Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/71510
6A Daily News – Saturday, June 23, 2012 Glory Days & maturity SACRAMENTO (MCT) — Rachael Mahoney is in the midst of a decade of loss. In the last few years, her father and her sister, her only sibling, died. Her marriage ended in divorce. And now her elder- ly mother's health is failing. "It's tough," said lifestyles Boomers lives intersect with losses Shun fake Facebook email By Stuart Pfeifer Los Angeles Times (MCT) Mahoney, 50, who works for the state and lives with her mother in Sacramento, Calif., so she can care for her. "But people have gone through these things for generations. It's how we accept these circumstances that matters." Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. FACEBOOK CON Facebook users should take caution if they receive an email that claims they need to take action to prevent their Facebook accounts from being canceled, according to the Internet security blog Naked Security. Users who follow a link on the email can end up downloading code that enables hackers to spy on the user's activities and take over their computers. Instead of following links in the emails, users should sign into their Facebook accounts and communicate with Facebook staff directly. PONZI SCHEME In huge numbers, the nation's 70 million baby boomers, now aged 48 to 66, find themselves coping with a numbing range of expected and unexpected midlife changes, including divorce, the death of par- ents, the diminishment of health and youth, and these days, the loss of jobs and homes, as well. The kids leave home. The body is less forgiving. Caregiving for ailing spous- es and parents, although a necessity, can bring an unforeseen loss of freedom. In many respects, loss could be considered the sig- nature challenge of middle age. The question for baby boomers, a generation bred on optimism, is how to embrace the changes that occur as they launch more or less willingly into the next chapter of their lives. "During midlife, there's a confluence of events that can create depression and a sense of despair and loss," said psychologist Douglas LaBier, who blogs on midlife issues for The Huff- ington Post and directs the Center for Progressive Development in Washing- ton, D.C. "It helps to see every- thing as something to learn from on our journey of evo- lution through life." MCT photo Rachael Mahoney, 50, left, brings out medicine for her mom Roberta Mahoney, 82, as she cares for her at her home, in Sacramento. in the California Health Interview Survey. Other state data show that 50- year-olds were three times as likely to die that year as people a decade younger. Almost 30 percent of Americans who lost jobs that year — more than 4 million people — were in the midlife age group, and they were unemployed twice as long as people in their 20s, Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show. To put those statistics in a sunnier light, however, at least 70 percent of baby boomers fared well in each of those categories: It's cru- cial, experts say, to think of the midlife years as some- thing more than a decade of pain. While some losses, such as the deaths of elderly par- ents, can be absorbed as an inevitable part of the cycle of life, the unanticipated losses can reverberate more deeply: the death of spous- es, siblings and same-age friends, perhaps, or people's own health crises and career struggles. In 2009, almost 22 per- cent of Californians in their 50s described their health status as less than good, twice the rate of people in their 30s, researchers found Researchers have found that stress peaks in the mid- dle of life — but so does confidence, sense of pur- pose and judgment. "We've earned and gained a lot to help us through the losses in our 50s," said Dr. Pepper Schwartz, a University of Washington sociologist and AARP's relationship expert. "We've gained wisdom. We've gained longtime friends. We've learned about loyalty. We know who we are. might want to turn back a terrible event like losing a spouse, but most of them wouldn't want to be 25 again." "People in their 50s LaBier calls the boomer generation's reinvention of midlife a renewed sense of what's possible. "The old thinking was that midlife was a matter of holding onto what you can through the inevitable loss and decline of the coming years," said LaBier. "But that's only half the picture. "As a generation, boomers entered midlife with continued health, and they want to feel continued vitality. If you can embrace what happens, you'll turn what you experience into new growth." Even when crushing losses in midlife pile one on top of the other, said Schwartz, it's important to reflect on the lessons they bring. "Few losses are unac- companied by growth in wisdom or coping," she said. "We'd rewrite the script if we could. But these aren't unadulterated losses. We have to take the losses and say, 'Now who am I? Where do I find joy? Where do I help others?'" At 53, Ruth Holton- Hodson is in the midst of several wrenching transi- tions: In a span of six months in 2011, both her husband and her father died. She watched as her band, Tim Hodson, during his struggle with an aggres- sive form of brain cancer. He died in October at age 61. And now her early 50s have become a time of mourning, which she faces with a touching bravery. "My life still seems very surreal," said Holton-Hod- son. "I don't know if I've fig- ured out yet how to go on. My guiding light is how Tim would have wanted me to live." Over the months of her husband's illness, she found unexpected lessons in what they went through together: the importance of not peek- ing around the corner to worry about what came next; the need to let go of what doesn't matter; and a new appreciation for the simple comforts of ordinary life. But Holton-Hodson said she hasn't yet found mean- ing in the grief that sur- rounds her. father, David Holton, an 80- year-old retired foreign ser- vice officer, faded over sev- eral years' time from dementia before dying in April 2011. "You grieve over the dementia, but in the end, it was a sense of relief that it was over," said Holton- Hodson, a deputy state con- troller who lives in Sacra- mento. As her father was dying, she cared for her late hus- know," she said. With a list of midlife losses behind her and her mother's care ongoing, Rachael Mahoney grasps some of what she's been learning through these diffi- cult middle years. "A thorough knowledge "It's still too soon to of what family means," she said. "An appreciation for life. I've become closer to God. I've learned to listen." She hopes that family members — her two grown children and a small grand- child — learn by watching how she's cared for her loved ones in their final