Dear Heloise: I read your column in the Colorado Springs Gazette and have a couple of hints for your readers:

— Instead of using a sifter (which is hard with arthritic hands), use a whisk.

— For leftover grease I use a 16-ounce soda bottle and funnel. Make sure the grease is room temperature! Since the bottle has a lid, it’s easy to dispose of. — Terry F., in Colorado

MEDICAL SCREENING HOAX

Dear Heloise: I read with great interest a recent column in which K.C., from Ohio, alerted your readers about calls from companies that do screening for various inherited conditions. K.C. is correct to be distrustful of such calls.

Genetic testing scams are on the rise across the country. These companies don’t just call; they put out advertisements on TV and online. Representatives go to senior centers, health fairs, and even parking lots to convince people to let them take a cheek swab for testing.

Sometimes the tests are called DNA screenings, cancer screenings or hereditary testing, to name a few. They promise that the results will help you avoid diseases or find the right medications. All they ask for in return is your insurance information or Medicare number for older adults.

While this may sound harmless, in reality, it is dangerous. These companies can steal people’s medical identities and falsely bill their insurance/Medicare. Tests ordered under these circumstances are unnecessary and could lead to confusion about someone’s health condition.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) helps protect, detect and report possible cases of Medicare fraud, errors and abuse. If your older readers who use Medicare encounter these schemes, they should report them to their local Senior Medicare Patrol at SMPResource.org/Locator or by calling 877-808-2468. — Brandy B., An Avid Reader

Brandy, thank you so much for writing in with this important information. — Heloise

STUBBORN JARS

Dear Heloise: Tapping on the stuck lid of a jar is not the best solution to get it open. Instead, get a jar opener at just about any grocery store, home goods store, or hardware store. They are much safer than risking a possible shattering of tiny glass pieces and definitely cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. — Carrie T., Lansing, Michigan

COUPONS

Dear Heloise: My husband loves to go grocery shopping with me because he enjoys finding new things to try. It could be a different bread he never heard of before or a new flavor of ice cream, and this is fine with me.

However, when I went to pay, I pulled out a wad of coupons. My husband whispered, “Put those away!” I asked him why, and he said it was embarrassing because in his view, it made us look poor. (And we most certainly are not.) Well, I still used my coupons, and we saved over $14 at the grocery store that day.

This amount may not be a king’s ransom, but over the course of a year, it adds up. Personally, I think it’s sensible to use coupons because manufacturers want people to use their products.

Do other women have this problem with their husbands, or are we just the “weird couple”? — Dorothy C., Orange County, California

Dorothy, this is a very intriguing question! I’d love to know what our readers think. Let us know by writing to Heloise@Heloise.com. — Heloise

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.