At lunch recently, conversations turned to a topic heavy on my mind.

    We were asked if we were feeling the recession in Meridian; this person thought that we had escaped it so far. Others at the table were quiet. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. The youngest of them all, I have three more years to reach 65, or when I’ll be eligible for Medicare.

    I could have gotten “early Medicare” at 62, but then I could not work full time. I love my job and benefits working at Meridian Activity Center for the city of Meridian. Granted, government jobs do not give raises as the private sector does, so after 10 years not much has changed in that department. But, as I said, I love my job, the people I serve and the benefits. I recently added my husband to my insurance plan at the city, which takes a chunk of my wages, but he (and I) are getting to an age. He has not had insurance since arriving in the U.S.

    My husband, Takano-san, is Japanese and does not understand our health system here. Japan has what they call socialized medicine. Naturally the first thing he did was get his eyes checked and have cataract surgery. The first bills to come were the office visits, then the doctor’s surgery, then the surgery center, the anesthesiologists and the nurses!

    Takano-san can make a joke of anything. “When do I get the bill for the janitor?” Nevertheless he wonders about what happens if he can’t pay, will he go to jail? (I tell him he can ride the rails. He wouldn’t survive jail food.)

    Of course he is paying these bills – a little at a time – and I have my bills to doctors to pay. But what alarms me and irritates me are the charges for these medical services. I assume that is the same that is sent to Medicare when we reach that heavenly age of 65! You wonder, “Is this the first time she has been to a doctor?” I’ve been lucky. No major events for me, so far, Although the MRI I just had cost $3,000; insurance paid $2,000, I owe the rest.

    With the over-65 population growing — these are the baby boomers coming up now — they are determined to live long and well. and will not give up their Medicare easily. And who can blame them? Seniors go to the doctor at the drop of a hat, rarely considering the cost of those services. They have given to this country all their lives, right? I wonder if they received notification for services rendered at the end of the year would it change anything? Probably not. As an American, Medicare is as right as the right to bear arms.

    It’s a conundrum. Funny how nowadays the emphasis is on living “right,” eating “right,” exercising for a long healthy life. No one wants to fall and break a hip and go through physical therapy or a nursing home – Do strength training and walking for strong bones. Lose weight. Let’s not overtax the system. Are you getting the feeling yet?

New at The Center

    Speaking of losing weight, Meridian Activity Center will host our own Weight Watchers class, beginning Sept. 10, from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.. This group meeting was held a couple of years ago and had great success.

    Evidence shows that weight loss can be the “cure” of all kinds of pains and disabilities. If I weighed 150 pounds and lost 15 pounds – or 10 percent of my weight – my health would improve in many ways: (from About.com on the Internet)

    • Increased energy level

    • Lower your cholesterol levels

    • Reduce your blood pressure

    • Reduced aches and pains

    • Improved mobility

    • Improve your breathing

    • Help you sleep better and wake more rested

    • Prevention of angina, chest pain caused by decreased oxygen to the heart

    • Decreases your risk of sudden death from heart disease or stroke

    • Prevention of Type 2 diabetes

    • Improved blood sugar levels

Flu shots,

other classes

    Flu shots will be available at The Center on Sept. 14, from 9 a.m.-noon. The shot, which will be administered by Greater Meridian Health Clinic, is free to Medicare recipients.

    Computer classes begin again this month. Call to reserve a seat; it’s only $15 for five weeks of beginning classes. Phone (601) 485-1812 for Weight Watchers or computer lessons.

    Meridian Activity Center is located at 3300 32nd Ave., in the heart of Meridian. From 29th Avenue, turn west on 36th Street, you’ll see our signs there at the four-way stop. Drive two blocks, turn left. We are at the end of that street, 32nd Avenue.

    • Barbara Wells is director of Meridian Activity Center. You may e-mail her at mactivitycenter@gmail.com