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"Thanks" giving 2004
2004 is fast coming to an end. Since Thanksgiving comes near the end of the year, it is also a good time to take the time to thank everyone who has made our program a success. So on behalf of the Trustees and myself, I wish to send special thanks to Kathy Blahay, Jennifer DeWitt, Butch and Linda Dorsey, Jake and Phyllis Nekich, John Pardee and his teens, Scott Rankin, Ray and Dottie Roth, and Keith Rumpler. These volunteers helped with transporting seniors, doing yard work, plowing snow, and delivering meals. They gave me more time to assist seniors with other needs.
I also appreciated the excellent presentations given at our “Senior Activities” this year. Many thanks to Tony Syrowski from the Amherst Fire Department for his presentation on fire safety; to James Basso from the Center for Hearing Care for his presentation on hearing issues; and to Tracy Noll from the Visiting Nurses Association for her presentation on home care alternatives. I just wish more township seniors had come out to learn more about ways they could stay independent longer. Due to low participation in our monthly “Senior Activities”, we will be canceling them until we can come up with other ways to meet your needs. If you have ideas, please call the office at 988-5822.
Tasty Meals Available to Seniors
Golden Acres “winter” menu has just come out. The cabbage rolls, Swiss steak, coconut-breaded chicken, homemade lasagna, mousse, cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and German chocolate cake all sound incredibly delicious. Keep in mind that anyone in the township who is sixty years of age or older can take advantage of meals, especially while the weather is bad this winter. Just call the office for details. Remember that the meal costs are reduced for those with low incomes, so don’t let the cost deter you.
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HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY &
A HAPPY AND HEALTHY
WINTER OFFICE HOURS:
8:00 A.M. – NOON (M-F)
More Volunteers Needed!!!
During the winter months, many seniors call looking for people to plow their driveway. If you can help meet this need, or you might be willing to drive occasionally for the meal and transportation programs, please call Carol at 988-5822.
Support Services Grant Award
We are pleased to announce that the Amherst Township Senior Service Office has received its first grant. The $2500 grant for support services for 2005 -2006 was awarded by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (WRAAA), which is our area’s coordinating agency for the Ohio Department of Aging. The money will be used to hire township resident, Jennifer DeWitt, a licensed social worker with eight years of experience, to provide support services for township seniors.
Jennifer’s job will consist of assessing client’s needs and then providing them with information about benefits or services available to them. This may also include helping them to complete forms, or providing them with referrals or linkages to appropriate resources. She can link them to these resources by:
- Notifying an agency that a client will be calling them for service;
- Scheduling an appointments for clients;
- Assisting or participating with a client at a scheduled appointment;
- Contacting a client and/or the agency to determine the outcome of a referral/linkage; or
- Providing follow up as needed.
If you would like to use any of these services, please call the office at 988-5822 to schedule an appointment with Jennifer DeWitt. You can meet with her at the office or in your home.
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Discount Prescription Drug Cards:
- Those with monthly incomes of less than $1048 (single) or $1405 (married) who have no health insurance coverage for prescription drugs and who have not yet signed up for a card this year are now eligible for the full 2004 additional $600 transitional assistance for their medications, plus the full benefit for 2005. However, you must sign up for a card before December 31st. If you wait until next year to sign up, you will lose 25 % of the $600 for each quarter you delay.
- There are some decent cards available, and several of the area pharmacies already discount their drugs even before the drug cards are applied. Further good news is that several of the “drug” companies have teamed up with some of the “drug card” companies to offer additional discounts to those with low incomes that have used up their $600 transitional assistance. At a Cuyahoga County Conference on Aging, a panel speaking about Medicare stated that Ohio’s “Medicare-Approved” Golden Buckeye Drug Discount Card offers one of the best plans in the state, especially for those with low incomes. It offers aid beyond the $600 transitional assistance mentioned above.
- Remember that if you are covered by Medicare, you can only have one (1) “Medicare-Approved” prescription discount card. This card will have the “Medicare” logo printed on the card. However, you may have an unlimited number of “non-Medicare Approved” cards. These “non-Medicare Approved”
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cards are usually sponsored by the state of Ohio or by a pharmacy company. An example would be the gold-colored Golden Buckeye Card, which is a “non-Medicare Approved” card and does not contain the Medicare logo. Ohioans using this card in addition to their “Medicare-Approved” drug card can save an average of 24% on prescriptions at participating pharmacies.
- As of November 2004, a new choice for Ohioans is Ohio’s Best Rx. It is designed to help people 60 years of age and older, whose monthly income is less than $1940(single) or $2602(married). There is no enrollment fee and the card has an optional mail order delivery feature.
2006 Medicare Part D
(Prescription Drug Coverage):
- Cost will be $35 per month.
- Enrolling after the initial open enrollment period will carry a penalty of 1% per month in addition to the $35 premium.
- Most people will end up paying $4100 of their first $5100 prescription costs before the Medicare will begin covering 95% of the cost. Low-income people will still see reductions in their costs.
To get help choosing the prescription drug card that best meets your medications needs, as well as help with downloading and filling out the appropriate application forms, please call Carol at 988-5822.
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Expect higher gas prices this winter due to high world oil and natural gas prices. Winter temperatures will also play a significant role in whether prices rise this winter and by how much.
Utility customers have several options for managing their natural gas bills. The OCC offers the following free resources to help reduce their heating costs:
Energy Efficiency – The OCC offers a “room by room” energy efficiency guide that provides “no-cost” and “low-cost” tips for lowering your winter heating bills.
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Budget Billing – This program spreads consumers’ natural gas expenses evenly through out the year.
Financial Assistance Programs – Several programs are available to help keep Ohioans warm this winter. For example, low-income consumers can apply for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP).
Publications about these and other programs can be found on the OCC’s website at:
www.pickocc.org
or by calling 1-877-742-5622, toll free.
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