Join our Senior Care Advisor, Kathy Borsh, and her colleague Thomas Torr, Esq, for an educational workshop, Navigating Senior Care Choices: How to prepare yourself and your aging loved ones.
Click the flyer image below to zoom in for more details. Hosted by Wentworth Douglass Hospital in New Hampshire.
Hi folks,
Home Instead Gorham is hosting the Community Education Series at the Baxter Memorial Library (71 South St, Gorham ME; (207) 839-5031). It’s a six part series and we are happy to be participating in the first one! I’ll be presenting Senior Care: What are the Options this Thursday, the 28th from 5-6pm. For more information and to RSVP please click the link to the poster below. Of course you can also contact us at 207-272-2797, or Marcie at Home Instead at (207) 839-0441.
Hope to see you there!
All the best,
Lynn
Navigating the world of Medicare Coverage is tricky. If you already have private insurance, how do you know if Medicare is right for you? Do you need both parts A and B? Trying to decide whether you need supplemental coverage can be hard enough. Then figuring out which kind – part C, Medicare Advantage, part D – and what provider to go with, is a whole other challenge. Unfortunately so many people run into the problem of being under-insured or on the contrary, over-insured, paying for services they do not use or need. I thought, why not find someone who can be available to my clients and the community to help them sort it all out.
Beach Glass Transitions is teaming up with Caroline W. Irwin, an Independent Insurance Agent, who specializes in offering free valuable information and education on insurance options available to Maine’s Medicare Beneficiaries. She will be available to the public to meet with you and/or family members in order to provide:
Attendance at this workshop is at no cost or obligation to you. For the most comprehensive and up-to-date information to assist in making appropriate healthcare coverage choices, just stop in any time between 1 – 4pm on Friday, October 29 at our office at 277 Congress Street in Portland.
To confirm your attendance, please call 207-756-2901. If you cannot make it and would like to make a private, in-home appointment with Caroline, contact her at 207-749-0770.
Hope to see you there!
I am hosting a free Senior Options class at 277 Congress St. in Portland!
This class teaches seniors and their families about the many kinds of senior care options available here in Maine and the financial obligations associated with the various choices.
I’ll begin by introducing all those common but confusing acronyms so that everyone understands the terminology used in senior care. I’ll explain terms like ADLs, CCRC’s, NF, Home Health Care vs. Home Care, MaineCare, Private Pay, AL’s, and more.
Next we’ll talk about ten distinct senior care products, including:
I’ll teach you the right questions to ask when touring communities, along with which amenities to look for depending on your loved one’s situation. I’ll explain the unique care provided in each option, and share the advantages and disadvantages. We’ll explore important factors like which services are provided, what costs can be expected, the size of a particular community and available activity programs.
For your long term planning, I’ll also discuss the limitations of each senior care option. There will also be time for questions and answers.
Too often, families wait until a crisis situation to make decisions about senior care. They rush into making the quick choice, not the educated one, which sometimes results in a traumatic transition for the senior and the family, and often costs more money.
This class will prepare folks for the future and provide the base of education that all families need as they enter this difficult and confusing process. And the best part is that all the advice and learning is free!
I’m giving the class at the following dates and times:
Thursday, September 16, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Tuesday, September 21, 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Thursday, September 30, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
The class will be held in my office at 277 Congress Street in Portland.
I look forward to seeing you all there and answering your questions!
For more information contact, info@beachglasstransitions.com
or call 207-272-2797. Also, please call or email to confirm your attendance if you will be joining us!
If you are interested in joining us, but these dates and times do not work for you, just give us a call and we’ll see what future arrangements we can make with class times and dates that can accommodate you!
Best,
Lynn
The process of applying to the VA for Pension benefits is like any other application process to a government agency. It is confusing.
