How to help your garden survive a drought

 (ARA) - For many American gardeners, 2012 has not been a kind year. Most of the Midwest is dealing with one of the worst droughts on record. And while the Midwest is bearing the brunt of the drought this year, other parts of the country have also been hit hard in recent years, and climate change may be making matters worse. Since a drought can strike any year, anywhere, it makes sense to come up with a sustainable plan for helping your garden survive through the driest summers.

Whether you're in the middle of a drought-stricken area or are simply looking for ways to upgrade your garden to handle a lack of moisture in coming seasons, now is a great time to embark on some improvements that can help your garden use water more efficiently and effectively.

Watering effectively

When it comes to watering your garden, how you water is just as important as how frequently you water, especially during a drought. Think of it as providing the proper serving size of water for your plants. Over-saturating your garden can lead to soil and important nutrients running off your garden, along with wasting precious water. The most efficient way to irrigate is to apply lower volumes of water at a slower rate to allow the plant to absorb it properly.

Timing's important too. Watering early in the morning is best because water will evaporate faster in the midday heat. If conditions are extremely hot and dry, it can also be beneficial to give your plants a little water in the late afternoon to relieve their stress.

Micro-spray and drip irrigation can help you water more accurately and effectively. Drip irrigation allows you to apply water directly to the root zone of your plants, which is where they need it most. Water isn't wasted on areas where nothing is growing, which both saves water and reduces erosion.

The great thing about drip irrigation systems such as those offered by Mister Landscaper (misterlandscaper.com) is you don't need to bring them in for the winter, making mid- to late-season installation practical. The American-made Mister Landscaper systems can also be placed on a timer, so you don't have to worry about getting up at dawn or rushing home at night after a hot and dry day to water at the optimal time.

Keeping water on your property

When water is scarce, you want to make sure that when the rain comes - or when you have the sprinklers on - that your garden is able to use as much of it as possible. Here are a few tips for making the most out of the water that falls on your property:

* Attach a rain barrel to your gutter system so you can save and use the water that runs off your house. Some irrigation systems, such as those offered by Mister Landscaper, can be connected to rain barrels so you can really use that water efficiently.

* Put back into your soil what you take from it. Adding compost or other organic matter periodically can help amend dry soil to retain more water.

* Adding mulch around plants once they've sprouted can also help you conserve water. The benefit is two-fold as a layer of mulch can prevent weeds from sprouting up and stealing water from your plants and it can also keep your soil cooler to slow evaporation.

Weathering a drought is less than ideal for any home gardener. But if you are able to water more effectively and adopt a few gardening practices that will keep your soil from drying out rapidly, you can keep your garden going strong even when the rain is hard to come by.

Medical identity theft rising: Steps to protect yourself

(ARA) - Two million Americans fall victim to medical identity theft each year, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute, commissioned by Experian's ProtectMyID. While medical identity theft costs victims an average of $22,346, the potential impact can be far greater - medical identity theft could cost some victims their health, or even their lives.

Medical identity theft involves the theft of personal information - such as your name, Social Security number or Medicare number - to obtain medical care, purchase drugs or submit false claims to Medicare. The crime can damage a victim's credit rating and even be life-threatening if it causes incorrect information to appear in a victim's personal medical records, warns the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

According to the study, while more Americans now understand just what medical identity theft is, few are taking the key steps that could help prevent it. Only 57 percent of survey respondents check their medical records for accuracy, and nearly one in five (18 percent) say they don't care about the accuracy of their medical records.

"There are specific things that people can and should do to protect themselves from medical identity theft," says Ken Chaplin, senior vice president of ProtectMyID. "People have to be vigilant with their personal information and avoid letting their guard down, even with family and friends."

The Federal Trade Commission recommends you take these steps to help prevent medical identity theft:

* Before you share medical information with anyone, verify who you're talking to. Never provide information over the phone or through the mail unless you initiated the contact and you're confident you're dealing with a legitimate organization. Be aware that medical identity thieves often try to scam consumers by posing as representatives of insurance companies, doctor's offices, pharmacies and even government agencies.

