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FEATURES band, ''Ken,'' has been self- employed for 25 years. He owns two large trailers and has always parked them in our driveway. However, in the past two months, we've had visits from the police department nearly every night. A neighbor we have never met keeps reporting us. He complains that when my husband gets home from work, he sometimes parks his truck with one tire resting in the dirt. Dear Annie: My hus- Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar have the section where we park either rocked or paved. We can't afford it right now. Times have been really tough. Ken tries very hard to park our trailers and truck in our driveway without touching any grass, but it's difficult to do. The police have been sympathetic, say- ing the neighbor is targeting us. They know him as the local trouble- maker. He has a view of our drive- way from his backyard and watches it all the time. We are honest, hardworking peo- ple and wouldn't harm a soul, but this situation has become personal. Yesterday, we asked the police offi- cer to file a neighbor nuisance report. We don't know what else to do. I can't sleep, and I'm scared for my family. I have no idea what else this man is capable of. I'm ready to have a restraining order placed against him, but as far as I know, he doesn't approach our house. He only watches it, which creeps me A city ordinance requires us to Dear Illinois: Your unkind, nosy neighbor has way too much time on his hands. He can watch your house from a distance all day long if he wishes, and as long as you keep violating a city ordinance, he will keep reporting you. First, see whether there is a neighbor- hood association that could help the two of you resolve this. Sometimes, such neighbors simply crave attention and need to feel important. Then start saving your pennies to enlarge the drive- way area. out even more. Can we do anything? — Illinois Neigh- bor nie'' smokes both tobacco and mari- juana in the presence of her young child. Anytime I mention the subject and tell her I don't support her smok- ing, she completely ignores me. I feel terrible being associated with a person who can't see the effect tobacco and drug use will have on her child. I often wonder what will happen when her daughter realizes that her entire schedule is based around Mommy's smoke break. I am ready to move on from this tainted friendship, but hate the thought of never spending quality time with Lonnie's little girl. She is always put on the back ''burner.'' Any suggestions? — Burned-Out Friend Dear Annie: My friend ''Lon- Dear Friend: Lonnie is addict- ed. Quitting is too difficult for her, and she doesn't want to be lectured Friday, April 27, 2012 – Daily News 5A Nosy neighbor hounds hard-working family about it. She is unlikely to admit that she values her smoking above her child's health. Is there a father in the picture? Would he do anything about this? Would you be willing to report Lonnie for possession? Regardless, please stick around in order to keep an eye on the child. Offer to baby-sit. Take her to your home or to the park as often as you can. We hope Lonnie will soon real- ize the damage she is doing and shape up. Dear Annie: ''Saskatoon'' asked whether it was rude for someone to leave the TV on while others were visiting. There could be another rea- son besides rudeness. I am the caregiver for someone Treating ministroke quickly may prevent full stroke later TOR K: My hus- band's doctor said that he had a min- istroke. What does this mean? DEAR DOC- pressure and cho- lesterol. These help prevent a full- blown stroke. who keeps the TV on all day. Unfor- tunately, people don't realize she has dementia and is mostly deaf. Since she cannot understand con- versations going on around her and becomes more confused if asked to participate in them, the TV provides a safe and comfortable haven. Please help your readers under- stand that there may be other rea- sons why someone keeps the TV on, and the caregivers are the ones who would appreciate a visit with conversation. — New Hampshire Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. How Medicare covers hospice care Coping with terminal illness can be very diffi- cult, both for the patient and his or her loved ones. Hospice is a program of care and sup- port for people who are termi- nally ill. The focus is on comfort, not on curing an ill- ness. wanted to tell you about Medicare's coverage for hospice care and how it works. That's why I David Sayen Hospice is intended to help people who are terminally ill live com- fortably. If you qualify for Medicare's hospice ben- efit, you'll have a spe- cially trained team and support staff available to help you and your family deal with your illness. You and your family members are the most important part of the team. Your team may also include doctors, nurses, counselors, social workers, physical and occupational thera- pists, speech-language pathologists, hospice aides, and homemakers. The hospice team provides care for the whole person. That includes his or her phys- ical, emotional, and social needs. Hospice services are generally provided in the home and may include physi- A Full Service Nail Salon Tips N Toes Debi Stuhr Owner/Operator Antelope Blvd Suite "F" • Red Bluff Shop tipsandtoesnailsalon@clearwire.net http://www.tipsandtoesnailsalon.webs.com Cell After Tax Time is Over April 17th We will still be here • Extension • Prior Year Taxes • Bookkeeping • Payroll P. Ralph Campbell, EA Enrolled Agent • Financial Services 530-529-9540 855 Walnut St. #2, Red Bluff CA Insurance Lic. 0C73069 Daniele Jackson Family Fun, Yarn, Demos 529-3298 Livestock Sale Hand Crafters Paradise Fiber/Wool & Guardian Fiber on the Foot May 5th 10th Annual , 9-5 +5 other events @ TDFG cal care, counseling, drugs, and medical equipment and supplies for the terminal illness, plus any related condi- tions. Your regular doctor or a nurse practi- tioner can also be part of your team, to super- vise your care. Who's eligi- ble for Medicare-cov- ered hospice services? You have to meet several condi- tions. For one, you