There is so much information circulating online and yet it seems there are always questions that cannot be answered with a google search. This is why I strongly recommend seeking out government sponsored resources. As a matter of law, agencies specializing in filing VA forms for Pension benefits are not allowed to charge fees for advising you on filing your application. Not only is the advice is free, but it may also get you a larger benefit package than you might get on your own without assistance.
There is a whole rulebook that applies to providing information or assistance in the preparation, presentation or prosecution of a benefits claim to the VA.
For instance, though I may have knowledge of certain parts of the application process, I am not legally allowed to provide direct information or advice in regards to a specific claim. That information must come from a government accredited agency. I can, however, provide general information and advice on benefits and qualifications for benefits. This stipulation exists for the protection of veterans, to ensure they do not get scammed or do not receive false or misleading information.
Over the next few weeks I will be blogging about the eligibility criteria and application documents needed to apply for the Veterans Improved Pension. At the end of each blog I will include a list of helpful government sponsored resources.
For starters, the Improved Pension includes 3 levels of benefits.
To qualify for a portion of any of these benefits you must be permanently disabled, either as a result of military service or unrelated to your service. The government considers all veterans and their spouses over the age of 65 to be permanently disabled for the sake of this application process.
Check in next week to find out more about the forms involved and the service requirements for applying.
This morning, I read an interesting article on the MPBN site about how important the Census is to Maine as it relates to healthcare dollars. Take a look. Because the dollars coming in to our health care system (via Medicare for people over 65, and MaineCare for income-eligible folks and families) are based on actual population, it’s very important that every Mainer is counted.
You’ll get Census information in the mail next week. PLEASE FILL IT OUT AND MAIL IT BACK! If you don’t, you’ll get a visit from a Census worker, so you’ll have another chance to be counted. Let’s make sure we count every single person living in Maine.
Read this if you’d like to check out Maine’s Census data from ten years ago.
As I skim through the paper daily, I’m reminded that there are many opportunities for us to learn something new with a little investment of time.
Many groups are offering free health-related seminars or classes this month.
And with all the talk of swine flu and health care reform, health has been on our minds. Keeping ourselves well by eating right, getting plenty or rest, drinking fluids and exercising can go a long way towards helping our bodies fight off attacks by cold and flu bugs. Hannaford supermarkets had a series of in-store classes listed in today’s paper. They ask you to register ahead of time at whatever store is hosting the class. Here’s a link to more information on healthy living classes.
The class that really caught my eye was Cart Away Colds: Eat to Boost Your Immunity on October 20 at the Scarborough Hannaford. I am a big believer in supporting all the building blocks of physical and mental health, but I fall by the wayside sometimes and need to get re-invigorated with new information. Of course, sometimes health issues are out of our control, but if we can affect issues or lessen our risks by what we do or eat, it’s a good opportunity to gain some control.
There are lots of other interesting topics in October. Healthy eating using the Guiding Stars, tight budget eating, healthy snacks for Halloween, healthy heart eating, understanding diabetes, Vitamin D, and good nutrition to reduce cancer risks are topics this month.
Take advantage of the free information offered by groups. You’ll learn something, and you’re NEVER obligated to buy anything.
The annual Alzheimer’s Walk is tomorrow. It’s not too late to walk yourself, or sponsor a walker.
Alzheimer’s is often called the Long Goodbye. It is a classic example of the grief described in this recent Dear Abby article on grieving. It’s about the grief of a caregiver: someone who has provided the care for a terminally-ill husband, and who now recognizes that her grief started several years ago, with his diagnosis.
I recently heard of deaths involving people with whom I had worked, who are also experiencing this grief. One lady lost her 94 year-old mother, after caring for her at home nearly two years. Another lost his wife after a battle with cancer. They both knew that they would part from their loved-ones, and both experienced the relief of closure at the same time their hearts were filled with loss.
As I talk to my older clients and friends, I recognize more and more that none of us get out of this world alive, but that we all handle grief differently. The best we can do for each other is to remember with joy the person who has passed, and enfold with love and support the people who remain.
