As someone who dealt with a funeral home last year, I know how uncomfortable the whole  business can be.

So when I heard on the radio that Walmart started selling caskets online, I was mildly intrigued.

I’m happy to hear they won’t be having casket displays in their stores. But I guess it’s time big retailers started competing with overpriced funeral homes.

After last year’s transaction with the funeral home,  I realized how vulnerable we are when faced to make choices like these. Who wants to decide, under pressure, if it’s better to spring for the heavy-duty model or save money and get the plainer version?

What’s worse, the funeral-home shopping experience is done in the presence of the funeral director.

If you shop online, the decision is yours alone.

Out of curiosity, I checked the Walmart web site.

Pretty weird, right?

The prices, just around $1,000 (some are less), seem far more reasonable than those offered at funeral homes. But isn’t there something a little creepy about having UPS deliver a package like this?

What do you think:?

The Westchester Library System and the Medicare Rights Center have partnered to present a series of free programs aimed at helping older adults navigate the Medicare maze.

The programs will be presented in November and December at the Grinton I. Will Library in Yonkers and the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center.

Above, Flo Brodley, a Medicare Rights Center volunteer, explains how
choosing the right Medicare health plan can save you money at a Health
Advocacy Resource Center seminar presented by the Westchester Library System
in Shrub Oak.

The first program is titled “Is Your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) the Right One for You?”

It will be presented Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to noon, at the Yorktown Community & Cultural Center  (1974 Commerce St) and on Nov. 18, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m,. at the Will Library (1500 Central Ave., Yonkers).

The second program (“Is Your Medicare Health Insurance Plan the Right One for You?”) will be held Dec. 9, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., at the Will Library.

Here’s another great thing to keep in mind: the Health Advocacy Resource Center (HARC) offers free counseling on Medicare issues year-round. HARC is in two locations: the Will Library (counseling offered Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and the John C. Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak (counseling on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

The Health Advocacy Resource Centers also offer other health-related information of interest to older adults and caregivers.

Everything is free, and you do not need to be a resident of the community in which the center is based.

To reach the center in Yonkers, call 914-289-7138.

For the HARC in Shrub Oak, call 914-269-7137.

Most of us grew up with the same advice about cold weather (it can make you sick), brainpower (we only use 10 percent) and water (drink 8 glasses a day).

Well, the new issue of AARP The Magazine features a story that refutes those claims, and more.

Click here for the link.

Feeling a little old lately.  The baby got his driver’s license.

When the older kids passed their road tests, I still had this little guy to drive around. Now he doesn’t need me anymore.

Of course this is not completely true. He can drive, when he has access to a car, no later than 9 p.m. And I think, that to some degree, he still needs me. But my mothering responsibilities are quickly fading away.

A few days ago, I spoke to a woman who has a two year old. She said she’s already sad, thinking of the time he will leave home. She asked if I think she’s crazy.

No, I said. Not at all.

As I’m learning more about Calorie Restriction and its possible connection to a longer lifespan, I’ve had some  interesting discussions with friends and relatives.

If you found out you could live, let’s say, 10 years longer by avoiding all your favorite foods for the rest of your life, would you do it? What about five years, or three?

I don’t always eat very well. I love chocolate, French fries, pizza and Chinese food. But I try to eat them sparingly and do my best to make healthy choices most of the time. Still, I love having ice cream when I feel like it, or popcorn at the movies (horrible for you, I know) or M&Ms on Halloween.

If I were a Calorie Restricter, I would not be eating any of that stuff. Junk food is, well, junk.

But there are also foods that fall into a gray area. If you make it your life’s mission to eat only foods that are packed with nutrients, eggplant parmigiana and quesadillas (two more of my “bad” favorites) would never be part of the plan.

So what do you say? How far would you tweak your diet if you knew you could live to a very old age?

This afternoon, I am meeting a couple who eat in a way that researchers believe may prolong life.

Paul McGlothin and Meredith Averill, who live in Westchester, are proponents of living the CR Way. It’s a lifestyle that involves reducing calories while optimizing choices, focusing on foods that are nutrient rich but not loaded with calories. They’ve been on TV numerous times, have a new book and have just opened a “longevity center” in Ossining, where they offer classes and workshops.  I’ll be reporting on them in a story coming out in a few weeks in Mind & Body.

Meanwhile, if you’re curious, learn more on their web site, Living the CR Way,  by clicking here.

I just interviewed two local women who have written a book called “Do Good: 201 Ways to Lend a Hand.’’

The book, by Marcy Silverman and Cindy Sacks,  is filled with common-sense tips that most of us already know. But how often do we really go out of our way to phone a friend in need or offer support to an acquaintance in trouble?

Look for the story in an upcoming edition of Mind & Body, coming out Nov. 13.

The book sells for $9.95 on Amazon.

If your parent is having trouble learning how to use the computer, you may want to check out a new program created by actress Florence Henderson.

Henderson, who is in her seventies, confessed on the Today show this morning that she used to be terrified of the computer. Now she’s a Facebook pro who Skypes, downloads audio clips, posts videos and chats online with her children and grandchildren.

In an effort to help other technophobes, she’s created a service called the FloH Club, which she’s billing as a sort of roadside assistance for computer users. It is currently available for PC users; Mac support is on the way.

To learn about monthly or yearly memberships in the FloH Club, click here.

Tomorrow is the last day to register for the 10th annual Senior Law Day, coming to the Westchester County Center on Oct. 15.

The event, run by the county’s Department of Senior Programs and Services, will offer presentations from experts in elder law, financial planning and caregiving. It is free and open to the public.

There will be 13 workshops on a wide variety of topics, including age discrimination in the workplace and “smart gifing” to children and grandchildren. Two sessions will be in Spanish.

From noon to 1 p.m., lawyers and certified financial planners will also offer free one-on-one 15-minute consultations, by advance appointment only.

Register for the free sessions (above) and for the event itself by Oct. 9. Call 914-813-6400

Senior Law Day, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 15, includes a free breakfast.

Admission is also free. For more info, go to westchestergov.com

I was at the doctor’s office yesterday when an older man arrived with his caregiver for an appointment.

He had neglected to bring his insurance card. All his caregiver had was his Social Security number, a dangerous bit of information if it gets into the wrong hands.

As it turned out, the caregiver emptied the man’s wallet and found his Medicare card stuffed in among all sorts of papers. So the story had a happy ending. I mean the man got to see the doctor and didn’t have to worry about his lost insurance card.

But it left me thinking: how do you screen a caregiver  to make sure your loved one doesn’t get scammed? Or even worse, victimized?

Here’s a link to a recent story on that topic from the AARP Bulletin.