News for Seniors and Grandparents

Some tidbits I found while cruising the Web for you this week. Important news about aging airline pilots, the cost of your prescriptions, and vaccinations for adults.

From Aero-news.net – Aero News, an online publication, said United States aviation law discriminates against pilots. Not only by age, mind you, now they’re discriminating against pilots becasue they happen to be Americans. In this country, commercial airline pilots cannot fly once they are past the age of 60. In many other countries world, pilots don’t have to retire until age 65, and statistically, that has had no impact on passenger safety. After November 23, the FAA will allow pilots between 60 and 65, from other countries, to fly into the United States as long as they’re accompanied by a copilot under 60. But American pilots over 60, as of now, are grounded. This week, a couple dozen airline veterans began a two-day lobbying campaign in Washington to compel lawmakers to repeal that age-60 rule. So far, FAA wouldn’t listen to any sucj discussion. These flyers have solid statistics behind them -- about $1 billion per year could be saved in Social Security and benefits if pilots were able to fly at age 65. Five more years could offset financial losses pilots suffered with recent airline bankruptcies. It’s a hot potato of an issue, but the cool thing is, it’s another group of older Americans willing to stand and take action for what they want and need.

From WebMD – in this age of modern medicine, vaccinations are no longer just for children. Web MDU recently published an article listing the vaccinations you should be up to date on. It’s absolutely essential that you check with your doctor. Here’s the list:

Vaccinations you need

• Td (tetanus/diphtheria)
• MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
• IPV (polio)
• Varicella (chickenpox), unless you had chickenpox in the past

Boosters you probably should have

• Tetanus/diphtheria booster every 10 years
• Flu/influenza vaccine - every year once you’re over 50
• If you’re over 65, ask about the pneumococcal vaccine. It’s a shot with a one time revaccination, five years later.

Check these out carefully

• Hepatitis A, B and C
• Hib
• Meningococcal

If you’re traveling, there are others you want to consider or might be required to have.

Watch Wal-Mart and Target Stores – as of September 1, 65 Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Club pharmacies in Florida will offer some 300 popular generic prescription drugs at $4.00 per 30 day supply. According to what I read, if you have insurance with a co-pay over $4, Wal-Mart will still only charge you $4. When the big guys at Target Stores heard that, they agreed to match it. Right now, it’s a test program but Bill Simon, a vice president for Wal-Mart’s pharmacies, said the company hopes to expand to almost 4000 pharmacies nationwide by the first of February 2007. My mother always told me there’s no such thing as a free lunch; this program sounds like a lifesaver for a lot of seniors on fixed incomes. Face it, nearly all of us take some medicines and, even with insurance, they can get frighteningly expensive. If this program is as good as it looks, it’s a real big step in the right direction for American medical expenses. After the story broke, stock prices on other major pharmacy chains plummeted. Wal-Mart says they’re talking to 30 pharmaceutical companies, trying to expand the $4 list. Here’s the current list of drugs.

MORE:

Read detail about some vaccinations in a Suite101 microbiology article.

Find out, from another Suite101.com resource, why we need help with the price of drugs.