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HINTS FROM HELOISE:Touch base with loved ones daily

DEAR HELOISE: I read a letter about keeping track of elderly people who live alone and their pets. A friend of my mother’s was left three days after having a stroke before someone found her. After this, I began calling my mother daily at 8 a.m. She’d answer and say, “I don’t know anything,” and I’d say, “I don’t know anything.” Then, an hour later, we’d hang up after chatting. I miss these calls. Now I’m the one living alone, and I text my son daily that I’m OK. I also keep a bowl full of dry cat food for my Katie, just in case something happens. —Linda H., ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Suppose you had to make three tricks in a suit where dummy held J-x-x and you, as declarer, held A-K-9. There would be only two practical ways to handle this combination. One would be to cash the A-K, and if either opponent had the singleton or doubleton queen, you would be home free. The ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

It may at times seem amazing how some declarers are able to figure out what to do when they are faced with a difficult decision. While many might attribute this to a mystical quality known as “table feel,” in reality it is simply the ability to place the cards from clues gleaned during the ...

All about alpha-gal syndrome

WASHINGTON — It’s common knowledge that ticks can spread infections that cause serious illnesses, including Lyme disease. Now health officials are trying to raise awareness of a lesser-known problem: a life-threatening allergy to meat triggered by tick bites. The problem, known as ...

Do patients with dementia retain hidden memories?

Q. My 90-year-old mother has been suffering from dementia. She also has neck pain that was so severe that her doctor prescribed oxycodone for relief. Within just 20 minutes of taking half a pill, she becomes almost her normal self before dementia. It happens every time. We can actually see the change happening. Why don’t they do a study on this? A. Your account is not the first time we have heard that opioids may affect patients with Alzheimer’s disease. More than 25 years ago, a health care professional reported to us that his elderly mother had fallen and broken two ribs. He ...