Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of September 25, 2017
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
Note: The lower-price $20 per person admission offer for the October 16 Senior Prom at Villa Borghese in Wappingers has been extended to Friday, September 29. If you can get us your cash/check payment on or before that date, you’ll get the lower price. After the 29th the price goes up to $30 per person.
Many thanks for the support of our Senior Prom co-host, the Pines at Poughkeepsie, along with Platinum sponsors Wingate Healthcare, EverCare At Home, Hudson Cadillac Buick GMC, Hamaspik Choice, MVP Health Care, and the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services.
MEDICARE – WHAT’S NEW NOW, AND WHAT’S COMING IN 2018 (PART 1 of 3)
Medicare’s annual “Open Enrollment” period for coverage starting in 2018 begins on October 15th, 2017 and continues through December 7th. This is your annual opportunity to match your medical and drug needs to the available plans. As always, if you’re new to Medicare or have questions about your coverage, the Office for the Aging has counselors available to help you through any rough patches. Call us at(845) 486-2555 to find out more, keeping in mind that counselors’ appointments fill up quickly.
Starting in April 2018, every Medicare beneficiary will be receiving a new Medicare card, replacing the current card, which includes Social Security numbers. With more than 58 million beneficiaries in the system, the rollout of the new cards is expected to take about a year. By April 2019, every beneficiary should have received a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) card that will be used for billing and for checking your eligibility and claim status. Your current Medicare ID consists of 10 characters: your Social Security number and one letter. The new MBI will consist of 11 randomly-chosen characters, both letters and numbers. The Social Security number is being removed. For clarity’s sake, there won’t be any letters on your MBI card that could be confused with numerals, like S, I and O to name three.
Watch your mail carefully starting next spring, so that you don’t throw out your new Medicare card by mistake.
Why the change? Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) say the use of Social Security numbers in Medicare has left some seniors vulnerable to identity theft and has left the Medicare system itself vulnerable to fraud. Still, scammers are already trying to take advantage of the transition. The FTC says the would-be ripoffs take four main forms. Here’s how to watch for the scams and avoid them:
- Is someone calling, claiming to be from Medicare, and asking for your Social Security number or bank information? Hang up. That’s a scam. First, Medicare won’t call you. Second, Medicare will never ask for your Social Security number or bank information.
- Is someone asking you to pay for your new card? That’s a scam. Your new Medicare card is free.
- Is someone threatening to cancel your benefits if you don’t give up information or money? Also a scam. New Medicare cards will be mailed out to you automatically. There won’t be any changes to your benefits.
- Is someone claiming they can get you the new Medicare card ahead of time? That’s also a scam. Cards are not being released until April 2018; Medicare had not even released the design for the new cards as of this month.
Medicare is a complex issue, so we’re splitting our Golden Living coverage of this year’s open enrollment period and new developments for 2018 into three weekly sections. In the second section, due out next week, you’ll find out about ways to compare plans, costs and coverage.
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
THIS AFTERNOON (MON 9/25) IN RHINEBECK: CELEBRATING AGING IN PLACE
A live-stream of an interview with noted physician and author Atul Gawande will take place on Monday, September 25th, at Arbor Ridge on the Brookmeade Campus (Route 308, Rhinebeck). To register, call Rhinebeck@Home at (845) 379-1114.
The live-stream, from the Boston Public Library, begins at 5 p.m.
IDENTITY THEFT, FRAUD AND SCAM SEMINAR THIS WEEK (Register by today (9/25))
With this month’s news of the massive personal-data breach at the Equifax credit reporting agency, keeping your personal information secure is more important than ever. The Pines at Poughkeepsie (100 Franklin St.) is hosting a seminar on ID theft, fraud and scams on Thursday, September 28th at 6 p.m. Retired East Fishkill police detective John Olmoz will be the speaker.
RSVP by today (September 25th) to (845) 454-4100 x316.
CAREGIVER ADVICE THIS WEDNESDAY (9/27) IN MILLERTON
Stop by the Northeast Community Center (51 South Center St., Millerton) on Wednesday, September 27th from 2:30-4 p.m. for a free educational program offering home-care and caregiving assistance, presented by Christine Mindur, RN of MidHudson Regional Licensed Home Care. Space is limited, so reserve your spot by calling (845) 483-5551.
The program is funded in part by the U.S. Administration on Aging, New York State Office for the Aging and Dutchess County Office for the Aging.
OFFICE FOR THE AGING CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mon 9/25, 11 a.m. – “Staying Young and Knowing Your ‘Real’ Age”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
Maplewood Apartments, 457 Maple St (westbound 44/55), Poughkeepsie
Tue 9/26, 10:30 a.m. – “Staying Young and Knowing Your ‘Real’ Age”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
City of Poughkeepsie Senior Friendship Center
110 S. Grand Ave., Poughkeepsie
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
Tuesday 10/3, 11 a.m. – “Staying Young and Knowing Your ‘Real’ Age”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
Pawling Senior Friendship Center (154 Charles Colman Blvd.)
Thursday 10/5, 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 29 (extended deadline!)
$30/person after September 29
Printable entry form here: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/prom17.pdf
Thu 11/2, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Office for the Aging Senior Seminars
New Hackensack Reformed Church, 1580 Route 376, Wappingers
(845) 486-2555 for information (reservations required / space is limited)
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!
Other aging news online:
There are health benefits that come with being grandparents, and health benefits for the grandkids as well: http://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2017-09-13/the-health-benefits-of-having-and-being-grandparents
Sometimes, a senior needs a pen pal: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-heartfelt-letter-woman-steps-in-to-help-lonely-neighbor-in-need/
More ideas on staying connected with seniors here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2017/05/27/some-of-the-best-websites-for-seniors-to-find-new-ways-to-get-up-get-out-and-meet-up-in-2017/#320fa1651172)
If you lived in New York City in the 1980’s, there’s a new interactive map of the city with photos of just about every single block from that time period: www.80s.nyc
This week in senior birthdays:
9/25: Actor/producer Michael Douglas (72)
9/26: Singer/songwriter Bryan Ferry (72)
9/27: Actor Wilford Brimley (83)
9/28: Actress Brigitte Bardot (83)
9/29: Singer/songwriter Jerry Lee Lewis (82)
9/30: Actress Angie Dickinson (86)
10/1: Actress/singer Julie Andrews (82)
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
27 High Street
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