Meanwhile, we can honor memories and work to understand and halt diseases like Alzheimer’s by supporting causes like the Alzheimer’s Walk. Join this walk to get some exercise, and you can be well while doing good!
We all know that exercise is one of the keys to feeling good. I’m a real fan of the National Institutes of Health senior health website because it contains genuine stories from people who are making exercise a daily part of their life. (It also contains a lot of great health care information, and a good primer on Medicare.) Staff from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) helped develop the site.
They’re looking for stories from exercising seniors, and this could be a great opportunity for all you senior skiers, swimmers, joggers, tennis players and yoga enthusiasts to strut your stuff!
Here’s what they say:
If you are age 60 years or older and exercise regularly, we invite you to send us your story for the NIHSeniorHealth.gov Web site. You should write your own story in your own words. We would also like to post a photo showing you exercising. You can get more information on the website.
Are you part of a walking group? A swimming class? Square dance, line dance, ballroom dance group? You can share your story as an individual,or take a group shot and send in a group quote. Socialization is almost as important as exercise in maintaining our health as we age. What a fun way to get a little recognition for your hard work at staying healthy!
Best, Lynn
We were inundated with rain during June and the first little bit of July, but then we enjoyed a gorgeous 4th of July weekend and some reasonably hot weather. Every summer, we have heat waves and hear about people suffering from various kinds of heat sickness, ranging from the cramps of heat exhaustion to the real emergency of heat stroke.
How can we guard against too much heat? And how do we recognize heat-related illnesses? There’s a lot of information on the web and available from your doctor’s offices, and lots to be said for common sense!
How to Recognize Heat-related Illness
Anyone can suffer from the heat, but it becomes especially dangerous to infants, athletes, outdoor workers, and the elderly. Elders dealing with heart, lung or kidney diseases or who are taking medications are often more vulnerable to heat. They also sweat less than younger people.
Physical symptoms of heat exhaustion include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps and aches and dizziness. Dehydration causes this, usually loss of fluid through sweating. Your blood pressure drops and circulation decreases, which might cause fatigue, fainting or collapse. Heat cramps sometimes follow exercise in hot conditions.
There are generally runners suffering from heat exhaustion following every Beach to Beacon Road Race, and the treatment includes replacing fluids, sometimes intravenously. We also hear of elders suffering heat exhaustion when their environment simply gets too warm for their body to tolerate. Air conditioning, fans, cool drinks, light clothing and shady porches can help. Be sure to drink a lot of water in hot weather, a cup every half hour. Cooling sponge baths can help keep body temperature under control.
Heat stroke is more dangerous and symptoms can sometimes look like a heart attack. People can have symptoms of heat exhaustion before they progress to heat stroke. Common symptoms of heat stoke include high body temperature, absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, strange behavior, hallucinations, confusion and disorientation, agitation, seizures and coma. Heat stroke is extremely serious and patients are treated like heart attack or stroke victims. If you think someone is suffering from heat stroke, seek medical attention immediately, and call emergency services. Loosen clothing and cool the victim with tepid water and fanning until help arrives.
How to Prevent Heat Sicknesses
Be aware of the weather, and don’t over heat to begin with! Think carefully before heavy exercise, tennis, gardening or lawn mowing in mid-day or when it’s hot. Plan those activities for early in the morning or after the sun has set. Drink a lot of water over the course of the whole day, and wear lightweight, loose clothing. Stay in the shade and use an air conditioner or fan. Wear a light hat to protect your head when you go out. (This is why the southern ladies carried parasols.) Avoid alcohol, coffee, tea or other drinks with caffeine, which promote dehydration. Some folks I know time their grocery shopping or mall walking for when they can benefit most from public air conditioning. They attend afternoon matinees at air-conditioned theaters and take advantage of a price discount as well.
When the dog days hit, stay relaxed and hydrated. Your doctor or health care provider has more information on avoiding heat problems. Enjoy the sun in moderation! Lynn
