mpbanneroct12.pub (Read-Only) - The Meeting Place Senior Center

News From
NewsLetter
October 2012
Columbus
Pam Doty
Director
Renee Duvall
Nutrition Coordinator
Brenda Fowler
Green Creek
Site Supervisor
Donna Carson
Saluda
Site Supervisor
Tena McDowell
Gail Dyer
Edgar Laguna
Kitchen Staff
Morton Poliakoff
Diane Canady
Emily Skipper
Assistants
Green Creek
Saluda
They’re creepy and they’re kooky . . .
It’s October and Halloween will be
here soon. Here at The Meeting
Place we’re planning a couple of
great “spooky” events. On October 31st we will have our Halloween Party beginning around 11
a.m. This is a Costume party and
we highly encourage you to dress
up! There will be prizes for the
funniest, the spookiest and the allround best costume. We’ll play
some “spooky” games and dance a bit. The kitchen is planning some
“ghoulish” food for our consumption. This is a bit of October fun where your
“inner child” can escape for a little while.
You are invited to a “Ghoulish High Tea”
On Saturday, October 27 from 2 to 4 p.m., the Polk County Council on Aging
is sponsoring a fund raiser for The Meeting Place. They are hosting a special
seasonal event to let the public know what fun you can have at The Meeting
Place while raising money for the meals and programs for the senior citizens
of the area. We’re having high tea with a seasonal twist. It will be creepy,
kooky, spooky and downright fun! Hosted by a gathering of “witches” with
such delicacies as “eye of newt” and “lady fingers” and some of our own special potions and brews, the tea will feature that infamous trio of “double, double, toil and trouble” fame with their twist on your fate.
The cost will be $25.00 per person, or a table of 8 for you and your closest
friends for $200.00. Seating is limited so call early for your reservations.
75 Carmel Lane
Columbus, NC
28722
828-894-0001
Meetingplacepam
@windstream.net
And in case you cannot be with us in person, be with us “in spirit” by making
a donation to The Meeting Place. A donation of $10 or more will put your
name in the cauldron for a chance at a gift certificate at Copper Mill Restaurant and 2 tickets to Flat Rock Playhouse performances.
Checks can be made out to The Meeting Place or to Polk County Council on
Aging and mailed to The Meeting Place, 75 Carmel Lane, Columbus, NC
28722. Come join the fun and support our efforts to enhance the lives of the
seniors of Polk County!
Fall Color Trip is October 26
Interested is a trip to view the leaves at the height of the color season? The Meeting Place II is planning
just such an outing for October 26. The cost of the trip will be $3 plus the cost of lunch at a restaurant. We
will be going along the Davidson River to the Cradle of Forestry in the Pisgah National Forest. This is a
beautiful stretch of mountain road with lovely vistas of waterfalls. Call Brenda at 863-2791 to sign up.
Seating is limited, so call early!
Thoughts for living
Inspiration for Seniors and for Aging
Aging can be difficult at times, we all go through it. It is important to remember that even though our
physical appearance changes, our spirit does not. Some people in their 70s and 80s are much younger than
some people in their 20s or 30s. It all comes down to one thing and that is our outlook on life. Everybody
is looking for the fountain of youth, but what they often are unaware of is that the fountain of youth can be
found by simply looking within oneself.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing
in life is to keep your mind young.” Henry Ford
“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent that is to triumph over old age.” Thomas
Aldrich
“When our memories outweigh our dreams, we have grown old.” Bill Clinton
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
“We’re not just older, we’re better!”
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life
that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln
“Aging seems to be the only available way to
live a long life.” Daniel Auber
“If I’d known how old I was going to be I’d
have taken better care of myself.” Adolph Zukor
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of
light and color are their last days.” John
Burroughs
“Sure I’m for helping the elderly. I’m going
to be old myself someday.” Lillian Carter
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you
don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Mark Twain
Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help for Medicare Part D Plans
Do you ever wonder how you will pay for your medical expenses? Do
you need more money for things like prescription drugs, electricity
bills or food? If you are a Medicare beneficiary and answer “yes” to
either of these questions, there may be help available for you.
“Many North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries are unaware they may
be eligible for this assistance,” said Insurance Commissioner Wayne
Goodwin. “SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program,
can help people understand the benefits fo these important cost savings
programs.”
Medicare Savings Programs assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries
with out-of-pocket expenses associated with Medicare.
If your individual monthly income is below $1,278 and your assets total $8,440 or less, or if you are married and living with your spouse and your combined income totals no more than $1,723 and your assets
do not exceed $13,410, then you may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program.
Medicare beneficiaries can apply for the Medicare Savings Program through their county’s Department
of Social Services office or through the SHIIP office by calling 1-800-443-9354.
