Of course the more fruits, vegetables, Jell-O and low-salt soup you can add, the better!  To be sure you’re drinking enough, why not track your progress by marking a memo board or calendar each time you have something to drink?

Seniors can become dehydrated very quickly since they have less body water than younger folks.  Early signs of dehydration may include confusion, constipation, dizziness, dry tongue or chapped lips,  When it’s hot, humid or when seniors are more active or even ill, fluids needs increase and should be monitored closely.

Bottom line?  If you hate water just forget it, enjoy enough fluid and you’ll be living well!

6

UP COMING EVENTS: 

  Keep Moving Walk:  Wednesday, September 22, 2004 at Wells State Park 10:30 am to 1:00 pm.

With over 10 miles of hiking trails and scenic vistas, Wells State Park is 5 miles from Old Sturbridge Village and excellent restaurants,  Please join your friends and have a great time,  Registration and details will follow.

Contact :  Jan Marble at 1-617-624-5408 or Jan.marble@state.ma.us

                                   EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:

Aging and Health Promotion Certificate Program Sponsored by Kit Clark Senior Services;  Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Executive Office of Elder Affairs; and the Harvard Upper New England Geriatric Education Center. The Certificate Program in Aging and Health Promotion is a forty hour education and training program that provides a basic understanding of health promotion and aging with a focus on alcohol and medications; aging and wellness; chronic disease, and behavior change.  The Certificate Program consists of ten, two-hour seminars and an additional twenty hours of independent learning which includes outside reading and health education activities.  The program concludes with a three-page paper written by trainees that integrates their learning for the year.  All trainees must attend at least eight of the seminar sessions and complete all the hours of study to qualify for the certificate.  At the program’s completion trainees will be awarded a Certificate in Aging and Health Promotion from the Harvard Upper New England Geriatric Education Center.  Requirements:  Applicants should have a B.A. or relate experience.  B.A.’s will be considered over M.A.  degrees.  Applicants should have experience working with low-income elders from a diverse and/or multicultural background,  including people of color; new immigrants; homeless elders and gay, lesbian or transgender elders.  Program fee $200.00.  Scholarships are available.  Timeline:  The Certificate Program will meet on the third Wednesday of each month from 3:00  - 5:00 PM.  We will begin on October and end in July, 2005.  Location of the Seminars:  Seminars will take place at Kit Clark Senior Services, 1500 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA. Kit Clark is located at Fields Corner and is easily accessible on the MBTA Red Line and also by car.  For more information or to obtain a program application contact Jeanne Martin, MSW. Ed.D., Program Advisor, at Kit Clark Senior Services: (617) 825-5000; jmartin@fdnh.org

7

                                               PRESCRIPTION ADVANTAGE:

                                   YOUR PLAN FOR AFFORDABLE PRESCRIPTION                               Open Enrollment September 1 through September 30, 2004

Prescription Advantage is the state-sponsored prescription drug insurance plan for all Massachusetts residents age 65 or older and low-income younger individuals with disabilities.  Prescription Advantage offers comprehensive prescription drug overage that is combined with an annual out-of-pocket spending limit to provide affordable prescription drug coverage. Prescription Advantage will conduct an open enrollment period beginning on September 1 through September 30, 2004.  Your opportunity to join is limited.  To join or for more information on Prescription Advantage, call toll-free:  1- 800-243-4636 or TDD/TTY: 1-877-610-0241 

                                                 GETTING STARTED

                             What To Do When Your Family Member Has Memory Loss

Designed especially for family members, this program provides information about how to get a diagnosis, understanding and addressing difficult behaviors and communication problems, and how to find and what to expect from local resources.  Presented by trained Alzheilmer’s Association staff and volunteers.  Group size may be limited.  Program is free of charge.  For all programs, please call 800-548-2111 for more information or to register.  LCOA, 276 Broadway St. Lowell, MA.  Presented by Debra Katt-Lloyd.  Tuesday, October 19^th @ 9:00am to 11:30am.

 FALLON COMMUNITY HEALTH PLAN

Senior Health Resource Line

Here is a list of information that you can access free of charge:

• Drivers 55 Plus:  Check Your Own Performance
• A Flexibility Fitness Training Package For Improving Older Drivers at Night.
• Preventing Road Rage:  How to Avoid Anger While Driving
• Wake Up
• Blinded By The Light?  How to Handle Glare for Safer Driving at Night
• The Older and Wiser Driver
• Depression:  Don’t Let the Blues Hang Around
• Diabetes:  Easy Eating for Busy People
• Getting Your Affairs in Order
• Long-Term Care:  Choosing the Right Place
• Cancer Facts for People Over 50

All they need to do is call the Senior Health Resource Line at 1-800-939-5433 (TDD/TTY: 1-508-368-9560) and we will mail the information free of charge.  You do not need to be a Fallon member to call.  Please share this information with your members.

