Dear Friends,

The Heritage Area Agency on Aging is pleased to invite nominations of individuals, groups, programs, and partnerships whose excellent service to seniors is worthy of recognition.  Qualified nominees must meet award criteria and be residents of, or organizations located in, Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn or Washington Counties in the state of Iowa.

Completed nominations are due at The Heritage Area Agency on Aging office by March 31, 2013.  You are welcome to request more information and a nomination packet by contacting the Heritage office at 319-398-5559 or 800-332-5934 or e-mail to kelliot@kirkwood.edu .

Nominations are reviewed by the Community Relations Committee of the Advisory Council.

The awards will be presented to outstanding individuals and organizations at The Heritage Agency Annual Meeting & Advisory Council Awards Ceremony to be held on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

Thank you,

Ingrid Wensel

Executive Director

Judy Stalkfleet

Doris Bareis

Ivan and Darlene Reihmann in memory of Roy Moser

Sandra Lea Bell in memory of Doris Ann Peick, Dr. Donald Paulsen, Elsie Winter and Lu Ann Kleiss.

Hadwen & Louann Kleiss

February, 2013
Monthly News You Can Use 

Ring! Ring! Who’s Calling Now? 

Last month we sent press releases all across the state to quickly spread the word about a new round of suspicious calls; callers
claimed to be from Medicare offering news about Medicare changes or new Medicare cards or wanting to make home visits.
Medicare officials NEVER call you to give you news or offer a new card.  So many people phoned Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol’s hotline and the Area Agencies on Aging to say they’d received suspicious calls, we could barely keep up with all the reports!

Already heard us say this before?   Read on……….we have something new to tell you!  After listening to these older Iowan’s stories, we did some research with our friends at SHIIP (Iowa Senior Health Insurance Information program) and with Medicare directly.  We found out

• Some Medicare Advantage plans (the Medicare plans offered through private companies) have been contacting people enrolled in their plans, to discuss their general health and look for preventive measures that might help improve or avoid chronic illnesses.  Representatives of the health plans call and ask for permission to make a home visit.
• Many health insurance companies that offer supplements to Medicare, are calling, asking to visit to describe the policies they carry, in order to see if you’d like to become their customer.

Iowans are wise and getting very cautious about cold calls that mention Medicare; we might jump to a conclusion that a scammer is on the phone every time Medicare is mentioned.  We just need to keep staying one step ahead!  That means if a caller mentions
Medicare, be sure to have them tell you exactly where they are calling from and what their purpose is.

• If they say they are from Medicare or Social Security and want to give you news or a new Medicare card – this is almost certainly a scam attempt.

• If they say they are with your Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plan and you are worried about  providing information over the phone or question if the call is legitimate, tell the caller that you are going to hang up and call the number on your member ID card to verify what the call was about.

• If they say they are with an insurance company, and you don’t have a policy with that company, ask them what they’re selling, so you can decide if you want to visit with them.  If you have a complaint with the behavior of an insurance
  salesperson, call SMP to learn who to contact to file a complaint.

You may contact Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-800-423-2449 or AAA name at AAA phone number to report a suspicious call or learn where to file complaints.

News prepared by Deb Yankey,
Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol Coordinator, Hawkeye Valley AAA, Waterloo, IA, dyankey@hvaaa.org

This document was supported, in part, by Grant #90MP0161/01, from the Administration on Community
Living/Administration on Aging, Department
of Health and Human Services.
Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are
encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions.  Points of view or opinions do not, therefore,
necessarily represent official Administration on Aging policy.

]]> http://www.involvementonline.org/?feed=rss2&p=4036 0 http://www.involvementonline.org/?p=4028 http://www.involvementonline.org/?p=4028#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2012 20:50:57 +0000 Editor http://www.involvementonline.org/?p=4028 November, 2012 – Monthly News You Can Use from Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)

New Twist on Scam Calls Offering “New” Medicare Cards

Medicare’s annual open enrollment period runs from mid-October to early December; it is a time that people on Medicare may be seeking information, reviewing literature and talking to representatives of health plans, in order to decide whether to change their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage plan for next year.  This often means extra flyers arriving in your mail box or a series of phone calls while you gather information.

As previously reported, Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol has received numerous complaints about scam calls all across the state, offering new Medicare cards. Since the open enrollment period began, we learned that someone who recently made a change to a different Prescription Drug Plan, happened to receive one of these scam calls.  Any other time of the year, she would have immediately known it was a suspicious call and hung up.  But this time, since she’d recently been doing business with her Medicare plan, she wondered if it might be a legitimate call.  Thankfully, she was suspicious so she told the caller she’d like to get back to him later – he hung up.  Proof positive that a scam was in the works!

If you are doing business this fall and winter with new Medicare-related health plans, it is very unlikely that a plan would call you to ask for personal information AFTER you’d already given them this information during a personal visit or while enrolling by phone or internet.   If  you are expecting a new ID card, it would come by mail and no phone call would be involved.

