Register To ParticipateA Good Age, by Sue Scheible
Senior Senior Prom in Randolph a big hit
Posted on May 16, 2008 by sscheible
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Yesterday I stopped by Randolph High School to interview and video Hao Trieu, 17, a junior who is chairperson of the school’s student council community service committee. Trieu is a remarkable young woman. She was the driving force behind the Senior Senior Prom held recent;y at the Simon C. Fireside Community, a residence in Randolph for elders run by Hebrew Senior Life of Boston.
The prom brought together seniors who live at the Fireman residence with seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen from Randolph High. By all accounts, it was a huge success.
In the top photo, you can see Hao Trieu dancing with Faivish Shavlov, a resident who was crowned King of the Prom.
We talked and Hao described how rewarding the intergenerational program was for her, how proud she was of herself, her peers, and the elders she met.
Then I drove a mile up Route 28 to the Fireman Community and interviewed and videoed 95-year-old Nettie Sooper and 85-year-old Dorothy Rosenberg, who both had a ball at the prom. “It was a beautiful thing,” Rosenberg said. In the bottom photo, you can see Nettie dancing with Ken Chin, who teaches Tai Chi at Fireman. Would you believe she is 95?!
You can see the videos and read more in The Good Age column next Tuesday May 20.
Mayor at Mothers Day Brunch
Posted on May 15, 2008 by sscheible
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Quincy Mayor Tom Koch was a popular presence Sunday at the Mothers Day brunch at Marina Bay Skilled Nursing Center in Quincy. Koch promises to bring some exciting new developments for seniors in the city.
Thanks to Lucia Treggiari, activities director at Marina Bay, for the photo.
Be wary in picking Medicare plan
Posted on May 15, 2008 by sscheible
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| Welcome to my blog. I am a staff reporter for The Patriot Ledger who writes a weekly column, A Good Age, about life after 50, every Tuesday on the local pages. More about this blog. |
The private Medicare plans have gotten some bad press lately.
My mail brings an invitation from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, my insurer, to attend a free educational program called “Celebrating 65.”
In six months, I turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare, the federal health insurance program. Harvard Pilgrim is one of the private insurance companies that also sells Medicare-approved senior plans as well as private insurance to supplement government Medicare. The HMO wants to make a pitch for my business. I will either sign up for the government’s Medicare plan or pick a private insurance plan from many, including Harvard Pilgrim, that are available.
I am going to proceed very carefully. It is to Harvard Pilgrim’s credit that they are giving me plenty of time to investigate.
The private Medicare Advantage plans are one type of private insurance plan for seniors 65 and older. These are basically HMOs that offer a lot of medical services, including some the government Medicare doesn’t provide. But the Medicare Advantage plans have limits on which doctors you can use, services, prescriptions, etc.
The private prescription drug plans pay for many, but not all, prescriptions, deductibles and copayments. The government’s Medicare program does not cover prescriptions, so if you don’t have this coverage in an HMO, it’s very advisable to buy one of these private drug plans to supplement medicare.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is expected to ask Congress to give states added powers to regulate the marketing of these Medicare private plans. There have been many complaints that some of the agents representing private insurance companies have used high pressure sales tactics to push seniors into signing up for plans that were not always the best one for them.
There are 44 million Medicare beneficiaries and more than half, 25 million, are in a private plan. So it’s an important reform. A report by the insurance commissioners made a number of recommendations.
* advertisements and marketing materials should state very clearly which plan they are trying to sell a senior — the exact name of the plan, not vague marketing terms like “gold plan” or silver or bronze.
* agents selling Medicare plans should be prevented from also selling annuities, long term care insurance, or life insurance at the same time. All the information is too much for people to absorb. It’s easy to make a bad decision under pressure or to be confused by fast talk.
* if a senior wants prescription drug coverage only, agents should be prohibited from trying to sell them instead the larger and more lucrative Medicare Advantage HMOs.
* agents should all be identified by name and a state registration number.
