From now until the end of the year seniors can join the Medicare drug discount program, or drop the one they have now, and pick up another Medicare-approved card. Most importantly during the next six weeks, low-income seniors can take steps to pick up $1,200 in credits.
Thanks go to AARP for urging senior citizens eligible for this yearÍs $600 prescription drug credit and 2005Ís additional $600 credit under the Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card program to take advantage of this discount credit before December 31,2004. Jane Wiley, AARP South Carolina State Director, said eligible seniors who qualify fall into two categories: 1) individuals with a yearly income of no more than $12,569; and 2) Married couples with a combined yearly income of $16,862 or less. Seniors on Medicaid are not eligible for the credits.
Seniors should call the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging Insurance Counseling Assistance and Referrals for Elders (I-CARE) at 1-800-868-9095 or Medicare at 1-800-633-4227. You can also go online at Medicare's Website to get help signing up for their Medicare Prescription Drug Discount card and the available $600 to $1,200 discount credits.
As many as 70,000 seniors who are unable to use a standard telephone due to a hearing or speech disability could be eligible for a free program through the South Carolina Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program. Applications, details, and information on how to obtain professional certification of need can be obtained by calling 1-877-225-8337 or going to this website. Installation is also free under this program operated by the SC School for the Deaf and Blind. There is a wide variety of equipment and alerting devices available.
As you know, we have been urging seniors unable to get influenza shots this year to ask for pneumonia vaccines. Medicare will pay for these pneumonia shots. Better yet, we may be able to reduce the number of inpatient hospitalizations due to pneumonia. Besides the suffering that might be averted by vaccinations, think of the economic cost of these two statistics: In 2001, 2,079 seniors ages 65-75 and 4,581 seniors 75 and older were hospitalized due to simple pneumonia. ThatÍs almost 7,000 hospitalizations. At a minimum, a rough estimate is that South Carolina seniors probably paid out $7 million in Medicare co-pays, while running up $70 million in charges. If you are a senior, please get that free pneumonia shot.
I have been very impressed with how communities are converting existing structures into senior centers. For example, Vital Aging of Williamsburg County is renovating a former hospital-nursing home into a modern, state-of-the art senior center. The overall $3.8 million project includes Williamsburg CountyÍs first assisted living units. The former Kelley Hospital was built early last century and was Williamsburg County's first hospital. Later, it was converted into a nursing home, which closed four years ago when a new replacement nursing home was built for Williamsburg County. The main portion will become a senior center, with dining and kitchen facilities, a modern computer room, library, and exercise facilities including cardio equipment. This facility will be named the Winfred O. Murdaugh Senior Center. Mr. Murdaugh was the first Vital Aging board chair, and he continues to hold that post. What once served as a nurses' residence will become the Elizabeth Burgess Scruggs House. Mrs. Scruggs, who died two years ago, was a counselor in Williamsburg County schools and one of the founders of Vital Aging. The original hospital section will be renamed the John Yancey McGill Manor. It will contain most of the 35 assisted living units within the complex. Until they are completed, any Williamsburg County resident who requires assisted living must move from the county, away from his or her support network of friends, family and church.
Senior Solutions is converting AndersonÍs 36,000 square foot Market Place Cinema into a multipurpose senior center. Among its many amenities will be exercise facilities, including cardio equipment, a computer lab and library, a community resource room, and a dining area.
Senior Centers of Spartanburg is undertaking a $1.4 million conversion and expansion of the ground floor of the Archibald Rutledge building to include a fully functioning senior center using the Chesnee center as a model. There are over 1,000 seniors within a 12-block area of Archibald Rutledge in downtown Spartanburg.
A 4,500 square foot facility to be built at the Batesburg-Leesville Leisure Center will serve both as a multi-purpose senior center and as a food distribution site allowing an expansion of the countyÍs frozen meal program. Seniors who are homebound or living in remote areas are provided a five-pack of frozen meals, fresh fruit, milk and bread weekly under the frozen meal program. Lynda Christison, Director of the Lexington County aging programs, says the new Batesburg-Leesville site will double the capacity of the frozen meals program. The new site will handle the future needs of northwest Lexington County, while the existing Tri-City Center will serve the southeastern parts of the county. Frozen meals are a vital service in remote areas where volunteers cannot readily deliver daily services. The program is also crucial to seniors with medical issues that require regular trips to health care providers, which means they cannot be home when a volunteer arrives with meals.
I received this letter from Valerie French of Okemos, MI. She was very appreciative of the fine efforts of Senior Citizens Association of Florence to help her loved ones. There are thousands of ValerieÍs out there whom South CarolinaÍs senior community helps each day in immeasurable ways. In this thanksgiving season, please take this letter to heart for all your own efforts. When asked for permission to place her story in this newsletter, she replied, ñI'd be glad to share the letter to encourage those working in the field and let them know they are appreciated.î Here is the letter:
Dear Lt. Gov. Bauer:
My parents are longtime residents of Florence County. Now in their late 80s, they have become infirm. I and my sister are in different states far away. I wanted to let you know how much the assistance of the Senior Citizens Association in Florence County has meant to us. Through Senior Citizens, we have been able to arrange a variety of services that are helping to keep my parents in their own home, as they wish, and avoid either nursing home care or assisted living for a little longer.
The Association has been able to help us with cleaning services that we were unable to otherwise provide. The family had found little consistency and unaffordable help prior to this. In addition, my mother is suffering from Alzheimer's and my father is her caregiver. The Association has been able to give him a few hours a week of relief so he can leave the house with some peace of mind and go for a walk without worrying about Mom.
Fannie Kennedy at Senior Citizens was kindness personified. She followed up when she said she would, she has faxed and responded to me by phone in an extremely timely way, and always, always is helpful and concerned. We were at a critical point when Senior Citizens gave us help. I don't know what we'd have done without these services. I and my family (some branches of which remain in S.C.) are grateful and hope the state can continue to provide for seniors in this exemplary way! I'm sure it also is a cost savings compared with nursing homes where my parents most certainly would be relying on much more expensive state aid (they live on their social security payments). Please accept our commendations on this wonderful program.
This is a wonderful letter to share during this Thanksgiving season. These kind words sum up all that I have witnessed over the past five months. Your kind deeds, your caring, your concern, and your belief that you can make a difference through your efforts forever humble me. I am very proud to be working with you on behalf of South CarolinaÍs seniors. We hope to share some exciting news early next year and will have more to say later.
Until next time,
Andre