It’s Not Too Early

October seems so far away. With the weather so hot and humid I look forward to the cooler days of fall. Fall brings not only cooler weather, beautiful leaf transformations and football, it also brings us Medicare Part D Open Enrollment, October 15-December 7.

Every year those on Medicare get a chance to review their prescription drug coverage, to make sure it is the best fit for the coming year. Medicare drug plans can change every year and sometimes beneficiaries are surprised by the changes. All beneficiaries will receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) from their plans before open enrollment begins, usually in September. The ANOC includes any changes in coverage, costs, or service area that will be effective in January for the plan you are currently on. If you do not receive this notice, contact your plan.

The costs of the plan including the monthly premium and the deductible can go up or even down. The plans can change what medicines they cover, what tier the medicines are on and even the co-pays for each medication. It is always a good idea to at least look at what is available even if the plan you have was great this year. Open enrollment gives those who opted out of drug coverage an opportunity to get into a drug plan and allows beneficiaries to get in or out of Medicare Advantage plans.

Med D Open Enrollment is always a fun and busy time for our staff. We gather some basic information such as your zip code, list of medications and the pharmacy you prefer to use. This information will allow us to determine which plans will cover your medicine at the best cost. We also use this time to screen for any of the extra help programs that help pay for the different parts of Medicare. A single person who makes $18,210 or less per year and a couple who make $24,690 or less per year could qualify for some extra help.

If you are a daring soul and would like to look up drug plan information on our own, you can go to Medicare.gov, choose the green “Find health & drug plans” option and input your information. 

Aging Matters will have Open Enrollment Events throughout our 18 county service area, so if you need assistance, please call us and we will be glad to help, 800-392-8771, option 3.

Isn’t it funny how you can look at something every day and never really see it? That is the case with our One Incident Away buttons. I have one on my filing cabinet and I look at it almost every day and recently have realized the truth in that one little statement.

The One Incident Away buttons are distributed by the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (MA4). MA4 is comprised of the 10 Area Agencies on Aging in Missouri, one of which is Aging Matters. MA4 provides statewide advocacy and resources to seniors. One of their most effective tools is the One Incident Away buttons. These are handed out at events to remind seniors, law makers, caregivers and others that we can be just one incident away from personal disaster. The MA4 website, ma4web.org has many stories that I encourage you to read. I have a few stories of my own that I would like to share.

John (all names and locations have been changed) and his wife had lived a good life, they were in their early 70’s. He owned his own business and she was a stay at home mother and homemaker, they were comfortable. Then she got sick. John spent more time taking care of her and making sure she went to the doctor and took her medicines and spent less time overseeing his business. Eventually they had to sell the business to pay for her care. When they came to visit me they were concerned they would not have money to pay for her medicines and that they would have to sell their home. I was able to help them apply for Extra Help to pay for her medicines and help them get the Mo Property Tax Credit they had never applied for. With just this help they are able to live at home and have all their needs met.

Another example is Linda, her husband passed away after more than 50 years together. She found that although her income was cut almost in half, she still had the same bills. She was very afraid that she would lose everything. She wasn’t eating or taking her medication as she needed to be. She also had little interaction with others. We were able to help her sign up for Medicaid and convince her to go to her local senior center for nutritious meals and some much needed social interaction, Linda is now thriving. She is even considering starting a knitting group at her local center.

These are just a few of the stories we hear every day. Aging Matters and MA4 strive to help the seniors in Missouri be prepared and knowledgeable about programs available to help. If you need assistance, Aging Matters has many programs to help with food, medication and other services. 

All it takes is one incident to have a very dramatic impact on how you live your life. Many things in life are not predictable, we never know when we may get sick or have a life altering injury, but there is comfort in knowing that there are people willing to help. Those who can advocate and guide you if you ever find yourself needing help. One Incident Away from a life changing issue, one call away from help and advocacy.

Aging Matters is there to help, 573-335-3331 or 800-392-8771.

Recently at a family gathering, my sister Misty started going through family pictures. First it was just a fun way to tease my oldest in front of his girlfriend, but it soon turned into a fantastic walk down Memory Lane. There were lots of pictures. Totes filled with albums and pictures in the sleeves from the film developing. Pictures on the computer, on the phone. Hours later and we were still knee deep in pictures, newspaper clippings and family history.

Then someone asked the ultimate question, what are you going to do with all those pictures? We looked around as we all wanted to answer but no one really knew what to say. That got me to thinking, what are we going to do with all these pictures?

Preserving family pictures and documents is really important to many people but there is a lack of knowledge on what is good or bad for these family legacies. According to the National Archives website https://www.archives.gov/, it is best to work in a large clean area.

Make sure your hands are clean and free of lotion. When handling pictures and negatives it is a good idea to use gloves because the natural oils in your hands can cause permanent stains on these items. You can store pictures using pages or envelopes that are acid free and sleeves made of plastics such as uncoated polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene, these will not stain or discolor the pictures. Place individually housed prints, negatives, and cased objects in acid-free, durable boxes that will afford further. Keep the pictures or albums in an area that is cool, has low humidity and is not near water or food sources to protect from animals and insects. There that was easy. 

