Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of October 2, 2017
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
Note: the Office for the Aging will be closed for the Columbus Day state/federal holiday on Monday, October 9; the Aging News for that week will arrive on Tuesday the 10th.
MEDICARE – OPEN ENROLLMENT GETS UNDERWAY SOON (PART 2 OF 3)
Dutchess County residents with Medicare can choose from available Medicare Prescription Drug plans and Medicare Health Plans. Whether you are interested in staying with Original/Traditional/Fee-for-Service Medicare and finding the best available drug plan, or are considering the Medicare Advantage Plan options, you can start looking now. The 2018 plan information has been posted on the Medicare website atwww.medicare.gov as of October 1st.
All Medicare beneficiaries are encouraged to review their plan’s options for 2018. Remember, what was good for you last year may not necessarily be your best choice in 2018! Many things can change, including covered prescriptions, premiums, deductibles, etc. Some current plans available in 2017 may be discontinued, while some new plans will be available for 2018. Just as you get your own personal health “checkup,” you should “check up” on your health insurance benefits as well.
There are four ways to review and compare plans:
- Visitwww.medicare.gov. Compare costs, coverage and more while getting an estimate of your out-of-pocket costs for the year.
- Talk with our certified Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) staff and volunteers available at the Dutchess County Office for the Aging. Call (845) 486-2566 or 1-800-701-0501. Phone counseling and in-person individual appointments are available. You’ll find out more about HIICAP below.
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE(1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048). 24 hour/seven-days-a-week help is available from trained Medicare representatives.
- You can consider the listing of plans in your “Medicare & You” Handbook. You will not, however, be making as personal a choice as you can on the Medicare website, where you can enter your prescription information and have your needs matched with appropriate plans.
MORE ABOUT HIICAP
The Dutchess County Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) is your local source for impartial information about Medicare. HIICAP provides information about Medigap insurances designed to “fit” with Medicare and can help individuals understand the supplemental choices offered by a retiree plan. HIICAP is also a resource for information about Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D), New York State EPIC Program, benefit programs and long-term care insurance.
HIICAP is federally funded through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Aging. HIICAP is administered by the New York State Office for the Aging and is staffed locally by Dutchess County Office for the Aging staff and certified counselors.
The information provided by HIICAP staff and counselors is intended for the sole purpose of educating consumers in regard to the choices available for their health insurance needs. Particular emphasis is placed on helping consumers gain a better understanding of Original Medicare and the various options available to them for supplementing or replacing Original Medicare. HIICAP does not endorse any specific product or insurer.
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
OFFICE FOR THE AGING CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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
$30/person
Printable entry form here: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/prom17.pdf
Thu 10/19, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m – at MidHudson Regional Hospital Fall Prevention Seminar
Registration required; call (845) 431-8159 or email Angela.Katz@wmchealth.org
Light refreshments will be available
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!
VOLUNTEERS WANTED THROUGHOUT DUTCHESS
Aging News subscribers have done a fantastic job stepping up in recent weeks to help get our “Spotlight on Seniors” mailings out to seniors around the county, and to help at our upcoming Senior Prom. If you’d like to volunteer your help to seniors on an ongoing basis we have lots of options for you in addition to Office for the Aging volunteering:
- In recent weeks, Friends of Seniors (845-485-1277) has registered over 30 new clients needing volunteer transportation assistance. Now they need the volunteers to keep up with the new demand. You can volunteer based on your availability. Friends of Seniors covers mileage reimbursement, and have an umbrella insurance policy to cover drivers.
- The Retired Senior and Volunteer Program (RSVP) (845-452-5104, email jhickman@dutchesscap.org) is recruiting for the 2017 Tax Season. Prior tax experience is required to become a Volunteer Tax Preparer. Free training is provided, and you will become IRS Certified. Additionally, volunteers are needed to make confirmation calls, help with tech support, serve as tax site greeters, translators and more. If you are interested, call ASAP as training begins in January.
Additionally, the Hudson Valley Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, based in Hyde Park, is in need of volunteers. There is an upcoming training beginning Tuesday, October 17th. Find out how you can become a New York State Certified Ombudsman and begin advocating on behalf of long term care residents who need your help. To find out more, contact RSVP using the info above, or the Long Term Care Ombudsman program at (845) 229-4680.
And before long we’ll need help here at OFA headquarters in Poughkeepsie, too. We’re planning to mail out a special Medicare-focused edition of the Spotlight on Seniors in the next week or two, and will need office assistance preparing the Spotlights for mailing.
OFA SENIOR WALKING GROUP RESUMES SPRING 2018
…unless you’d like to start one that’s hardy enough to go through the winter, that is!
If you’re in a senior walking group, a senior bicycling group, a senior running group, a senior snowshoeing group…you get the idea…and you’d like us to tell your senior friends and neighbors about it, email Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov or call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. Let us know what days you meet, where you meet, and whether or not you’re a year-round group.