   8                                          ATTORNEY STEPHEN SPANO

                                               Elder Law and Estates Update

                                                          MEDI-MINUTES

Massachusetts One of Three States for Medicare Demonstration Project

Massachusetts is one of three states where Medicare will conduct a demonstration project involving a new definition for homebound that would allow Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health benefits to leave their home more frequently and for longer periods without risking the loss of those benefits,  The demonstration in Missouri, Colorado, and Massachusetts will mark an important step in identifying strategies to promote greater freedom and independence for people with disabilities who require daily assistance.

Current rules used to determine who qualifies for Medicare payment of services at home require that any time away from home must be “infrequent or of short duration.”.  Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have refined this definition in recent years, by clarifying that leaving home for adult day care or religious services is allowed.  The demonstration project removes a limitation based on actual time spent away from home, eliminating the concern among many homebound persons that they will lose their home-based care if they attempt to take advantage of activities outside the home.

Up to 15,000 beneficiaries will be eligible to enroll in the two-year demonstration, which will begin in the fall.  To qualify for the demonstration, Medicare beneficiaries must have a permanent, severe disability that is not expected to improve.  In addition, the individual must meet each of the following needs-based criteria:

      Needs permanent help with three of five activities of daily living (ADL) such as      bathing, dressing, eating, toileting and transferring.

*     Needs permanent skilled nursing care, and daily attendant visits to monitor, treat or                                                                               provide ADL assistance

*     Requires assistance to eave home    

*     Is not working outside the home

*     The goal of the demonstration is to determine the cost impact on the demonstration for patients with chronic illnesses – a population that otherwise may be at risk for costly institutional care.

As part of the process of addressing this question, CMS plans to host an Open Door Forum of June 25 specifically to solicit input from interested groups to discuss the major featured of the demonstration.

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                           TRUST  Q & A:   What is a Mill Trust?

If you are looking for a trust to control the disposition of assets, reduce administration costs, or avoid probate, etc., a revocable trust or living trust can be an effective tool to use, but don’t be fooled into buying a “mill” trust, which is a generic, one-size-fits-all trust.  Such trusts may not be scams, but they generally are not suited for Medicaid or estate planning and can even be detrimental in some cases.

Fortunately, mill trusts are easy to spot.  They tend to be cheap, ranging from a few hundred to several hundred dollars.  They often don’t come with legal advice, but instead with questionnaires, letters, and simple instructions that are identical for every buyer.  Most mill trusts have limited purpose (usually avoiding probate), whereas a properly drafted trust will take into account such contingencies as incompetency and divorce, and intergration of other estate planning tools, such as insurance, retirement funds, and charitable gifts.

Successful estate planning requires the legal advice of an expert who will consider the clients specific needs and goals.  Since mill trusts involve minimal involvement of professional planners, they tend be funded improperly.  The client is left to fund the mill trust on his or her own.  Some people, in the absence of good counsel, forget this step entirely.  When it comes to Medicaid and estate planning (as with any complex financial or legal issues), there is just no substitute for expert advice

9

                                         Is Diabetes Linked to Hearing Loss?

Preliminary data from a large-scale study of 700 people showed that diabetic individuals who are under age 60 are more likely to have hearing loss than those who do not have diabetes.  The authors of the study believe that the diabetic person’s auditory system may age faster, although past a certain age the amount of the loss may be hidden by hearing loss which occurs with increasing age.  This information is important for anyone with diabetes because overall they are at a greater risk for hearing loss than the general population.  (Presented in 2004 at the Association of Research in Otolaryngology in Daytona, FL.)

If you or someone you know has diabetes, take the time to have your hearing tested by scheduling an appointment with an audiologist.

TRY OUR FREE PHONE HEARING CHECK!   978-454-TEST

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                                                               SMOKE FREE

Please be aware the Massachusettes has become Smoke-free as of July 5, 2004.  The Health Department has been receiving numerous calls regarding this, but to the wrong division.

Please forward all concerns related to the local tobacco control regulations the Lowell Tobacco Control Program at 978-970-4056.

To learn more about the Smoke-free Workplace Law, contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 1-800-992-4056.

