Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of August 14

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of August 14

Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

STOP US IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE…

The phone rings, you pick up, and the person on the line identifies themselves as a “Medicare representative.” This person tells you that it’s possible to save hundreds of dollars a month by signing up for Medicare’s prescription drug program. Since your prescription bills are getting to be hefty as you age, you think this sounds like a great deal. The “representative” asks you for your Medicare and checking account numbers, and…

We hope you hung up.

Any unsolicited call promising you a deal that sounds too good to be true is no deal. It is almost certainly a scam aimed at getting your personal information, like Medicare and checking account numbers, which can be used to steal not only from you, but also from your insurance company, or from the federal and state government. Accurate calculations of what’s stolen from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers are hard to come by, because fraud committed by skilled thieves often goes undetected. Researchers at The Economist magazine in 2014, however, put the total annual amount lost to health insurance fraud in the U.S. at approximately $170 billion.

There are three key steps to protect yourself from health-insurance fraud, both as a senior and as a taxpayer:

o protect yourself from insurance fraud;

o detect potential fraud;

o report if you suspect you’ve been victimized.

Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) (www.smpresource.org) recommends treating your Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and personal insurance numbers like a credit card number. Don’t give these numbers to a stranger, especially one whose identity you haven’t verified. Take your cards with you only when you need them for doctor’s appointments, visits to the pharmacy, or trips to the hospital.

If somebody calls claiming to be from Medicare, they’re not. According to SMP, Medicare does not call or visit to sell you or offer you anything.

Even if you do protect yourself well, there’s a chance you could still be victimized, but it’s possible to detect when somebody is using your information to commit fraud. Start by reviewing any Medicare Summary Notice and/or Part D Explanation of Benefits you receive in the mail. Look for charges for services you didn’t receive, multiple billings for the same thing, services your doctor did not order, and billings from distant locations. Here’s an example: In 2010, a 72-year-old woman in Sullivan County noticed Medicare fraud on her billings. She looked at her Medicare statement and spotted billings from California, Arizona, and New Mexico for procedures like pregnancy tests – not only was she 72, but she’d also had a hysterectomy – and even prostate-cancer treatments. She helped Medicare stop this particular instance of fraud, but the criminals are nothing if not persistent, always probing for weak spots in the system.

If you think you may have been a target of fraud, you should get in touch with your provider or insurance plan first. Regarding possible Medicare fraud, if you’re not satisfied with their response you can call New York’s SMP at 877-678-4697. Don’t be shy about asking: After all, your taxes pay for Medicare and Medicaid.

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone (845) 486-2555, email: ofa@dutchessny.gov website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging

Upcoming Office for the Aging events and presentations:

Thu 8/17, 1 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at North East-Millerton Library

75 Main St., Millerton

With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones

(845) 486-2555 for more information

Tue 9/12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – USA Parties (reservations required)

At all Office for the Aging Senior Friendship Centers

Call your local Senior Friendship Center or (845) 486-2555 for more information

Fri 9/22, 10 a.m. – Office for the Aging Services presentation

At the September meeting of the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

Unitarian Unversalist Fellowship, 67 S. Randolph St., Poughkeepsie

With outreach coordinator Brian Jones

nredkey@aol.com for more information

Sat 9/23, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – The Golden Gathering

Arlington High School

1157 Route 55, LaGrangeville

(518) 455-2945 for vendor participation information

(845) 229-0106 for any other questions

More details: https://go.usa.gov/xNedE

Wed 9/27,11 a.m. – Office for the Aging Public Hearing

East Fishkill Senior Friendship Center

890 Route 82, Hopewell Junction

(845) 486-2555 for more information

Thursday, October 5, 11 a.m. – Office for the Aging Public Hearing

Interfaith Towers

66 Washington Street, Poughkeepsie

(845) 486-2555 for more information

Mon 10/16, 12 noon – The Senior Prom

This year’s theme: “School Days”

Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd., Wappingers Falls

$20/person before September 15

$30/person after September 15

Printable entry form here: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/prom17.pdf

To request an Office for the Aging presentation for your senior, social and/or civic group, get in touch with outreach coordinator Brian Jones at (845) 486-2555 or bjones@dutchessny.gov. All your group needs to provide is a venue that’s accessible and open to the public, with space to set up a projector and screen.

