New Tech Solutions for Elder Care

Posted on November 3, 2011 by EngAGE

Inner Life Of Numbers“I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Tweet,” the title of a post on the Reuters Money website, is an amusing play on the well-known commercial with the tagline, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” But the reality is that falls are serious for older people and having a way to notify someone, should that happen, is important. The company that’s behind that famous tagline is Life Alert Emergency Response, but there are others who have entered the HEALTHfield and who offer additional or different types of services including medicine reminders and heart rate monitors. Read the informative Reuters post to learn more.

 

 

 

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Financial Assistance for Prescription Drugs

Posted on November 2, 2011 by EngAGE

SENIOR-SERVICESMany people need help paying for prescriptions, so a central clearinghouse that would facilitate finding out how to get that help would be great. Fortunately, it exists in the form of Partnership for Prescription Assistance. From their website: “Our mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible. We offer a single point of access to more than 475 public and private MONEYprograms, including nearly 200 offered by pharmaceutical companies. We have already helped millions of Americans get free or reduced-cost prescription medicines.” There is no charge for their services. Get more information here.

Just a reminder: Enrollment for Medicare Part D is underway now and ends December 7th. Compare plans here on the HEALTHwww.Medicare.gov website. All you need to use the site is your zip code.

 

 

 

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Connecting Seniors and Youths

Posted on November 1, 2011 by EngAGE

FYIEngAGE facilitates programs in Los Angeles and Orange County that connect seniors with kids. Here are two interesting examples in other locations that demonstrate the benefits of those kinds of connections.

Jacksonville, FL: “About 1,800 defendants have cycled through Teen Court in Jacksonville in the  last five years. Most are first-time misdemeanor offenders… Instead of criminal records, defendants in the diversion program get  sentences that include things like jail tours, essays and community service  hours. But students who were helping in the computer lab on a recent afternoon  said it didn’t seem like a punishment… Curtis Crawford is the Teen Court case manager who’s supervised this computer  initiative for the past couple of summers. He said the behavior of students who have acted out in the past changes when they see how elders rely on their  expertise. ‘That’s what the kids say: ‘They really need us, Mr. Crawford.'” Read more here.

Vernon, NJ: “The Vernon Senior Center hosted an interactive workshop presentation by the Center for Prevention and Counseling, funded by GCADA, the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and sponsored by the Vernon Alliance Coalition… A total of thirty-two 7th and 8th graders from Glen Meadows Middle School were bussed to the Vernon Senior Center to socialize, laugh, play games, gain wisdom and interact with our most experienced community members – our elders.”  Read more here.

 

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Surviving Public Transportation

Posted on October 31, 2011 by EngAGE

SENIOR-SERVICESWhen an older person gives up driving, public transportation is often the only option to get around town and sometimes that can seem daunting. Senior Survival School is a free program run by a San Francisco advocacy organization called Planning for Elders. They hold workshops in senior centers around San Francisco on the challenges of navigating city living. Read more in a KALW News post here.

Seniors over the age of sixty and disabled residents living in Burbank, CA, homebase for EngAGE, are fortunate to have their own dedicated bus service. BurbankBus Senior and Disabled Transit Services provide door-to-door local transportation.  The goal of the service is to reduce the isolation of seniors and disabled Burbank residents and to assist them in remaining independent. At a cost suggested donation of $1 per roundtrip ride, the bus is a great bargain. Read more here. [Updated 11/1/11]

What sort of transportation options do seniors have where you live?

 

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Costumes?

Posted on October 30, 2011 by EngAGE

vector illustration of a black bow tie in low-polygonal style. mIf you like dressing up in costumes, why wait until Halloween? New Yorkers Jean and Valerie, “The Idiosyncratic Fashionistas,” are favorite subjects of Ari Seth Cohen’s Advanced Style blog. Ari says, “They believe that fashion should be fun and expressive and not taken too  seriously.” Click here to see more, including a video.

 

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Get a Benefits Check-Up for Free

Posted on October 27, 2011 by EngAGE

 

SENIOR-SERVICESThere’s a wealth of information on the BenefitsCheckUp website, a service of the National Council on Aging. If you need financial assistance in any area of your life, or know someone who does, just click on the link to read more. Here’s their introduction:

Many older people need help paying for prescription drugs, health care, utilities and other basic needs. Ironically, millions of MONEYolder Americans — especially those with limited incomes — are eligible for but not receiving benefits from existing federal, state and local programs. Ranging from heating and energy assistance to prescription savings programs to income supplements, there are many public programs available to seniors in need if they only knew about them and how to apply for them.

HEALTHDeveloped and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), BenefitsCheckUp is the nation’s most comprehensive Web-based service to screen for benefits programs for seniors with limited income and resources. BenefitsCheckUp includes more than 2,000 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

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Photo Exhibit of Centenarians in Taiwan

Posted on October 26, 2011 by EngAGE

Digital CameraForty Taiwanese seniors, all from 100 to 114 years old, are having their life stories told through images at an exhibition  at Taoyuan’s cultural center from October 7th through October 31st.  At a reception in their honor, some of the subjects shared their thoughts about aging. Chao Mu-he, 100, advises, “Have some goals and keep learning. Don’t get angry. Stay physically active and let things take their courses.” Read more here.

 

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