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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 30, 2024 Page 19 THE SOUNDS| FROM PAGE 18 summer activities for Saugus kids. “Many thanks to the Saugus Iron Works for generously sharing their beautiful 9-acre park so we could enjoy outdoor programming. “I would also like to thank the Fire Department. We had a storytime with them and they brought the truck. It was held outdoors at the Iron Works on August 15th. It was very well attended, and the kids LOVED it.” Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta on Laura Taglieri’s 90th birthday party: “I was delighted to take part in Laura’s celebration on Sunday. She is a hardworking and devoted member of our community. I was honored to present her with a citation on behalf of the Saugus Board of Selectmen. Laura and I are both dedicated members of the Saugus Garden Club.” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@ comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Elks plan Alcohol/Drug Recovery program Sept. 16 The Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee is sponsoring an Alcohol and Drug Recovery presentation from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 at the Saugus Senior Center (466 Central St. in Saugus). This will be an hourlong presentation conducted by Sober Shuttle Inc. explaining the benefi ts off ered to recovering individuals. This is a free event and people who are interested are welcome to attend. If you or someone you know would like to know more about these services, you should not miss this informative event. Services provided are cost-free transportation into treatment, recovery coach services, placement assistance, food assistance, clothing assistance, community engagement and much more. Light refreshments will be served. Call the Saugus Senior Center at 781-231-4178 to attend. Walk-ins are also welcome. Saugus Dems Unity Breakfast on Sept. 22 The Saugus Democratic Town Committee (SDTC) will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. on the second fl oor of the Police Station on Hamilton St. The SDTC will hold a Unity Breakfast on Sunday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m. in the Saugus Italian THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 20 Sa nir Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller What Are the Early Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes? Dear Savvy Senior, What are the early signs and symptoms of diabetes? I’m 60 years old, and in pretty good shape, but was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. What did I miss? Diabetic Dan Dear Dan, The signs and symptoms of INHERITED IRA REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTIONS T he IRS recently finalized its regulations on inherited IRA Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) in July of this year. This area of the tax law has become more and more complicated. The Secure Act involved major tax legislation relating to RMDs when dealing with benefi ciaries other than spouses, minor children, beneficiaries less than 10 years younger than the decedent IRA owner and disabled or chronically ill benefi ciaries, who are referred to as eligible benefi ciaries. The other group of benefi ciaries is referred to as ineligible designated benefi ciaries (i.e. the non-spouse, et al benefi ciaries). An example would be your child. Under the old rule, a child could stretch out the RMDs over his or her life expectancy. This would allow for great tax effi ciency as the distributions could be stretched out over 20, 30 or even 40 years. Under the Secure Act, your child is required to deplete the IRA account within 10 years following the year of your death. This is a massive change in tax law. The new regulations now make it clear that if you reached your Required Beginning Date (RBD) at the time of your death, meanpletely depleted by the end of the 10th year following the year of your death. It should be noted, that depending on one’s tax position, it may very well be benefi cial to actually withdraw funds from the IRA account ratably over that 10 year period to reduce Uncle Sam’s tax bite allowing you to remain in a lower federal tax bracket. The IRS has waived RMDs ing you had already reached the age where you are required to begin taking your RMDs, your child would not only be required to deplete the account by the end of the 10th year following your death, your child would also have to begin taking annual distributions from this IRA account in years 1 through 9, with RMD calculations based upon his or her own life expectancy. This was unclear in the IRS’ previously proposed regulations. In the event you had not reached your RBD and were not required to begin taking your RMDs, your child would not have to take any distributions during years 1 through 9. However, the entire IRA account would have to be comwith respect to inherited IRA’s for calendar years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. However, the RMDs must commence in calendar year 2025. If you inherited an IRA from someone who died in 2020, the account would still have to be depleted by the end of 2030, notwithstanding the fact that RMDs are not required to be taken until 2025. This rule would not apply to surviving spouses and other eligible benefi ciaries. These rules are complicated to say the least. There are diff erent rules applying to estates and conduit Trusts that have been named benefi ciaries of IRA accounts. Joseph D. Ca taldo is an esta te planning/elder law a ttorney,Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a masters degree in taxation. type 2 diabetes can be so mild that many people miss them. That’s why testing is so important. Here’s what you should know. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 38 million Americans have diabetes today, and another 97 million have prediabetes, but many of them don’t even know they have it. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that develops slowly over decades. Most people have prediabetes for a long time before the disease becomes fullblown diabetes, and even then, it progresses gradually. Diabetes occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. This excess blood sugar damages blood vessels and aff ects circulation, putting you at risk for a host of ailments, from heart attack and stroke to blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage. Signs and Symptoms So how can you tell if you have diabetes? The earliest signs, which are usually subtle, including urinating more frequently (often at night), being thirster and hungrier than usual, weight loss without trying, feeling very tired, having dry itchy skin and blurry vision. And the symptoms that can indicate advanced diabetes and long-term damage has occurred includes cuts or sores that heal slowly, having more infections than usual, and pain or numbness in your feet or legs. Who Should Get Tested? Because prediabetes typically causes no outward symptoms, and the signs of early type 2 diabetes can easily be missed, the only way to know for sure if you have it is to get a blood test. Everyone age 45 years or older should consider getting tested for diabetes, especially if you are overweight with a body mass index (BMI) above 25. See CDC.gov/bmi to calculate your BMI. If you are younger than 45 but are overweight, or have high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes, or belong to an ethnic group (Latino, Asian, African or Native American) at high risk for diabetes, you should get checked too. To help you determine your risk for diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a quick, online risk test you can take for free at Diabetes.org/ risk-test. Diabetes Tests There are three different tests your doctor can give you to diagnosis diabetes. The most common is the “fasting plasma glucose test,” which requires an eight-hour fast before you take it. There’s also the “oral glucose tolerance test” to see how your body processes sugar, and the “hemoglobin A1C test” that measures your average blood sugar over the past three months. It can be taken anytime regardless of when you ate. Most private health insurance plans and Medicare cover diabetes tests, however, if you’re reluctant to visit your doctor to get tested, an alternative is to go to the drug store, buy a blood glucose meter and test yourself at home. They cost around $20. If you fi nd that you are prediabetic or diabetic, you need to see your doctor to develop a plan to get it under control. In many cases lifestyle changes like losing weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on carbohydrates may be all you need to do to get your diabetes under control. For others who need more help, many medications are available. For more information on diabetes and prediabetes or to fi nd help, join a lifestyle change program recognized by the CDC (CDC.gov/diabetes-prevention). These programs offer in-person and online classes in more than 1,500 locations throughout the U.S. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior

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