                                                   Volunteers Needed for BINGO

We are looking for volunteers to help with bingo on Monday and Wednesday from 12 to 3 if you are interested please call Kathy at 978-970-4134.  Thank You

Pg. #10 Up and Coming Trips and Events For August 2004-Tickets on Sale July 12^th-

All trips depart at 9:00 am, except for Pheasant Lane Mall which departs @9:30 am

August 2, Monday                                                Bingo                                                    $0.50

August 2, Monday                                                Hampton Beach                                                $2.00

August 3, Tuesday                                                Pheasant Lane                                     $2.00

August 4, Wednesday                                           Bingo                                                    $0.50

August 5, Thursday                                              Weathervane, Kittery                            $2.00

August 6, Friday                                       Newburyport Home Coming Week            $2.00

August 9, Monday                                                Bingo                                                    $0.50

August 9, Monday                                                Hampton Beach                                                $2.00   

August 10, Tuesday                                                Seabrook Dogs                                                $2.00             

August 11, Wednesday                                           Bingo                                                    $0.50

August 12, Thursday                                              Hill Top                                                 $2.00

August 13, Friday                                       Pickering Wharf                                                $2.00

August 16, Monday                                                Bingo                                                    $2.00

August 16, Monday                                                Hampton Beach                                                $2.00

August 18, Wednesday                                           NO Bingo                                                 

August 19, Thursday                                              Senior Outing                                      $3.00

August 20, Friday                                       Ogunquit, Maine                                   $2.00

August 23, Monday                                                Bingo                                                    $0.50

August 23, Monday                                                Hampton Beach                                                $2.00

August 24, Tuesday                                                Yokens                                                 $2.00

August 25, Wednesday                                           Bingo                                                    $0.50

August 26, Thursday                                              Markey’s Resturant                              $2.00

August 27, Friday                                       Rockport                                              $2.00

August 30, Monday                                                Bingo                                                    $2.00

August 30, Monday                                                Hampton Beach                                                $2.00

August 31, Tuesday                                                York Beach                                       $2.00

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FOR THOSE WHO HAVE REQUESTED A TRIP ON A SUNDAY WE HAVE SCHEDULED A TRIP ON: SUNDAY AUGUST 15, TO YORK, MAINE AT FOSTER’S PAVILLION FOR A FABULOUS SIT-DOWN LOBSTERBAKE (CHICKEN MAY BE SUBSTITUTED) & ALL THE FIXINGS.  WE WILL SPEND THE ENTIRE AFTERNOON AT FOSTER’S STARTING OUT WITH LEIGHTON AT THE KEYBOARD, ALONG WITH HIS MUSICAL MAINE STYLE COMEDY, THEN YOUR FOOD WILL BE SERVED TO YOU (IT IS NOT A BUFFET), FOLLOWED BY A FLOOR SHOW FEATURING BROADWAY SHOW TUNES FROM THE GREAT DUO-“DON WHO”’ FROM THE INDIAN HEAD RESORT.  ALSO YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN A GAME OF HORSESHOES OR SHUFFLEBOARD, PICK UP 8:30 AM AT LCOA RETURN AT 5 PM.  $59.00 PP

11                                   SENIOR FINANCIAL WORKSHOP

TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED:

·          AVOID MEDICAID TRAP: How to protect your assets from Catastrophic Illness and nursing homes without purchasing nursing home insurance.

·          IRA’S:New rules that could allow you to…….Reduce your minimum distribution.  Pay fewer taxes and leave more to beneficiaries.  Avoid potential of a 90% Tax on retirement assets.

·          NURSING HOMES: Facts about what is exempt from nursing home attachment.

·          TAXES: How to lower or eliminate taxes on Social Security, Interest Income:   Capital Gains & Taxes upon death.

·          SPENDING INCOME: Increase your spendable income,

·          PROBATE: Trusts, Lawsuits and Titling of Assets.

·          WALLSTREET: Myths and Facts.  What your Stockbroker will not tell you.

When:        Thursday, August 12, 2004-10:00 AM & 2:00 PM

Where:       Lowell Council on Aging, 276 Broadway St., Lowell, MA.

Presented by:  John C. Huck from Huck Financial Strategies

                        Certified Senior Advisor-Member of the Better Business Bureau

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: 1-(800) 680-9923 Ext. 169 (24Hrs.)

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 Exciting New Research Being Conducted at UMASS Lowell            

Age-related macular degeneration and cataracts are the leading causes of vision loss in older citizens.  The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Center for Health and Disease Research is conducting an important study looking at the connection between the nutrients found in eggs and eye health.  We feel the results of this study will help us to understand if eating eggs may be important in preventing these 2 common eye conditions. 

Please consider participating if you are 65 years or older and do not take cholesterol lowering medication.  The study will last four months.  You will be asked to refrain from eating eggs for several weeks and to eat an egg a day for 5 weeks.  Participants will be compensated with a $75 dollar gift certificate to a local supermarket at the conclusion of the study,  During the course of the study, monthly educational sessions about eye health will be provided at the Senior Center by university personnel, if you choose to attend.

For more information about this study, or if you are interested in attending an informational session at the Senior Center, please call Elizabeth Goodrow at University of Massachusetts Lowell, 978-934-4507 or email at Elizabeth Goodrow@uml.edu