September 18, 2018 • Page 12 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Fall Home Improvement & Car Care How Seniors Can Safely How To Prepare Your Lawn Stay Behind The Wheel And Garden For Winter A greater sense of independence is often cited as the reason so many young people anxiously await the day they earn their drivers’ licenses. But the connection between driving and independence is not lost on seniors, either. Aging can take its toll on drivers, prompting such drivers’ families to feel as if their loved ones’ ability to safely operate motor vehicles has been compromised. However, many seniors can still safely operate motor vehicles, and those who do can take steps to ensure they’re as safe as possible behind the wheel. • Avoid driving on days when aches and pains are strong. Aches and pains are common side effects of aging, and seniors know that some days are better than others. Seniors’ ability to control their vehicles may be compromised on days when stiffness, aches or pains seem particularly strong, so it’s best to avoid driving during these times. Fatigue may set in on days when aches and pains require extra effort to perform relatively simple tasks, and drivers of all ages should avoid driving while tired. • Don’t skip medical checkups. Few seniors may look forward to their medical checkups, but visits to the doctor can reveal issues that can help seniors be safer on the road. Schedule routine vision exams so eyeglass prescriptions are always up-todate. In addition, seniors should discuss hearing screenings with their physicians so they can ensure they can always hear sirens and other motorists while on the road. Great strides have been made in regard to helping people with fading hearing hear better, and seniors would be wise to take advantage of such advancements, which include hearing aids that can be connected to smartphones. • Familiarize yourself with medication side effects. Whether they do so temporarily or permanently, many seniors take medications, and every medication comes with side effects. When filling a new prescription, carefully read the dosage Winter weather can be harsh. Homeowners who spend much of the year tending to their lawns and gardens may worry that winter will undo all of their hard work. Though homeowners cannot do anything to prevent snow, wind and ice from affecting their properties, they can take various steps to prepare their lawns and gardens for whatever winter has in store. • Mulch leaves. Falling leaves are a telltale sign that winter is coming. In lieu of raking leaves as they begin to fall, homeowners can mulch them into their lawns. Scotts¨, an industry leader in lawn care, notes that mulching leaves is a great way for homeowners to recycle a natural resource and enrich the soil of their lawns. While it might not be possible to mulch fallen leaves in late autumn when they begin to fall en masse, doing so in the early stages of fall should be possible so long as the lawn is not being suffocated. Scotts¨ recommends mulching the leaves to dimesize pieces to a point where half an inch of grass can be seen through the mulched leaf layer. • Rake leaves as they start to fall more heavily. Once leaves begin to fall more heavily, rake them up and add them to compost piles. The resource GardeningKnowHow.com notes composting leaves creates a dark, rich and organic matter that can add nutrients to garden soil and loosen compacted earth. Leaving leaves on the lawn once they start to fall in great numbers makes it hard for grass blades to breathe, and the leaves can block moisture from reaching the soil, which needs water to maintain strong roots. In addition, potentially harmful pathogens ? MetroCreativeConnection can breed on damp leaves left on a lawn, and description label to ensure that it’s safe to drive while taking the medicine. Make note of how you feel when taking a new prescription, avoiding driving if the medication makes you feel fatigued or drowsy or affects your motor functions. If the side effects of a new prescription are making it difficult to safely operate a vehicle, discuss potential alternatives with your physician. • Avoid driving in certain conditions. Driving in inclement weather, during rush hour and at night makes many drivers uncomfortable, regardless of their age. But such conditions can be especially dangerous for aging drivers whose vision and reaction times might be fading. Seniors who avoid driving in harsh conditions and heavy traffic may be more comfortable behind the wheel, thereby reducing their risk of accident or injury. Seniors need not give up their drivers’ licenses at the first signs of aging. But adjusting