years. An Irvine, Calif., attorney has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for her role in an investment scheme that caused victims to lose about $20 million. Jeanne Rowzee, 53, and a partner, James Hal- stead, attracted investors by promising returns of 25 per- cent to 35 percent every three to four months. Victims were told that their money would be used to make short- term loans to businesses and that there was no chance of losing money. In reality, the victims' money was never invested. Rowzee and Halstead instead used the money to support their lavish lifestyles and to make payments to some investors. According to court documents, Hal- stead used more than $1 million to purchase a home for himself in the Las Vegas area, $191,005 to buy a Ferrari and $162,350 to buy a Porsche. Halstead was previous- ly sentenced to 10 years in prison. OWN-YOUR-OWN SITE business that offered consumers the chance to start their own websites with promises of big advertising revenue. The Federal Trade Commission had alleged in a lawsuit that North America Marketing & Associates charged consumers $100 to $400 to build and host websites, which generated little or no revenue. In addition, the FTC said, the company tried to sell customers more expensive plans. When customers started to complain, the FTC said, the company shut down and opened under a different name. NANNY JOB SCHEME A college student from Missouri thought she found a perfect summer job — as a nanny for a 6-year-old boy. Instead, the job turned out to be a scam that cost her more than $2,000, the Better Business Bureau said in a recent bulletin. A federal judge in Arizona has temporarily stopped a asked the student to purchase a wheelchair for her son, who she said had been injured in an unspecified acci- dent. The trouble started when the would-be employer The woman, who said she and her son were moving to Missouri from Oregon, mailed the student a $2,775 check to cover the wheelchair and her first week's salary of $375. A few days later, the woman called the student and said she had made other arrangements for the wheel- chair and asked her to return $2,400. It turns out there was no job, the check she had deposited was worthless and the student had to repay her bank the $2,400 she had withdrawn. If a potential employer asks for money, it's often a scam, the BBB said. GOLD COIN FRAUD The former owner of a Santa Monica precious metals company has agreed to pay $2 million to customers he defrauded, the Santa Monica city attorney's office said in a news release. The city attorney had alleged in a lawsuit that Bruce Sands and his company, Superior Gold Group, defraud- ed customers by persuading them to pay inflated prices for gold coins instead of gold bullion they had sought and, in some instances, failed to provide customers with coins they purchased. As part of a legal settlement, Sands is prohibited from owning precious metals companies or using mis- leading advertising for any business. No cure for inerstitial cystitis, but treatment help have interstitial cystitis. Medication hasn't helped much. Could dietary changes help? DEAR DOCTOR K: I and painful or frequent urination. Some patients need to urinate as often as 60 times a day. DEAR READER: In patients with interstitial cystitis (IC), the bladder wall becomes irritated or inflamed, causing pain The cause of IC remains a mystery. The symptoms of IC are often similar to those of a bacte- rial urinary tract infection. However, in IC, there is no bacterial infection and the symptoms do not respond to antibiotics. Diagnosing IC can be tricky. Some women with painful and frequent uri- nation, and no bacteria found on a urine culture, can actually have an infection of their urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder. Two sexually transmitted bac- James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 Shop terial infections, chlamy- dia and gonorrhea, can cause a urethral infection. Unfortunately, the usual urine culture does not detect them; special test- ing is necessary. When a person clearly has IC, there are several treatment options. Unfor- tunately, no single therapy has been particularly suc- cessful. You may need to try several before finding the right one or combina- tion of therapies. Because there is no cure for IC, the goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms. Dietary modifications can indeed help to control your symptoms. You should avoid smoking, A Full Service Nail Salon Debi Tips N Toes 20% Off to new clients Owner/Operator Antelope Blvd Suite "F" • Red Bluff Steaks 7 days a week Best Homemade Pies in Town Ice Cream Prime Rib Dinner every Friday & Saturday Night Orders to go 731 Main St., 530.529.4012 open 7 days 5:30am-9pm alcohol, caffeinated bev- erages, artificial sweeten- ers, spices and hot pep- pers, citrus fruits or juices, other high-acid foods such as tomatoes, and (unfortunately) chocolate. If other foods trigger your symptoms, avoid those as well. Other treatment options include: — Bladder training: Learn to reduce frequent urination by letting longer periods of time pass before urinating. This does not reduce pain. — Oral medications: Pentosan polysulfate sodi- um (Elmiron) is the only medication approved for the treatment of IC, but it is effective in only about one-third of patients. Other oral medications are not approved specifi- cally for IC but may offer relief. One such medicine is amitriptyline, a medicine first used for depres- sion. It also reduces pain caused by irritat- ed nerve endings. — Bladder distention: Sterile water is used to stretch the blad- der. Most patients feel worse for a couple weeks after the procedure. After that, up to half of patients feel better. This procedure LASSEN MEDICAL GROUP Expands Red Bluff Urgent Care to 7 days a week. www.lassenmedical.com 2450 Sister Mary Columba Drive (530) 527-0414 may work by increasing bladder capacity or inter- fering with pain signals. It is done under general anesthesia. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. nerve stimulation: Mild electrical impulses are passed into the body through wires placed below the navel, on the lower back, or inside the rectum or vagina. — Bladder instillation (blad- der wash): The bladder is tem- porarily filled with a sterile solution containing one of a number of ingre- dients that help relax the bladder and alleviate pain. — Electrical These treatments may sound a little harebrained and several of them are definitely uncomfortable, but they often work. My patients with IC generally have had no doubt that the disease was worse than the treatment. I'm hopeful that one day research will lead us to a treatment that is simple, painless and effective.