July 2004
Club helps seniors save on drugs
Illinois Rx Buying Club is a new program to help residents pay for prescription drugs. In suburban Cook County, the Suburban Area Agency on Aging and local senior service agencies are ready to assist older adults to I apply or membership in the club. This new program is open to all Illinois residents age 65 or older or residents who are disabled. Enrollees are expected to save up to 20 percent on each prescription. The Rx Buying Club combines the purchasing power of Illinois' older and disabled residents and nine units of state government to induce pharmaceutical companies to offer lower prices based on the volume of drugs purchased.
All qualifying individuals (there is no family plan) must apply for membership in the club and pay an annual fee of $25. Once processed, participants will receive an Illinois Rx Buying Club card that is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. The card may be presented at any participating pharmacy for immediate savings.
There is no limit or annual cap to the savings. All prescription drugs approved by the FDA will be offered through participating pharmacies and the program’s mail order option
There are four ways to obtain information or apply for membership:
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Call Rx Buying Club Member Services at (866) 215-3462
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Call the Illinois Department of Aging Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966
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Call the Suburban Area Agency on Aging at (800) 699-9043
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Download an application form at www.illinoisRxBuyingClub.com.
People already enrolled in the Illinois’ Circuit Breaker/Pharmaceutical Assistance Program will automatically be enrolled in the new Rx Buying Club at no additional cost and will continue to use their present card.
In Illinois 2,500 pharmacies participate in the program. To locate pharmacies in this area visit www.IllinoisRxBuyingClub.com or call any of the numbers listed.
Nutrition
As we mature, we need at least eight hours rest or sleep nightly. Often women get less rest than men due hormonal changes.
Eight simple things to try:
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Go to bed at the same time.
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Wear light comfortable clothes.
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Sleep on a good, firm bed.
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No exercise before bedtime.
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No TV in the bedroom.
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No caffeine or alcohol within (4) hours of bedtime. (#5 & 6 may cause you to wake during the night)
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Detox the bedroom: It should be dark, cool and quiet.
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Eat a low-fat, low-calorie carbohydrate snack like cereal without milk; bowl of cinnamon instant oatmeal; 1 frozen waffle with syrup.
For more nutritional tips visit www.betternutrition.com
Diabetes is an ever-increasing problem in this country for a variety of reasons. One of which is the lack of understanding of how food is processed and stored in the body. “Chronic spikes in blood sugar after meals may eventually cause vulnerable people to develop insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.” Source, Consumer Reports on Health.
One way to combat this threat is to eat low-glycemic foods like whole wheat breads, steamed brown rice, regular oat meal instead of instant, apples and oranges instead of their juice, whole wheat pasta, green salad with olive oil vinaigrette and avocado slices instead of cream dressings, green tea (watch the caffeine) grilled or roasted salmon fillets. Look for turbinado sugar in the grocery stores, and sea salt which taste the same as regular salt but doesn’t have the same affect on your blood pressure since it is not processed with bleach like regular salt may be.
Did you know:
Starting each day with a glass of warm water with the juice of a lemon squeezed into it will keep you clean and fresh inside and out. If you aren’t fond of the tart taste of lemon, and you are not diabetic, add a little honey to the water.