If you’re an avid year-round outdoorsperson, keep in mind that the Dutchess Rail Trail and Harlem Valley Rail Trail are NOT plowed in the winter, partly to preserve the trail surface, benches and signs from wear and tear and other potential damage related to snow and ice removal, and partly for the benefit of cross-country skiers and snowshoers. More explanation here: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/sports/recreational/2017/01/04/why-dutchess-rail-trail-does-not-get-plowed/96078480/
We expect the OFA senior walking group to resume its weekly Tuesday trips on the Walkway over the Hudson in late April of 2018. If you’d like to take part, let us know and we’ll have a list ready for the group when they meet again.
CENTRAL HUDSON PROPOSED RATE INCREASE HEARINGS THIS WEEK IN POUGHKEEPSIE
This past summer, Central Hudson filed with the state Public Service Commission for new rates, effective July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. The first of three pairs of hearings for the public to comment on the proposed rates is coming up this Tuesday, October 3, at Poughkeepsie Town Hall (1 Overocker Rd.). There will be information sessions at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and public statement hearings at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
If you can’t make it that day, there are also two hearings each on Tuesday, October 10 at Kingston City Hall (420 Broadway) and onMonday, October 16 at Newburgh Town Hall (1496 Route 300), with information sessions at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and hearings at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at both locations.
You can also comment on the state Department of Public Service (DPS) website at www.dps.ny.gov. Enter the associated case numbers (17-E-0459 or 17-G-0460) in the Search by Case Number field on the website.
You can also email comments to secretary@dps.ny.gov, referencing “Central Hudson Rate Case” (17-E-0459 or 17-G-0460).
You can mail comments to Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Department of Public Service, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany NY 12223-1350. Comments should reference “Central Hudson Rate Case” (17-E-0459 or 17-G-0460).
You can also call the Commission’s toll-free opinion line at 1-800-335-2120, which is set up to take in-state calls 24/7. Press “1” to leave comments about Cases 17-E-0459 or 17-G-0460. Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact the DPS’s Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible, and Telecommunication Relay Service users can request a sign language interpreter by calling the New York Relay Service at 711. Those with difficulty understanding English can call DPS at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services.
All comments are requested by October 20, but comments will be accepted at any point during the proceedings.
FACEBOOK CONNECTIONS FOR SENIORS…TODAY (10/2)
Social media is a fantastic tool to help prevent isolation among seniors, and it can bring you closer to loved ones who may be many miles away. Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck (6511 Springbrook Ave. (Route 9)) is hosting “Facebook Connections: A Tutorial for Seniors” today, October 2, from 2-3:30 p.m. at the hospital cafeteria. The free event will be hosted by Sarah Bradshaw, manager for public and community affairs at the hospital.
The tutorial will cover Facebook basics, including creating an account, setting up your profile, finding friends and online security.
To register, visit www.healthquest.org/wellness or call (845) 876-4745 (TTY/Accessibility at 800-421-1220).
Other aging news online:
A new survey finds many Americans are confused as to what is and isn’t covered when it comes to long term care:http://www.nextavenue.org/long-term-care-prices-genworth/?utm_content=buffer47975&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life, says this author: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/24/why-lack-of-sleep-health-worst-enemy-matthew-walker-why-we-sleep
In a study released before Hurricane Maria passed, island-dwelling Puerto Rican seniors were found to be in better health than older adults on the mainland: https://news.usc.edu/124858/older-island-dwelling-puerto-ricans-are-in-better-health-compared-to-older-adults-in-the-u-s/
Driving to the city or Long Island? After this weekend, the last of the cash toll booths on New York City bridges and tunnels will be gone, with the departure of cash toll booths on the Throgs Neck and Bronx Whitestone bridges. Everything will be handled by EZ-Pass or license plate readers: http://nypost.com/2017/09/27/say-goodbye-to-nyc-toll-booths-this-weekend/?Cmpid=nzltr_tu_cc
This week in senior birthdays:
10/2: Singer/songwriter Sting (66) – and here’s the story of how his band The Police played a show at The Chance in Poughkeepsie to a crowd of four, in 1978: http://www.sting.com/tour/date/id/1924
10/3: Singer/songwriter Chubby Checker (76)
10/4: NY Giants NFL Hall of Famer Sam Huff (83)
10/5: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Miller (74)
10/6: Pro wrestler Bruno Sammartino (82)
10/7: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu (86)
10/8: Gossip columnist Rona Barrett (81) – who now runs a foundation in California for vulnerable, low-income seniors (http://ronabarrettfoundation.org/)
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
27 High Street
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Phone: (845) 486-2555 Fax: (845) 486-2571
Email: bjones@dutchessny.gov