certain behaviors and exercising extra caution can help these men and women stay safe behind the wheel. Hartington Tree LLC Tree Trimming, Removals & Transplanting Trees for sale: EvErgrEEn • ShadE ornamenTal FALL IS A GREAT TIME FOR PLANTING! Yankton 605-260-1490 Hartington 402-254-6710 Serving Southeast SD & Northeast NE Kent & Kyle Hochstein • Licensed Arborists www.hartingtontree.com Get ready for the cold weather! Call today to schedule a Furnace Tune-Up! Furnace Tune-Ups should be done by a Kalins trained technician. WHY? •Because we have over 95 years in the business •Prevents costly breakdowns •Extends the life of your equipment Chris Rederick Service Technician 14 Years Experience Kalins Indoor Comfort services all makes and models. When You Want Comfort…You Want Kalins! Vermillion: (605) 624-5618 • Yankton: (605) 665-4348 • Sioux City: (712) 252-2000 kalinsindoor.com and such bacteria can cause significant damage to the turf over time. • Apply a winterizing fertilizer. Winterizing fertilizers can help lawns store food they need to survive through winter and also can help them bounce back strong in spring. Such fertilizers are typically formulated for cool-season grasses such as fescue and bluegrass and are often best applied after the final cut of fall. Warmseason grasses go dormant in winter, so homeowners whose lawns contain these types of grasses won’t want to apply a winterizing fertilizer. Homeowners who don’t know which type of grass they have or are concerned about when to apply a winterizing fertilizer should consult with a lawncare professional before fertilizing. • Remove annuals from the garden. Annuals won’t be coming back in spring, so it’s best to remove ones that are no longer producing from the garden before the arrival of winter. Doing so can prevent the onset of fungal diseases that may adversely affect the garden in spring. Fall is the perfect time for homeowners who spend months making their lawns and gardens as lush as possible to take steps to prepare such areas for potentially harsh winter weather. ? MetroCreativeConnection Did You Know? The disclaimer ‘Objects in mirror are closer than they appear’ is featured on passenger-side mirrors of vehicles manufactured in the United States, Canada, India, Korea, and Australia. These mirrors are convex, which means they distort the size of objects viewed in the mirror, and as such, distorts the perception of how close or far away objects are from the driverÕs car. However, this distortion allows for the reflection of a wider field of view on the side of the vehicle to help eliminate blind spots. In the United States and Canada, driver’s side mirrors are flat or ‘planar.’ Dual convex mirrors are not currently the norm on Todd & Lori vehicles manufactured in Heckenlaible North America based on requirements implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Federal Motor Vehicle Are you ready for winter? Get your brakes checked and a complete tune up! Safety Standard 111 and the Canada Motor Vehicle SafePhone (402) 667-2992 89848 557 Ave. ty Standard 111. Elsewhere, Mon - Fri: 8 am - 5 pm South Yankton such as in Europe, dual convex mirrors are included on (No need to dial 402 from Yankton. We’re that close!) vehicles. Many automotive companies support having two convex mirrors on the sides of cars to eliminate blind spots, as well as reduce the driver’s need to twist his head to the left when turning or changing lanes. However, flat mirrors have been required to New Construction • Home and Cabins • Remodel and Repairs avoid distortion and give drivers the most accurate Box 1062, Yankton, SD 57078 • 605-668-0177 89476 557th Ave., Fordyce, NE 68735 • 402-357-3302 assessment of traffic to their left for changing lanes, In Business Since 1994 605-668-0177 called ‘unit magnification.’ This may soon change, though. According to a 2017 statement from the National Highway Traffic 65 Years Combined Experience Safety Administration, ‘The Rod Sherman & Art Bottolfson agency intends to reevaluOwner: Gary Townsend ate existing side-mirror requirements (FMVSS No. 111) to determine whether Commercial Store Fronts convex mirrors should be Residential • Shower Doors • Auto harmonized with European requirements.’ Currently, • Repair or Replacement • Chip Repairs drivers can modify their • Mirrors • Custom Cut & Specialty Glass driver’s-side mirrors to include a convex mirror 907 Broadway Ave. • Yankton, SD add-on, as long as the mir665-3616 rors also have the required flat portion. 1-866-226-6412 Master Tech Auto Clinic Kevin’s Plumbing Service, LLC We work with Insurance Companies • Major Credit Cards Accepted ? MetroCreativeConnection