COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • DECEMBER 19, 2018 •
9A
SENIOR NEWS LINE
By Matilda Charles
Time
to Cash Th ose Old Savings Bonds?
Did you stash away savings bonds years ago? Do you know what they’re worth now?
While savings bonds used to be a great way to put money aside for the future, with the diff erent
interest rates and dates of maturity, it’s all too easy to forget they’re there. Paper bonds haven’t
been issued for years; they’ve all gone electronic. But if you have paper bonds from long ago,
there’s a good chance they’ve matured. A few things to consider:
-- Paper bonds can add interest over and above the face value until they’re fi nally mature, which
is usually 30 years. If your paper bonds are very old, they could be worth much more than face
value.
-- Cashing in the oldest bonds fi rst is a mistake. Th ey might still be earning great interest.
-- If you cash in a bond on the wrong day, you might be giving up six months of interest.
-- Since you pay federal taxes on the interest, cashing in too many at once can have tax conse-
quences you might not expect.
If you have paper savings bonds, your best bet is savingsbonds.com. It has loads of information
to help you get the most cash out of your bonds, plus a complimentary bond calculator. If you set
up an account, it will track your bonds and give you their current values.
Perhaps its best feature is that it tells you the next time interest will be added. Th e last thing you
want to do is cash in one right before the interest is posted. And it will warn you what interest you
need to report on your taxes before you cash them in.
If you have paper bonds that you want to convert to electronic, you can do that too. Ask at your
bank.
A Head-to-Toe Guide
to Winter Warmth
Th e offi cial start of winter is just weeks away, and if the two popular almanacs are accurate,
much of the country is going to have a brutal winter with lots of snow, cold and ice. For seniors,
weather this cold can present problems. Sometimes circulation isn’t the best because blood vessels
aren’t as elastic as they once were. Seniors also lose a fat layer under the skin. Hypothermia is a
very real danger, but there are ways to stay warm when you have to go out.
Head -- Heat also rises out of the top of the head. Even when you’re indoors, a cap can help you
stay warm. For outdoors, look for an insulated one that also covers your ears.
Neck -- Heat rises, and all that saved-up core heat can escape unless you use a scarf. Th ick ones
that wind around the neck more than once will go a long way toward holding in trapped warmth
Hands -- Double up on the layers of your gloves. Here’s a hint: Use a pair of thin gloves as the
fi rst layer and then add an insulated mitten over that.
Core -- While a thick coat might seem to be enough, adding a vest underneath will keep your
chest and back warm. It’s also a great item to keep handy and wear around the house.
Legs -- Consider fl annel-lined pants or jeans.
Feet -- A double layer of wool socks can help keep toes warm, as can insulated boots.
Also consider having an automatic starter installed in your car so it’s warm before you even go
outside. Aft er all, we can’t just stay inside all winter. We have places to go, things to do and people
to see.
Tips for deciding on the best living facility for you
A
s we get older,
many of us will get
to a point where we
can’t safely handle all our
daily tasks without senior
care. When this time comes,
the best move is to start
considering diff erent senior
living facilities to fi nd a new
place to call home.
Th is is not an easy deci-
sion, as there aren’t many
people who want to leave
their homes and it’s quite a
commitment to make the
move.
Th e happiness of you or
your loved one is very im-
portant. Most seniors are
at least a little resistant to
leaving home to move to a
senior assisted-living facili-
ty, skilled nursing facility or
nursing home at fi rst.
But if you spend some
time fi nding the best fi t, this
transition will be less stress-
ful, and your long-term
happiness is much more
likely.
Figure Out What Level of
Service You Need
New
Scam Has You Pay With Gift Card
If you get calls from people claiming to be from the utility company or an alleged family
member, or even the Internal Revenue Service, and they try to scare you into making immediate
payment, it’s surely a scam. One way to tell it’s a scam is if they insist you pay with gift cards, likely
a Google Play or iTunes card. Th is is a theft problem that has increased 270 percent since 2015.
It can be tempting ... especially if you’re told you’ve won something and only need to send a gift
card to cover postage. You might be told that you missed jury duty and can post your bail with a
gift card instead of being arrested. Or you might be told that you can get certain medical supplies
that Medicare won’t pay for, or that you have a computer bug and they can fi x it for you. Th ere’s no
end to the scenarios these thieves can think up.
Even if you fall for the scam, once might not be enough. Once they know how to manipulate
you, they’ll come back again and again.
A note of warning: If you’re in a store buying a gift card and the clerk tells you it might be a
scam, listen. Th ey see this all the time and they’re trying to help you. Th ere are at least seven dif-
ferent gift card scams out there right now.
To learn more, go online to the Federal Trade Commission and see ft c.gov/gift cards. If you’ve
paid for something with a gift card, let the FTC know. Th e FTC website has the phone numbers of
many companies that issue gift cards, including Amazon, MoneyPak and Steam. Also go online to
gift cards.com and read up on gift card scams.
When considering senior
living facilities, you’ll fi rst
need to determine exactly
what services and support
you require. Write down
anything you need help
with right now. No matter
how small and insignifi cant
it may be, everything is im-
portant.
Th en, think about what
you may need help with in
the future. Although you
may not need help with
some daily tasks today, you
may really need that help in
the next few years.
According to the U.S.
Department of Health and
Human Services, about 70
percent of individuals over
65 years of age need some
form of long-term care.
Once you have this list
written down, you should
start looking at the diff er-
ent forms of senior living
facilities to fi nd which one
best matches your needs.
Here’s a short summary of
the most common types of
senior living facilities:
Independent Senior
Living Facilities
Th ese facilities remove
the burden of owning your
own home so that you can
focus on your interests and
your health, both emotion-
ally and physically. Th ey
also off er plenty of opportu-
nities to make new friends.
If, aft er looking over your
list, you determine that your
overall health is just fi ne
and there’s no need for help
with the normal daily tasks,
one of these places could be
a great fi t.
Assisted Senior
Living Facilities
By assisting you with dai-
ly tasks, home maintenance,
and transportation, these
communities allow you con-
tinue living independently,
but with a little more help. If
you’re having trouble man-
aging your medications,
dealing with mobility issues,
struggling to get dressed or
worry about getting in and
out of the bath, you should
consider an assisted living
facility.
Skilled Nursing Care
(Nursing Home Facilities)
Th ese places can provide
continuous skilled nursing
care for those with com-
plex health issues or those
recovering from an injury
or surgery. If your health
issues are becoming more
complex or your needs re-
quire full-time care, these
facilities may off er the best
choice for you.
Continuing Care
Retirement Communities
Or “CCRCs” (Life Plan
Communities)
CCRCs are a fairly new
idea, but they off er a great
option for many seniors.
Residents at these senior
living facilities benefi t from
a full continuum of care
including memory care,
skilled nursing, indepen-
dent living services and as-
sisted living services.
By providing all of these
options in the same com-
munity, they allow seniors
to enjoy their independence
now, but still have access to
levels of care they may need
in the future.
For more information,
visit www.aging.com.
Another dental visit?
Turns out, you have better things
to do with your time.
Heraej=bbkn`]^haHqtqnu
Assisted Living and
Memory Care Apartments
Our beautiful community is designed
for those who need assistance or have
memory impairments. You can be
assured that you or your loved one
will receive the best in care along with
compassionate personal attention from
our well trained staff.
Call or stop by for more
information and a personal tour!
We are available
7 days a week!
1500 Village Dr., Cottage Grove, OR 97424
T
541-767-0080 www.MiddlefieldOaks.com
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942-7934
CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems.
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