November 2005 Ezine
Linking Seniors, Family Caregivers and Business Owners

You can read our ezine on line at Back Issues Feel free to forward our ezine to your friends!

• Planning for Disasters and Emergencies
  
• Customer Service – The Infection of Mediocrity
  
• What's New at Seniors Approve?
  
• Welcome! New Certified Senior Approved Services!
  
• Opportunities for You
  
• Medicare Part D
  
• Advertise
  
• Dec Ezine Submissions Wanted

Planning for Disasters and Emergencies

Planning for the ‘what if’s’ is a wise thing to do. A disaster could happen to any one of us at any time. The Red Cross has excellent ‘how to’ plans outlined on their web site and each local Red Cross office welcomes you to contact them for further assistance as you plan and prepare for a disaster. See The Red Cross

Another really good resource for preparing ahead for an unknown emergency or disaster is the National Safety Council - see National Safety Council

Both the Red Cross and the NSC make the suggestion to designate a contact person outside of the state that you live in. This is the person that you and everyone in your family will call to ‘check in’. Think of this person as ‘home base’.

You could actually take this a step further and arm the designated contact person with vital information that could actually ease some of the fears and frustrations of loosing virtually everything you have to disaster. A software program has been developed that is so easy to use and access that you will want to at least take a look at it.

An easy method to record and maintain vital records is through the software program called Life-Ledger. You record what medications you take, the name of your doctor, what you are allergic to, where you’ve stored original documents such as; insurance policies, title to the home, health care directives and so forth. Your contact person is provided the password to access all or part of this private record.

What if your mom lived alone in Florida and her community was hit by the wrath of a hurricane? She was evacuated to a local hospital and in shock. The hospital learns that you are the adult daughter, the next of kin and contacts you.

They will ask you what medications your mom is on, who her doctor is, and other questions regarding her health status. If you had the Life-Ledger you would simply provide the hospital with a password. They are then able to print off all the information within seconds. This quick access to accurate information is just one of the many benefits of planning ahead by recording and then safely storing such details.

If your loved one lives alone ….

We receive most of our inquiry calls from the adult child. In order to properly assist the family we need to learn what the monthly income of the senior is, what assets there are, if there is a Power of Attorney, if mom has pre-planned her memorial service, what kind of medication, the attending physician, and so forth. We ask the same questions as any service will ask prior to contracting with them.

Nine times out of ten, the adult child does not know the answers to these questions. Many families are close guarded about their ‘personal information’ and won’t let their adult children in on the facts. Yet, these family caregivers are taking on the responsibility of trying to put together services for their loved one. It is frustrating for this adult child.

Gathering this information once and then keeping it updated with changes is a wise thing to do. If you are working with your parents to prepare this information, you will appreciate the fact that once it’s done, you don’t have to ask them again. It’s another reason why the Life-Ledger makes so much sense.

If your loved one does live alone – or is dependent upon you for advice and assistance, this is the perfect time to broach the subject of disaster preparedness with him or her. Recent events have made this a topic of conversation and may be the ‘in’ you’ve been waiting for to discuss the what if’s with a parent that has been reluctant to your offering of help and advice.

This is the opportune time to talk about all the other ‘what if’s’ Ask your mom or dad, ‘What if (God –forbid) you had an accident, a stroke or something else that left you unable to speak for yourself?’ This is the platform to begin discussing health care directives, power of attorney and other legal documents that would give you, the trusted adult child, the legal right to speak on behalf of your mom or dad.

Great resources to help you walk through this process systematically with your mom and dad are in our Caregiver’s Resource Page. The following are all Certified Senior Approved Services:

Preparation of Legal Documents – guided self-help all of the U.S
In Ohio Attorney Mary Ann Thomas – Elder Law, Probate, Wills, Living Wills, Estate Planning
Kevin Plank, Certified Financial Planner and Vicki Mannarino, CEBS Estate Planning, Elder Financial Advice, Long-term Care Health Insurance
Do it Now, an organizational workbook that helps you help your loved one to organize important papers – all of the U.S.
The Caregiver’s Resource Kit - Empowers you with education, information and ‘how to’s’ – all of the U.S.
Truce – a self-help book that shows you how to handle conflicts within the family and broach those subjects with your loved ones’ that are often times embroiled with emotions
Life-Ledger – a safe secure method to record and maintain vital records (try it free for seven days – cancel any time, no contracts)
Complete Organizational Services – a service that will help you organize – these folks are experts at helping seniors work through the daunting task of finding out what’s stored in those boxes in the attic, garage and basement.

Coming soon! For those of you that would like to advocate for senior safety within your community – the Coalition for Senior Safety Handbook is nearly ready for publication. This handbook provides you with step-by-step instructions on how to form a local community effort to help protect seniors against crime, abuse and to create a disaster preparedness program for your community. Be the first to learn of the release by going to Coalition for Senior Safety

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In recent months, I've had the worst experiences with my phone company, the post office, my bank, fast food drive through services, the grocery store, department stores and local gas stations.