We feature presentations on Successful Aging, Office for the Aging services, a wide range of topics related to nutrition, and more!

VOLUNTEER HOME DELIVERED MEALS DRIVERS NEEDED

The Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s Home Delivered Meals program is in immediate need of volunteer drivers to bring nutritious meals to homebound seniors all over Dutchess County.

If you have your own vehicle and license, and can drive in any or all of the following communities:

Beacon • East Fishkill • LaGrange • Millerton • Pawling • Poughkeepsie • South Amenia

We’d love to have you join us!

Hours are 9:30am-12:30pm weekdays. Mileage will be reimbursed.

To find out more, get in touch with the Office for the Aging: (845) 486-2555 or nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava atnbhargava@dutchessny.gov.

There is also an opening for a paid part-time OFA substitute driver. Qualifying drivers are required to have a CDL license. For application information, contact the Office for the Aging using the information in the previous paragraph.

HRHCare OPEN HOUSE THIS WEDNESDAY (8/16)

HRHCare Community Health (www.hrhcare.org) is observing National Health Center Week with an open house at their health center, at 75 Washington St. in the City of Poughkeepsie, from 8:30 a.m until 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 16. You can learn more about their primary and preventive health services for seniors and families. There’ll be free breakfast, giveaways, tours of the health center and more. For more information, contact Hilary Sparling at (914) 425-0893 or hsparling@hrhcare.org.

NATIONAL SENIOR CITIZEN DAY IN MILLBROOK

National Senior Citizen Day is being observed on Monday, August 21 at 2:00 p.m. at the Fountains at Millbrook (79 Flint Rd.) with “A Journey Through Music” featuring Julia and Jeff Cohen. A student at the New England Conservatory of Music, Julia Cohen will be accompanied by her father, Jeff Cohen, and performing classical, musical theater, and sing-along repertoire. Julia has been featured on NPR and has performed at Carnegie Hall.

For more information and to reserve seats for this free event, call Lisa at (845) 905-8014.

SENIOR (65+) DISCOUNT ADMISSION AT THE DUTCHESS COUNTY FAIR

If you don’t get around to picking up advance-admission tickets to this year’s Dutchess County Fair (8/22-27 in Rhinebeck), there’s a discounted $10 senior admission available during the Fair for senior citizens, at any Fair entry gate. Specifics on the offer, and a list of pre-sale locations, at: http://dutchessfair.com/dutchess-fair/tickets/

Other aging news online:

The Alzheimer’s Association reflects on last week’s death of music legend Glen Campbell, who died of Alzheimer’s disease complications at the age of 81: http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/glen_campbell_statement_080817.pdf

New ideas in our continuing battle against ticks: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ticks-here-stay-scientists-finding-ways-outsmart-bloodsuckers

Remember the old saying “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger?” Here’s some ideas on handling and harnessing stress:https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-deal-with-stress?utm_source=sharetools&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website

A new study finds that many of us avoid end-of-life care planning: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/08/02/540669492/many-avoid-end-of-life-care-planning-study-finds

A low calorie diet might help slow the body’s aging process: https://news.uci.edu/2017/08/10/link-between-biological-clock-and-aging-revealed/

If maple trees near you have been shedding leaves already, this might be why: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Maple-trees-dropping-but-maple-syrup-not-at-risk-11745759.php?Cmpid=nzltr_tu_cc

Everything you’d care to know about next week’s total solar eclipse, and then some: https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2017/great-american-eclipse/index.html

This week in senior birthdays:

8/14: Actor/comedian/writer/musician Steve Martin (72)

…and here’s Steve on banjo with Glen Campbell in 1969: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/08/watch-glen-campbell-and-steve-martin-play-the-banj.html

8/15: Actress/singer Rose Marie (94)

8/16: Actress/dancer Julie Newmar (84)

8/17: Actor/director Robert De Niro (74)