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December 2007 Edition
NEW FROM THE AGS FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH IN AGING
Medicare News
Other News
AGS and Foundation for Health in Aging Participants in "National Family Caregiver Month"
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) were pleased to be among the endorsing participants in this year's "National Caregiver Month." Organized each November by the National Family Caregiver Association (NFCA), National Caregiver Month is dedicated to raising awareness of family caregiving and empowering the nation's 50 million family caregivers.
The theme of 2007's National Family Caregiver Month was "Speak up." The event encouraged family caregivers to, among other things, speak up for their rights by advocating for stronger public policy addressing family caregiving issues, and raise awareness of community programs supporting caregivers. The AGS and FHA work to raise awareness of the needs of family caregivers, advocate for public policy supporting caregivers, and publish a wide range of public education materials for caregivers on the foundation's Health in Aging Web site. The FHA's Eldercare at Home, is an award-winning guide to caregiving. A text-only edition of the guide is available at no cost online.
For a free family caregiver kit and additional ideas for recognizing and supporting family caregiving, contact the National Family Caregivers Association at www.thefamilycaregiver.org or 800-896-3650.
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FHA Publishes Winter Safety "Tip Sheet" for Older Adults
Just in time for the current cold snap, the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has released an easy-to-read health "tip sheet" -- "Winter Safety Tips for Older Adults". This tip sheet offers older adults life-saving advice on staying safe in the cold, ice and snow. It explains, among other things, how to prevent, recognize and treat hypothermia and frostbite, and avoid falls and injuries while walking in and shoveling snow. The tip sheet also offers advice on safe winter driving, and preventing carbon monoxide poisoning and other hazards associated with fires. The tip sheet is available here.
All FHA tip sheets offer authoritative and up-to-date information concerning the health and healthcare needs of older people and are posted on the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging Web site. They can be printed and shared at no cost.
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Open Enrollment for 2008 Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Ends December 31; Coverage Can Change From Year to Year so All Beneficiaries Should Check Whether Their Current Plans Will Still be a Good Fit
The open enrollment period for 2008 Medicare prescription drug coverage - during which beneficiaries can join or switch Medicare drug plans - ends December 31. That's just weeks away. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS') online "Plan Finder" and "Options Compare" tools make it easy for users to compare and find plans that best meet their needs. Beneficiaries without Internet access can get comparison information by calling 800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
Plans may change their formularies, co-pays, and other policies from year to year. For that reason, all beneficiaries, even those who are happy with their current Medicare prescription drug coverage, should check whether their plans will still be the best fit in 2008.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average monthly Medicare drug plan premium will increase 17%, from $27.39 this year to $31.99 in 2008. In addition, more stand-alone Medicare drug plans will use "specialty tiers" for relatively expensive drugs (those costing upward of $600 per month) in 2008, the foundation reports. Plans can charge more for specialty-tier drugs. Over a quarter of Medicare prescription drug plans will offer some kind of coverage during the so-called "donut hole" coverage gap in 2008, according to Kaiser. Beneficiaries "fall into" the hole after reaching $2,510 in total drug costs, at which point they must pay 100 % of drug costs until they qualify for "catastrophic coverage." While more than one in four plans will offer some coverage during the gap in 2008, this coverage will be primarily for generic drug costs. The foundation offers several additional online Medicare drug plan resources.
While open enrollment ends December 31, CMS advises beneficiaries to select or change plans earlier in the month, to ensure a smooth transition on January 1, 2008. The next open enrollment period, for 2009 coverage, won't begin until Nov 15, 2008.
Low-income beneficiaries may qualify for "extra help" with plans' monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and co-payments. For more information and to apply to the Social Security Administration for this assistance, beneficiaries can contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Online information and applications are also available. The National Council on Aging's BenefitsCheckUp Web site offers a streamlined way to apply for this financial assistance.
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Facebook - With Wrinkles, and No Apologies For Them
Facebook, which started life as a networking Web site for college kids, is graying, just like the rest of the country, The New York Times reports. Log on and you can visit, among some 45 million other users, Carl Kasell. If the name sounds familiar, it's for good reason. Kasell is the 73-year-old announcer on NPR's "Morning Edition."
You can also join a Facebook group for 40-and-up types. Amy Waldman, a 48-year-old Milwaukee resident, created the group after her college-age daughter insisted she reveal her age to the 18-year old Facebook member with whom she was shared an ongoing exchange about grammar. "You have to tell her you're old," Waldman's daughter insisted, "because on Facebook, that's creepy." (The new group is called, appropriately, "over 40 is 'facebook creepy.")
Ms. Waldman uses Facebook much as younger members do: to meet new friends, keep up with old ones, and to network, the Times reports. Among other things, she puts it to use in her volunteer work -- leading education programs through the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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Family Caregiver Pens Children's Book About Loved Ones with Alzheimer's
Carin Billington, who cared for her mother during her mom's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, has published Grandma Can't Remember, a poignant book to help children, and others, understand the devastating disease. "I watched my own children struggle to understand the sad and confusing changes in their Grandma," says Billington, who spent seven years providing care for her mother. "My book is for those children that have a loved one going through the heartbreaking journey of this disease." Billington's book can help adults begin conversations with children about Alzheimer's disease, aging, life, and loss. For further information about Grandma Can't Remember, please visit Tate Publishing or Billington's blog.
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To make a donation to the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging, visit the donation page on our Web site at http://www.healthinaging.org/donate/ or call Li-Chia Ong, at 212-308-1414.
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