(EDITOR’S NOTE: Senator John
Heinz, chairman of the U.S. Senate
Special Committee on Aging, peri-
odically writes a column for the
aging. This. week’s topic is the
“Medicare trust fund.”)
Senator John Heinz (R-PA) said
recently he’ll introduce legislation
this month to ‘effectively restrain
cost increases and restore solvency
to the Medicare trust fund.”
Heinz told 4,000
professionals at a
National Council
on Aging confer-
ence that huge
increases in
health care costs
are a ‘‘clear and
present danger’’
to older Ameri-
cans and erode
ability to provide
other essential
social services.
Traditional approaches to cost
reform won’t halt spiraling costs
fast enough to prevent Medicare’s
projected bankruptey in 1990, Heinz
warned. ‘Neither the so- called com-
petitive approach nor a national
regulatory policy will work,” the
Chairman of the Special Committee
on Aging said. ‘The key is to
provide incentives to States to
implement their own reforms.”
Under the Medicare Incentives
Reform Act (MIRA), Federal regu-
f
simply setting health cost perform-
ance criteria for States to meet if
they want to qualify for Federal
financial incentives. The bill is
designed to hold down health cost
increases for all Americans while
actually improving benefits availa-
ble to Medicare beneficiaries. Spe-
cifically, the Heinz bill:
— provides financial incentives
for States to develop hospital costs
containment plans
— limits annual increases in Med-
— establishes incentives for physi-
payment in full for outpatient serv-
ices
— requires doctors to accept
assignment under Medicare for all
inpatient services
— establishes a physician fee
schedule that encourages preventive
and primary care and discourages
unnecessary hospitalization
— provides, ‘for .the first time,
coverage for unlimited hospital
days, limits out-of-pocket costs for
Medicare services to $400 annually
— eliminates the need for ‘‘Medi-
gap”’ supplementary insurance
— increases Federal excise taxes
on cigarettes and dedicates the rev-
enues to the HI trust fund.
Heinz said he was prepared for a
“tough and sustained” opposition to
his legislation from special interest
groups.
“But we must prevail,” the Sena-
tor said, “for nothing less than the
economic and health security of
present and future generations of
older Americans is at stake.”
The American Association of
Homes for the Aging (AAHA) is
urging all bells across the U.S. to
to 12:05 p.m. to announce the start
of Older Americans Month and
honor our nation’s elderly in a
particularly noteworthy manner.
Sheldon L. Goldberg, AAHA exec-
utive vice president, observed that
up till now, America has tended to
be a youth-oriented culture. But at
present over 27 million persons over
age 65 live in the United States. In
than double. By the year 2030, 20
percent of our population will be at
“Older Americans Month provides
an opportunity to reflect on the
ing population sector,” remarked
Goldberg. “What will all these older
people need in the way of housing,
health care and recreation by the
end of the century? Who will pay for
DR. VINCENT A. CARBONI
JOINS MERCY
MEDICAL OFFICES
Dr. Vincent A. Carboni has
announced the establishment of
his private practice of Pediatrics/
Adolescent Medicine and Allergy
both Children and Adults at the
recently-opened Mercy Medical
Offices, Lake Street, Dallas.
Support facilities at this location
include x-ray, laboratory and
physical therapy thus eliminating
the need for his patients to
travel to the city for testing and
treatment.
Originally from Trenton, N.J.,
Dr. Carboni received his Bache-
lor’s Degree from Drexel Univer-
sity, Philadelphia and his MD
from the University of Medicine
of New Jersey. He completed a
three-year Residency Program at
Monmouth Medical Center, Long
Branch, N.J. and is Board Certi-
fied in Pediatrics. Further train-
ing includes a two-year Fellow-
ship in Allergy and immunology
at St. Christopher’s Hospital for
Children, Philadelphia, and affili-
ate of Temple University. He is
Board Eligible in Allergy/Immu-
nology as well.
Dr. Carboni is a member of
several professional organiza-
tions which include: the Pennsyl-
vania Medical Society, Luzerne
County Medical Society, Ameri-
can Academy of Pediatrics and
the American Academy of Allergy
‘and Clinical Immunology. He is
on the staff of Mercy Hospital,
Wilkes-Barre and appointments
can be made through his office
by dialing 675-8289 weekday after-
noons.
He and his wife, Elaine, reside
in Dallas with their daughter and
a new arrival expected in July.
