HELOISE Pharmacist offers prescription for safety

Dear Heloise: My husband is a pharmacist and offers this suggestion, especially now that identity theft is such an epidemic. Before you throw out (or even donate) any old pill bottles, vials or any type of prescription medicine container, make sure to remove any identifying labels. These labels often contain not just your name and the name of the medication, but also your address, doctor's name, prescription number and number of refills remaining. Anyone with this information can easily pretend that he or she is you and call in a refill to the pharmacy, or even call your doctor to request a refill. Removing any identifying information, shredding it and placing it into several different wastebaskets will help to prevent this from ever happening to you. B. Wallace, Hickory, N.C.
Wow, you just opened my eyes! The personal and identifying information on a label could fall into the wrong hands. Remember, when you put your trash out curbside or down the garbage chute, it's no longer private information! Heloise
Dear Heloise: Here is a great idea for a handicapped person or anyone who cannot do things for him- or herself. The person can hold or have clipped onto him or her a battery-operated doorbell. When the person needs something, he or she can simply ring the bell. The receiving section can be placed where the caretaker can hear it.
The bells can be bought at discount stores (usually for under $10) and can be heard from 100 feet away. Geri N., Rogers, Minn.
Dear Heloise: I was reading your column and came across a piece about metal shaving-cream cans making rust marks on the bathroom sink or shelf in the shower, and I have an answer to this problem. The shaving-cream can fits perfectly in the cover (cap) that is on a spray-starch can. Those covers are a little bigger than hairspray-can covers, etc. Donna M. Traver, Scotia, N.Y.
And here's another idea about shaving cans from Tim Brewer's mom, via e-mail. She says: "I do believe my son has an even better idea about rust rings. He is only 21 but owns his own house, so is fussy about keeping his things nice. While visiting him I noticed he keeps his shaving-cream can in a foam-rubber pop-can holder. When I questioned the practice, he said it prevents any stains, and also the holder looks better (he has one to match the color decoration of his bathroom)." Heloise
Dear Heloise: For people whom I write to often, I type address labels on the computer (using a larger font size to make it easier to read), print out a page of them, cut them apart, and they are ready to glue or tape to the envelope. Convenient and legible. Jay Hart, Dallas
You can also buy adhesive-backed labels at an office-supply store and then type a name and address on them. Heloise
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate