Use call block technology. If you have a smart phone, you can block calls from unknown numbers. Some land line phones also have similar technology. .We end the update this week with some hopeful news regarding Alzheimer's disease. According to a report from National Public Radio, there is evidence that vaccines that protect against the flu and pneumonia may actually protect people from Alzheimer's, too. The evidence comes from two studies presented last Monday at this year's Alzheimer's Association International Conference, which is being held as a virtual event. .In his speech, President Obama also spoke briefly about a new retirement savings plan that will allow citizens to invest in low-risk Treasury bonds through "myRA" accounts. Shortly after the speech, he signed a presidential memorandum directing the Treasury Department to create the new plans. While TSCL agrees that saving for retirement is crucial for younger generations, we were disappointed that the President did not propose any efforts to assist today's seniors. Most Americans over the age of sixty-five rely heavily upon their Social Security checks to meet their daily needs. However, our research shows that seniors are unable to keep up with rising costs – their expenses are rising more than twice as fast as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. We strongly believe that Congress should act soon to restore the purchasing power of Social Security benefits. .Locate the booklet of information about your drug plan for 2020. Your drug plan is required to send you "Evidence of Coverage" for 2020, a booklet that outlines your plan's coverage for your prescription drugs, and what you pay in general. If you don't have that information from your drug plan, or if you don't see answers to your specific questions, you can call the customer service representative of your drug plan directly, or you may find information about your drug plan online by searching drug plans at www.Medicare.gov. .A surviving beneficiary spouse is one who collects Social Security benefits not from their own account, but from the account of his or her deceased spouse. To find out more about Notch Reform benefits for surviving beneficiaries, click here: What Happens to Benefit Payments When Your Spouse is Deceased? .Under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, private and public sector large employers are responsible for providing health insurance for employees and contributing toward the cost of insurance. Generally, the federal health insurance exchange is only available for people who can't otherwise afford to purchase the insurance offered by their employer (according to thresholds set by law). But the fight to pass the 2010 Affordable Care Act was so contentious and controversial that some Members of Congress insisted that their colleagues set an example and be required to have the same coverage as all other Americans. .Ensuring that governmental bodies live up to any commitment made to senior citizens. .Medicare expects to start mailing cards in May of 2018, but be patient. The cards are going out on a "rolling basis" to different states over the next 9 months (see the chart at the end of this article.) To learn when new Medicare cards start mailing to your area, sign up for e-alerts from Medicare by visiting Medicare.gov/NewCard. .Finally, six new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 896 and H.R. 1795) this week, bringing the total up to ten in the Senate and eighty-three in the House. The cosponsors are: Sen. Brian Schatz (HI), and Reps. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), John Duncan, Jr. (TN-2), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Bill Foster (IL-11), and Randy Neugebauer (TX-19). If signed into law, the bill would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year.