COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOBER 17, 2018 •
9A
Boomer &
Senior News
Line
By Matilda Charles
Helping Seniors Stay at Home
Across the U.S. there are 296
communities in the AARP
Network of Age-Friendly
Communities. These represent
75 million people who live in
areas that work to provide all
that’s necessary to create livable
communities for everyone,
especially seniors.
AARP gives grants to these
communities for specific efforts,
such as to improve the walk-
ability of downtowns, train vol-
unteers in dementia programs,
build raised planters in commu-
nity gardens, create age-friendly
trails and bike paths, and install
key-code boxes outside the
homes of elderly so EMTs can
gain quick access.
To find out if you’re in an area
that has senior services like
these, go online to aarp.org
and search for Age-Friendly
Network. Scroll down to see if
your community has joined the
AARP network. If it isn’t listed,
you can learn how to get started
in your area.
Other organizations also help
seniors. Aging in Place, for
example, has information on
how mobility options can allow
seniors to stay in their homes.
Whether it’s in-home stair lifts
or transportation to appoint-
ments, Aging in Place has
information on its website at
aginginplace.org.
Depending on the level of
support from individual
states, some local Aging at
Home groups adapt their help
according to what is needed by
those in the community. Some
show support by providing
services such as yard work,
food delivery, snow shoveling
and handyman chores. Social
opportunities are big, with exer-
cise classes, game nights, nutri-
tion programs and luncheons.
Transportation, especially in
rural areas, helps to get seniors
to their appointments with
doctors and friends.
To find senior services in your
area, go online to search for
“at home senior services” and
your state. The organizations
have names like Home Instead,
At Home, Aging in Place and
others.
How Will You Keep Busy This Winter?
Did you read the weather
almanacs’ predictions for this
winter? One of them mentioned
teeth-chattering cold. Others
ranged from warm and wet to
cold and dry. No matter, winter
is coming. Have you decided
what you’ll do when it’s cold
where you live? While none of
us wants to stay locked inside
every single day, we do need to
prepare for those days we just
can’t get out.
Here are some thoughts:
-- Does your library have
a book mobile? Check the
bestseller lists and make your
reading list. Some books won’t
be released yet, but if you
reserve the books now, you’ll be
higher on the list when they do
come out. Check your favorite
authors to see if they’ll be re-
leasing a new one this winter.
-- Consider starting a hobby
you’ve only thought about. If
you’ll need supplies -- paints,
yarn, fabric, a new computer
to write your novel, genealogy
generations sheets, a yoga mat
and workout video, pots and
potting soil for indoor plants --
get them now. If you need your
piano tuned or guitar restrung
before you start online music
lessons, put that on your sched-
ule. If you want to try your
hand at designing a website
or blog, sign up for a domain
name. If beading and jewel-
ry-making sound interesting,
pick out your online supplier. If
you want to sample woodwork-
ing, build a model railroad in
the basement, or tie flies at the
kitchen table, look for plans and
tools.
-- For days when you dare to
brave the elements, consider a
library reading group, swim-
ming classes at the YMCA,
a weekly afternoon bowling
league, board-game evenings,
a cooking class or group tours
through the local seniors center.
The key is to stay active and
engaged during the winter, even
if you have to do it at home.
What to Know About Medicare
Medicare is a federal health insurance plan
that working Americans pay into through
payroll taxes. It is a valuable benefi t, as
most Americans’ health insurance is tied to
their jobs, thus leaving a hole when work-
ers retire, but enrolling in and navigating
the program can be a daunting task.
The AARP has a Medicare Question and
Answer Tool to walk people through the
plans Medicare offers, what health care
coverage you need and can afford, and
the timeline you should expect as you are
signing up.
Basics of Medicare
At age 65, Americans are eligible for Medi-
care. There are four parts:
• Part A (hospital): Helps pay for the cost
of hospital stays and time in short-term
skilled nursing facilities, hospice and home
health services.
• Part B (medical): Helps pay for doctors,
outpatient and preventive care and certain
medical equipment.
• Part C (Medicare Advantage): An alter-
native coverage option that puts all your
Medicare benefi ts into one plan.
• Part D: Helps cover the cost of outpatient
prescription drugs.
If you or your spouse have earned a min-
Seniors thrive when they are actively
engaged — especially in any activity that
allows them to think and behave creative-
ly. In fact, according to Today’s Geriatric
Medicine, creative art pursuits offer many
benefi ts to older adults, including enhanced
cognitive function and reduced feelings of
depression and anxiety.