* there should be a common set of standards for marketing the plans.
The Harvard Pilgrim letter invites me to a free educational program to learn what the “new language” of Medicare means, to have questions answered, even how to apply for Social Security.
There will be a program in Plymouth at the Radisson Hotel at 3 p.m. on June 5 and one in Quincy at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care at 3 p.m. on June 6. Others are being held in Wellesley, Woburn, Danvers, Sturbridge and in New Hampshire and Maine.
For more information on Harvard Pilgrim First Seniority, call 877-663-7057 or Click Here.
For the national association on state insurance commissioners, Click Here.
For more help with Massachusetts plans, Click Here.
Remembering a star from the Quincy Senior Olympics
Posted on May 14, 2008 by sscheible
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The photographs to the left are from the Quincy Senior Olympics a few years ago. This is a legendary local sports event for seniors, who compete in in five-year age groups, such as 60-64, 65-69, etc. The Olympics are going on this week in Quincy.
Tuesday, I received a call from Roger Nicholas of Sharon. He is 69 and he was calling about some impressive accomplishments in the Olympics over the years, but the honors didn’t belong to Roger. It was his mother, Beatrice Nicholas, who may have set the all-time record for medals won at the games. She won 73 medals, mostly gold and silver, with a few bronze, over many years of participation.
I first spoke with Beatrice Nicholas of Quincy back in 1996, when she was 85 and a longtime believer in the growing movement to motivate more people not only to exercise as they age but also to do some strength training, to stay young.
Beatrice Nicholas had always loved to walk, but in her 80s, she decided that wasn’t enough. She bought a set of one-pound weights and began doing calisthenics three times a week in her living room. After a while, they felt too easy, so she had upped the ante to five-pound weights.
“I bend from the waist, do arm lifts, do each exercise seven times,” she said. “It keeps you limber and keeps you moving, and that’s the motto, isn’t it? Keep moving. I see people my age having trouble getting in and out of cars.”
She was getting ready to compete in several walks. Four years later, I ran into her again, practicing up before the Olympics by doing the javelin throw at Sports Day at Beechwood on the Bay in Squantum.
Beatrice Nicholas died Saturday May 10, just three weeks shy of her 98th birthday. She had been living at The Atrium assisted living center in Quincy and had a stroke.
Roger and his brother, Don, plan to bring their mother’s medals, and all her Senior Olympics T-shirts, to her wake tonight in Quincy. It is at the Keohane Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Thursday May 15.
It is very fitting to honor Beatrice Nicholas for her foresight and accomplishments as the Olympics continue to be a proud tradition in Quincy. My condolences go out to her family. She was, “quite a woman,” as her son Don said.
To see the Patriot Ledger May 13 obituary, Click Here and enter her name in the Search box.
For funeral arrangements, Click Here and locate her name under Current Service Information.
Days of Discovery in Boston: Take your pick
Posted on May 13, 2008 by sscheible
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An Elderhostel Day of Discovery to explore delicacies in cheese, wine and chocolate is on tap this June and July in Boston. The series will have four sessions. Each session will have a cheese, wine and chocolate experience.
On June 26 and 28, and July 9 and 12, a cheese expert from South End Formaggio will take participants on an artisan’s journey from farm to finished product, illustrating how each cheese has a story of place, family and culture, capping with a lesson on the art of cheese tasting.
A member of Divas Uncorked, a Boston-based women’s wine appreciation group whose motto is “wine savvy, not wine snobby,” will lead a lecture on Wine 101.
Finally, chocolate aficionado Nina Gilbert will connect chocolate to holidays and traditions, from chocolate coins, or gelt, at Chanukah to Easter bunnies and Native American customs. She will also lead a tasting of samples from several countries — including white chocolate from Venezuela and “black milk” chocolate from Italy.
