SWCAA is Turning 40! - Southwestern CT Agency on Aging

SPRING 2014
VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 14
Aging
Issues
SWCAA is Turning 40!
All things improve with age and SWCAA is no exception.
The Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging has been helping
older adults navigate the challenges of aging for forty years
and now its time to celebrate! Please join Board and Advisory
members, past and present to reminisce and celebrate SWCAA and
the agency’s role in shaping the aging network in Southwestern
Connecticut for over four decades.
Calling all former Board and Advisory
members… SWCAA is looking for you!
SAVE THE DATE
SWCAA’s 40th
Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, September 18, 2014
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
at the Norwalk Inn
Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres
Raffle in support of the
Critical Needs Fund
Are you a past member of the Staff,
Board or Advisory Council? Do you have a story or a remembrance to share? Please help
us recreate our history with stories from the people who shaped SWCAA’s past. Stories will
be used to create SWCAA’s regional services directory and others will be featured in the
Agency video. Contact Gretchen James at 203-814-3620 or gjames@swcaa.org to share
your story.
40th Anniversary Chairperson and
SWCAA Board Member, Penny
Young wants to hear from the
trailblazers who helped shape
SWCAA over the last four decades.
The Older Americans Act calls for an “Agency on Aging” to represent the community by
including the people served and the people serving older adults in its leadership structure.
Our Advisory Council and Board have always helped guide the Agency and shape aging
policy throughout the State. One member from each decade will be recognized with the
“Aging in Excellence” Award at our 40th Anniversary Party.
Unprecedented Opportunity to reach the Aging Network
SWCAA is publishing an ultimate aging resource guide/directory. Contact Gretchen James by July 15th to advertise your
agency in the Southwest CT Regional Service Directory. SWCAA’s directories are the “go-to” reference used by aging
network professionals to refer and identify agencies and services for older adults. For more information and ad pricing see
page four of this newsletter.
Tickets for the anniversary celebration will go on sale in June. For the latest information visit www.swcaa.org under
Upcoming Events.
PAGE 2
AGING ISSUES
Access Health CT enrolls nearly 200,000 with the help of
Assisters and Navigators
Audrey, a resident of Milford, found herself at the Fairfield
Library because her local library did not have a book that
her son needed for school. She heard an announcement
over the library’s PA system saying that a health insurance
counselor was there for anyone who had questions regarding the ACA and the health insurance marketplace. Audrey
thought, “we are probably not eligible for anything but
since I’m here let me stop in and talk to the counselor.”
Ninety minutes later, she was thanking Doug, one SWCAA’s
assisters , who informed her that not only were she and her
husband eligible for Medicaid expansion but so were her
parents and her three siblings all currently without health
insurance.
SWCAA was among
more than a hundred
non profit agencies
across CT that were
awarded small grants
to train individuals as
in-person assisters for
CT’s Health Insurance
Marketplace, Access
Health CT. Doug,
Soraya and Sylvia
counseled hundreds of
individuals and families and helped over
SWCAA Assisters: (from left to right): Sylvia
300
people enroll in
Crespo, Doug DeFauw and Soraya Principe.
either Medicaid or a
qualified health plan through Access Health CT.
Despite a slow start and massive healthcare.gov website
glitches, over 7 million people across the U.S. are now
insured through the health insurance marketplaces. Some
qualify for Medicaid in states that opted to expand
Medicaid like CT. Others qualify for marketplace health
plans. In CT, almost 200,000 people have enrolled through
Access Health CT- just under two thirds qualifying for
Medicaid and the other third buying a qualified health
plan. About 73% of individuals purchasing a private health
plan were eligible for some subsidy to lower their out of
pocket costs.
SAVE
THE DATE
Clara worked for Bridgeport’s Public School system until
she was laid off at 62 years of age. Unable to afford COBRA
and over income for Medicaid, Clara feared she’d have to go
without health insurance until she turned 65 and qualified
for Medicare. After meeting Sylvia, one of SWCAA’s three
trained assisters, Clara was thrilled to learn that she qualified for a private health plan through Access Health CT.
Due to her income, Clara was eligible for maximum tax
credits and cost savings reductions which provided her
with health insurance for just $7 per month.
Thirty-three year old Anna works for an employer that does
not provide employee health insurance. Anna’s pre-existing
condition prevented her from getting insurance prior to the
ACA. She took a chance on stopping by the Norwalk
Library to talk with Soraya, an in person assister with office
hours on Saturdays. Soraya helped Anna complete the
online application through Access Health. Anna was
ecstatic to learn that she could afford a private health plan
with Connecticare, one of three insurance carriers offering
plans through CT’s marketplace. Anna also qualified for a
tax credit to lower her monthly premiums and make the
insurance affordable. She could now get the medical care
she needed but had been putting off because she was
uninsured.
The Affordable Care Act has certainly had its share of
controversy and challenges. Not everyone is experiencing
savings or the ablity to afford insurance through the
marketplaces. However, for the thousands of individuals
with pre-existing conditions like Anna and thousands of
other with low paying jobs and no health insurance, this
law has been a life saver. Only time will tell the success
or failure of the law and whether we are able to keep premiums affordable and maintain and access to quality care.
