Madison County Office for the Aging, Inc

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Helpful Information when Scheduling COVID-19 Vaccine Appt As more COVID-19 vaccines become available, seniors throughout Madison County will be able to schedule appointments through local, designated pharmacies. Visit www.ny.gov/vaccine for detailed information on the COVID-19 vaccine, eligibility, safety, and distribution. The New York State Vaccination Hotline is 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829) or call Office for the Aging 315-697-... 5700. The COVID 19 vaccine will be fully covered by Medicare Part B just like a flu vaccine. If you have Original Medicare (red/white/blue card) and Part D drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan, a pharmacy may still ask for all the ID numbers. Prepare this information before setting up a shot appointment: Medicare Number Effective dates for Part A and Part B Drug plan ID PCN BIN Group. Under no circumstances should seniors provide Social Security numbers, credit card information, or bank account information. If suspicious when contacted over the phone about an appointment, ask for a name at the local pharmacy and say you will call there to complete the information.

Avoid Economic Stimulus Payment Scams The state Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) recently warned about scammers taking advantage of COVID19 economic stimulus payments. With another round of economic stimulus payments approved by Congress, scammers will be sending phishing emails, texts and phone calls and using social media to try to steal economic impact payments and personal information.... Here are tips to help keep economic impact payment and personal information safe from scammers: Rely on trusted sites for information. Visit legitimate, government websitesfor up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19. Visit the IRS website directly for the latest information on the economic impact payments. Remember, the government will never call to ask for your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number. Delete emails asking you for personal information to receive an economic stimulus check. Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be wary of email attachments. Don’t provide personal or banking information. Do not agree to sign over your economic impact payment check. Be wary of bogus checks. Do not cash unsolicited checks. Be aware that scammers are also able to replicate a government agency’s name and phone number on caller ID. The IRS will never ask for personal information or threaten benefits by phone call, email, text or social media. Hang up on illegal robocallers. Notify the IRS if you are contacted by a potential scammer. Notify the IRS at [email protected]. Verify a charity’s authenticity before making donations. Review the Federal Trade Commission’s page on Charity Scams. For more consumer protection information, call the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or visit www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection.

OFA Offers Help Demystifying Insurance Madison County Office for the Aging’s Health Insurance Information Counseling Assistance Program (HIICAP) offers objective information about health insurance. HIICAP counselors are trained to explain Original Medicare; Part D; Medicare Advantage; and Medigap policies.... We can help you apply for New York EPIC, Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help. For more information call Connie 315-697-5743.

Using Technology to Stay Connected for the Holidays By Colleen Russ, Aging Services Aide Seniors in a digital world can be easily overwhelmed by all the new technology surrounding them, but learning to use them can make life easier and keep everyone connected, especially during the holidays.... Smartphones, social media, tablets, banking machines, and laptops there is no avoiding them, but it’s not impossible to learn how to use them to keep connected. Across the age spectrum from seniors 65 to over 80, the younger segment is more likely to have internet; 82 percent of seniors 65 to 69 have internet, while only 44 percent of those over 80 have internet in their home. For seniors who do use the internet, 71 percent are going online daily. During this pandemic internet use is important. Those with smartphones can use a video application (app) like Facetime, Skype, or Google Hangouts to see (mask-less!) loved ones as well as hear them. Seniors can also use a computer with a camera to Zoom, Skype or Facebook video chat. Those who need help setting up these devices and apps can ask a neighbor or a loved one to help. (Just make sure to social distance.) YouTube can walk those that have some tech-savvy step by step through how to set these devices up. Seniors may not be able to visit with family and friends in person this holiday season, but they can still see those smiling faces and hear those voices, maybe even cook a favorite dish together over video chat!

OFA Recognizes Staff Service Landmarks The Office for the Aging celebrated staff in November for their years of service and wants to share our recognition of their efforts. Behind the scenes, Fiscal Manager, Sandy Peck was honored for 20 years of service providing her expertise at managing the many budgets that drive the programs and services assisting us to stay a viable agency in the community.... The Nutrition Program celebrated its director, Lisa DeHimer who has led the program for 15 years, providing the older adults in Madison County a nutritionally balanced meal and education to support their independence. Bob White was honored for driving the hills of Madison County for 15 years reaching many of our rural clients with meals. And Paul Catello has delivered meals around the county for l0 years now, currently serving home-delivered meal recipients along the Route 5 corridor. Thank you for all your years of service!

Please call our office at 315-697-5700 and ask for Melanie if you or someone you know is an at-risk, isolated older adult that would benefit from having a companion pet.

AARP Workshops Help Older People Take Advantage of New Car Safety Tech AARP's Smart DriverTEK workshops help people over 50 learn about the safety technology they are likely to find in their new cars. Current and emerging technologies are being installed in an ever-increasing number of vehicle models. The problem? Many older drivers don’t take advantage of these new safety features. Smart DriverTEK works to correct this and extend the number of years older drivers can safely ...stay on the road. Drivers can watch quick learning videos at https://learn.aarp.org/driver-safety-quick-learnings or sign up for an online workshop. With the changes in vehicle technology over the last five years, it’s critical for drivers to stay updated and informed, said Kyle Rakow, vice president and national director of AARP Driver Safety. Too many older consumers buy a new car fully loaded with these safety technologies that they don’t fully understand how to operate, says Ken Ow, 64, an AARP Smart Driver instructor and CarFit event coordinator. Mature drivers feel overwhelmed." Eight key safety features are important to understand: 1. Smart headlights 2. Reverse monitoring system 3. Blind spot warning systems 4. Lane-departure warning 5. Drowsy-driver alerts 6. Assistive-parking 7. Adaptive cruise control 8. Emergency-response systems

Seek Volunteers for Grocery Program Do you shop online? Have you ordered groceries through Instacart? Do you want to help other seniors who might be technologically challenged? Madison County Office for the Aging, Inc./RSVP is looking for volunteers for a new program that will help provide older adults better access to groceries.... The program will need volunteers to help process orders for those without Internet technology or knowledge. Other volunteers are needed to pick up groceries from stores and deliver them to individuals. All volunteers will be trained. If you are interested in volunteering for this new program, contact Annette Clark, RSVP Director, at 315-697-5700 ext. 212.

Did You Get Your Social Security Benefit Verification Letter? In December each year, the Social Security Administration mails out verification letters to those receiving benefits. It is a document that comes all folded up, but turns out to... be a lengthy document. The Benefit Verification Letter provides information of how much a recipient is going to receive from Social Security for the coming year, as well as Medicare premium deductions from those benefits Keep this document! It is how to show proof of income from Social Security. Keep it with other important documents in a folder that can be easily found for future reference. See more