl is tough enough on its own. But when your daughter starts to exhibit body changes even earlier than her friends, the process can be unsettling and induce anxiety. According to The New Puberty: How to Navigate Early Development in Today’s Girls, normalizing the process for girls is key. Here, the book’s authors outline six important facts and help you understand what “early puberty” really means.

Puberty is not an event—it’s a process.

One of the biggest misconceptions among parents is that most believe puberty begins with menstruation. In reality, normal puberty begins much earlier, with one of the first physical signs being breast development or body odor. But the subtle hormonal changes can begin as early as age 7 or 8.

Early puberty does not correlate to a premature sex drive.

Parents are often upset to find that puberty can begin at age 6 or 7 because they associate it with being sexually active. Put those anxieties to rest: “Girls at these young ages aren’t thinking about sex,” says author Julianna Deardorff, Ph.D., clinical psychologist. “As parents, we have to make sure that we’re not sexualizing that development unintentionally, because that’s already happening enough in our culture.”

You can’t ban every endocrine disruptor, but you can monitor the intake.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic hormones in the body, and unfortunately, can be found in many of our household

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items. But don’t just throw away your canned food, plastic water bottles, or Teflon pans.

Don’t avoid meat; embrace fruits and veggies.

Familial conflict can trigger hormonal changes.

It may be chemical, but you are still in control.

More important than buying organic food or swearing off meat entirely is to feed your child a plantbased diet, not one filled with sugary snacks and fast food. Obesity is one of the top environmental stressors that can lead to early puberty, and in their research, authors say they have seen shifts in early puberty directly correlate to the rising obesity epidemic in our country’s youth. Fat tissue secretes estrogen, and with a boost in estrogen creation comes signs of early puberty.

Often, early puberty can be triggered by stress. “We’re talking about stressful circumstances in family life,” says Deardorff. “If you live in a family, particularly prepubertal, that is low in warmth, unpredictable, or high in conflict, those triggers can start puberty early in girls.” These familial circumstances can be both in and out of your control. For example, girls who grow up without a biological father in the home are twice as likely to get their periods early, says Deardorff. But, if you have frank and open conversations about the process, you can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Both doctors agree that their favorite finding has been the positive effects that parents can have on their developing daughters. “It all depends on context,” says Deardorff. “If you’re growing up in a loving, safe family environment, it can offset any risks of early puberty in terms of emotional problems or mental health problems.”.

HOME

Ah, Security ...

10 Things to Consider Before You Buy a Home Security System by Lily Grace

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he world we live in is very different from the one in which we may have grown up, where the next door neighbor walks through your unlocked door unannounced to grab a snack or drink out of your fridge. A lot of people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know their neighbors anymore and unlocked doors are considered irresponsible and negligent. This is not to say that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to a most dangerous state of living, but there is reason to give pause and implement certain protections for your home. Home security systems are now commonplace, and not all are created equal. From general protection to very specific tools and functions, these platforms are robust and sound. Here are 10 tips to consider before you buy your next home security system, courtesy of Sentry Security.

Peace of mind is everything.

At the end of your search, you should feel that you are fully protected and receiving the best security for the amount you are paying. Everyone has certain monetary constraints. Make sure that you find a security service you can maintain and that also provides you and your family with the right protection.

Technology drives advancements in home security.

Ask your home security provider about the latest devices and systems that can protect your home. The technology and offerings for home security systems continually advances and newer options are developed each year. The current advancement companies are pushing is the wireless security option that connects you to all of your appliances from your smart phone.

A burglar system is different from a home security system.

Like a burglar system, home security systems protect you against unwanted visitors. However, a major difference between the two systems is that home security systems also guard against environmental threats. These include flooding, fire, and natural gas buildup inside your home. Each of these threats can cause major damage to your home and cost you more than the annual cost of a home security system.

One size does not fit all.

Make sure you get a system custom to your lifestyle so that you will get the better level of security for a greater level of value. The system should take your schedule into account and give protection for specific things you value most. For example, one aspect to protect against is flooding. Water damage is the second most frequently filed insurance claim in the United States. For this reason, it is suggested that you incorporate a flood protection option when deciding on a home security system.

Consider a system that includes a medical alert.

Do you currently have a medical condition that requires medical assistance to be at the ready or do you have a family member at home who you want to make sure is safe while you are away? For an extra fee, many home security firms provide personal pendants or wristbands with a panic button in case of a medical emergency. Though these can be a little bit pricey,

depending on the capability and medical assistance offered, the knowledge that a loved one is being watched and monitored is a security that is hard to ignore.

External benefits

User education is the best defense against false alarms.

Having a home security system has a number of benefits. First, you can save up to 20% off of your homeowners insurance once you have a home security system installed. Second, displaying the signs provided by your security company is proven to deter burglars. Third, you have a higher chance of preventing malfunctioning appliances from causing longÂterm home damage. Lastly, your home is more attractive for household workers such as nannies, sitters and maids.

Have the installer teach you and your family how to properly use your security system, including false alarm prevention measures. There are a number of shortcuts and personalized features that home security systems have in place. You can have certain regions of the house unarmed if you have pets that are home while you are away or if you will be entertaining friends outside and want the house armed except for a few doors. In the end, the more you know about your system, the safer you and your family will be.

Get several price quotes for both system installation and monitoring.

With 80% of homeowners with alarms rating their systems as effective in protecting their homes, according to a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, there are a number of providers that can provide you with the right home security system. A number of firms will include installation when you buy a certain package. By having a few other quotes, you can negotiate a better deal for a brand or system you might prefer but costs you a bit more than the competitors.

Motion sensor lighting outside is a secondary defense and also a good safety investment for kids.

Not a product usually sold by security companies, motion sensor lighting is a great way to deter potential crooks from approaching your home. A home that is not well lit is more prone to being broken into, as there are more places for one to hide when breaking in. Motion sensor lights should be placed in areas that are not usually lit and areas of entry. When the security firm comes to install your security system, ask the engineer where they would place the lights.

Look into complaints against individual companies with the Better Business Bureau.

Make sure that the provider has at least ten years of experience in the industry, latest technology, and a number of reviews from current or former customers. Both positive and negative reviews are helpful in getting a full feel for a company. Make sure that the complaints are from legit customers. In the end, you want to feel the people behind the product are those you can trust and feel secure that your life is well handled.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 63

DOs & DON’Ts of... ONLINE SHOPPING the

by Brittany Monbarren

Shop at trusted and reputable web retailers.

Research before buying.

Safeguard your logins and passwords.

Trust every deal you see on social media.

Ignore user reviews and merchant ratings. Check your credit card statement for fraudulent charges.

Buy anything from an unsecure site. Keep your antivirus up-to-date.

Take a screenshot or photo of your order page and save it.

DON’T Conduct transactions on public computers.

Pay with a debit card or check. Always use a credit card.

@LIVINGSAFER / LIVINGSAFER.COM / 64

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IB members work tirelessly to better their own local communities - through both IB initiatives as well as their own.

A different kind of lawyer The Injury Board is a nonprofit group of plaintiffsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; law firms that understand the importance and effectiveness of getting out in the community and making a difference. The commonality all IB members share is the drive to succeed, to participate and become part of a select group of like-minded firms. For more information or to find a representative in your area, visit injuryboard.org.