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Greetings,
Hopefully spring is here--not only by what the calendar
says, but also how it feels! We at MVES look forward to
the warm weather for many reasons, one of which is
that it allows us to get out and see more clients and
colleagues.
Along with flowers and smiles, this spring brings
extended hours to MVES, a revitalized money
management program, a choice of meals at senior
dining sites, and, unfortunatley, a new scam targeting
elders. Look below for details.
| Profile: Bob Martin and Money Management |
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Now with MVES for over a year, Bob Martin has
revitalized the Money Management Program. The
number of clients who benefit from the service has
increased along with the number of volunteers who help
clients with financial issues.
Editor: What is the Money Management Program?
B. Martin: The Money Management Program is designed
to help elders remain independent as long as possible
by providing assistance with increasingly complex
financial tasks. We help elders who are experiencing
difficulty with keeping track of bills, balancing
checkbooks, and managing debt. Sometimes we help
elders set up a budget. The program is sponsored by
the AARP, MVES, and Massachusetts' Executive Office
of Elder Affairs.
Read more... »
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| New Menu Choices At Senior Meal Sites |
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Who likes to have a choice--especially when it comes
to food? We all do! Starting on March 1, seniors in
North Reading, Stoneham, and Wakefield have enjoyed
a choice when it comes to lunch. MVES began offering
seniors who attend the
senior meal sites in these towns a choice between two
carefully prepared entrees.
"In our continuing effort to provide seniors with
nutritious and pleasing meals, we have added a second
menu item on several days of the week," said MVES
Nutrition Director Renelle Roy. "We are committed to
providing high-quality meals to seniors. Offering a menu
choice dovetails with that commitment."
Read more... »
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| Family Members Are Regular Caregivers |
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Question: After reading an article, I was surprised
about the numbers of family members caring for frail
older adults. I thought agencies or private workers
provided most community care. Are many families trying
to do this on their own?
Answer: Each day approximately 23.2% of all
households in the U.S. are involved in caregiving. This
translates into more than 22 million family members who
devote all or part of their day assisting older family
members, neighbors, and friends. Jeannette Takamura,
former Assistant Secretary for the Administration on
Aging, stated "Informal caregivers are the backbone of
the long-term care system in the United States today."
Read more... »
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| AGE-INFO Provides More Opportunity To Connect |
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So much is packed into working hours. Often it seems
we can't get everything done by 5 p.m. during the
week. That's were 1-800-AGE-INFO comes in--to give
elders and their caregivers time to talk to professionals
during weekday evenings and on Saturday mornings.
MVES applied for and received the contract for the 1-
800-AGE-INFO number that people from all areas of the
state can call to receive information about elder care.
What does this mean to you? If you call after 5 p.m. or
on Saturdays, you'll be talking to an employee at
Mystic Valley Elder Services. The AGE-INFO team
provides information to all residents of Massachusetts
and MVES has committed to fully staffing the call
center. This commitment ensures caregivers and elders
increased opportunity to discuss aging-related issues
with trained staff.
Read more... »
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| Scam Season |
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Imagine you are a senior who, like many of us, takes
prescription drugs. A person calls you and asks about
your prescriptions. When you indicate that you're
enrolled in the State's prescription drug insurance plan,
Prescription Advantage, the caller explains that his or
her company works with Prescription Advantage. The
caller is pleasant but firm when he or she asks for your
Social Security number to verify your enrollment. He or
she assures you that your coverage will continue, but
needs your banking account number to check on a
recent co-payment. The caller thanks you for your
assistance and wishes you a nice day.
Unfortunately, you won't have a nice day. You've just
given a stranger enough information to steal your
money.
This is just one scenario that depicts current scams
that are targeting elders in area communities. There
are other methods, but the common objective is to
exploit elders. Other related scams have callers offering
Medicare-endorsed discount drug cards. Legitimate
providers of these cards will not even be announced
until April 1, 2004. No cards are available at this time.
Yet another scam involves people, claiming they are
from Medicare, going door-to-door to ask elders for
help with a survey. Neither Medicare nor Prescription
Advantage is conducting surveys currently.
Read more...
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