Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of September 30th

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of September 30th

Note: the Office for the Aging and OFA Senior Friendship Centers will be closed for the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, October 14th. Clients of our Home Delivered Meals program will receive shelf-stable meals in advance of the holiday weekend.

Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

 

MEDICARE TRANSITION PERIOD ENDS IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS

 

        Every Medicare beneficiary reading this article should have received a new Medicare card with a new, randomly generated beneficiary identifier that’s not your Social Security number, as was the case from 1966 until 2018. The new cards started arriving in April of 2018, and nationwide distribution was completed earlier this year.

        If you didn’t get your new card, call 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Perhaps there’s a problem with your card that needs correcting, such as a change of mailing address.

        Those of you with online access who need a replacement card can go to www.MyMedicare.gov and print an official copy. If you don’t have a MyMedicare account, you can create one there.

        For now, providers are still accepting the old Medicare cards if you don’t have the new one, but once the year ends, Medicare will reject all eligibility transactions that use the old card.

        You should guard your Medicare card like it’s a credit card. Carry it with you when you’re away from home. Let your doctor, hospital or other health care provider see your card when you need health care services. Do NOT give out your Medicare beneficiary ID to somebody who calls or emails you claiming to be a representative of Medicare or a health care provider. Medicare does not contact beneficiaries over the phone.

        As for the old cards, they can be shredded or otherwise securely destroyed. Don’t just toss them in regular trash, because the old cards have your Social Security number on them.

SPECIAL MEDICARE-FOCUSED “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS” NOW OUT

 

        The Office for the Aging this month is mailing its third annual Medicare-focused special edition of the “Spotlight on Seniors” newsletter.

        It’s already available online at www.dutchessny.gov/aging, and will soon be distributed at libraries and municipal buildings throughout Dutchess County.

OFA CAN HELP WITH MEDICARE AND HEALTH INSURANCE QUESTIONS

 

        Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment period begins on October 15th and runs through December 7th. Even if you’re happy with your coverage, your circumstances can change quickly, so it’s a good idea to look over your insurance needs for 2020 and beyond. We have volunteers in our HIICAP (Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance) program who can help you make sure your needs are covered.

        For seniors who can’t get to the Office for the Aging during regular business hours, we will host three “Medicare 101 on the Road” evening events in October:

        Thursday, October 17th at the Poughkeepsie Senior Friendship Center, 114 Delafield St., 6:30 – 8 p.m. This session will include a group presentation and individual counseling by appointment;

        Tuesday, October 22nd at the Red Hook Community Center (59 Fisk St.), 6 – 7:30 p.m.;

        Thursday, October 24th at the North East Community Center in Millerton (51. S. Center St.), 6:30 – 8 p.m.

        Space is limited at all three events; call the Office for the Aging to reserve a seat, and to reserve an individual counseling appointment at the Poughkeepsie event should you need one-on-one help.

 

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone (845) 486-2555, email: ofa@dutchessny.gov website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging

 

Office for the Aging events schedule

To find out more, see the events calendar at www.dutchessny.gov/aging

or call (845) 486-2555 (unless a different number is indicated)

(All events subject to change)

 

 Sat 9/28, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – The Golden Gathering

                Presented by OFA and state senator Sue Serino

                Arlington High School, 1157 NY 55, LaGrangeville

Thu 10/17, 6:30 – 8 p.m. – Medicare 101 On The Road

                With OFA Aging Information Services Specialist Maggie Kwet

                Poughkeepsie OFA Senior Friendship Center, 114 Delafield St.

                Space is limited; call (845) 486-2555 to sign up

Mon 10/21, 12 noon – 4 p.m. – The Office for the Aging Senior Prom

                Theme: “The ‘70s”

                Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd., Wappingers Falls

                $20/person if paid before 9/27 or the event sells out

$30/person after 9/27

                Maximum 10 guests per table

                Printable entry form available at this link: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/Docs/promentry2019.pdf

Thu 10/2, 6 – 7:30 p.m. – Medicare 101 On The Road

                With OFA Aging Information Services Specialist Maggie Kwet

                Red Hook Community Center, 59 Fisk St.

Thu 10/24, 6:30 – 8 p.m. – Medicare 101 On The Road

                With OFA Aging Information Services Specialist Maggie Kwet

                North East Community Center, 51 S. Center St., Millerton

LOWER PRICED PROM ADMISSION EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 4

                If you’re just finding out about the annual OFA Senior Prom now, we have some good news – we’ve extended the deadline for lower-priced $20-per-person admission by one week, from Friday, September 27th to Friday, October 4th.

                The Prom takes place at Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd in the Town of Wappinger, on Monday, October 21st from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission includes a noon buffet lunch and an afternoon of dancing and fun. The theme for this year’s prom is “The ‘70s.”

                A printable prom entry form is available at https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/Docs/promentry2019.pdf

 

AGAIN WITH THE SCAMS

 

                From the East Fishkill Police on Facebook this past week:

                “We have received complaints from our community about an all too familiar phone scam. The subjects on the telephone are purporting to be a police agency and that they’re investigating the unlawful use of the persons (victim) Social Security Number. The subject requested the proper spelling of the name and Social Security Number of the victim.

Please be advised, we know of ZERO police agencies who will ask you for your Social Security Number over the telephone. Furthermore, we NEVER take bail via credit card or gift card over the phone.

Please let our Senior Citizens know of these scams; they are usually the ones targeted.”

We’ve seen similar messages from law enforcement agencies throughout the region. Below, we add our own thoughts:

The best way to deal with these scam calls is not to answer the phone, no matter how much you’d like to give the scammer a good chewing-out.

Phone-scam operations know the difference between a call that goes unanswered, a call that gets picked up by voice mail or an answering machine, a busy signal, and a call that gets picked up by a human. When you pick up the phone, you run the risk of having your number added to a database the scammers call a “suckers list” – and you don’t want to be a sucker. Also, the longer you stay on the phone with a scammer, the more likely you are to be victimized. Just hang up (better yet, don’t answer).

Share this information with your offline friends and neighbors. Scammers often target seniors, but they’re happy to steal money and personal information from anybody of any age who doesn’t take the appropriate precautions.

Other aging news online:

 

Medicare is often the target of scammers, who are always on the hunt for new victims. They’re after your personal information, which enables them to file fraudulent claims. The latest wrinkle is a “genetic testing” scam: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/genetic-testing-scam-targets-seniors-rips-medicare-n1037186

In the meantime, don’t give any personal information to people contacting you unsolicited – whether that’s over the phone, online, or in person.

Have you seen advertising you’d consider “ageist”? A new AARP says there’s a lot of it: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/business/ageism-advertising-aarp.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FElderly&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

(video) What put the ‘junction’ in Hopewell Junction? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbsDzBrjdzs&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0uwkZydyKWfU0ttwalxgmtHQxaQXpKybjODNmtxk_XRloi6iuKj2QUsZk

This week in senior birthdays:

9/30: Actress Angie Dickinson (88)

10/1: Actress/singer Julie Andrews (84)

10/2: Singer/songwriter Sting (68)

10/3: Singer/songwriter Chubby Checker (78)

10/4: NY Giants NFL Hall of Famer Sam Huff (85)

10/5: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Miller (76)

10/6: Former Mets catcher Jerry Grote (77)

The leaves may change, but the Bad Jokes remain the same, quality-wise:

Q: What do you call a car that runs on burning leaves?

A: An autumnobile.

Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator

Dutchess County Office For the Aging

114 Delafield St.
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Main office: (845) 486-2555
Direct line to my desk: (845) 486-2544

Author: Harlem Valley News