The Days of Discovery take place in different cities and they showcase “the best the cities have to offer.” There are several more offered in Boston in June, including political campaigns from Washington to Nixon, Boston’s military history, building bridges to Islam at the Islamic Center of Boston, an evening with the Boston Pops, literary history along Boston’s Freedom Trail, and exploring Boston’s Seaport District.
In the past, there have been Discovery programs in Brockton at the Fuller Art Museum. The South Shore has a lot to offer, with Quincy’s heritage of the Adams Family. Let’s hope they come back!
For more information, Click Here.
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Plan ahead for circuit breaker tax rebate
Posted on May 12, 2008 by sscheible
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A Brockton reader called to say he received a significant rebate on his 2007 state taxes, as well as three past year taxes, by using the circuit breaker tax credit for seniors.
The caller first read about the circuit breaker rebate in The Patriot Ledger. He encourages other seniors to check into it when they file their taxes for 2008. He just received his rebate for 2007 and is also getting rebates retroactive for 2004, 2005 and 2006. His tax adviser told him it was still possible to get the past year rebates in 2007. “:I have gotten $200 and $366 back so far,” he said.
The Circuit Breaker Tax Credit is a state income tax credit for some Massachusetts residents age 65 or older who paid rent or real estate taxes during the tax year. The state pays the credit, even though it is based on your town or city property taxes.
It is for senior homeowners and renters who meet income limits and other eligibility requirements. Homeowners may claim the credit if they paid more than 10% of their total income for real estate taxes, including water and sewer debt charges. Renters can count 25% of their rent as real estate tax payments.
You must file a state income tax return to claim it, whether or not you have to file otherwise. If your credit is greater than the amount of income taxes you owe, the state will give you a refund for the difference. This year, the maximum rebate is $900.
The total income limits are $48,000 if single, $60,000 if head of household and $72,000 if married filing jointly .
Contact your accountant, tax adviser or senior center.
For more specific information, Click Here.
Mothers Day tribute
Posted on May 11, 2008 by sscheible
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On this Mothers Day, a friend will read in church a tribute she wrote honoring her 97-year-old mother, who is living in an assisted living residence and continues to show the courage and resolve that has taken her through many difficult but rewarding years.
The church celebrates Mothers Day by asking a few members to read tributes at the Sunday morning service.
My friend, Anne Bailey, will describe how her mother and father came to this country in 1939, fleeing Nazi persecution in Germany and then in occupied France, and started a new life here. They were unable to find work at first in New York City and settled in the Adirondacks. Anne was born in 1943, in Keene, N.Y., one of three children, and when her father died in 1953, her mother was left with mortgages, a mountain inn business to run, her own elderly parents who were living with her, and three young children.
“In German, it is a compliment to call a person “eine Lebenskunstlerin,” which loosely translated means that a person creates a work of art from their life experiences,” Anne wrote in her tribute. Despite her heavy workload with family, three guest houses, and feeding 25 people a day, her mother “still found time to take us down to the river to swim. She cheerfully sent me into the mountains whenever I had the chance to go hiking with friends. She had pushed herself to a new life in a new land and she always encouraged me and my brothers to take advantage of every opportunity we had.”
Although her mother is 97, recuperating from a broken hip, and diminished in her physical stature, Anne wrote, “she has been and always will be a huge presence in my life. I believe that her faith, optimism and grace in fielding adversity is a testament to a deep, abiding faith. Every day is a challenge. But fresh daffodils, or a photo of her great-granddaughter Clara, or sunshine reflecting off the last snow field on Mt. Marcy always reveal the beauty and mystery of God’s glorious world to her. With a warm smile, she still welcomes each day.
“Thank you, Mom, for being such a shining example.”
Thank you Anne for sharing your tribute.
Some tips on a healthy brain
Posted on May 10, 2008 by sscheible
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What’s normal memory loss and what’s not?
For an interactive tour of the brain, Click Here.
The Norwell Visiting Nurse Association put together a top-notch forum Friday for caregivers, family members and professionals dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. I learned that some memory loss and changes in thinking are part of normal aging. How many people find themselves reaching for a name, jogging their memory, when they are in their 50s and 60s? I do. And with a 95-year-old father who in the past year has slowed down considerably, I came away reassurred that for his age, he is still quite “with it.”
