Opinions

From the Editor’s Files You have to be able to laugh at yourself...and when you couple that with big doses of humility, you're in for an interesting day. I guess I had one of those days this past Friday, all brought on by some random acts of poor judgment on my part.

Random Thoughts Most days, I don't need a reminder that I'm on the wrong side of 50. My pill organizer is a ready reminder that I see as part of my morning routine and again right before I go to bed.

Savvy Senior Dear Savvy Senior, Who should be screened for lung cancer and how is it covered by Medicare? I used to smoke but quit many years ago and am wondering if I need to be tested. Just Turned 65 Dear Just Turned, Even if you haven’t touched a cigarette in decades, you could still be due for an annual lung cancer screening, based on new recommendations from the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Dear Savvy Senior, What types of funeral benefits are available to old veterans? My 83-year-old father, who has Alzheimer’s disease, served during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Planning Ahead Dear Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Cemetery Administration actually offers a variety of underutilized burial benefits to veterans as well as their spouses and dependents.

Driving out to St. Rose last Friday for John Hillman's funeral was a lot like pulling in to one of his auctions.

Random Thoughts At the beginning of last week, NFL star center Jason Kelce held a press conference to announce his retirement from football. The announcement itself was not really a surprise.

Savvy Senior Dear Savvy Senior, Does Medicare offer any financial assistance programs to help seniors with their medication costs? I recently enrolled in a Medicare drug plan, but I take some expensive medications that have high out-ofpocket costs and need some help. Living on a Shoestring Dear Living, Yes, there’s a low-income subsidy program called ‘Extra Help’ that assists Medicare beneficiaries on a tight budget by paying for their monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and co-payments related to their Medicare (Part D) prescription drug coverage.

I've been saying this a lot in the last few weeks – when it comes to visiting family, some of the most exciting trips are those left as unplanned as possible. That proved to be the case recently when Kim and I took a long and winding trip from Wichita to Chicago, then to Sacramento, Calif, and finally back to Wichita, all to see two of my kids.