In the News ;
; Online
71Average number of covered days of hospice care used per Medicare beneficiary in 2008.
Bedbugs Put Bite on Older Adults
Bedeviled by bedbugs, Lela Gause, 64, and her boy- friend, James Anthony, 64, sleep on a pair of mat- tresses in the center of their studio apartment, located in a building run by the Trenton (N.J.) Housing Author- ity. Several waves of infestations have ruined their clothes and furniture, and few people visit the couple for fear of possibly carrying the para- sitic insects home with them. ; “We’ve wit- nessed really bad infestations in older adult communities and literally had [bedbugs] walking on clothes as we talk to residents,” says Jeffrey White, a research entomologist for BedBugCentral.com, in Lawrenceville, N. J. ; Bedbugs can be especially problem- atic for older people, who may not see them because of diminished eyesight. In one severely infested apartment building in Kentucky, 76 percent of older residents reported no bite reactions, one study
revealed. That may be because older adults are often less responsive to allergens be-
cause of medications they take, according to Beth Miller, M. D., of the University of Ken-
tucky. If bites go unnoticed, the problem can spread unchecked. —Maureen McDonald
Grandma’s
Tattoo
; Meet the Harple family,
whose women sport a small
tattoo of an anchor, each in
a di;erent place, to signify
their deep connection to sail-
ing. Even the 80-year-old
matriarch got into the act.
Watch the story of how this
grandma got her tattoo.
aarp.org/tattoo
; Now Hear This People, Trends and Ideas
Vino Tapping
Cabernet in a keg? You may
find it, now that more res-
taurants and wine bars are
serving vino on tap, just like
beer. Restaurateurs say tap-
ping makes sense: There are
no bottles, corks or cartons,
which reduces costs and re-
cycling. And kegged wine re-
mains unspoiled because the
inert gas used to push the drink through the line protects
it without affecting taste. Andrew Bell of the American
Sommelier Association says taps may “revolutionize” wine
stewards’ role: “We have an opportunity to lower the carbon
footprint and deliver more value to our guests.”
Bowled Over
Ron Gooch, 52, legally blind since birth,
reached bowling nirvana recently when
he rolled a perfect game of 300—that’s
12 consecutive strikes. He is believed
to be one of 11 legally blind bowlers to
do so. The Morris, Ill., resident says his
dad taught him to line up his feet using
lane markers and let the ball fly; pins
appear only as strips of light to him.
Gooch’s advice to others: “Stay at it,
stick to it, don’t give up.” Eric Kearney
of the United States Bowling Congress
says the sport has no boundaries: “We
are proud that bowling is inclusive of
everyone.” —Mike Tucker
Welcome
Aboard
; Check out Social
Security Mailbox, a new
weekly Q&A column by
Stan Hinden, a former
Washington Post reporter
with a wealth of experience
on retirement issues.
aarp.org/ssmailbox
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Call 1-866-504-7300 toll-free or go to nfbnewsline.org.
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