Since the invention of the first electronic product in 1920 to help people with hearing loss, hearing aids have evolved from a large box on a table to the first body-worn device, and now head-worn designs. In the modern era, the cost for a custom-fitted pair of hearing aids from an audiologist ranges from $2,200 to $7,000.
In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration coined the acronym PSAP (for personal sound amplification product) to draw a distinction between sound amplifiers and hearing aids. PSAPs aren’t subject to state or federal regulations and are available without medical referral or prescription.
PSAPs like Etymotic’s BEAN are available direct to consumers at a lower cost than custom-fitted hearing aids. According to Etymotic, BEAN has a slim profile, is worn completely in the ear, and enhances soft sounds so that speech can be heard more clearly, while also allowing louder sounds to pass through naturally as if nothing is in the ears.
BEAN is helpful for consumers who need a boost in sound for worship, television and other situations, depending on background noise and proximity to a sound source, says Etymotic. The company, which is located in Elk Grove Village, Ill., can be reached at 847-228-0006 and www.etymotic.com.
In today’s landscape, it’s not uncommon to receive multiple robocalls a week on both your landline and your cell phone, even though you’ve registered your phone numbers with the national Do Not Call Registry. The robocalls are offering everything from lower credit card rates to free vacations and medical alert devices. It’s not only annoying, but many of these calls come with a high probability of scam. Robocalls are scams run by con artists who are trying to trick you out of your money, and they simply ignore the law.
Below are must-know tips for putting an end to robocalls:
Do register with the Do Not Call Registry. Although the registry isn’t always consistent, it’s important to register with them to help eliminate a good portion of calls. If you’ve been on the Do Not Call Registry for a month or longer and still get calls, file a complaint with the FTC. It doesn’t take long, and sometimes enough complaints can get policy changed. Report illegal robocalls to the Federal Trade Commission at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or call 888-225-5322.
If you’re constantly being called by the same few numbers, consider blocking them. A variety of apps and services, many of them free, make it possible to cut down on unwanted calls on some landline and mobile phones (both Android and iOS). They work by blocking them, alerting you to a possible robocall, or forwarding suspicious calls to voicemail.
Set-up the “Anonymous Call Rejection†Option. Call your phone provider to find out if this option is available for your landline. It lets you screen out calls from callers who have blocked their caller ID information—a tactic of telemarketers.
Sign up for Nomorobo. It uses a “simultaneous ring†service that detects and blocks robocalls on a blacklist of known offender numbers. Similar to the Do Not Call Registry, it’s not infallible, but adds a layer of protection. It’s free for landlines and subscription based for mobile.
Check your caller ID. If you don’t recognize the phone number on your caller ID, don’t answer the phone. Let it go to voicemail or the answering machine. Most telemarketers will hang up and not leave a message. If it’s important, the caller will leave a message. If you answer and there’s a pause, that’s often an indication of a robocall, and you should simply hang up. Never follow the automated voice asking you to press 1. Don’t push any numbers to reach a live operator, this signifies that the autodialer has reached a live number and this will probably lead to more robocalls.
Block incoming numbers on your cell phone. Most cell phone providers allow you to block an incoming number to your cell. After the call comes in, follow your provider’s instructions for blocking the number from calling you again.
Download a call-screening app to your cellphone. To help with robo telemarketing calls and robo spam texts to your cellphone, get an app like Truecaller or PrivacyStar that screens and blocks them.
Sign the Consumer Union Petition at EndRobocalls.org to pressure phone companies to start offering free call-blocking technology.
Use the online telephone directory WhitePages.com to look up a phone number you’re unsure about. The site will let you know the scam potential of the phone number you’re checking on, even if it doesn’t have the company name listed.
Give out your phone numbers sparingly. Resist the urge to provide a phone number unless it is absolutely necessary. Just because you’re asked for it, doesn’t mean you’re required to provide it.
Justin Lavelle, who wrote this article, is the chief communications officer at BeenVerified.com, a service for accessing public records and searching for people.
Jonie Emrick is among the folks looking forward to the celebration of Ruth Hofto’s 107th birthday.
Hofto is a regular at the University Place Senior Center, where Emrick is the director. And Emrick promises that on May 12, Hofto’s birthday, the center will go all out to be sure it is a day to remember.
By all accounts, Hofto is an amazing woman. An artist, she held an art show at the Lakewood public library when she was 97, and she drove until age 98.
Ten years ago, Hofto’s daughter, Jacki Hofto, retired from her job at the University of Texas as a music teacher and moved back to the family home in University Place to help her mother.
Jacki said the family settled in University Place in 1972. Ruth was born in Black Diamond and grew up as a coal miner’s daughter, walking to school every day and showing an aspiration and love for art. That passion was a common thread throughout her life as she worked with mediums including enamels, watercolors and painting.
