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Category: November 2016

Prepare for Health Insurance Decision Making

Posted on by Marci Metz
Nora Rhoades Family and Youth Development Agent
Nora Rhoades
Family and Youth
Development Agent

The fall months are a popular time to make health insurance decisions. Many employers, the Health Insurance Marketplace, and some public programs, such as Medicare, utilize the fall as the one time each year you can change or renew insurance coverage.

Medicare open enrollment is October 15, 2016 through December 7. Medicare Open Enrollment is an annual opportunity for individuals with Medicare eligibility to make changes to Medicare Advantage or Medicare prescription drug coverage for the following year. You can get free, un-biased health insurance counseling from a SHICK (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas) Counselor. To identify a SHICK Counselor in your area, contact the Post Rock Extension District or the Kansas Agency on Aging office in your area.

Open enrollment through the Kansas Health Insurance Marketplace for next year’s coverage will begin November 1, 2016. December 15 is the last day to enroll or change an insurance plan through the Marketplace for coverage to start January 1, 2017. January 31 is the last day to enroll in or change a 2017 health plan. After this date, you can enroll or change plans only if you qualify for a special enrollment period. Cover Kansas Navigators are trained, un-biased volunteers who can assist you with making decisions in the Marketplace. To identify a Navigator in your area, call the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 or contact the Post Rock Extension District.

Contact your local Post Rock Extension District office or email Nora Rhoades at nrhoades@ksu.edu to access resources that can provide assistance as you work through the health insurance decision-making process.

By:  Nora Rhoades

Fighting Colds and Flu (As seen in You Asked It!)

Posted on by Marci Metz
Ashley Svaty Nutrition, Food Safety and Health Agent
Ashley Svaty
Nutrition, Food Safety
and Health Agent

With reports of the flu already affecting people, it is time to do what you can to protect yourself from colds and flu. Here are some tips:

  1. Get a flu shot. While no flu vaccine is 100% effective, it does reduce your risk flu-related hospitalization.
  2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Five servings a day gives you many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system. Fresh, frozen or canned varieties are all beneficial.
  3. Get up and walk! Even a brisk 20 minute walk in cold weather every day can reduce cold and flu symptoms.
  4. Vitamin E builds the immune system. It can help the body’s response to the flu vaccine and risks of upper respiratory infections.
  5. Consume foods rich in zinc which are found in meats and poultry, legumes, whole grains and nuts plus fortified cereals. Don’t overdo it as too much can be harmful.
  6. Lose weight. A reduction in weight can improve the immune response. Always follow your doctor’s recommendations for best results.
  7. Drink fluids. Water, or even green tea, is beneficial to reduce inflammation.
  8. Wash your hands. This cannot be emphasized enough. Wash frequently and avoid rubbing your eyes and nose with dirty hands.
  9. Sleep cures many things. Research has shown a link between a brain-specific protein and sleep that can fight flu symptoms.
  10. Know your body. When you feel tired and run down, that stresses your immune system and increases your chance of illness.

What about vitamin C? While many think taking a lot of vitamin C can keep illness away, the science does not back this up. Vitamin C supplements will not prevent you from getting a cold, but might shorten the duration of illness.

If you are ill, stay home. This will help reduce the spread of colds and flu. For more information on influenza, see www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm and for colds, see www.cdc.gov/Features/Rhinoviruses/index.html

Source: Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, October 2016

By:  Ashley Svaty

Show Fondness and Admiration

Posted on by Marci Metz

Sometimes it is easier to criticize and find fault, rather than recognize positive qualities about the special person in your life. Expressing fondness, encouragement, admiration, and appreciation toward each other – often in small and unexpected ways – goes a long way in maintaining strong c5-to-1ouple relationships.

Good relationships are more easily maintained when there are five positive interactions for every one negative interaction. This 5:1 ratio helps keep a relationship out of trouble over time.

To learn more about making your relationship stronger, check out the KSRE resource CoupleTALK: Enhancing Your Relationships.

By:  Nora Rhoades

Dealing With Holiday Stress

Posted on by Marci Metz

Explore suggestions to dealing with unwanted stress throughout the holiday season. Recognize potential triggers in advance and develop strategies to cope with, decrease, and eliminate stressors that keep you and your family from enjoying the season.zebra

Read the latest Building Strong Families issue at http://www.postrock.k-state.edu/home-family/monthly-column/building-strong-families/ to explore:

  • Setting expectations
  • Making connections
  • Self-care
  • Teaching kids to keep things in perspective
  • Selecting toys for children

By:  Nora Rhoades

Leftovers and Food Safety

Posted on by Marci Metz

leftovers-and-food-safety

  • Refrigerated leftovers are only good for 3-4 days. Throw away those lingering leftovers.
  • Keep your refrigerator at 40ᵒF or below.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours to reduce your risk of food borne illness.
  • Refrigerate large casseroles or soups in a shallow dish or pan to allow for quicker cooling.
  • Throw away all perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and casseroles, left at room temperature longer than two hours.

By:  Ashley Svaty

12 Tips to Save Energy Dollars

Posted on by Marci Metz

Saving energy and money go hand-in-hand. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has identified 12 simple ways consumers can save both. For more energy saving information, visit energysaver.gov or energystar.gov.

  • Air Dry – Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
  • Turn It Off – Use timers and motion detectors to turn off lights. Unplug TV entertainment systems when travelling (use power strips for easy on/off switching), and don’t leave your computer and monitor on needlessly.
  • Don’t Get Burned with Hot Water – Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120F. Water heaters are the second highest source of home energy use.
  • Fill It Up, Please – Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
  • Keep ‘Em Clean – Check furnace, heat pump, and AC filters once a month, replace regularly. Dirty filters can increase energy costs and damage equipment.
  • Get a Check Up – Get your heating system checked once a year. A licensed professional will make sure that your system is operating efficiently and safely.
  • Stop the Breeze – Caulk and weather-strip around drafty doors and windows.
  • Get an Audit – Your utility company may offer free energy audits that can identify expensive energy losses in your basement, unfinished rooms, attics and leaky ductwork. Sealing your ducts can give big savings on energy bills.
  • Take a Walk – Circle your home with an easy-to-use spray foam insulation. Look for openings and gaps around pipes, chimneys, lights, windows, and brick and cement work.
  • Get with the Program – Install a programmable thermostat which automatically adjusts the temperature during the day or at night, keeping you from forgetting as you dash off to work. This can save you up to $100 a year.
  • Stay Bright – As “old-school” incandescent light bulbs burn out, replace them with new, light emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) and save about $90 a year in electricity costs. You pay more up-front, but shop around, prices are dropping. They use up to 25% less energy and can last up to twelve times longer.
  • Be a Star – Look for products and appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR label. They meet strict new energy efficiency criteria that will reduce your utility bills and help the environment. For example, an ENERGY STAR clothes washer uses about 40% less water and 25% less energy than standard models.

By:  Nora Rhoades