Dr. Carboni has stated that he is
looking forward to practicing
medicine in Dallas and becoming
part of the community. He has
extended an invitation to any
civic organization to give a talk in
either field of medicine. He
recently hosted a group of pre-
schoolers through the facilities
of Dallas in an effort to reduce
the anxiety of going to the
doctor’s and encourages other
day care groups to arrange a
visit.
their needs? Willthis burgeoning
elderly population be a drain on
society, or will these elders’ years
of experience and knowledge con-
tribute to the national good?”
The American Association of
Homes for the Aging hopes that
every bell in America - from the
great carillon bells of the U.S.
Capitol to small handbells worked
by young children - will join in this
effort to honor the aging by ringing
out their tributes to our elderly on
May 1 from noon to 12:05 p.m.
Money raised
junior at Wyoming Seminary, who
is already busy soliciting sponsors
for the American Cancer Society’s
fifth annual “Ride to Stop Cancer”
to be held Sunday, May 6 at 9 a.m.
at Dallas Senior High School. Evans
will defend his crown as winner of
the most sponsored dollars, an
award he won in last year’s event.
He also raised the most dollars in
the 1982 ride after winning a second
place in 1981.
All monies raised in the 25-mile
Back Mountain ‘Ride to Stop
Cancer” benefit the Wyoming
Valley Unit of the American Cancer
Society. The non-competitive, safe
and scenic ride is for bike riders of
all ages. Gift certificates and tro-
phies will be awarded in both male
and female categories for most ‘dol-
lars collected and most sponsors
pledged, and all riders will be eligi-
ble for a new 10-speed bicycle.
Joe Zone, sports director, WNEP-
TV, Channel 16, is this year’s honor-
ary chairman.
For registration forms and infor-
mation, call the Wyoming Valley
Unit of the American Cancer
Society at 825-7763. .
by the student council,
seated, are Katie Callahan,
Laurie
Shavertown; Susan
Wilkes-Barre.
wn
* Maple Creme
No matter if your dog’s a sporty
import or a home-grown, All-Ameri-
can model, Spring is the perfect
time to get him cleaned up, tuned
up and shaped up.
Start by looking at his coat. Fleas,
ticks and other parasites could be
hiding there. It should be clean,
smooth, shiny, free of splotches and,
of course, uninhabited by unwanted
varmits.
Clean your dog’s skin and coat
with a warm bath in commercial
dog shampoo or baby shampoo.
Block his ear canals with pieces of
facial tissue or cotton balls to pre-
vent water from going into the inner
ear. Wash his face with water only -
suds can hurt his eyes.
Rinse the coat well to remove all
shampoo. Dry him thoroughly, pat-
ting him down along with the grain
of the fur. Don’t forget the tissue in
the ear canals!
Now, get to the bottom of your
dog’s chassis, where the feet meet
the street, if you will. Your dog’s
paw pads should be free of split skin
and suspicious-looking cuts. Look
between the toes for fleas and ticks
hiding out there.
Toenails should just barely touch
the ground, not so long as to curl
around the pad. You or your vet can
trim your dog’s nails. To do it
yourself, use a commercial trim-
mer, follow directions and be care-
ful not to trim off too much nail and
cut into the blood vessels in the base
of the nail. Use a coarse file to
smooth the rough edges.
Next, take a closer look at your
dog’s head. His eyes should be
bright and clear, with healthy-look-
ing tissue on the bottom lids. It’s
normal for the eyes to secrete small
amounts of mucus that gather in the
corners. Carefully wipe it away with
a cotton ball.
The teeth should be clean with no
discoloration from tartar. Tartar is
a hard buildup of plaque, an invisi-
ble film that forms on all teeth.
Look for tartar on all tooth and gum
areas, especially in the back teeth.
Your vet can remove tartar before
it leads to more serious problems.
Spring is heartworm season.
Heartworms are microscopic-sized
internal parasites that are: spread
by mosquitoes as they breed in the
Spring. Once inside your dog, these §
tiny parasites work their way i
through your dog’s intestines to the
lungs. There they block the flow of
blood to th heart and brain with
fatal results. Your vet can tell from
a blood sample if your dog has
heartworm. The cost of such a te
is worth it to protect your pet from
this deadly disease.
As a responsible owner, you know
that preventive medicine is the best
way to protect your pet. Continuing
your regular visits to thevet and a
diet and exercise program will keep
your pet healthy and happy. ;
As for your dog’s diet, remember Li
that you are responsible for what 8
and how much your dog eats. The
overweight dog can develop heart
‘problems, leg problems, back prob-
lems, and simply not feel like get-
ting up and going on with an active
life.
