All Posts in "Everything Else"

1. Changes in temperature impact tire pressure.  Check your tire’s air pressure at least once a month and keep them inflated to manufacturer’s recomendations (usually printed on the vehicle door placard or owner’s manual).
2. Check the tires tread depth. As rain falls, it mixes with grime and oil on the road creating slick conditions. Driving at a slower pace allows more of the tire’s tread to make contact with the road, which leads to better traction.
3. If your car skids, remember not to slam on the brakes. Apply firm, steady pressure to the brakes and steer the car in the direction of the skid.
4. It takes about three times longer to brake on wet roads than on dry roads. Since more distance is required to brake, it is important to not tailgate. Keep a little more than two car lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you.
5. Avoid using your brakes. Whenever possible, slow down by taking your foot off the accelerator.
6. Wet-weather driving demands gentle use of all the main controls – steering, clutch, brake and accelerator – and a larger allowance for errors and emergencies. Turn your headlights on, even in a light rain. All motorists should regularly check that their headlights, rear lights, brake lights and turn indicators are working properly.
7. Ninety percent of driving decisions are based on visual input alone. Heavy rain can overload wiper blades, allowing an almost continuous sheet of water to flow over the screen. Inspect your wiper blades and replace them if they are cracked, torn, cut or streaking.  When visibility is so limited that the edges of the road or other vehicles cannot be seen at a safe distance despite your wiper blades, it is time to safely pull over and wait for the rain to ease up. Keep your headlights on and turn on your hazard warning lights to alert other drivers.
8. Cloudy weather reduces visibility. Use extra caution when passing other vehicles.
9. If you have driven through standing water deep enough to get your brake shoes wet, apply the brakes lightly to dry them.
10. Don’t drive while fatigued.  Stop at least every couple of hours or every hundred miles to rest.
11. Before taking a long trip, ensure your car is properly tuned.

-compiled from Goodyear resources

Bonnie Dickson by — September 25, 2012 in Everything Else

You don’t have to have a terrible disease to have your life as a driver curtailed.  AAA recently announced that nearly 80 percent of drivers 65 and older take regular medication, yet only about half have talked to their doctors about the impact of these medications to their driving was launched to offer  SeniorDriving.AAA.com to offer assessment tools, expert advice and resources.  It is a 45-minute screening tool on the site that uses short videos and tests to help you assess how aging is impacting your driving.  “Roadwise Rx” allows you to enter your prescriptions to find out how they may impact your driving skills.

AARP is one of several places that offers driver safety classes each month.  For a nominal fee, drivers can take a refresher course and learn about how aging impacts your driving ability and what you can do to reduce the likelihood of getting into an accident.  You can find AARP’s drivers schedule on page 17.

Bonnie Dickson by — September 25, 2012 in Everything Else

One in three adults 65 and older falls each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and that number has risen sharply over the past decade.  Falls are the leading cause of injury death for older Americans and they can significantly limit the ability of older adults to age in place.   Falls are not a normal part of aging and there are a variety of measures individuals can take to reduce their chances of having a serious fall.  One of the easiest methods is to get educated about what causes falls, how to avoid them and what things in your personal life can be altered to reduce your risk.  To focus attention on this, Governor Gregoire has proclaimed the week of Sept. 22 as Fall Prevention Week.

The Peninsula Fall Prevention Coalition is offering an educational day on Sept. 27 from 10 to 2 p.m. at the 27th at the HOPE Center, 8502 Skansie Avenue, in Gig Harbor for community members to get valuable information on how to prevent falls, including demonstrations, methods and materials to increase body strength, household safety tips and the part diet and medicine can have on influencing balance.

“The coalition is made up of a large number of area businesses, residents and professionals who work together to provide information and develop programs to help reduce the risks of fall related injuries in our community,” said Vicki Main, community relations director for Visiting Angels and one of the board members.  The coalition has put on the event since 2010.   If you are interested in becoming involved with the Peninsula Fall Prevention Coalition contact Prevention Specialist, Nanette Tatom at 253-851-5111 at Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One.

Contributing Author by — September 15, 2012 in Everything Else

Face the music…bite the bullet…take our medicine…we have a lot of phrases for it.

They amount to the same issue:  difficult choices involve options that are equally charming…or equally  ugly.

Have the surgery?…or tough it out and hope that (benign) tumor will not grow too fast?  Support your son’s fourth career move…or let him know you have some serious doubts?  Move to a smaller, more manageable condo…or keep the old place near the church and the friends you’ve made in the past 40 years?

Even a decision to be generous can be leave us on a teeter- totter.  Shall we send a check to support the scholarship find at the college where our daughter had a shaky start, but finally settled down?  Or would it make more sense to give that money to a homeless shelter, where we know it will have an immediate impact?

Here’s a different way to frame the situation.  Imagine you are holding a pair of playing cards.  Their face value is not important.  But 10 feet away from you on the carpet a pair of magic fish bowls wait for you to toss those cards.   You can trust your luck and toss both, hoping one of them lands in a bowl.  The bowls, by the way, are symbols of your challenging life choices.
Here’s the magic:  if you choose ONE of those cards, it does not matter which one, the fish bowls merge and triple in size, making it far more likely that your choice will pay off.

Guaranteed?  No.  The point of this exercise is to show how choosing improves our odds.  Putting our whole heart into anything tends to do that.  In other words, if you were 50 percent more sure your choice would pay off, would your choice be simpler?

Using the example of making a gift to charity, assume the decision was correct….which result would satisfy you most?

Finally, you can always test the waters; make a smaller gift first…see how it is received, what feedback you get, and how your modest gift is used.  In other words, don’t wait until the curtains are closing on the final act.  Pick a card, any card.

Mike Robinson is Senior Vice President of Planned Giving for United Way of Pierce County.  Please consult a qualified estate planner before making a gift in your will.

Contributing Author by — September 15, 2012 in Everything Else