Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
- Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
- Other Free Medicare Preventative Services
- March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
- Heart Walk this Saturday (3/19)
- How Veganism Heals (3/23)
- Citizen Preparedness Training (3/15)
- More Aging News Online
- SPRING SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/SPOTLIGHTSpring2016.pdf
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
ANNUAL WELLNESS VISIT
If you are covered by Medicare, you have a number of free preventive care services available to you to promote your health and well-being. All Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for an annual wellness visit, a yearly appointment with your health care provider to update or develop a 5 – 10 year prevention schedule based on your needs. If you have been receiving Medicare Part B benefits for at least 12 months and have not had an initial “Welcome to Medicare” exam, you are now eligible for this free benefit. There are no deductibles or coinsurance payments associated with this visit.
Be sure when you are scheduling the appointment you do not indicate you want a physical, which you will be charged for. This is not a head-to-toe physical, but more of a health risk assessment. The exam will include checking to be sure your heart, lungs and other body systems are working properly. You should be prepared to answer questions regarding your medical history, current medications, cognitive functioning, and any concerns you may have about your health. The health professional you choose will also take routine measurements like your height, weight and blood pressure.
NO CHARGE FOR MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES
If you have Original Medicare, in addition to the annual wellness visit, there are a number of preventative care services available to you with no coinsurance deductible if you see a doctor who accepts the assignment. The physician is not able to charge you separately for more than the Medicare covered amount for the service. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, your plan will not be able to charge you for preventative care services that are free for people with Original Medicare, as long as you see in-network providers.
OTHER PREVETATIVE SERVICES
Some of the other Medicare preventive services that can be provided without coinsurance or a deductible include: abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, alcohol counseling, breast, cervical, colon lung, and prostate cancer screenings, depression screenings, diabetes screenings, heart disease screening, hepatitis C screening, HIV screening, medical nutrition therapy, obesity counseling, osteoporosis screening, sexually transmitted disease screenings, smoking cessation counseling as well as a number of vaccinations. These services will not be a part of your annual wellness visit, but may be suggested by your health professional as follow-up care following your visit.
The best way to stay healthy is to live a healthy lifestyle by exercising, eating well, keeping a healthy weight, and not smoking. Preventive services like the annual wellness exam can help, too, by finding health problems early, when treatment works best. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for more information on any of these screenings or visit www.medicare.gov to get the most current information on what is covered. You can learn more about Medicare at one of our upcoming monthly Medicare seminars, this Wednesday, March 16th, from 10 a.m. – 12 noon in the Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room, or Monday, March 28th at the Center for Healthy Aging at Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Call (845) 486-2555 to register for either program or to speak to a HIICAP counselor about your health insurance questions.
Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone 486-2555, email: agingservices@dutchessny.gov website: http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/AGIndex.htm
A message from Henry M. Kurban, MD, MBA, MPH, FACPM, Commissioner, Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health:
When is the last time you thought about colorectal cancer?
It may come as a surprise to you, but colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in the US!
Fortunately, it’s also one of the most easily detectable forms of cancer and one of the most treatable when caught early.
The Department of Behavioral & Community Health invites you to join the Nation as we honor March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Guidelines recommend screening for colon cancer to begin at age 50. You may need to be screened earlier if you are an individual at higher risk for colon cancer:
- Those with a personal or family history of colon cancer, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease
- Those with a personal or family history of other types of cancer
- African Americans
I encourage you to learn more about colon cancer and what you can do to prevent it by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/index.htm
AHA Heart Walk Coming March 19th at Vassar College
Hudson Valley residents are invited to join the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Heart Walk event at Vassar College on Saturday, March 19th to help their own hearts and raise funds for the AHA’s heart programs and research which will help even more hearts. The Heart Walk is part of the AHA’s Healthy Living campaign to improve the heart health of Americans. The AHA’s recommends physical activity, like walking, for 30 minutes on most days of the week to strengthen your heart, improve your health and prevent the leading killers—heart disease and stroke.
