Independence November 2019

AOASCC News & Notes

Annual Meeting 2019

Board Chair Joanne McGloin recognized President & CEO Ted Surh for his years of service. pictured below with Advisory Council Chair Erika Austin.

Dr. Julie Robison of the UCONN Center on Aging provided a wealth of information on Connecticut's Long Term Services & Supports.

TEARS Elder Abuse Conference 2019

Thankful for all our AARP volunteers!

TEARS was again provided free of cost because of the generous support of our community partners.

Caregiver Corner - Caring for Men with Depression Depression in women is a well-documented phenomenon. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. Throughout the life cycle we find evidence of depression in women: hormonal changes in puberty, pregnancy, postpartum and premenstrual periods are all associated with depression in women. However, depression doesn’t confine itself to women. Men, especially older men suffer with depression. Although women have a higher rate of depression than men, older men have the highest rate of successful suicide attempts. Therefore, it is important to recognize and treat depression in older men.  There are many reasons older men are at great risk, but their depression is often untreated: ·        Failure to recognize depression.  ·        Downplaying signs and symptoms.  ·        Reluctance to discuss depression symptoms.  ·        Resisting mental health treatment.  Caregivers often have great difficulty providing care to men who are depressed.  Read more.

CHOICES- Comparing the Cost of Procedures Has your healthcare provider told you that you need to have a procedure and asked you where you want to have it done? How do you answer that question? Do you have the information necessary to make an informed decision? Or perhaps your provider doesn’t even ask you where you’d like to have it done. Rather, the office staff simply hand you a card with a date, time and location for the appointment. Are you certain that this location is the best place for you? Medicare has a website that can help you make an informed decision about where you’d like to have the procedure done. Simply go to the Medicare.gov official website and click on the “procedure” compare tab. Enter the name of the procedure into the search box. The site will give you information about having the procedure done in a private physician office, versus a hospital ambulatory center. It will provide information about the Medicare approved rate for each setting. It will also provide you with the amount Medicare will cover and the remaining balance left for you, or your supplemental insurance policy to pay.

Now that you know what the financial risk to you will be, you can then, on the same website go to the physician compare tab. On this page you can get the Medicare rating for the various providers of this procedure in your area. You can use the ratings to help you make an informed decision about where you’d like to have the procedure done. Naturally, there are many parts to the decision about selecting a provider but cost, convenience and reputation should be part of your decision. We are here to help. Contact CHOICES for accurate, impartial information about health insurance options. 800-994-9422.

Did You Know? Do you think you are immune to falling? Consider these facts provided by the Center for Disease Control. More than one out of four older adults fall each year. One out of five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults age 65 and older. Every 20 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall in this country. Falling once doubles your chance of falling again. Falls are not inevitable. There are ways to greatly reduce you risk. Find out more.

Help with Groceries If you only receive the minimum $16 in grocery benefits, is it worth applying? See how far $16 goes. And if you are one of the 1 in 3 older adults eligible for SNAP but haven't applied: apply today at  BenefitsCheckUp.org/getSNAP or for more information, visit our website.

Need help finding support at home? Care Network Link is a wonderful resource to find trusted providers: Homemaking, Personal Care Assistance, Live-In Caregivers, Wheelchair Ramps, Fall Alert Systems, Hair Stylists that come to your home.  Sign up at CareNetworkLink.org . Membership is FREE and will earn you discounts from the providers you hire. Care Network Link credentials all the providers before allowing them on the network to make sure they are trustworthy businesses to have in your home.   Interested in being a Care Network Link provider? Contact Beverly Kidder-203-785-8533.

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