I expect to receive what I pay for. I expect that what I pay for will be provided to me as promised. I expect that, in the case of human error, the service that I’ve contracted with will step up, accept responsibility and 'do the right thing' - or at the very least – apologize for their error.

Am I asking too much?

I expect that when I call a number advertised as a Customer Service number that I would eventually be able to speak with a human being. I don’t want to punch in a multiple array of numbers, I don’t want to be placed on hold, I don’t want to be transferred only to learn that I now must repeat myself – again – and again. I do not want to have a conversation with a computer system.

When I do speak with a Customer Service representative, I want this person to listen to what I have to say. I do not want to hear body noises that indicate I am either irritating this person or boring them to death.

I want this person to either tell me they have the power to correct their company’s error or at the very least, put me in touch with a person that can. I mean, I did call the ‘Customer Service Department’.

I want this person to speak clearly – I don’t know, is it asking too much to understand a customer service representative?

When I go through the drive-through at a fast food restaurant – which is not often but at times necessary in order to keep on schedule with appointments and not fall over with a depleted sugar level, I would like to find that what I paid for and what I clearly ordered, ended up in my bag.

When I go to the grocery store, shopping carefully for best prices and shopping with my families likes and dislikes in mind so that I end up with the best ingredients to prepare the week’s menu with love, I’d like to see the prices on each item. I’d also like to trust that the grocery store does not keep outdated or rotting fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat products. I don’t like to have to guess.

When I go to the checkout, I’d like the person taking a chunk of my monthly budget, money I worked hard for, to smile at me and say ‘Hello.’ I’d like this person to turn the register screen towards me so that I can view the prices being scanned. I’d like this person to take my money and say ‘Thank you’. I’d like this person to count back my change – the old fashion way.

I don’t want to have to learn how to read and analyze bar codes. I don’t want to scan my own groceries using a computer system that has the edacity to argue with me. But are these computers the answer to mediocre employees? Are the computers more pleasant to work with than another human being? I’d like to think that is not true.

I want to know that when I pay for first class mail that it gets delievered as promised. I want to receive my mail in the same timely fashion. I want all the services that I pay for to fullfill their end of the service agreement. I want my history of being a loyal customer to mean something to these companies.

I miss having my gas pumped for me. I miss those nice young men offering to check my oil, check the air in my tires and the ever so nice gesture of cleaning my windshield. I miss being able to get directions at a gas station, miss being able to find free air to pump up my tires. I miss the human touch in all segments of the service industry and I mostly miss the nice, caring human interactions that we once took for granted.

Are we (the consumer) to blame for poor customer service? Have corporations responded to our ever-increasing demands for speed? Have we decided as a society that it is easier to deal with computers, keypads and debit cards than to use human beings? Is it impossible for the current work force in the ‘service industry’ to learn good manners? To live up to the tag lines of ‘we care’, ‘the customer is always right’ ‘we do whatever it takes’?

I want to be waited on by those friendly smiling faces on their TV commercials. Where are those people?

The standards within every segment of our lives have been infected with mediocrity. We’ve made it easy to pass children from one grade to another – regardless of they’ve learned how to read.

We accept the fact that politicians lie to us. We don’t even get upset about it any more, it’s the norm.

We make it easy for our kids to receive immediate gratification as opposed to working towards a goal. If something is too hard, we remove the obstacles rather than teaching our children how to overcome the obstacle.

When our parent’s qualify for government assistance and that help is less than desirable, we are told in so many words to be grateful that you got any help – low income people are, I guess, not suppose to expect excellent care and service.

When we participate in polls only to have our fearless leaders publicly state comments that say, ‘Well, we don’t listen to these polls, the average American doesn’t understand the complexities of ….’ We accept it and let them continue representing us.

I don’t know, am I asking too much? Is it too much to ask that those in service learn good manners and at the same time be equipped with the ability to use common sense? Is it too much to ask that companies, including government entities and the representatives of both, tell the truth? One of our senior readers submitted to our words of wisdom section with a sad commentary, entitled, ‘The Death of Common Sense’.

What is your answer to this ever-increasing infection of mediocrity? How would you cure this disease? Send in your customer service nightmares and how you would fix it and we will publish your thoughts and ideas in an upcoming ezine. Also -PLEASE - send us your positive experiences that you've had. I'd much rather report on the positives and point people towards excellent service histories than to focus on the negatives.

Send your input to marshajones@wowway.com

Footnote: Senior Approved Services requires each business within our network to prove (through our independent consumer-driven survey process) that they do what they promise, that they do deliver service with the highest of customer service expectations. Our business depends on the fact that consumers want this level of excellence and that elder care providers will (and do) respond to this demand.