must be eligi- hours a day, seven days a week to give you and your family support and care when you need it. Medicare's hospice benefit allows you and your family to stay together in the comfort of your home unless you need care in an inpatient facility. Keep in mind that you have the right to stop hospice care at any time. ble for Medicare Part A, which is hospital insur- ance. Also, your doctor and the hospice medical director must certify that you're terminally ill and have six months or less to live, if your ill- ness runs its normal course. You have to sign a statement choosing hos- pice care instead of other Medicare-covered benefits to treat your terminal illness. (Medicare will still pay for covered benefits for any health problems that aren't related to your terminal illness.) And you must get care from a Medicare-approved hospice program. If you qualify, your doctor and the hospice team will work with you and your family to set up a plan of care that meets your needs. A hospice doctor and nurse will be on call 24 Medicare will pay for a one-time-only consul- tation with a hospice medical director or hos- pice doctor to discuss your care options and how to manage your pain and symptoms. After that, Medicare facility (such as a hos- pice inpatient facility, hospital, or nursing home) if your caregiver needs a rest. You can stay up to five days each time. You can get respite care more than once, but it can only be provided on an occa- sional basis. How much do you pay for hospice under Medicare? There's no deductible. You'll pay no more than $5 for each prescription drug and similar products for pain relief and symptom control. covers doctor and nurse services; equipment such as wheelchairs or walkers; supplies such as bandages and catheters; drugs to con- trol pain or other symp- toms; hospice aide and homemaker services; physical and occupa- tional therapy; and social worker services. Medicare also covers dietary counseling; grief and loss counseling for you and your family; short-term inpatient care for pain and symp- tom management; and short-term respite care. Respite care is designed to help the caregiver for a terminally person. Often a spouse or other family member becomes the caregiver, and at some point they may need a rest. You can get inpatient respite care in a Medicare-approv e d LASSEN MEDICAL GROUP Expands Red Bluff Urgent Care to 7 days a week. www.lassenmedical.com 2450 Sister Mary Columba Drive (530) 527-0414 If you get inpatient respite care, you pay five percent of the Medicare-approv e d amount. For example, if Medicare pays $100 per day for inpatient respite care, you'll pay $5 per day. David Sayen is Medicare's regional administrator for California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Trust Territories. You can get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800- MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227). DEAR READ- ER: Most strokes occur when blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked. These are called ischemic strokes. When the flow of blood is blocked badly enough, for a long enough time, brain cells die. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. he should be hospitalized right away. brain's blood vessels are bad enough, or last long enough, to cause death of brain cells. Instead, the part of the brain that isn't getting enough blood temporarily malfunc- tions. Such temporary blockages that do not lead to brain-cell death are called ministrokes, the technical term for which is "transient ischemic attack," or TIA. TIAs usually last several minutes to hours. Below I list the symptoms of both a full stroke and a ministroke. The main difference is that the symptoms of min- istrokes are temporary. If the blockage and the symptoms are temporary, why is it important for you to know about TIAs? Because they greatly raise the risk that a bigger, perma- nent stroke may be on the way. And also because med- ical care can reduce your risk of having that stroke. For that reason, a TIA should be regarded — and treated — every bit as seri- ously as a full-blown stroke. It's a warning sign, and unfortunately many people don't get a warning sign before a stroke: They just suddenly have a stroke and suffer permanent brain dam- age. So if a person is lucky enough to get a warning sign, he or she needs to act on it. Not all blockages of the Now that your husband has had a TIA, he might well need drugs to prevent clotting and to lower blood already, your hus- band also may need a magnetic reso- nance imaging (MRI) study. If he is found to be at high risk for an impending stroke, If he hasn't Because of his increased risk, you should be on the lookout for the warning signs and symptoms of another ministroke or of a full-blown stroke. If you observe any of the follow- ing, immediately dial 911 or take him to an emergency room: hand or leg; — weakness in an arm, — numbness on one side of the body; — sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye; speaking; — sudden difficulty — inability to under- stand what someone is say- ing; balance; excruciating headache. We have a lot more infor- mation on stroke in our Spe- cial Health Report, "Stroke: Preventing and Treating 'Brain Attack.'" You can find out more about it at my website, www.AskDoc- torK.com. It's impossible to over- state the importance of act- ing quickly to prevent a full stroke, if a person has a min- istroke. We don't get a lot of second chances in life, but having a TIA — and doing something about it — is one example where we do. — dizziness or loss of — sudden, lasting, Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Lottery terminals down The California Lottery would like to inform its cus- tomers of a planned systems maintenance upgrade operation that will begin at 10 p.m. Saturday, April 28. During this maintenance, all Lottery terminals will be down and players will not be able to purchase any Lottery products or claim prizes below $600. We anticipate all 21,000 retailers will be back in business by about 11 a.m. Sunday April 29. 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