Dr. Richard Fischer described how older people often have the memory of something, but can’t quickly find the path, the trail to where the memory is stored in their brains. There is a delay in retrieval — that’s why someone will remember a name or fact 10 minutes or an hour later, after they stop trying too hard. The brain somehow finds the retrieval pathway on its own.
Dr. Nancy Lombardo of Boston University Medical School had handouts with highlights from her Memory Preservation Nutrition program. Some of the key tips:
Increase the amount and variety of antioxidants (vegetables, spices, fruit, nuts, seeds.)
Get enough B vitamins, especially B12 and niacin. Beware excess B6 or folate.
Increase Omega-3 fatty acids (fish, flax seed, green veggies, walnuts, pecans.)
To reduce inflammation, consumer more Omega-3, berries, purple grapes and juice, spices and herbs, green tea.
Improve sugar metabolism and eat more whole grains, tumeric and other spices.
To see Dr. Lombardo’s web sight Click Here.
For an article about her Memory Preservation Diet, Click Here.
To see a video from the Norwell VNA forum, Click Here.
To see Joan Wright, Norwell VNA community development director, describe what families go through, Click Here
Good advice:Live in the moment
Posted on May 9, 2008 by sscheible
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One of the speakers at today’s educational forum on Alzheimer’s disease at the Hingham Senior Center is Joanne Koenig-Coste, an expert on the illness and challenges faced by family members and caregivers. She took care of her husband 30 years ago, when he developed a form of the illness in his mid-40s. He succumbed to the disease when he was 46 in 1976.
After he died, she created a new career out of helping others.
For those who can’t be at today’s event, sponsored by the Norwell Visiting Nurses Association, there is an interview podcast with Koenig Coste on the Patriot Ledger website.
Her words of wisdom apply to lots of other life situations as well: Stay positive. Focus not on who someone used to be, but on who they are now. Stay in the moment. Communicate. Be organized and simply life so your energy is not drained away by clutter or confusion.
Joanne has a wealth of practical advice and when you listen to her, you hear the warmth and compassion in her voice.
For her web site, Click Here.
Nursing home ombudsmen criticized
Posted on May 8, 2008 by sscheible
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A reader who has been one of the state’s volunteer nursing home ombudsmen wants to be paid for her services.
In an anonymous letter to the newspaper, she cites a recent case of alleged abuse by a nursing assistant at the Radius nursing facility in Plymouth. (A former nursing aide at Radius Health Care Center has been charged with slapping a 70-year-old resident who had a stroke and couldn’t speak.)
That incident is disturbing, but she uses it for her own purposes. She alleges that most of the nursing home ombudsmen who visit area facilities and are charged with talking to residents about any problems are ineffective. She claims they report instances of possible abuse to the state elder affairs office and that little is done about it. She also paints all nursing assistants with the same broad black brush. She says the hiring of aides who are not properly trained, who may have past misdeeds and who dislike their duties continues.
She claims that it takes more than “a do gooder” attitude to be trained as an ombudsman and that “four days of training” by the state are not sufficient. She further claims that funds in the state Department of Elder Affairs budget are not used for the ombudsmen program as intended but are diverted to other programs. She acknowledges “all the care given to our seniors, elders by Councils on Aging, Elder Services, meals on wheels, visitors. . .but all these elders are able to bodied, can speak, hear and defend themselves.”
I have to wonder about the writer’s motives. The volunteers may not be as assertive as advocates with legal training, but if they have experience, perspective and a certain amount of diplomacy, they can still be effective ombudsmen. The majority of nursing assistants I have seen are dedicated, caring, and not especially well paid for all their work. Why blast away at all aides because of the misdeeds of one?
What would our social network be like if all the people who sign on to be volunteers in human service programs then change their tune and decide they should be paid?
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