Southeastern Minnesota Area Agency on Aging

The Olmsted County Falls Coalition works on this all year, and they make a special push to address solutions and raise awareness during Fall Prevention Awareness week. With COVID in mind, they are not planning on leading multiple in-person presentations this year but instead will focus on a series of virtual roundtable discussions with Wellness/Activity directors of independent and assisted living communities. The goal is to find out more about what they are already doing to prevent falls, learn from each other, and offer additional resources and support to enhance programming and education in those settings.

In addition to the roundtable discussion, the coalition has presented at Towne Club Apartments to 25 people in early August and may present to a group of seniors at Autumn Ridge Church in October. From their work last year, the coalition still has copies of the “Build Better Balance” books. This year, they are matching older adults to student coaches or working in small groups to move through the material covered in the book. This is possible through a partnership with Family Service Rochester, Winona State University, and Mayo Clinic DP Students. If interested in taking part in this, call FSR at 507-287-2010.

There are still some evidence-based fall prevention classes available to sign up for this fall if you are interested:

• Austin YMCA– Virtual—September 21st-December 9th, 9:30-10:30, www.yourjuniper.org
• Ace Brain Fitness-Virtual—September 14th-December 7th, 10:30-11:30 www.yourjuniper.org
• Stewartville- United Methodist Church-In-Person-900 John Wesley Ave NW, September 14, Tue & Thurs. 10-11:30, Call FSR to register- 507-287-2010

A statewide virtual event sponsored by Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging in partnership with Whitney Senior Center, AARP, and Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

For Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals, and those interested in learning about staying safe in their home and community.

Fire
Kathi Osmonson and Bob Reif
Deputy State Fire Marshals
MN State Fire Marshal Division
(Pre-recorded presentation with Live Q & A)

• September 28th: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm (with Jerry Roberts)
• October 4th: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm (with Chad Wojchik)
• October 21st: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (with Chad Wojchik)
• January 13th: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm (with Jerry Roberts)

NEW TO MEDICARE / ABCD’s – Do you want to better understand your Medicare options and benefits? Let a certified Senior LinkAge Line® Specialist from the SE MN Area Agency on Aging help you make informed decisions. This class outlines the parts of Medicare, enrollment periods and penalties, special programs, and tools and tips for comparing current health and drug options available in Minnesota. Annual open enrollment begins in October and ends in early December.
Registration through Rochester Community Education.

• October 5th: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – facilitated by Jerry Roberts.

HOW SLL CAN HELP YOU! / MEDICARE UPDATES – Event is specifically for residents of Three Links Care Center in Northfield, no outside registration available. General SLL information with reminders of Medicare OEP and updates.

• October 7th: 1:30 pm – 3 pm – facilitated by Chad Wojchik.

PAYING AND PLANNING FOR LONG-TERM CARE* – Long-term care is the personal care and household help you need as you grow older or have a chronic illness or disability. Medicare and your health insurance do not pay for most long-term care. This presentation will provide you with information on why and how to plan and pay for your future long-term care needs.

• December 13th: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – facilitated by Chad Wojchik.

*Register for SEMAAA hosted events at
www.EventBrite.com/o/semaaa-34313681085
If you are unable to make it to a virtual event and prefer a 1:1 phone conversation;
Senior LinkAge Line® is available Monday – Friday from 8 am – 4:30 pm @ 1-800-333-2433.

Join Mayo Clinic, AARP, and the Alzheimer’s Association for the Mayo Clinic Conference on Brain Health and Dementia on Friday, October 29th, virtually via livestream. This FREE event is for people living with dementia, care partners and families, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in supporting friends and neighbors who may be experiencing memory loss, Alzheimer’s, or another dementia.
A Brighter Path Forward will focus on lessons learned that have deepened our understanding of the dementia experience, challenged our perspectives, and inspired us like never before toward greater empathy, inclusivity, and innovative reforms to create a better world for those impacted by dementia.

• The MN Board on Aging has had a decrease in federal funding that helped cover Health Care Choices printing costs.
• Postage costs have risen, and it is very expensive to mail such a large item to thousands of people each year.
• It is much more cost effective for people to view the book online and down-load pages they consider most useful.
• Did you know? Often, people only use a few pages of the 200+ page book to choose their Medicare plan!
• In addition, some plans make updates to benefits, etc. throughout the year.
• Once the books are printed, this information immediately becomes out-of-date once there has been an update.
• The online version is always the most up-to-date edition! Check it out!
• People can also refer to their print copies of “Medicare and You,” which is mailed out to enrollees each September.

We have so many reasons to celebrate and here are just a few:

As a nation, we recognize the impact that the murder of George Floyd has had on putting the spotlight on equity, inclusion & social justice. We take time to vison forward to the tributes and positive changes to come.

As a state we applaud and celebrate the efforts of all who advocated to move the MN Age Friendly initiative to a state-wide platform, boosting forward education around ageism and momentum to build robust aging services among an aging nation.

As a community we celebrate the tradition of honoring and preserving local landmarks such as the ear of corn water tower and most importantly the efforts of both public and private sectors to embrace the Listen, Learn and Act initiative to promote community inclusion.

As a AAA, we look forward to celebrating in October, 40 years of service to the southeastern region of MN. SEMAAA’s fall newsletter will look back at some of the great memories and a snapshot of the future!

As for me, personally, I was so happy to celebrate my Mom’s 88th birthday with her. Pictured – Joanne with a special guest, “Frank the Bear,” that rascal has popped up at several Zoom meetings and celebrations!

Finding Ways to Engage at Every Age,

Laurie
Executive Director

Join us on Thursday July 15th from 6-7:30 PM
Long-term care is the personal care and household help you need as you grow older or have a chronic illness or disability. Medicare and your health insurance do not pay for most of long-term care. This presentation will provide you with information on why and how to plan and pay for your future long-term care needs.
Eventbrite Registration Link

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.

1. How Many years of experience do you have in the nonprofit and/or finance world? 17, 34, 38 for a collective total of 89.
2. What is your preferred way to make an egg? Hard boiled & Scrambled X 2
3. What do you like most about working with SEMAAA grantees? Seeing the difference they make in the lives of seniors; Providing technical assistance; All of the interesting personalities.
4. If you were to purchase a classic car, what would it be? Ford Mustang, Corvette and don’t know – not a car person.
5. Describe the SEMAAA Finance team in 5 words or less: Helpful, supportive, fun, dedicated & smart! The department with little free time; Hard working & quick thinking.
6. What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Outside doing anything; Reading; Feet in the pool, dog in lap.
7. What makes you happy about working with services that benefit older adults? We are making a difference; so gratifying; knowing what I can look forward to when I get “older.”
8. What is your favorite movie or Book? It’s a wonderful life; Shrek; Grease
9. Do you prefer to watch an animated movie or a documentary? Animated flick x 2 and documentary for sure x1
10. What is your dream job? Playing in the pit orchestra at Chanhassen; Run a Doggie Daycare; Grant Manager at SEMAAA (of course)!