Health, Home & Family
(NAPSI)—One of the most common human parasitic infestations around, head lice affect an estimated 6-12 million Americans annually, most of them children.
If your kids are at risk, here’s something you should know: Catching lice early is vital to helping stop the spread of these itchy pests.
What To Do
- Since it can take 4 to 6 weeks for symptoms such as itching to show up, it’s a good idea to make weekly lice checks a habit at home to stop an infestation before it gets out of control.
- Don’t share items that touch the head. Teach children to keep their hats, helmets, brushes, headbands, scarves and other items to themselves.
- When possible, have children wear long hair pulled back.
- Catch it early. If you notice your child scratching his head, do a thorough check.
- Act quickly. If you are notified of an outbreak, immediately check your child’s hair, searching for nits close to the scalp or sores from scratching at the nape of the neck or behind the ears. Check all family members using a nit comb. Apply a 50/50 solution of conditioner and water to the hair to make combing easier. Work under bright light and watch for movement. Examine the comb after each stroke.
- Don’t worry and don’t blame the child. Even if your kid does bring home lice, it’s not the end of the world. There are affordable pesticide-free over-the-counter products that can help you treat the problem without having to spend a lot of time or money on going to a clinic.
By Blanca Taylor
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist
Marriage is a tradition that exists on every continent and in nearly every country. Having a partner not only means creating a family unit, it means sharing things like a home and other property. Understanding how your future retirement might affect your spouse is important. When you’re planning for your retirement, here are a few things to remember:
Your spouse’s benefit amount could be up to 50 percent of your spouse’s full retirement age amount, if you are full retirement age when you take it. If you qualify for a benefit from your own work history and a spouse’s record, we always pay your own benefit first. You cannot receive spouse’s benefits unless your spouse is receiving his or her retirement benefits (except for divorced spouses). If you took your reduced retirement first while waiting for your spouse to reach retirement age, when you add spouse’s benefits later, your own retirement portion remains reduced, which causes the total retirement and spouses benefit together to total less than 50 percent of the worker’s amount. You can find out more about this at www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/quickcalc/spouse.html. Continue reading
(NAPS)—May is Older Americans Month! Staying connected to the community is a key ingredient to healthy and successful aging. But for many older adults, staying connected can be difficult. Fortunately, older adults and their caregivers can contact the Eldercare Locator to learn about local programs and resources that can help them stay engaged and active in their communities.
Programs funded through the Older Americans Act provide older adults with many ways to stay active and involved in the community. For example, exercise classes, educational programs, volunteer opportunities and other health and wellness activities are available to older adults in communities around the country. Continue reading
(NAPS)—When it comes to home entertainment, one of the latest innovations in TV viewing is really one of the oldest: the antenna—and budget-conscious consumers are thrilled.
How It Works
These days, with a new smart TV or inexpensive antenna, you can “cut the cord” and discover a vast array of shows and specials, new and nostalgic, via what’s called a diginet or digital subchannel. In 2009, the government changed the way that local stations broadcast their signals, moving them from old-fashioned “analog” signals to newer, more efficient “digital” signals.
That allowed every local broadcast channel to divide up its spectrum into multiple feeds—in the room that it used to take it to air just one channel, it can now air three or four additional digital channels (not just, say, Channel 4, but Channel 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and so on), while still maintaining high picture quality. Continue reading
(NAPS)—If you’re like most people, changing the settings on your computer or smartphone can be a frustrating experience, full of technological jargon, confusing menus and complicated controls.
That’s why the digital advertising industry decided to create a simple and intuitive way for people to get information and make choices about certain types of online ads they get. It’s as easy as clicking a blue triangle.
In the corner of many online and mobile ads today, there’s a little blue triangle, sometimes labeled “AdChoices” or “Your AdChoices.” That triangle is known as the YourAdChoices icon, and it can be your gateway to trustworthy information and control over digital ads. Continue reading
(NAPSI)—Millions of Americans get Social Security disability benefits yet want to work. They may be glad to know about a federal program that can help them enter the workforce while maintaining access to benefits. Thanks to Social Security’s Ticket to Work program, free employment support services help people prepare for work, find jobs or progress in their careers.
Many of these people are concerned about what employment would mean for their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. There’s no need to worry. Social Security Work Incentives make it easier for adults with disabilities to explore work while continuing to receive benefits. Some of these incentives make it possible for people to test their ability to work without immediately losing Medicare or Medicaid coverage. Others let people whose disability interferes with employment start receiving benefits again without needing to submit a new application under certain conditions. Because everyone’s situation is different, job seekers are encouraged to talk with a professional Benefits Counselor. These are trained experts who help people make informed decisions about employment. To find one, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1 (866) 968-7842 or 1 (866) 833-2967 (TTY). Continue reading
(NAPS)—It’s a tragedy: Every day, 22 U.S. veterans take their own lives—a needless loss of 8,000 service members a year.
The Problem
Returning veterans may experience divorce, joblessness, homelessness and hopelessness.
The often-devastating effects of mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress (PTS), plus the loss of their military community support, can cause a downward spiral.
Symptoms of mTBI include headaches and problems with balance, sleep, vision and memory. Emotional signs include depression and anxiety. But today’s treatment approaches and therapeutic technologies offer hope for veterans feeling overwhelming physical and emotional pain from these invisible wounds of war. Continue reading
By Blanca Taylor
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist Social Security and Medicare are both programs that are household names, but do you know the true difference? Both programs help safeguard millions of Americans as well as improve the quality of life for their family and friends. While Social Security offers retirement, disability, and survivors benefits, Medicare provides health insurance.
Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older and younger people receiving Social Security disability benefits. The program helps with the cost of health care, but it doesn’t cover all medical expenses or the cost of most long-term care.
When you first enroll in Medicare and during certain times of the year, you can choose how you get your Medicare coverage. There are 2 main ways to get Medicare: Continue reading
By Blanca Taylor
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist
Scammers have become more aggressive and sophisticated in the digital age. With millions of people relying on Social Security and Medicare, scammers target audiences who are looking for legitimate program and benefit information. Scammers sometimes try to scare people into giving out their personal information. Never give someone who called you any personal information unless you absolutely know who they are.
The law that addresses misleading Social Security and Medicare advertising prohibits people or non-government businesses from using words or emblems that mislead others. Their advertising can’t claim that they represent, are somehow affiliated with, or are endorsed or approved by Social Security or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Medicare). Continue reading
Food Safety Education Staff
Press Inquiries (202) 720-9113
Consumer Inquiries (888) 674-6854
WASHINGTON, Aug. 05, 2019 — Summer is coming to an end and families across the country are trading in beach balls and roller blades for backpacks and notebooks. But back-to-school time is also followed by cold and flu season. Having the whole family follow some simple healthy behaviors can help them avoid all kinds of illnesses this time of year, including a topic we get lots of questions about: foodborne illness. Proper handwashing is the best thing you can do to stop the spread of germs and avoid getting your little ones sick.
“USDA research in collaboration with RTI International and NC State University has found that consumers are failing to properly wash their hands 97 percent of the time.” said Dr. Mindy Brashears, Deputy Under Secretary Food Safety. “Washing hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent illness, including foodborne illness.”
Be sure that everyone follows these steps: Continue reading