I am very proud to recommend and endorse each and every business in our network of services. Whether you use our free service of helping you and your family coordinate services by calling our toll free number at 877-620-6448 or you self-select from our directory of approved services, you can do so in complete confidence. Each of these businesses have met or surpassed a 90% or higher customer satisfaction rating.

Next time you need a service or your client needs a service that you do not provide, why guess? Choose a Certified Senior Approved Service! If you are forced to look for a service in your local community that is not part of our exclusive network of services, ask them 'Are you Senior Approved?' The more often the business community hears directly from you, the valued consumer, that you want this independent assurance of excellence prior to contracting with them, the more open they will be to our process.

Who knows? This system we've developed to help consumers reach the best of the best may catch on and become an industry standard in other segments of service?

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ASK the EXPERT

Senior-Preneurs

In Memory of Ethan, a granddaughter's submission to honor her grandfather within our 'Meet our Seniors' section.

Looking for a recipe? Review some of the latest submissions to our recipe contest!

Autobiography in Five Chapters Submitted to our Words of Wisdom by by Catherine R. of Rochester NY.

Senior Approved Services would like to help facilitate an elder care co-op. We're using the poll to gauge the interest and where in the United States the interest lies. If you are currently providing care for a loved one at home, you probably need a break from time to time.

The financial burden of paying for care often times prevents reaching out for help. Coming together, equally taking and receiving, just might work. If you are a family caregiver and would like to take a break by exchanging time - for time off - then please complete the following form at Elder Care Co-Op

We've begun to revise our directory of Senior Approved Services to make it easier for you to find what you are searching for. Although this is an easy and safe method for you to self-select a service, we still encourage you to use the free service of working with us one on one. Our office hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 6pm and you are welcome to call us toll free at 877-620-6448.

Calendar of Events See what's happening in your community - or post an event.

Rather than duplicate a service already in existance we choose to collaborate with other excellent services. Our latest collaborations are:

Collaborative Partners

Caregivers, Seniors and those in search of information, education and services now have access to a 24 hour helpline! The Caregiver's Resource Helpline is ready for your calls - toll free - 888-791-7301

A few of Mr. Schafers’ clients: GE, Exxon Shipping, Exxon Chemicals, and State of MD, Pacific Holding, Mobile Mini as well as hundreds of smaller companies. His largest premium savings was 2 million.

No refund, no charge! See Workers Comp Refund This is not an insurance company - they only conduct audits.

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Welcome! New Certified Senior Approved Services!

Carefree Homecare Companion Services in Arizona This non-medical homecare service is the first one in Arizona to receive certification as a Senior Approved Service. They offer a variety of services and take great pride in how they hire, train and follow up with each employee assigned to their senior clients. Carefree is dedicated to helping seniors remain independent in their own homes. They also provide services to local area Assisted Living Facilities in order for residents to remain in their familiar surroundings. Their services are customized to suit your needs and desires, including specialized care with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

Assisting Angels is located in South Carolina. Assisting Angels provides a number of in home services for the senior and offers specialized care with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The first home care service to receive certification as a Senior Approved Service in S.C., this company is very proud of their record of quality care. They too are dedicated to assisting seniors so that he or she may remain independent within their own home.

Each of these home care companies completed an independent survey. Senior Approved Services initiates the survey and requires a minimum of a 90% satisfaction rating - from actual clients of the service. Both met or far surpassed this requirement.

It may interest you to know that a business cannot pay to 'join' Senior Approved Services. The only companies we feature, endorse and recommend have paid for this independent survey. The survey is not state-mandated and there is no outside entity requiring the survey. A business might pay for the survey and not become a Senior Approved Service. Again, we are only interested in working with the very best. We base our decision on what each of these companies' clients have to say about them.

Not every business owner would open themselves up to such scrutinity. This in itself speaks volumes about each of the businesses in our network.

In order to make our entire service free of charge to you (in search of safe reliable services) we depend on the business community participating in our survey process. So, next time you contract with one of these excellent services, be nice and thank them for helping Senior Approved Services remain a free service for you.

These excellent companies are now part of a very exclusive group of businesses that have proven their commitment to serving our elderly with consistent quality of care. Services such as; The Visiting Nurse Association, Visiting Angels Home Care, FL, Independent Senior Housing in NY, , Dayna's Homecare Company, Complete Organizational Services, The Caregiver's Resource Kit, Northcoast Conflict Solutions, Cleveland Financial, Birch Financial, Raymond James Financial, Sunrise Assisted Living of Rocky River, Hamilton Home Care, My Home Care, Inc., Occasional Help for Seniors, Do It Now, The SCOOTER Store, Life Quest Home Medical Equipment, Seniors Sharing a Home, Stellar Living Assistance, Park Creek Retirement Center, Adeline's Home Sweet Home, Life Care Home Health Services, DocuPrep, Advanced Laser Solutions, S.A.R.A.H. Adult Day Services, Seniors Home Advantage and Attorney Mary Ann Thomas.