* Protect your information. Keep paper copies of medical or insurance records and forms in a secure, locked file or drawer. When managing your health or insurance accounts online, be wary of any site that asks you to share sensitive information like your Social Security number, insurance account number or details of your medical conditions. Look for the hallmarks that a website is secure, including a web address (URL) that begins with "https" (the "s" stands for "secure") and a lock symbol in the lower right-hand corner of the page.

* Picking through trash is a common ploy of identity thieves. Shred your discarded health insurance forms, bills and medical records before disposing of them. Destroy the labels on your prescription pill bottles and packages before throwing them away.

The OIG also offers tips for medical identity theft protection, including:

* Treat your Medicare and Social Security numbers and cards as carefully as you would your credit cards.

* Be wary of anyone who asks for your Medicare number in exchange for "free" medical equipment or services. If what they're offering is really free, they shouldn't need your numbers.

* Never let anyone use your Medicare ID card. The Ponemon survey found that a growing number of survey respondents (5 percent more in 2012 than in 2011) have allowed a family member to use their personal identification to obtain medical services, including treatment, healthcare products or pharmaceuticals. Doing so is against the law, and may afford unscrupulous individuals the chance to use that information for unauthorized purposes.

According to the Ponemon survey, it takes, on average, about a year to resolve an instance of medical identity theft, and a quarter of the survey respondents said it took more than two years. As with a serious medical issue, resolution can be made more challenging depending on how long the problem is allowed to fester.

Take an active role in protecting your medical information from identity thieves. Check your medical records regularly and keep an eye on all your financial and credit accounts. Products like ProtectMyID can help. A comprehensive identity theft detection, protection and resolution product, it can help you prevent the damages caused by identity theft.

"Medical identity theft hits consumers both medically and financially," says Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "For three years in a row, our findings have consistently shown that medical identity theft crime continues to increase in terms of prevalence and costs to the victim."

Exercise is Key to Successful Aging

Seniors are sweating a lot of things these days, but in at least one case, this is a good thing. People from their 60s to their 80s are demanding much higher levels of physical fitness facilities and programs. At neighborhood gyms and retirement communities throughout the country, a pronounced fitness and wellness trend is making itself felt.

The physical and mental benefits of vigorous exercise have become increasingly clear in recent years. So has the linkage with fitness and diet. Lastly, the social benefits of fitness and wellness classes are being recognized as a powerful benefit as well as a marketing tool to get seniors into pools and onto treadmills, bikes, and cross trainers. Read More.

What Retirees Do All Day

Here’s how retirees are using their leisure time

When you retire, you gain eight or more extra hours of leisure time each day. Retirees are generally using that extra time to linger a little longer over meals, sleep, do household chores, and watch a lot more TV, according to recently released American Time Use Survey data for 2011. Here's how people age 65 and older are filling their days: Read More.

Senior Trips: Greycations Rock with the Whole Family

The U.S. Travel Industry Association estimates that more than 5 million family vacations a year in the United States now encompass three generations, with grandparents often footing the bill. Multi-generational travel is a hot trend, having increased from 22 to 32 percent in the last five years, with the phenomenon expected to grow as the U.S. population ages. Read More.

Honda UNI-CUB: what is it and why would you want one?

If you've ever thought "wouldn't it be great if I could move around the place merely by twitching my buttocks?" then we've got good news for you: the Honda UNI-CUB could well be the answer to your lazy prayers. It's a "personal mobility device" that enables you to scoot about the place like something out of WALL-E. So what is it, and why has Honda built it? Read More.

Seniors disproportionally harmed by medical errors

HARTFORD -- Families must play a key role in preventing overmedication of seniors suffering from dementia, state and local officials said Monday.
Increased communications among patients, their families and hospital staff, particularly care-giving aides and nurses, can go a long way toward cutting down on the overuse of drugs, they said during a two-and-a-half-hour field hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging led by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
Overmedicating is one issue facing seniors seeking medical help. Seniors are disproportionally affected by medical errors, with one in seven Medicare beneficiaries harmed in the course of care, according to federal health officials. Read More