Feed your pet a complete and
balanced diet. ‘‘Complete’” means
that the food meets recommended
daily allowances of vitamins, miner-
als, protein, energy and water.
“Balanced” means that the food
combines the wholesome nutrition
found in grains with nutritious meat
and bone meal.
Follow label directions for
amounts to feed according to your
dog’s weight and age.
Be sure to have fresh water avail-
able, especially in warmer weather.
A final diet tip;’ don’t give your dog
table scraps. They may be too
highly seasoned or salted for proper
digestion.
As for exercise in the warmer
months, consult with your vet about \
what kind and how much exercise is
best for your dog. Some breeds
aren’t built for long distance run-
ning, for example.
There’s much you can to do
tuneup yor dog for Spring. For 2
f r e,
dog owner’s manual on how to core
for, train and feed your pet, write to
Ken-L Ration, P.O. Box 3585, Dept.
A, Libertyville, IL 60198. -
It’s Spring at last. Blossoms are
about to burst and the days are
longer. Springtime. A time of
renewal. A time to renew old friend-
ships too. This spring, send a mes-
sage of friendship from UNICEF.
The spring collection of all-oceasion
note cards and stationery makes it
easy to renew friendships and
brightens faces of less fortunate
children of the world over at the
same time.
The United Nations Children’s
- Fund (UNICEF) now offers cards
and stationery to meet your station-
ery needs all yearlong. And the 1984
spring-summer collection is a very
special one.
Flowers and more flowers. Flow-
ers - in a rich bouquet of styles,
colors and textures - predominate in
the new collection. The ‘‘mini-
notes’’ feature bold and stylized
floral motifs taken from traditional
Japanese ‘‘hanafuda’ (literally,
“flower cards”) game cards.
Delicate pinks are strewn across
the blue background of an elegant
stationery set. Embossed buttercups
and campanulas stand outlike
cameos against lilac textured note
cards. A group of pastel miniature
bouquets are pretty enough ogg 1
frame.
What is even more beautiful about
UNICEF cards is that they offer a “0 9
brighter future for the less fortunate
of the world. UNICEF (not to be
confused with UNESCO) helps to
expand health services for children
in 115 developing countries.
To order a free spring-summer
catalog, or for information on the
sales outlet nearest you, call 800-228-
1666.
It has been said that an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.
That statement is particularly rele-
vant to The Valley Automobile
Club’s efforts to recruit area drivers
into its Defensive Driving Courses
to be held during Defensive Driving
Week, May 2-9.
Accidents, according to Pat Hig-
gins, Safety Director, Valley Auto
Club, are the leading cause of death
among persons aged one through 38,
and traffic accidents are, by far, the
most frequent cause of accidental
death. Yet, few persons, Higgins
said, give much thought to the
hazards they face when they drive,
and even fewer consider ways to
defend themselves against those
hazards.
“The time to take action against
Subscribe To
The Post
675-5211
traffic accidents,” Higgins said, ‘is
before they happen. That is the
philosophy behind the National
Safety Council’s Defensive Driving
Course.”
The course, Higgins said, will be
offered to the general public in
special classes scheduled during
Defensive Driving Week. Taught by
National Safety Council-certified
instructors, the eight-hour class-
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defenses “against the hazards and /
act in time to avoid accidents.
Higgins said students in the
course will use films and other
visual aids to analyze accidents and
study their causes, determining
ways that the accidents could have
been prevented. Topics of study
include rear-end collisions, intersecp
tion accidents, head-on collisions,
executing passing maneuvers safely
and avoiding accidents with pedes-
trians. The effects of alcohol, drugs
an fatigue on driving performance
also will be studied, Higgins said.
“The most important benefit of {
the course,” Higgins said, “is the ¥
extra margin of protection that this
training provides against the trag-
edy of traffic accidents. The Defen-
sive Driving Course is an invest-
ment in safety that no driver should
pass up,” he said.
Persons interested in taking the
course, according to Higgins, should
contact The Valley Automobile Club
at 824-2444 to register for this class.
There is no charge for this pro-
gram. All materials used in this
course are courtesy of The Valley
Automobile Club. |
The class will be conducted at the |
Pennsylvania State Police head-
quarters, 475 Wyoming Avenue,
Wyoming.
ATTENTION CD BUYERS
11.1%
TAX DEFERRED
CALL JOHN HOLLAND
AT 800-342-2393
E. F. HUTTON & CO.
COURTHOUSE SQUARE TOWER
WILKES-BARRE, PA 18702
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