“At about 6 years old, she wanted to draw and went to the butcher’s shop with her dad, where she showed the butcher a pansy picture she had drawn at school,†said Jacki.
The butcher encouraged Ruth to keep up with her art and gave her some paper so she could keep drawing.
During the Depression, Ruth worked to help support her family. She and her husband, who died in 1999, were married in 1934.
Jacki brings her mother to the senior center each week, usually on Fridays, and a recent visit found Ruth making her way from the car through the door under her own power, using only a walker for support.
Ruth is amazed she will be celebrating her 107th birthday.
“I never thought I would live this long,†said Ruth, who cast her first vote for president for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Jacki said in addition to being an artist, her mom has always been good at making new friends, and the senior center is a great place for them to gather.
Ruth attributes her long life to good genes and a healthy lifestyle.
“She exercised, didn’t drink or smoke, and always had a lot of interests,†said Jacki.
The University Place Senior Center continues to operate despite the fact that last December its funding ceased when the City Council eliminated the Parks and Recreation Department services from the municipal budget.
Community Connections, a non-profit organization with a passion for the community, stepped in and picked up the tab to keep the center up and running.
Emrick is grateful to have her job and see the center continue to serve the seniors who depend on it for a number of services.
Every Friday, Catholic Community Services serve lunch to the seniors, making that day particularly busy. Fridays also provide an opportunity for seniors to gather for bingo and lunch, and recently they heard the University Place Police chief give a talk about scams targeting seniors.
The center continues to function thanks to generous donations and the support of Community Connections.
Shelia Phillip is on the Board of Directors for Community Connections, which she said is comprised of people with an interest in the community.
Phillip acknowledged taking on the senior center was a big challenge, but she said the community has been very supportive and the program has received several significant donations to help with that effort.
“We were able to sustain some of the programs, the lunch program and foot care doctor, and we are gradually adding more and more programs to the center,†she said.
Emrick, the center’s director, enjoys working with the senior population and loves going all-out for celebrations like the birthday party for Ruth Hofto.
“It is breathtaking to know I have someone in my presence who will be 107 years old. It’s a gift and treasure to know what we (the senior center) are doing is right on point,†said Emrick.
Plans for the big day include a lot of decorations, a “great†birthday cake, and friends to help celebrate, said Emrick.
“We will decorate the whole place like a big party,†she said.
Ruth Hofto celebrated her 107th birthday on May 12 at the University Place Senior Center. (Joan Cronk/for Senior Scene)
Enjoying a comfortable retirement is everyone’s dream. For over 80 years, Social Security has been helping people realize those dreams, assisting people through life’s journey with a variety of benefits.
It’s up to you as to when you can start retirement benefits. You could start them a little earlier or wait until your “full retirement age.†There are benefits to either decision, pun intended.
Full retirement age refers to the age when a person can receive their Social Security benefits without any reduction, even if they are still working part-time or full-time. In other words, you don’t actually need to stop working to get your full benefits.
For people who attain age 62 in 2017 (i.e., those born between Jan. 2, 1955 and Jan. 1, 1956), full retirement age is 66 and two months. Full retirement age was age 65 for many years. However, due to a law passed by Congress in 1983, it has been gradually increasing, beginning with people born in 1938 or later, until it reaches 67 for people born after 1959.
You can start receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62 or any time after that. The longer you wait, the higher your monthly benefit will be, although it stops increasing at age 70.
Your monthly benefits will be reduced permanently if you start them any time before your full retirement age. For example, if you start receiving benefits in 2017 at age 62, your monthly benefit amount will be reduced permanently by about 26 percent.
On the other hand, if you wait to start receiving your benefits until after your full retirement age, then your monthly benefit will be higher. The amount of this increase is two-thirds of 1 percent for each month –– or 8 percent for each year –– that you delay receiving them until you reach age 70.
The choices you make may affect any benefit your spouse or children can receive on your record, too. If you receive benefits early, it may reduce their potential benefit, as well as yours.
You need to be as informed as possible when making any decision about receiving Social Security benefits. Read the publication “When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits†at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10147.pdf.
If you decide to receive benefits before you reach full retirement age, you should also understand how continuing to work can affect your benefits. Social Security may withhold or reduce your benefits if your annual earnings exceed a certain amount. However, for every month benefits are withheld, it increases your future benefits. That’s because at your full retirement age Social Security will recalculate your benefit amount to give you credit for the months in which benefits were reduced or withheld due to your excess earnings. In effect, it’s as if you hadn’t filed for those months. You can learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html.
Social Security’s mission is to secure your today and tomorrow. Helping you make the right retirement decisions is vital. You can learn more by visiting our Retirement Planner at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/retire.
Kirk Larson, who wrote this article, is a Social Security public affairs specialist in Washington.