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Opportunities for You

There are a multitude of reasons to participate and there are restrictions to what type of corporation can apply. See Sponsorship Opportunities

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Medicare Part D

You may begin to choose your plan on November the 15th and if you want to choose, will need to so prior to January of 2006.

I was hoping to gain enough knowledge to provide simple answers. I was also praying (I'm not kidding) that someone out there would step up and apply to use Medicare Part D as a topic of discussion through our Ask the Expert feature.

I wish I could provide you with a more informed overview of this tangled up mess.

Here are the basics:

If your income is more than $14,355/individual or $19,245/couple and you currently have prescription coverage through private pay or from a current or previous employer:

Under the new Medicare drug coverage, you will have:

An annual deductible of $250 A monthly premium of $37 (this amount may vary in private plans) A co-insurance (the term for the percentage of the drugs cost you will pay) equal to 25% of drug costs up to $2,250 a year*.

If your income is more than $14,355/individual or $19,245/couple and you currently have no prescription coverage:

Once your total drug cost is $2,250 (the amount you pay plus the amount the plan pays), you will have to pay the full price for your drugs until you spend $3,600 out of your own pocket (not including your monthly premium).

This means that if you do not have any other drug insurance, you will pay approximately $5,100 out of your own pocket each year (this price includes your deductible, monthly premiums, your co-insurance and the money you spend after you reach $2,250 in drug costs).

Catastrophic Coverage

Once you spend more than $3,600, you will be eligible for what is called catastrophic drug coverage and will pay only 5% of prescription fees, or a $2 co-pay for generic drugs (whichever cost more). You will also have $5 co-pay for brand name drugs.

If you are currently receiving Medicare benefits:

Medicare beneficiaries with yearly incomes between $12,920 and 14,355/year for an individual and $17,321 and 19,245/year for a couple in 2005, and with assets between certain limits, may qualify for one of the limited income partial subsidy programs.

These programs will cover some of the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes will have to pay.

Under the new Medicare drug coverage you will have:

A yearly deductible that is less than $250 (the amount will depend on your income). A monthly premium that is less than $37 (the amount may vary in private plans and will depend on your income). For all drug purchases after your deductible is met you will pay a 15% co-insurance (the term for the percentage of the drug cost you will pay) or the price of the drug.**

**If you pay more than $3,600 out of your own pocket before the end of the year, your co-payment (the amount you pay for each drug) for any drugs you purchase will be no more than a $2 co-pay for generic drugs and $5 co-pay for brand name drugs. (Your premium payments are not included in the $3600.)

Medicare beneficiaries with annual incomes below $12,920/year for an individual and $17,321/year for a couple in 2005, and with assets below specified limits, may qualify for one of the limited income subsidy programs. These programs will cover most of the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes will have to pay.

Under the new Medicare drug coverage you will have:

No monthly premium No deductible. A small co-pay ($2 for generic drugs and $5 for brand-name drugs).*** ***Once you have spent $3,600 in annual drug costs, you will no longer have a co-pay.

To learn more about eligibility requirements for limited income Medicare beneficiaries and to apply for a subsidy, go to www.socialsecurity.gov The Social Security office will send you a form (or you can download it from their site) that will tell you if you qualify for this subsidy.

Now comes the hard part. Selecting which service to use. There are 34 different ones to choose from. And once you make the selection, you must stay with your choice for one calendar year.

There are some services out there that are offering seminars and assistance in working with you to help you select the best plan for your particular situation.

The Medicare Web site is providing the following:

State by State breakdown of the Local Plans offering a comparison chart

Drug Plan Finder This is suppose to help you compare which plan is best for you based on the prescriptions you currently use.

A booklet entitled 'Medicare and You' is now available in PDF format that you can download from their site. Medicare and You provides a summary of Medicare benefits, rights and protections, and answers to the most frequently asked questions about Medicare.

The pharmacy within the Giant Eagle Grocery stores are offering workshops at no charge. I believe these stores are only in OH, PA, MD.

Also offering assistance is the government sponsored ElderCare Locator service and Benefits CheckUP

If you consider yourself an expert in this topic - please contact Senior Approved Services. This is a hot topic and one with a number of questions. Please call us at (toll free) 877-620-6448 or drop us a note via email. Send your notes to marshajones@wowway.com

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Advertising

If you want to reach the senior (and/or the family members of the senior) through us you must first be Certified. See Request Certification

Our next ezine will focus on the following topics

What I am Grateful For Tell us what you are grateful for in 100 words or less and send your submission to marshajones@wowway.com

If I could give every person on this planet a gift, it would be... Tell us what you would give and why - keep this submission to under 500 words. Send it to marshajones@wowway.com