December Newsletter

AgeLinc, Your Link to Aging Well

Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition

“There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” -Rosalynn Carter, Former U.S. First Lady.

Those words resonated with Amy Brennan when she read them.

Ms. Brennan serves as the Executive Director of the newly created statewide Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition. Her work experience spans over 30 years in Washington, DC, Chicago and Springfield, Illinois working in and around Capitol Hill in Washington DC and Illinois state government and a variety of national and state-level campaigns. Most recently, Amy served in the Pritzker administration for the State of Illinois, heading up the legislative offices at the Department on Aging and at the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Amy was honored to assist her mother navigate the last six months of a 16-year fight facing lung cancer. After taking a brief medical leave, she realized more needs to be done in Illinois to help family caregivers navigate this challenging time, including encouraging companies to support current and future employees as they balance responsibilities of work and unpaid family caregiving.

The Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition (IFCC) is an inclusive, statewide, nonpartisan coalition supporting and advocating for unpaid, informal caregivers.

To support unpaid caregivers, the IFCC is:

· Identifying, promoting, and advocating for policy changes benefiting caregivers.

· Launching a public awareness campaign in Illinois, spotlighting the importance of caregiving and offering resources for caregivers.

· Discussing 2021 recommendations from the federal RAISE Family Caregivers ACT with national stakeholders and developing strategies to ensure their implementation.

· Reviewing best practices for caregivers in Illinois, as well as other states, promoting them broadly.

When asked what the goals were for IFCC in 2023, Amy stated to research what is going well, what needs improvement, public awareness, and recommendations for unpaid caregivers, and Financial & Health Challenges Caregivers face.

For more information, visit the IFCC Facebook page, LinkedIn and Twitter @ILFamilyCaregivers.

December 13th, 2022-Evening Community Education Program

Financial Exploitation.

Presented by: Brian Sylvester, Town & Country Bank

While there may be many different forms of elder abuse, the one that hits and lasts the longest sadly is elder financial exploitation. We work our entire careers in preparation for that day that we can retire with a comfortable nest egg only to have a fraudster dash those dreams away by depleting what has been saved.

Brian Sylvester, the BSA Officer at Town and Country Bank, will be giving a presentation on the current forms of exploitation taking place and the red flags that either you or a loved one may be getting taken advantage of. This will, hopefully, be an interactive presentation so those attending should come with questions and scenarios that may need to be discussed.

Why do fraudsters go after older adults?

· Current fraud scams

· Red Flags that a scam may be taking place with you or a loved one

· What to do when you realize you’re involved with a scam

Call 217-787-9234 to register.

Calling All Caregivers!

Every Third Wednesday of the month at noon, we host a Lunch & Learn open to all past, present and future caregivers.

December 14:

This month's Lunch and Learn is presented by: AgeLinc

Jennifer Hopper, Sr. Program Specialist

Topic: Preventing Medicare Fraud

This session will cover key components of the Senior Medicare Patrol Program.

Topics to be discussed include learning how to detect and report Medicare fraud; understanding how to read a Medicare Summary Notice; identifying the different types of Medicare fraud and healthcare scams; and learning ways to protect yourself from Medicare fraud.

Call 217-787-9234 to register or visit www.agelinc.org

3 Tips for Aging Successfully

One of the best ways to ensure you can enjoy your golden years and maintain your independence is to plan out preferences for future care needs, financial management, legal arrangements and other personal matters.

❶

Gather important information.

Create a written record that contains details about your health, doctors, family history, finances, insurance and other key personal facts.

❷

Organize and delegate tasks for family members.

Determining who will help with lawn work, financial management, cleaning and emergency care before these tasks are needed will relieve a lot of stress on you and your family.

❸

Make a plan for unexpected hospitalizations.

There are a number of reasons that you may experience a hospital stay. Having a plan in place will make it much easier for you to return home.

Area Agency on Aging for Lincolnland, Inc. (AgeLinc)

2731 S MacArthur Blvd, Springfield, IL 62704

217-787-9234 or 1-800-252-2918 (Toll Free)