If you enroll in a new plan this season, be certain to keep all materials that were given to you or print confirmation pages when enrolling on the internet.  When your phone rings, remember these tips from Senior Medicare Patrol.  If you receive a suspicious call, you are welcome to report it to SMP at 1-800-423-2449.

Suspicious Calls Warning of Computer Problems 

A savvy northeast Iowa man knew something was up when he got a phone call about his computer.  The caller said that “Windows” (the name of a computer operating system many people are familiar with) was having some problems and he wanted the man to go to his computer while on the phone, so the caller could help him fix it.  This older Iowan was suspicious and hung up; he followed sound advice and just took a moment to wonder why anyone would be calling about a problem that we wasn’t having! Chalk that up in the “loss” column for that potential scammer!

News prepared by Deb Yankey, Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol Coordinator, Hawkeye Valley AAA, Waterloo, IA, dyankey@hvaaa.org

Dr. Erich Streib in honor of Ingrid Wensel’s birthday

Dr.  Sallie Sun Streib in honor of Ingrid Wensel’s birthday

Older Iowans have been receiving uninvited phone calls

• offering medical alert devices for much less than typical charges or
• offering free gifts from medical alert providers in exchange for credit card information.

Medical alert devices, also called “personal emergency response systems” are transmitters commonly worn around your neck or on your wrist, on which you can push a button for emergency help if you can’t get to the phone.

A nationwide provider of medical alert services has alerted Iowa’s Area Agencies on Aging that phone calls are being made using a “Lifeline” name but they are not legitimate calls.   Any unexpected phone call in which we are asked to give credit card or bank account information, or Medicare or Social Security numbers, should raise a red flag!  Scam callers use names for themselves that sound very much like common businesses or organizations – so they can fool you!

If you already have a medical alert system and receive an unexpected call asking for personal information, avoid giving out information, check your paperwork at home for the phone number for the company and call them yourself.

If you don’t have a medical alert system but are interesting in purchasing or leasing one, don’t agree immediately to sign up with someone on the phone.  Research information on your own;  you can find tips about personal emergency response systems from the Federal Trade Commission, You can find out what companies provide  alert systems in your area by contacting your local Area
Agency on Aging.

This information is provided by Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol (a project of your local Area Agency on Aging)

1-800-423-2449

]]> http://www.involvementonline.org/?feed=rss2&p=4019 0 http://www.involvementonline.org/?p=4017 http://www.involvementonline.org/?p=4017#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:28:04 +0000 Editor http://www.involvementonline.org/?p=4017 President Obama Issues Proclamation to Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month

Across America, daughters and sons balance the work of caring for aging parents with the demands of their careers and raising their own children. Spouses and partners become caregivers to the ones they love even as they navigate their own health challenges. Mothers and fathers resume care for children returning home as wounded warriors. Friends and relatives form
networks to support loved ones with disabilities. All of them give selflessly to bring comfort, social engagement, and stability to those they love.

President Barack
Obama, November 1, 2012

President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation in honor of National Family Caregivers Month. You can view the
text of the proclamation here and see additional background, including this year’s Theme for National Family Caregivers Month.

In 1994, the National Family Caregivers Association began promoting the celebration of family caregivers during the week of Thanksgiving. President Clinton signed the first presidential proclamation in 1997 and every president since — Democrat and
Republican alike — has issued an annual proclamation appreciating family caregivers. As interest grew in family caregiving issues, National Family Caregivers Week became National Family Caregivers Month.

Day in and day out, more than 65 million family caregivers in this country fulfill a vital role on the care team. No one else is in a
better position to ensure continuity of care.  Family caregivers are the most familiar with their care recipients’ medicine regimen; they are the most knowledgeable about the treatment regimen; and they understand best the dietary and exercise regimen.

NFCA coordinates National Family Caregivers Month (NFC Month) as a time to thank, support, educate and empower family
caregivers.  Celebrating Family Caregivers during NFC month enables all of us to:

• Raise awareness of family caregiver issues
• Celebrate the efforts of family caregivers
• Educate family caregivers about self-identification
• Increase support for family caregivers

For more information, contact The Heritage Area Agency on Aging at 319-398-5559 or 1-800-332-5934.

The Heritage Area Agency on Aging is hoping the public dials in to help feed elderly residents in eastern Iowa. Heritage is hosting a telethon to bring greater support and awareness for its Senior Nutrition Home Delivered and Congregate Meal program.

The Fill the Plate telethon runs from 5-10 p.m. on Sunday, December 2, on KCRG 9.2. The event will raise money to help mitigate this year’s funding shortfall and increase awareness and local engagement for this critical program now and into the future.

Last year, in partnership with local providers, Heritage provided 490,000 home-delivered and congregate meals to low-income seniors in eastern Iowa. Funding for the program has not kept pace with increasing operating costs and the expanding needs of seniors, as that population continues to grow. Heritage expects to cut the number of meals it helps fund by 83,000 this year.

