Aging Advocate: Nov. 14, 2014 - 'A New Hope'

Hello, Aging Advocate readers! I'm Jordan, ASCOG's new Information and Assistance specialist. I've been here at ASCOG for about two months so far, and they have begun letting me out in public. I come to you fresh from Cameron University, generously seasoned with librarianship and the burning desire to be helpful. There is the strong possibility that you will see much more of me on this blog in the weeks to come, so be prepared!

First and most important is our weekly trivia question. Today in 1881 began the trial of which presidential assassin?

President Garfield, 20th President of the United States.

Bonus round: Which composer made a musical about presidential assassinations? (Yes, really!)

In this week's regular news:

There is the ongoing Medicare Extravaganza!!! Less enthusiastic souls like to call this 'Medicare Open Enrollment,' and it is an exciting time for everyone! This is THE time to change your Medicare coverage if you're so inclined. You never know what new innovations Medicare has done to the other plans, so make an appointment with our Medicare Specialist Vonn Saltzman and find out!

(No, we're not going to stop reminding you about Open Enrollment. Not until December 6th, anyway, at which point it will be too late.)

There is a public forum for feedback about Medicare's coverage of speech-generating devices, since those have come such a long way since 2001. If you use these, head over and give Medicare some suggestions.

Good news for long-term smokers! Medicare has proposed to cover your lung cancer screenings. The proposal itself is still open for comments, so make sure to go tell them if they need to fix anything.

A reminder that the time for flu shots is yesterday! If you've put it off like I have, go ahead and get 'er done. It's not as bad as you remember. If you read this blog, you've got a lot of contact with the elderly (and/or are elderly yourself!), so herd immunity is a big deal. Concerned about vaccination and autism? That research study was fraudulent, and the doctor has been stripped of his credentials. Whoops.

In better news, there's been a study confirming that we are doing MUCH more to help elderly people stay in their homes than in 2008. If you're concerned about you, a loved one, or a client having to move to some form of assisted living, give us a call and we'll see what we can do! (By 'we,' I mean 'me.' That's me. I do that.)

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, so consider it your reminder to get screened if you need it. If you're 65 or older, it's definitely worth checking out, because half of everyone with pre-diabetes is elderly, and 40% of people with full-fledged diabetes are over 65. If you have a family history of diabetes and blood sugar shenaningans, like I do, you may as well go ahead and get screened as well. Even if you'd rather not, you know the drill: consider exercise, put more green vegetables in your mouth, et cetera. (You may also want to chew and swallow the green vegetables.)

November is a multi-purpose month, because it's also the Long-Term Care Awareness month. This is, unfortunately, one of those expenses Medicare does not generally see fit to cover. Check out the link for more information about how to find and finance this kind of personal care.

See you next week!