Last year’s event raised more than $409,000 for the AHA. It is one of the region’s largest one-day fund raisers and one of the only winter walk events. Events like the Heart Walk fund the AHA’s critical research and awareness programs that help save lives from cardiovascular diseases like heart disease and stroke – the number one and five killers in the U.S. The event features a heart healthy 2- or 4-mile walk, heart health education, Kids Zone, refreshments and entertainment.
There is another Ulster County event at SUNY New Paltz on April 9th. Registration for both events is online atwww.dutchessulsterheartwalk.org . Donations can also be made online. Call 845-867-5378 for more information.
HOW VEGANISM HEALS: SHINING A LIGHT ON BENEFITS
A FREE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Wednesday, March 23, 5:30 p.m.
MidHudson Regional Hospital, Sister M. Ann Elizabeth Conference Center, The Atrium, first floor, 241 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Presented by: Sande Nosonowitz, VLCE
There are various reasons for choosing a vegan path. Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as is reasonably possible, the use of animals for food, clothing, entertainment and experimentation. It is a movement towards healthy, conscious and compassionate living. If you have ever been curious about veganism, join us as we discover how to heal our bodies, heal the planet and awaken our humanity.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
RSVP to 845.483.5041 or email heather.scism@wmchealth.org by March 21
Dutchess County Emergency Response to Facilitate Citizen’s Preparedness Training
The Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response will facilitate a Citizen’s Preparedness Training Program on Tuesday, March 15th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Pawling Fire Department, located at 25 South Street in the Town of Pawling. The two hour training session is designed to provide participants with the tools and resources to better prepare for any type of disaster. Participants will learn how to respond accordingly in a disaster and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. The training program is being provided by the Dutchess County Departments of Emergency Response and Behavioral and Community Health. The event is open to the public and free to attend. Doors to the event will open at 6:30 p.m. Each family will receive a free Citizen Preparedness Corps Response Starter Kit.
This training session is part of the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response’s citizen preparedness training initiative which is being offered regionally throughout Dutchess County in 2016. Dutchess County’s Medical Reserve Corps and the Dutchess County Animal Response Team will be present as part of the training.
Upcoming Citizen’s Preparedness Trainings include:
Monday, March 21st at 7:00pm at Union Vale Town Hall
Wednesday, March 30th at 7:00pm at Red Hook Town Hall
For more information, please contact the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response at (845) 486-2080.
To see the event flyer, click here: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/EmergencyResponse/Citizens_Preparedness_Training_03152016.pdf
MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE:
Computer Use May Help Deflect Seniors’ Memory Problems
03/03/2016 04:00 PM EST
But, experts note that the study can’t prove cause-and-effect. Source: HealthDay
Experts Undecided on Whether Seniors Should Get Routine Vision Checks
03/01/2016 12:00 PM EST
Not enough data to say yes or no to sight checks in primary care doctors’ offices, U.S. panel says. Source: HealthDay
Healthier Arteries May Lower Dementia Risk in Old Age
03/01/2016 12:00 PM EST
Preventing calcium buildup might thwart mental decline in your 80s and beyond, study finds. Source: HealthDay
Understanding how we form memories crucial to treating Alzheimer’s Toronto Star
Colon cancer patients getting younger, no one knows why WTOP
For the best sleep, put down the tablet and pick up a book
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E-readers have been a tremendous leap forward. Sure, people will tell you that they’re nothing but a nuisance, but anything that gets people reading is a win in my book.
ALZHEIMER’S NEWSLETTER: http://act.alz.org/site/MessageViewer?autologin=true&em_id=207299.0&dlv_id=234907&utm_campaign=enews-2016-03-14&utm_medium=email&WT.mc_id=enews2016_03_14&utm_source=enews-aff-118
Joseph A. Ryan
Acting Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
27 High Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: (845) 486-2555 Fax: (845) 486-2571
email: jryan@dutchessny.gov