Another way to save pictures is to have them digitalized. There are many different ways to accomplish this. I have seen many pictures on Facebook where someone has just taken a picture of a picture, I have done this myself. The downside is that there is often a glare form the flash or lights in the room. Of course there are apps for this, just check the Google play store or the Apple App Store. Many of these apps have features that remove the glare and allow you to save the images with a name or event so you can find them again later. Scanning pictures or documents is another way to preserve and digitalize. Scanners today are faster and more affordable than ever.

Just put the document or picture on the scanner and push a button, many allow you to name the file so you can find it later. Many scanners also are able to scan negatives and 35mm film. There are also scanning services that will scan your pictures and save them to the cloud or on a DVD or other type of media for a fee. I like the idea of having multiple copies of precious family memories, it makes it easier to share those memories with family and friends.

I have slowly begun the journey of digitalizing and archiving my family photos, it will take me quite some time to finish. I am in no hurry and I love having a chance to walk down memory lane with my sisters. I hope my children enjoy the results.

Never Forgotten

What makes a hero? I ponder that question while sitting in a SALT meeting recently. SALT stands for Seniors and Lawmen Together. SALT is an organization that was established to bring seniors and law enforcement together to address unmet safety needs in Cape Girardeau County. SALT hosts several events throughout the year to actively bring seniors and the law enforcement community together. On May 24 they host the most touching and solemn event of the year the Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony.

The Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony is very special to me. My husband is a Deputy Sheriff and has been for over 12 years, prior to that he was in the military. He doesn’t ever ask or want to be the center of attention, but he is one of my heroes and always will be. There have been countless times over the last 15 years that he has had to miss school functions and family events, sometimes at the last minute. Many times he has been in dangerous situations or heartbreaking ones and never complains or shares the details of what happened, he just does his job.  Many heroes just do their job, sometimes they get recognition but most times they do not.

In my way of thinking, a hero is the person who puts themselves in front of you to protect you from danger. The person who runs headlong into danger knowing the risks involved, knowing that they make a choice to confront what most people run from. Knowing that by just doing their job, they may not get to go home to their family.

The SALT Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will recognize 49 fallen heroes who died in the line of duty. 49 heroes who were not able to go home to their families. 49 heroes who made a choice to run toward danger. 49 heroes who do not deserve to be forgotten. On May 24 at 6:00 at Cape Bible Chapel, 2911 Kage Rd, Cape Girardeau, Mo we get a chance to remember with respect, gratitude and honor these 49 men who made a difference in their communities and paid the ultimate price. We also get the chance to honor their families and make sure they know that we appreciate the sacrifices made. SALT honors those from the counties of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne.

The Law Officer Memorial Ceremony is open to all and I encourage you to attend. The evening includes essay winners from local schools who write about “Police-Our Heroes”; scheduled key note speaker is Gov. Eric Greitens and the “Final Call” a recitation of the 49 heroes we are honoring. This ceremony makes me cry every year and I am so grateful to be able to bring my children to such a meaningful event. 

SALT also sponsored the Law Officer Memorial located at Cape County Park North. This memorial has all 49 names engraved and stands as a lasting tribute to their sacrifice. I encourage you to stop by and visit and take a moment to say thank you to these 49 heroes so they are never forgotten.

If you are unable to make the event May 13-19 is Police Week. Please take the time to thank these men and women who give so much of their time to keep us all safe.

Many times throughout the week I see and speak with people who are retiring or considering retirement.  The logical question that follows is, “So what are you going to do with all your time?” Travel, spend more time with grandkids, nothing at all or anything I want are all common answers but one that has always stood out is when they tell me they want to volunteer and help others.

Volunteering can provide many benefits especially to seniors. Volunteering can provide seniors with a feeling of productivity. Sometimes it is hard to transition from working full time to having “extra” time on your hands. Helping others also can lead to a sense of personal fulfillment and satisfaction and it can increase a senior’s ties to their community. Many volunteers take on projects outside their past history and comfort zone and are able to meet new people and make a difference in their community. All volunteer work is appreciated.

So now that you are excited to begin volunteering, where do you go? Many of our senior centers are always looking for volunteers for different types of roles. Schools and non-profits usually have volunteer positions available, look for somewhere that excites you or has an interest you would like to explore. 

An organization that Aging Matters works closely with is always looking for volunteers. CLAIM is the Missouri State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). CLAIM trains volunteers to provide unbiased and confidential Medicare counseling. I know that sounds intimidating but CLAIM has a great training program and offers continuing education and support. By being a CLAIM volunteer you will learn the ins and outs of the Medicare process and be able to assist others. The satisfaction of helping those on Medicare is something I truly enjoy and believe you will too.

AmeriCorps is another national volunteer network that has over 3 million volunteers. AmeriCorps partners with CLAIM in Missouri. CLAIM-AmeriCorps volunteers receive additional benefits; they can earn an annual stipend of $5,250 annually and may apply for up to $2,885 annually in scholarships for themselves, their children or even their grandchildren. AmeriCorps members will be trained to do Medicare counseling but will also participate in outreach and education events and help recruit new volunteers for CLAIM.

The qualifications for a CLAIM-AmeriCorps member is must be 18 years old, a US citizen and live in the service area. Members must attend trainings and participate in monthly teleconferences. AmeriCorps members are asked to commit about 19 hours weekly, and there are some part-time positions also.

Problem-solving skills, the ability to listen and some computer skills are the desired skills. If you have questions please call CLAIM, 800-390-3330.  Enjoy your retirement by helping others and yourself.