The efforts of nonprofits like SWCAA in support of the
ACA enrollment initiative can’t be understated. The army
of community assisters made personal connections with
so many individuals confused by the complexity of the
ACA. SWCAA thanks and commends the efforts of the
assisters for the dedication and commitment they gave to
this project.
9-18-2014
SWCAA’S 40TH
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
SPRING 2014
PAGE 3
Grantee Spotlight
Stratford Senior Services Welcomes New Staff Members
Stratford Senior Services has been a recipient of SWCAA
Title III funding for over 20 years. They have utilized these
funds to provide outreach, transportation and family caregiver support services to Stratford seniors and their families. In addition, they are the designated focal point and
Aging and Disability Resource Network partner for
Stratford. Last Autumn, Stratford Senior Services took on a
new look when they welcomed four new staff members to
the department.
Mary Balog is now the part-time Outreach Coordinator. She
visits older adults who cannot come to the Baldwin Center
and provides information about community services and
resources to help maintain people in their own homes. She
also implements programs at the various housing sites in
Stratford, both informational and entertaining, similar to
programs at the Baldwin Center.
Judith Hampel is working as the department’s part-time
Family Caregiver Counselor. She helps family caregivers of
older adults with developing plans of care and directs them
to appropriate resources. She assists with related paperwork
and provides emotional support to those taking care of an
elderly family member.
Stratford Senior Services Welcomes new staff members (from left to right):
Mary Balog, Judith Hampel, Erin McLeod, and Shirley Dominquez.
In addition to these two positions which are supported by
Older Americans Act grants: Shirley Dominguez joined the
staff as the Town’s Senior Services Specialist, assisting
people 60 and over with Federal, State and local benefits;
and Erin McLeod now administers the CARES program, a
social model adult activities program for people who may
have a memory challenge or are physically frail.
The grant-funded programs and services are available at no
cost, though donations are accepted. Services are provided
to Stratford residents or caregivers whose relative lives in
Stratford. For more information or to talk with any of these
staff members, please call 203-385-4050.
CHOICES Corner
SWCAA has just graduated another
class of newly trained CHOICES
counselors. CHOICES Counselors
receive extensive training to provide
free, objective information and
assistance to help individuals understand their health insurance options.
We have some excellent volunteers
who are eager to put their knowledge to work assisting
older adults and persons with disabilities navigate the
world of Medicare. With the Medicare population growing
at a rate of 14% per year, the need for competent, highly
skilled counselors who can provide unbiased
comprehensive information and assistance to Medicare
beneficiaries has never been more crucial. CHOICES
counselors do not sell insurance or endorse any insurance
carriers. Our goal is to empower Medicare beneficiaries to
become informed consumers of their health insurance
needs. If your organization has the need for a CHOICES
Volunteer Counselor please contact Christina Crain at
ccrain@swcaa.org or 203-814-3686.
Medicare Savings Program and Low Income
Subsidy can help Medicare beneficiaries save $$$.
The Medicare Savings Program (MSP), administered by the
CT Dept. of Social Services helps pay the Part B premium
for Medicare beneficiaries and in some cases, can also pay
the Part A premium for those who don’t qualify for
Premium free Medicare Part A as well as Medicare Part A
and B’s deductibles and co-insurance amounts. Qualified
MSP recipients have the added benefit of automatically
qualifying for the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) to help pay
their prescription drug costs through Medicare. Income
limits are $2,393/ month for a single person and $3,225/
month for a married couple. There are no asset limits
to qualify. For an application or educational presentation
on the MSP and LIS programs call CHOICES at
800-994-9422.
PAGE 4
AGING ISSUES
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Stamford, CT
Permit No. 102
10 Middle Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tel: (203) 333-9288
Fax: (203) 696-3866
website: www.swcaa.org
Senior Medicare Patrol
Volunteer Training
Wednesday, May 21, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
This is a Foundations Training for individuals interested in
teaching Medicare beneficiaries how to protect their personal identity, detect potential billing errors and report
potential healthcare fraud and abuse.
To apply to become a Senior Medicare Patrol Volunteer,
please visit www.swcaa.org and click on “upcoming events”
on the right side of homepage to download and complete
application.
For more questions, email SMP Volunteeer Coordinator
Laurette DesRosiers at ldesrosiers@swcaa.org or call at
203-814-3607.
To advertise in SWCAA’s
Southwest CT Regional Service
Directory/Ad Book,
call 203-814-3620 or
email Gjames@swcaa.org
Full Page Ad: $750
7.5" x 10"
Half Page Ad: $500
7.5" x 4.875"
Quarter Page Ad: $225
3.625" x 4.875"
Must be submitted in jpeg or pdf format, high resolution
(at least 300 dpi)
Email ads to Gjames@swcaa.org
Visit Us on Facebook, and Become a Fan!
Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging, Inc.
10 Middle Street • Bridgeport, CT 06604 • Tel: (203) 333-9288 • Fax: (203) 696-3866 • website: www.swcaa.org
Chairperson of the Board: Alice Pisani • Chairperson of the Advisory Council: Paul Palermo • Executive Director: Marie L. Allen