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Live Well ~ Age Well
Join us on Thursday July 15th from 6-7:30 PM
Advocates assist individuals in completing paperwork to access county services such as waivered services, SLMB, SNAP, and any benefit they may be eligible for. Additionally; advocates can assist clients in accessing Energy Assistance, telephone programs, home repair loans, and other programs which may fit their needs. Assistance can be provided in the home or in the office, based on the client’s needs.
Melissa comes to Semcac after years of community work. Initially as a certified sign language interpreter; she has worked as a program consultant/advocate for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division of DHS. Melissa’s education includes work in business communication and cross cultural communication. She is trained as a medical sign language interpreter and worked for two years with Metropolitan Medical Center and Hennepin County Medical Center.
When asked what she enjoys most about her position as an advocate, Melissa responded, “As an advocate, I have always had an interest in working with people who were elderly. I am drawn to help people who want assistance and will roll up my sleeves to get the job done. It gives me great satisfaction to use the skills honed over years of work experience to keep someone in their home or make the transition to assisted living or other services when it is needed.”
Recently Melissa assisted a woman after the death of her husband. While her family was supportive to her emotional needs, they did not know where to start regarding finances and other government programs. The woman’s husband had been her representative payee on her social security benefits due to her disability. When he died that payment stopped immediately and she was without income. Melissa and the consumer worked together to remove the representative payee from her account. Together they were able to get her the additional social security benefit due to her and she did not lose her housing in the process. They were also able to help the consumer obtain SNAP and SLMB benefits (food support and a Medicare Savings program).
Melissa’s advocacy and determination in working together with the client and county staff really helped this individual get through a challenging time. Melissa and the individual continue to meet once or twice a month to go over paperwork. This helps assure stability in her benefits and overall living situation. This story is a great example of what advocates can do to guide people through tough times and help them access the services they need.
The Welcome to Medicare preventive visit is a one-time appointment you can choose to receive during the first 12 months of your Part B enrollment. This is not a head to toe physical, but an attempt to create a personalized prevention plan.
The Annual Wellness Visit is a yearly appointment with your primary care provider to create or update a personalized prevention plan, which may help prevent illness based on your current health and risk factors.
Other Preventative Services include vaccinations and immunizations such as flu shots, pneumonia, hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccinations. The tetanus shot is covered if you have an incident and need the added protection, and the booster shot is generally covered by Part D.
Screening tests and labs for many services are also covered by Medicare Part B. These conditions include Hepatitis C, Diabetes, Glaucoma, Depression, Cardiovascular Disease and more.
Under certain circumstances, you may be charged for services you receive related to your preventive services. For example, during the preventive care visit, your provider discovers and needs to investigate or treat a new or existing problem. This type of care becomes diagnostic, meaning you are being treated for certain symptoms or risk factors. You could also be charged for an office visit if you meet with your provider before or after receiving your preventive care.
For more information, please contact the Senior LinkAge Line® at 1-800-333-2433. The Health Care Choices for Minnesotans on Medicare booklet also has excellent information on these services. That booklet can be viewed online at www.mnhealthcarechoices.com
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IF:
• You are at least 70 years old, a female, and healthy.
Study participation will last for about 5 months and includes 8 visits. We will ask you to complete blood draws, bone density testing, questionnaires, and other tests to determine eligibility. Remuneration will be offered.
For more information, contact a member of the study team at 507-538-6023 or by email: volkman.tammie@mayo.edu
Elder Network – 507-285-5272
Family Service Rochester – 507-287-2010
WellConnect – www.wellconnectsemn.org
Highlights from SE MN
Resounding Voices Choir — Recruitment has begun for the summer practice sessions. Here’s what choir member Joe Lobl had to say about his experience. “I have enjoyed singing in Resounding Voices as a volunteer for the past three years. It is a joy singing together and getting to know each other better during our social time and weekly sharing. We have also had a lot of fun performing concerts at the end of each session, which always include singalongs with the audience. I am glad to have made new friends and also given back to the community with our concerts by participating in Resounding Voices!” If you’d like to get involved email Karen Rorie to learn more: karen@resoundingvoices.org. Check out their virtual Spring concert.
Mayo Clinic Conference on Brain Health & Dementia – A Brighter Path Forward Formerly called “Meeting of the Minds”, this conference will be held at the Mayo Civic Center on October 29th. Event is free thanks to support from the Alzheimer’s Association and AARP and will be in-person with a live stream option for those unable to attend. Registration link.
The Remember Project Dementia Awareness Tour — hosted in Pine Island by SEMAAA was a great success! Over 320 people joined our local team, or joined a statewide professional development event. Participants viewed at least one of the three theatrical videos via Zoom and provided feedback that they increased their understanding of dementia and joined in conversation about how we can locally help families living with dementia live their best lives. About 100 of the individuals attending an event live in the Pine Island or surrounding area; over 250 people were from the 11 county service are in Southeastern Minnesota served by SEMAAA. We ARE a more dementia-friendly community because of this opportunity.
Watch for more details regarding what we learned from The Remember Project and how you can join your friends and neighbors to support all community care partners in the Pine Island area. A big thank you to Olmsted Medical Center and the Pine Island Fire Department Relief Association as well as the Zone 5 Lions, Rod Steele-Edina Realty, Pat and Jerry Johnson, and several local individuals who financially supported this effort! Also thank you to the MN State Arts Board and Trellis for helping fund this initiative.
We are so excited that Jen will continue to collaborate with the RTC team and others in her new role of supporting older adults and their families in Fillmore, Mower, Dodge and parts of Olmsted county. Jen will continue to use her exceptional advocacy skills and maintain a strong connection to SEMAAA and the rest of the aging network in our area. We wish you all the best!
We asked Karen what she will miss most about SEMAAA?
Her response: “Definitely the people – all the enjoyable moments with coworkers and the friendships I have developed over the years.”
What are you looking forward to most in retirement?
“Traveling with my husband Michael and my dog Bella.”
Karen will be retiring August 6th and has trips planned to Florida and South Dakota.
SEMAAA board and staff are grateful for your decades of support and dedication to aging services. We will sure miss your great sense of humor, wonderful vacation pictures and all of the fun stories that went with them!
Send Karen a note, give her a call or stop by to wish her well in her retirement. karen@semaaa.org
RECENT NEWS
UPCOMING CLASSES & EVENTS
Southeastern Minnesota
Area Agency on Aging
2746 Superior Drive NW, Ste. 300
Rochester MN 55901
Phone: 507-288-6944
Fax: (507) 288-4823
Email: semaaa@semaaa.org
Senior LinkAge Line®
1-800-333-2433