Senior Connections Senior Connections Feb 2019

Pass the Pa$$w0rdz, please Dale Kovar HJ GENERAL MANAGER I feel sorry for our kids. We’ve had the Internet for roughly 20 years, and it looks like it’s here to stay (or at least until Al Gore invents some- thing better.) Going online has made some things ridiculously easy compared to what we used to have to do. To check a deﬁ nition of a word, or even conﬁ rm a spell- ing, is as simple as a quick search instead of having to page through a dictionary. We can view our bank balances or credit card charges as fast as we can spend money. We used to have to wait for the daily newspaper to see how a high school sports team from 30 miles away did last night, hoping the score got called in to make the paper at all. Now we can often ﬁ nd some live reporting of score updates while the game is still being played. With a few clicks, we can order things and they show up on our doorstep in a couple days. Life is simple. Or is it? The down side of all this convenience is that so many of these online functions require one to set up an online account. That wasn’t so bad at ﬁ rst, but now hundreds of accounts later, how much is too much? For each account, of course, you need a password. Experts recommend that you don’t use the same pass- word for everything, which means that keeping track of one’s passwords becomes a job itself. (I know, I know – there are online services to help with that, too.) Password requirements have also gotten more demand- ing – upper case letter, lower case letter, a number, a spe- cial character (but only certain special characters), and be at least eight or more characters long. Maybe someday someone will name a kid Joseph8! so he can use his child’s name as a password again. I get frustrated when my bank makes me change the password every six months. Actually, I appreciate the se- curity of making sure that is done. The part that gets me is when an email comes telling me that the password was changed, when I was just forced to do it! To prevent hackers from getting into our accounts, there are other protections in place such as security questions. I would tell the maid of honor from our wedding that we think of her often – because she is the answer to one of our security questions. I’ve found the most important part of security questions is to stick to factual ones. Please don’t ask me what my favorite something is or was, because next week my answer will probably be dif- ferent. The best accounts are the ones that let you pick your own security questions, but again I need to stay with things I either will remember or can look up fairly easily. Back to my original point: it dawned on me while watch- ing one of our kids trying to ﬁ nd a password for one of his online accounts. Poor guy. Last I looked, I have maybe 200 accounts in my pass- word spreadsheet. But I only need to make it to Social Se- curity now. He has a few more decades of technology to deal with. How many passwords will that be to keep track of? Alternatively, there will be ﬁ ngerprint or retina scans instead, but that will only encourage criminals to borrow or acquire certain body parts to get into your accounts. So how far will this go? Someday will we have password-protected ketchup bottles? Based on your permission level, you can dispense a cer- tain amount of ketchup in a 24-hour period. That will re- duce waste and is good for the environment. If you’re at a meal and need more than the allotment, contact the Ketchup Administrator. For digestive system requirements, FAQ, and a privacy policy, see the back of the bottle. Senior LinkAge Line available Do you need help understanding your Medicare beneﬁ ts? Are you concerned about the possibility that you may need to move from your home? Do you need help completing a form or application? Are you having problems paying for your medication? The Senior LinkAge Line can help. The Senior LinkAge Line is the Minnesota Board on Aging’s free statewide information and assistance service for the state of Minnesota. If you have questions about Medicare, need help ﬁ nding services to stay in your home, or can’t afford your medication, call the Senior LinkAge Line at 1- 800-333-2433 and talked to a trained specialist. The Senior LinkAge Line also offers in-person assistance with trained volunteers the last Tuesday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hutchinson Event Center. No appointment is needed, but if you prefer, you can call to schedule an appointment with a volunteer for a different day and time. Senior LinkAge Line volunteers receive extensive training and provide objective, comprehensive, and conﬁ dential assistance. The Senior LinkAge Line is the federally- designated State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for Minnesota and is the place to call for Medicare and health insurance issues. Call 1-800-333-2433 for assistance Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or visit www.MinnesotaHelp.info to chat with a specialist during business hours. Visit the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging website at: www.mnraaa.org. Branson Music Fest April 24 - 29, 2019 $834 pp double occupancy Who: Senior LinkAge Line and Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging (MNRAAA) The Ark Encounter April 10 - 14, 2019 $655 pp double occupancy What: Senior LinkAge Line help avail- able in Hutchinson When: Last Tuesday of each month from 10 am to noon Where: Hutchinson Event Center, 1005 MN Hwy. 15, Hutchinson Senior Connections HJ.COM Canadian Rockies: June 25th - July 3rd, 2019 $1,595 pp double occupancy Washington DC and New York July 17 - 30, 2019 $2,655 pp double occupancy Alaskan Land & Cruise Tour Contact us for tour pricing! August 19 - 30, 2019 952.442.4443 16 W Main St. | Waconia, MN 55387 TravelEasyInc.com | [email protected] @traveleasyinc Senior Connections February 2019 9

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