If your individual monthly income is below $1,396 and your assets total $13,070 or less, then you may
qualify for Extra Help for your Part D Prescription drug expenses in 2012. If you’re married and living
with your spouse, your combined monthly income must not be higher than $1,891 and your assets must
not exceed $26,120. This means that you will have reduced copayments for generic drugs at $2.60 each
and for name brand drugs at $6.50 each, as well as lower monthly premiums for your Part D plan. This
Extra Help is also referred to as the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) program.
You need to have a Medicare Part D drug plan to receive the benefits of the Extra Help program. If you
don’t already have a Part D plan and are eligible for Extra Help, you can enroll in a Part D plan outside of
normal enrollment periods. This means you will have the Extra Help benefit as soon as your drug plan
begins, and you will not be charged a premium penalty for delayed Part D enrollment. If you sign up for
Extra Help but fail to enroll into a Part D plan, Medicare will automatically enroll you in one. If you were
automatically enrolled and do not like your new plan, you have a Special Election Period to switch your
Part D plan up to once a month with coverage beginning on the first of the following month.
The SHIIP office can assist you with applying online for the Extra Help program through the Social Security Administration website at socialsecurity.gov. Medicare beneficiaries may also apply online themselves or contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.
SHIIP provides information about Medicare, Medicare Supplements, Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage and Health Plan Options and long term care insurance through its toll free line, 1-800-443-9354.
SHIIP also has volunteers in every county in North Carolina who are available for free, one-on-one counseling sessions. In POLK COUNTY, call 894-001 (The Meeting Place) or 749-9245 (Saluda Center).
October 19
October 23
October 24
October 28
October 29
October 1
October 2
October 4
October 7
October 8
October 11
October 17
October 18
The Meeting Place
75 Carmel Lane
Columbus, NC 28722
Melvin Stover
Grace Calderon
Eloise Thwing
Susan Abe
Joann McIntyre
Cecil Hayes
David Cantrell
Emily Skipper
Carl Pierce
Gladys Smith
Leslie Huntley
Daniel Swain
Wanda English
Jerry Ridings
Hazel McDade
Resource Guide for Seniors
The Meeting Place Senior Centers
The Meeting Place I, Columbus 894-0001
The Meeting Place II, Green Creek 863-2795
Saluda Senior Center 749-9245
Polk County Transportation Authority 894-8203
Area Agency on Aging 828-287-2281
Family Caregiver Support Program 828-287-2281, ext. 1358
Long Term Care Ombudsman 828-287-2281, ext. 1225 and 1222
Department of Social Services 894-2100
Department of Veterans Services
894-0003
Steps to Hope 894-2340
Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry 894-2988
NC Cooperative Extension Services 894-8218
Polk County Health Department 894-8271
St. Luke’s Hospital 894-0111
Senior Health Insurance Information Program 894-0001 or 749-9245
Medical Assistance Program 894-0001
ACTS Home Health 894-2142
Hospice of the Carolina Foothills 894-7000
Pisgah Legal Services
1-900-489-6144
Sheriff’s Department (non-emergency) 894-3001
Added Attractions for the month of October
October 24 is “PINK OUT” Day
Let’s raise awareness of breast cancer and the importance of mammograms and monthly selfexams to increase the chance of early detection, which in turn, decreases the fatality rate of
breast cancer. Join us for a special “Pink Out” Day.
Everyone dress in pink from head to toe. There will be a prize for the “pinkest” person. And it’s
bound to be pink!
We’ll be playing “Pink Bingo” in the afternoon. All prizes will be Pink. I’m sure the event will
leave you “tickled pink.”
October 26 is “Peanuts” Trivia Day
“It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!” Fall has arrived. Since it debuted on October 2, 1950, the Peanuts
comic strip grew to feature some of the most loved cartoon characters of all times. Join Charlie Brown and
the “gang” for a trip down memory lane as we watch
the television Halloween movie and play “Peanuts”
Trivia on Friday morning. And you bingo players, do
not be dismayed! We’ll be playing bingo after lunch.
Good News for Seniors!
Medicare now covers shingles vaccinations!
Shingles is a disease that affects nerves and causes pain and blisters in adults. It is caused by
the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus does not
leave your body, but continues to live in some nerve cells. The virus can become active and
when it does, it produces shingles.
Shingles causes burning, tingling or numbness of skin; feeling sick — chills, fever, upset stomach or headache; fluid-filled blisters; skin that is sensitive to touch; or mild itching to strong
pain.
People with the virus in their body can be at risk for getting shingles. The risk increases as you
age. If you have trouble fighting infections, you are more likely to get shingles. They are not
contagious. You cannot get them from someone who has shingles —BUT you can shingles
from someone who has chickenpox.
Consult your doctor to see if you should take the shingles vaccination. One in three people
over 60 will contract shingles.