Many creative pursuits are particularly suit-
ed for seniors because they allow you to
engage at your own pace. Find an activity
that excites you and follow that passion.
Visual Arts
There is a lot encompassed in visual arts —
everything from painting and drawing to
sculpture, pottery and design. This means
there is a lot of room for you to try several
things and introduce yourself to new me-
diums.
Add a bottle of wine and a few friends, and
you might have found your newest hobby.
Cooking
Food is good for the soul, and cooking it is
good for the mind — and stomach. Cook-
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ing can be as creative
and experimental as
you allow it to be.
Try new things on
your own from books
you own, or borrow
from the public li-
brary, or join a class.
One of the great
things about cooking
is that you can start
at any age, at any
level. Just want to
learn the basics? There is a class for that.
Always wanted to try your hand at Thai
food? There is a cookbook for that.
Has it been your dream to test out delicate
French pastries? There is no doubt a neigh-
borhood full of willing test subjects to taste
your creations.
Music and Theater
Whether you want to participate or listen,
you can fi nd composition to suit every
mood, and can engage with music all year
round. Go to concerts or attend perfor-
mances hosted by your local playhouse.
Music has been found to stimulate the
brain and memory. According to a recent
study published in Hearing Journal, adults
ages 60 to 85 without previous musical
experience exhibited improved processing
speed and memory after just three months
of weekly 30-minute piano lessons.
Involvement in participatory arts has
been shown to have a positive impact on
mental and physical health of senior adults,
regardless of skill lever or past experience.
So get out of your comfort zone and try
something new.
MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT
BEGINS OCTOBER 15TH
Do you need to Review next years choice?
submit your request online, the
companies have to freeze your
credit in one day. Later, if you
need to unlock your reports (if
you want to apply for some-
thing), they have to do that
within one hour. You also can
freeze it by mail.
Call Experian at 1-888-397-
3742, Equifax at 1-800-685-
1111 and TransUnion at
1-888-909-8872. Note: You’ll
need a personal identification
number to use if you ever want
to unfreeze your credit. Write
it down and put it somewhere
safe. Another way to protect
your credit is with a lock. You
can use a cellphone and an app
to do this, but it’s not as secure.
If you’ve been a victim of iden-
tity theft, go online to www.
identitytheft.gov or see www.
consumer.ftc.gov for more
information.
Remember that you’re entitled
to one free credit report per
year. Order yours from annual-
creditreport.com.
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How to Sign Up For Medicare
Even after paying payroll taxes and turning
65, most Americans still must apply for
Medicare. The initial enrollment period
lasts for seven months, with the fourth
month being the month you turn 65. You
should sign up during this period if you
have no other health insurance or have
insurance you bought yourself; you have
retiree benefi ts from a former employer;
you have COBRA coverage or veterans’
benefi ts; or you’re in a nonmarital rela-
tionship and covered by their insurance.
If you enroll before your 65th birthday;
your coverage begins on the fi rst day if the
month you turn 65. If you enroll after, there
is a delay.
A special enrollment period is available
for people who have health insurance past
the initial period and allows them to delay
enrolling in Part B until their previous
coverage ends. There also are exceptions
for expatriates or people who are covered
through a spouse’s insurance.
Get Creative
It Now Costs Nothing to
Freeze Your Credit
Per a new law, you can now
put a freeze on your credit
report for free. Gone is the $10
(or more) fee to freeze your
credit and another equal fee to
unfreeze it later. Multiplying by
three for the big-three reporting
companies, the cost kept too
many people from taking steps
to protect their credit.
All three companies -- Equifax,
Experian and TransUnion --
now are required by law to give
consumers this option after the
huge credit debacle last year,
when over 148 million people
had their information stolen.
Unfortunately, you still need
to contact all three agencies.
Freezing one does not automat-
ically freeze the other two.
Why is it important to freeze
your credit? With locked
reports, no one can sign up for
new accounts in your name.
Mortgages, utilities, loans --
they’re all at risk.
There are several ways to
freeze your credit. If you call or
imum of 40 work
credits through pay-
ing Medicare payroll
taxes, you won’t pay
monthly premiums
for Part A insurance.
Work credits aren’t
necessary for Part B
or D services, though
there is a monthly
premium for those.
Like traditional
health insurance,
Medicare does not
cover all health care
costs. Plans have
different deductibles,
premiums and copays. Your income also
may be a factor on how much you pay.
Call Paul to
help simplify
the complicated.
541-517-7362
Paul Henrichs ~ Independent Agent
coverage4oregon@gmail.com
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