“We hope to raise money to serve those 83,000 meals that were cut,” said Tim Getty, the Nutrition and Healthy Living program coordinator for Heritage. “We know with an aging population and tight budgets, that we’ll need continued help from the public to
support seniors who rely on us for their daily meals.”

There are sponsorship and entertainment opportunities available to those interested in participating in the Fill The Plate telethon. For more information, contact The Heritage Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-332-3934 or heritage@kirkwood.edu.

Heritage Agency Sponsors the 11^th Annual Celebration of Caregivers on

The Heritage Area Agency on Aging is hosting its 11^th annual caregiver wellness day event, “A Celebration of Caregivers,” to give support and encouragement to informal caregivers of older adults in East Central Iowa. This free event will help informal caregivers focus on their own health and well-being, through a keynote address and breakout sessions.

The event is on Friday, November 16, at 8:30 a.m. at the Kirkwood Training and Outreach Services Center (KTOS), 3375 Armar Drive, in Marion.

The keynote will be given Ruth Kolb Drew, the Director of Family and Information Services for the Alzheimer’s Association. Drew will be speaking on “Caregiver Guilt and Depression,” and has personal experience as a caregiver.

This year a 30 minute early bird session, “Dementia and Family Caregiving,” is being offered starting at 8:45 a.m. Participants will also be able to attend sessions on making the most of their loved ones doctors visit, creating a support network and interactive music therapy. Free health screenings will be offered and participants will have the opportunity to enjoy free chair massage or reflexology therapies. The nearby Village Ridge Assisted Living will be offering free respite care, giving caregivers a break to enjoy the day.

A Celebration of Caregivers is in November as part of National Family Caregivers Month and The Heritage Agency’s ongoing commitment to the caregivers of older adults. The Heritage Agency also host several, one hour caregiver education session throughout the year. These events are also free and touch on various topics such as legal issues, home safety, and veterans’ benefits. The next caregiver education session will be on Tuesday, October 30, at 9 am at The Heritage Agency at 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. The topic will be Caregiver Conversations.

These events are free, but registration is requested to ensure adequate materials are available.  Please register by calling the Heritage Agency office at 319-398-5559 or 1-800-332-5934. For questions you can ask for Katherine Hines, Resources and Caregiver Support Program Coordinator.

Speacial thanks goes to our sponsors for helping to make the day possible.

Presenting Sponsors: 

Above & Beyond Home Health & Hospice Care

Aging Services, Inc.

Alzheimer’s Association of East Central Iowa

Bickford Cottage

CarePro Health Services

College of Nursing House Calls

Cottage Grove Place

Emeritus at Silver Pines

Essence of Life Hospice

Hallmark Care Center & Cherry Ridge Assisted Living

The Heritage Agency

Heritage Nursing & Rehab Center/Care Initiatives Hospice

Higley Mansion Care Center

HomeChoice Senior Care

Home Instead Senior Care

Hospice of Mercy

Iowa Hospice

Lakeview Village

Mercy Medical Center

Meth-Wick Community

St. Luke’s Lifeline

St. Luke’s Living Centers East & West

The Villages at Marion

Patron Sponsors:

Rose Haven & Lodgeon Lafayette

ResCare Home Care

To The Rescue

Has the person you care for lost interest in the activities they used to enjoy? Or communicated to you they feel helpless? October 11 is National Depression Screening Day and is a great time to talk with the ones we care for and ask how they are feeling.

Depression is a problem for many older adults and prevents them from enjoying life like they used to. The effects can impact energy, sleep, appetite, and physical health. Many people believe that depression is an inevitable part of aging, but it isn’t. There are signs to look for and many steps that can be taken to overcome the symptoms. Unfortunately, many depressed seniors and those around them fail to recognize the symptoms of depression, or don’t take the steps to get the help they need.

Recognizing depression starts with knowing the signs. Some depression red flags include:

• Sadness or Irritability

• Fatigue

• Abandoning or losing interest in hobbies or other pleasurable pastimes

• Social withdrawal and isolation (reluctance to be with friends, engage in activities, or leave home)

• Weight loss or loss of appetite

• Sleep disturbances (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, oversleeping, or daytime sleepiness)

• Loss of self-worth (worries about being a burden, feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing)

• Increased use of alcohol or other drugs

• Fixation on death; suicidal thoughts or attempts

• Unexplained or aggravated aches and pains

Many are reluctant to talk about their feelings or ask for help. This is especially true when speaking of those over 80 who were raised in a generation where feelings and depression were not often discussed and considered a sign of weakness. Depression isn’t a sign of weakness or a character flaw. It can happen to anyone, at any age, no matter your background or your previous accomplishments in life.

If you have a loved suffering from depression there is help available. For more information on depression in later life you can contact the Family Caregiver Support Program at The Heritage Area Agency on Aging at 319-398-5559 or 1-866-432-4324.