Medicare Changes: Remember to sign up for a prescription drug plan through Medicare. Enrollment opened November 15, 2005, and continues through May 15, 2006. Everyone who is Medicare-eligible must choose a plan from several during that time or will face a penalty if they choose to sign up later. Help is available at www.medicare.gov, or you can contact your Area Agency on Aging.

Practice Prevention: It works to reduce the risks of such conditions as diabetes, heart problems, macular degeneration and perhaps other severe health conditions!

1. Simple dietary adjustments: Follow good nutritional practices. Avoid excessive portions. Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. Eat small amounts of healthy fats. Watch out for those sweets!

2. Exercise: The human body was built to move. Exercise is essential. Walking for 30 minutes is a good plan. Additionally, you might enjoy swimming, working out at a gym, or perhaps participation in games or sports. If you haven’t been active, talk to your physician about your exercise program.

3. Annual Exams: See your physician and ophthalmologist annually and your dentist yearly. Have all the recommended exams. Talk with your physician about the tests you need to discover diabetes, heart problems, cancer, or other conditions that might threaten your health. Caught early, many conditions may be more easily treated and their complications slowed or prevented.

4. Laugh: Research has demonstrated the benefits of laughter. Sometimes it’s hard, but look for the humor in your daily life. Smile.

Only you can take care of yourself. Your physician can help. But you must communicate openly and honestly.

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Braille Postage Stamp: The first ever braille postage stamp was launched in Mthatha, South Africa, the Eastern Cape, according to SABC News, October 14, 2005. The event followed a one week program to stamp out blindness, which coincided with World Sight Day. The word “hello” is embossed in braille on the stamp. The post office stamped an envelope. About 280,000 of the braille stamps were issued countrywide. .

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