AOASCC News & Notes
Come & be inspired to find your inner artist!

Exhibition open during office hours
through June 21.

Spotlight on Volunteering

Jackie is a high school teacher who retired last June. During the summer, Jackie started to think about what she could do to occupy her time. Jackie knew that she would miss working with children. After reading an article in her weekly newspaper, Jackie attended an Experience Corps presentation at her local library and decided that Experience Corps volunteering was the way to “get her kid fix”. After learning more about the Experience Corps program and its tutoring sites during training, Jackie chose to volunteer at an East Haven after-school program. Tutoring in the after-school program gives Jackie the schedule and flexibility she needs to help her family and meet her other obligations. As she says, “I look forward to tutoring the children twice a week. It is a way for me to use my skills and I love how my kindergarteners’ faces light up when they see me.”
Find out ways that you can volunteer with children through AOASCC. Click here.




Did You Know?

Older Adults & Exercise
Facts
  • The loss of strength and stamina attributed to aging is in part caused by reduced physical activity.
  • Inactivity increases with age. By age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity.
  • Among adults aged 65 years and older, walking and gardening or yard work are, by far, the most popular physical activities.
  • Social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular physical activity.
Benefits of Physical Activity
  • Helps maintain the ability to live independently and reduces the risk of falling and fracturing bones.
  • Reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and of developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes.
  • Can help reduce blood pressure in some people with hypertension.
  • Helps people with chronic, disabling conditions improve their stamina and muscle strength.
  • Reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression and fosters improvements in mood and feelings of well-being.
  • Helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
  • Helps control joint swelling and pain associated with arthritis.
Caregiver Corner  

Between 5% - 10% of older adults exhibit symptoms of moderate to major depression. Caring for someone with depression can be very difficult for the caregiver. Additionally, having a major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with a 59% increase in mortality risk. There are medications that can help with symptoms, but there are many reasons that other strategies are desirable. 

Exercise is an option that has been proven in multiple research studies to decrease depressive symptoms on standardized depression tests. Exercise not only alleviated symptoms in many individuals (68%), it also prevented the development of symptoms in others.
 
Mood has been shown to be tied to activity. Even minimal activity has been associated with improved mood in older adults. Younger individuals need more rigorous activity for longer duration to achieve reduction in symptoms of depression.
 
Pessimism, low energy and physical limitations present barriers to exercise for many people and these problems are more prevalent in older adults, however, even very modest exercise, particularly in group settings, has been shown to have success in reducing symptoms of depression and these improvements last long after formal exercise programs have ended.

If you are caring for someone with depressive symptoms get them to exercise. Even if they aren’t convinced of the benefit and resist a formal program, try to get them moving in a home-based program. As their mood improves, the time may be right to get them into a group exercise program. The improvement in symptoms of depression and the combined socialization benefits can really help improve the well-being of your loved one…and you.

Caregiver Workshops
Support and learning for family caregivers caring for loved ones with dementia. Sign up for one or all three of the sessions meeting June 5, June 9 or July 10.  Find out more.
Interagency Council on Aging of South Central Connecticut
Are you a professional in the aging network? Are you part of the Interagency Council on Aging of South Central Connecticut?
If not, this is a great opportunity to check out the networking and educational opportunities offered. Join us at the annual meeting on June 21st. Charles Grady of the FBI will speak on the Impact of the Opiate Crisis on Elders.
CHOICES - Reasons to give AOASCC a call.

Many of you are familiar with the CHOICES program at the Agency on Aging. It’s your place to go for information about Medicare and Medicaid, but you may not know that CHOICES also has information about many other programs. 
When you call CHOICES you speak with an information counselor who can help you to:
  1. Access benefits – with Benefits screening programs, assistance with applications, and referral to other appropriate services.
  2. Stay Engaged – Be as involved as you want to be with what interests you. There are many volunteer and paid opportunities for older adults in their community. AOASCC hosts several volunteer programs and your CHOICES counselor can provide you with information about volunteer opportunities. 
  3. Strive for Wellness – Eat for your health and stay physically active. CHOICES can tell you about SNAP nutrition programs, Tai Chi exercise programs, Chronic Disease Self- Management, Diabetes Self Management, and Healthy Ideas, depression counseling.
  4. Explore New Things – Activities abound, learn about the Ageism Coalition, Art of Aging, TEARS elder abuse conference, Fearless Caregiver, Powerful Tools for Caregivers, among many other.

We look forward to assisting you when you call CHOICES 800-994-9422.
New Medicare Cards - What you need to know

If you have Medicare, or care for someone who has Medicare, there’s something you need to
know. Medicare is mailing new cards with new Medicare numbers to all people with Medicare.
Instead of a Social Security Number, your new card will have a new number that’s unique to
you.

You don’t have to do anything to get your new card; Medicare will automatically mail it to you.
Mailing all the cards will take time, so you might get your card at a different time than your
spouse, friend, or neighbor. Once you get your new Medicare card, destroy your old Medicare
card and start using the new one right away.

Remember - No one from Medicare will call or contact you uninvited to ask you for your information . Con artists are already trying to scam people with Medicare by telling them they need to share personal information to get a new Medicare card. Don’t share your old or new Medicare number or other personal information with anyone who calls you, emails you, or talks to you in person, unless you’ve given them permission in advance.

To learn more, visit Medicare.gov/newcard, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), and
they’ll be happy to assist you. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
SNAP - Getting help with the cost of groceries

Health is a key component of staying independent and active, and that starts with eating nutritious food. SNAP helps older adults afford the food they need—get them enrolled with this online resource

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