Senior Gazette

Summer 2006
Carol Schmitkons, Amherst Township Senior Service

2005 ATSSO Year-End Report

Meal Program:  We delivered 4,257 meals to 32 different participants during 2005.  At 1,310 more meals than 2004, we averaged 5 more meals per day than in 2004 and 10 more than in 2003.  Our meal drivers drove a total of 3,630 miles to take meals to our seniors.

Transportation:  We made 23 trips, totaling 461 miles, to get our clients to their appointments.

Support Services (one-on-one work with clients):  We spent 121.4 hours filling out forms and helping clients get the services that they need by assisting them with phone calls to agencies, or by going to appointments with them.  Of these hours, 58.8 were used for the Medicare counseling program, which is administered by the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP).

Referrals:  We sent 3.9 hours referring 15 clients to various agencies and services around the community.

Grants:  In 2005, we applied for and received two grants.  One grant is for support services from the “Ohio Department of Aging”, which is administered by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging.  This grant will offset the cost of assessing clients’ needs, aid them in filling out the paperwork that is necessary to obtain the needed assistance, and then follow up on their progress.  The other grant is a “Community Development Block” grant from the Lorain County Commissioners that offsets costs for our meal program.  This grant was obtained as part of a proposal submitted by the “Lorain County Office on Aging” for a “Community Development Block” grant to offset the cost of delivering meals to people with low to moderate incomes.

Transportation Program Changes

In 2005 the Amherst Township Senior Service Office averaged only 1 or 2 calls per month requesting a ride.  Therefore, seniors needing a ride should call Charlotte Metez at the “Lorain County Office on Aging”.  She can be reached at 244-6261 (Lorain) or 326-4826 (Elyria).  Ask for extension 4826.  Please call her as soon as you know the time and date of your doctor appointment so she can arrange for someone to pick you up.  In case of an emergency or short notice for an appointment, we will still try to assist you.  Please call 988-5822 for those needs.

Medicare Part D Updates

Seniors who have not enrolled in Medicare Part D by May 15th will have to pay a $2.24 per month penalty in addition to the regular plan premium.  You will not be able to enroll in a plan until the next open enrollment period, which begins November 15, 2006 and runs through December 31, 2006.  Coverage will not start until January 1, 2007 and will include the $2.24 penalty.  After that, the next enrollment time will not begin until November 15, 2007 and the premium penalty will grow to $6.08 per month.  Only seniors with very low incomes and assets will not be affected by the premium penalty, which is calculated at 1% for each month of delay in enrolling.

As a reminder to those on Medicare plus Medicaid, Medicaid Spend Down, or those enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program (such as QMB and SLMB), you can change plans monthly if your current plan does not meet your needs.

If you are having problems with the plan you have, you can get help from one of the following:

  • Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program(OSHIIP) at 1-800-686-1578
  • Pro Seniors at 1-800-488-6070
  • Medicare at 1-800-633-4227
  • Greater Cleveland Access to Benefits Coalition at 1-866-885-1650
  • Ohio Medicaid at 1-800-324-8680

If your problems cannot be solved by any of these agencies, call the Senior Intake Line of Legal Aid for Lorain County at 1-800-444-7348.

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Beginning November 15th through December 31st, Part D participants will be able to re-evaluate their plans to make sure they continue to be the most cost effective way to meet their prescription needs.  I have found that people who have added or changed medications during the plan comparison stage often found a different plan was cheaper than the one initially selected.  I would encourage people who fall into this category to schedule an appointment during that time to have your medications re-entered to see if you should make a plan change.

Montessori-Programming provides
Help for Those with Dementia

Recently, I attended a gerontology class on this topic at Tri-C.  I was happy to find a program where the initial assessment made on a dementia patient evaluated the basic skills still remaining rather than those they no longer have.

Cameron Camp of the Myers Research Institute in Beachwood, Ohio and his colleagues have studied the highly-structured activities, developed by educator Maria Montessori, to allow young children to learn by manipulating objects in a manner that engages their minds, but rarely cause them to fail.  Mr. Camp has adapted these kinds of exercises for older people with dementia, tailoring them to the individual’s background and interests.  Drawing on the fact that people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia “live in the moment,” Camp feels his job is to give these people as many good moments as he can by focusing on the strengths and abilities that still remain rather than their problems and deficits.

The focus at the Myers Research Institute is an individual’s remaining basic skills – can they read, sort, categorize, or manipulate objects?  Then they customize activities for these skills because at any stage of dementia there is a range of capability.  If you give people a reason to get out of bed, activities that engage them and allow them to feel successful, they will be happier in the

settings they find themselves in.  It doesn’t matter if they make mistakes.  It’s more important that they enjoy the process.  Camp’s research has shown that those who engage in this type of mental and physical stimulation tend to exhibit fewer signs of agitation, depression and anxiety.  Furthermore, the activities can help patients maintain the motor skills needed to feed themselves or button buttons and they can also trigger memories, then conversations that connect the patient and the caregiver.

Why is this important?  Today more than 70 percent of people with dementia are being cared for in the family home. As this irreversible brain disorder progresses, it robs the individual of their memory and eventually impairs most of their mental and physical functions.  This method gives family members many ways to keep their loved ones, who are increasingly more debilitated by their dementia, ways to bring moments of sunshine and rays of hope into their otherwise frustrating and long days of caregiving.

To download samples of Mr. Camp’s activities for dementia patients, go to the following websites:

www.alz.org

www.aarp.org/bulletin/longterm

www.myersresearch.org

What to Save and What to Shred

Seniors often ask which records are important to keep and for how long. Here are the answers:

  • Cancelled checks:
    • For permanent improvements to the home or relating to the purchase or sale of property, loans, mortgages or non-deductible contributions to an IRA, keep indefinitely.
    • For tax deductible contributions to charities or to pay real estate taxes, keep 7 years, which is the time the IRS can check on a return.
  • Income tax returns: Keep whatever relates to the return for 7 years.
  • Invoices or sales receipts:
    • For large item purchases (such as furniture or appliances), keep for as long as you have the item, in case you need to provide the value for insurance purposes.
    • For warranted items or those that may possibly be returned, keep only as long as the warranty or return period exists.
  • Deposit, ATM & Debit Card receipts: Save until transaction appears on a statement and the information is verified as correct.
  • Statement of “creditable” prescription drug coverage from former employer or union:  Keep forever in case you later need to switch to Medicare Part D coverage.  This will allow you get Part D without a penalty.
  • Credit Card, Bank, Mutual Fund, and IRA statements: For those with no tax or other long-term significance, save for 1 year.  For those containing tax-related items, save for at least 7 years.  If you get a detailed annual statement, discard the monthly statements.  Monthly statements involving disputed bills and proof of their payment, along with any of your objections, should be kept indefinitely.
  • Documents for Sale or Purchase of Investments: Keep for as long as you own them and for 7 years after that.
  • Utility bills: Once they are paid, shred and discard them. If you are selling your home, then keep them for a year to show potential buyers what your utility costs are.
  • Old accounts: Unless they are needed for tax purposes, dispose of proof of old bank and brokerage accounts, life insurance policies and other assets that you no longer own.  When keeping for tax purposes, you should mark them with date closed or sold and keep them for 7 years.

Always shred or tear up any documents with identifying information.

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