Medicare Resources

This column has covered topics such as finding information about Medicare and researching safety ratings of nursing homes. On a related topic, we recently discovered a new e-newsletter for caregivers of those on Medicare.

The e-newsletter is entitled Ask Medicare. The November/December issue of the newsletter may be found at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MyHealthMyMedicare/downloads/AskMedicare_nov2008.pdf

The current issue includes information about 2009 Part B premiums, Medicare’s coverage of flu shots, and the open enrollment period.  Of special interest is information from the Administration on Aging for caregiver support including respite services and local resources. Finally, the e-newsletter provides information on ways to prevent falls.

Each topic provides a link for more information, an easy shortcut to find needed information quickly.

Children’s Toys and Products

During the holiday season, as you make your gift giving list, you may want to check it twice. One review for completeness, and a second check against the Children’s Product Safety Act (430 ILCS 125/1 et seq.) recall list.

Enforced by the Illinois Attorney General, the Children’s Product Safety Act requires manufacturers and retailers to provide notice to consumers when products intended for children have been deemed unsafe. Although the public often becomes aware of dangerous children’s products when the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency charged with regulation of this area, investigates and issues a recall, by the time a recall is issued dangerous products are already on store shelves and in consumers’ homes. To protect consumers from unsafe products, pursuant to the Act, the Illinois Attorney General requires that Illinois retailers remove dangerous products from store shelves and post recall notices in prominent locations in the store. In addition, Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s staff monitors online secondhand markets for recalled children’s products.

Additional information about the Act and merchants’ responsibilities under it may be found on the Illinois Attorney General’s Web site: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/recall.html or by calling the Attorney General’s recall hotline at 1-888-414-7678. You may also wish to sign up for e-mail notification of new recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission at: http://www.cpsc.gov/.