Medicare Open Enrollment starts October 15th and
you have until December 7th to make changes to your Medicare
Advantage, Medigap or prescription drug plans. You should be receiving or
already have received your Annual Notice of Change regarding your plans. Review
the changes carefully, particularly changes in cost, physician network and any
changes in the prescriptions covered by your insurance company.
Even if you are satisfied with your current
plan, you still may want to look around to see if there is a better deal. I
know many folks have avoided the hassle of comparing plans over the past
several years and just opted to automatically renew their current plans.
Choosing the type of health insurance coverage is
confusing. Before I was covered by Medicare, I relied upon the judgment of my
employer or an insurance agent in choosing a plan. I was insulated from all the
complexity of choosing health insurance coverage.
But now it’s our responsibility to wade through
the information and compare plans to make the best choice. But there is help.
There are private insurance brokers who specialize in Medicare. You can go
online to Medicare.gov which has valuable information including the Plan Finder
option or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
You can also visit the Oregon SHIBA (Senior
Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) website. If you rather talk to someone face
to face, you can call the Center and make an appointment with a SHIBA volunteer
who will help guide you through the process.
And if you want to better understand the ins and
outs of Medicare Part A, B, C, and D; Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans; and
all the timelines and deadlines, you are invited to attend a Medicare 101 class
on Tuesday, October 6th from 1:00 – 4:00 PM at the CGCC in room 301. Reserve
your spot by calling 541-308-8211 or register online at cgcc.edu.
I finally replaced the quilt, won by Sherry
Dufault, which was hanging in the
Center’s lobby, with a new quilt that will be raffled off in December. Besides hand
stitching beautiful quilts to raffle, the Center quilters also repair quilts
for a very reasonable price. If interested call the center or you can find them
downstairs every Monday from 10:00 to 3:00 - and they always have room for new members.
The start of the annual flu season is unpredictable
- starting as early as October and extending even into May. But the CDC
recommends that you get your flu shot by October. Rite-Aid will be conducting a
Flu Shot Clinic at the Center on Wednesday October 7th from 10:30 –
1:30. And to shorten the wait, this year we are asking you to sign up ahead of
time by calling the Center.
In conjunction with the Flu Shot Clinic, the
Center’s 11:00 Tuesday lecture on October 6th will feature Chryll
Cromier, local Rite Aid pharmacist. She will be discussing the pharmacist’s
expanding role in maintaining your health plus answer questions about different
vaccines from Shingles to Flu shots.
The Zumba Gold class led by Marsha Morrison is held
every Tuesday and Thursday mornings downstairs at the Center, but the time has
changed. It is now starting 15 minutes earlier from 10:45 to 11:30. The cost is
$3.00 for every session.
Last
reminder. The Baby Back Rib dinner supporting Meals-on-Wheels and the Center is
Friday night from 4:30 – 7:00. For only $15, there will be great food, music
and a silent auction - generously sponsored by The Springs at Mill Creek.
For
Tuesday Night Music at the Center on October 6th, Andre, KC and Tom will
be playing. The doors open at 6:00, music starts at 7:00, all ages are welcome
and donations are appreciated.
The
American author and nutritionist who became the most recognized nutritionist in
the 1960s and 1970’s was Adelle Davis. (And the winner of a quilt raffle ticket
and who owned several of Davis’s books in the 70’s is Dottie Layer.)
In August of 1951, the NY Giants were 12 ½ games
behind the Brooklyn Dodgers. But by winning 37 of their last 44 games, they
caught their cross town rivals, to force a three game playoff. In the third
game, trailing 4 – 1 in the 9th inning, who hit the winning homerun
known in baseball lore as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”? Email your answer
to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or mail it with a
picture of the "The Staten Island Scot".
Well, it’s been another week, shoes strings tied
and raring to go. Until we meet again, don’t let fear take hold of the steering
wheel.
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