Peninsula Daily News column 4-28-2011 "9th annual information fair set May 6"

                Do you ever wake up in the morning and think about all the different
places you could be? Tahiti? Cancun? Philadelphia? Or the ever-popular first-choice, the bathroom? (OK, me, too)

                But, it’s true: We could be any number of places doing any number of things, within the often-restrictive parameters of our imaginations and circumstances. And since, for many of us, our “circumstances” have become even more restrictive in the last couple of years, we might find our choices somewhat…contained.

                Given that unhappy fact, I have a happy idea: On Friday, May 6, a week from tomorrow, you could choose to be where I’m going to choose to be…Well, at least between 10:00 and 2:00 – After that, where I’ll choose to be is none of your business.

                But between 10:00 and 2:00, I’m going to be lurking about the Port Angeles Senior Center (328 E. 7^th in P.A., if that’s news), with a cadre’ of cohorts, because we’re presenting the “9^th Annual Information Fair!”

                What?

                What do you mean, “what?”? We’ve been doing this for 9 years! OK, maybe you’ve been spending every May in Philadelphia – Here’s the deal:

                This is where we get all of “us” (“Information & Assistance”) in one place at one time, and set up a bunch of tables on different subjects, like “Medicare” or “Long-Term Care” or “Medication Management” or “Medicaid” or “Family Caregiver Support” or or or… Then you get to wander aimlessly about and see what might be helpful or interesting to you or yours.

                The best part is that we’re all there, so if you ask one of us a question that another of us knows more about, we can walk you right over to that somebody and you can take care of your business on-the-spot, rather than calling somebody else at some other time who might be in some other place at some other number…You know how that goes.

                Maybe you need “Respite.” Maybe you need to talk to somebody about “Advance Directives” or “P.O.L.S.T. forms.” Maybe you need help at home and have no idea where to look or what you’re looking for. Maybe you’ve got someone you care about in a facility, and things aren’t going so well – Or maybe you need to find a facility.

                Maybe you’re thinking that someone close to you needs a guardianship. Maybe you’re worrying about your sister in St. Louis. Maybe Part D is looming on your horizon and you’d like to have somebody talk you all the way through it. Or maybe you couldn’t find your car keys.

                Or maybe you have no idea what you’re looking for – You don’t even know what you’re wondering about or what to even ask! You just know what’s happening to you or yours – What’s “wrong,” or could go “wrong” – And you just need to tell someone the story, who might be able to help.

                Then, between 10:00 and 2:00 on May 6, you’ll be in the right place.

                No program, no speeches, no polite applause; well, if you want to be there between 10:30 and 11:30, you could sit down in another room and listen to Paul Corning, from the Attorney General’s “Consumer Protection Division,” talk about consumer fraud and identity theft, as well as mortgage and foreclosure issues – That would be worth the doing! Then you could mosey back in with the rest of us and cruise the tables (Note: Paul will also be staffing a table with information, and answering questions, after his presentation, so you’ll have a 1-on-1 shot).

                A free lunch! I’m serious! I’ll bet you didn’t get that in Philadelphia!

                Door prizes! Access to an Elder-law attorney! (No, we are NOT giving away the Elder Law Attorney!)

                What else do you want??

                Seriously, these really are fun, because we really can just talk. I can honestly tell you that I work with some of the best and smartest people around, and we’ll all be there, so why don’t you be, too?

                We’ll have all kinds of info on all kinds of topics that you can take with you, tables where you can sit down and/or eat and/or talk or just…Rest – No programs, no speeches, no polite applause.

                  So, when you wake up in the morning on Friday, May 6, and think about all the different places you could be, the Port Angeles Senior Center between 10:00 and 2:00 would be a GREAT choice for Choice #2!

                …first things, first.

Peninsula Daily News column 4-21-2011 " A look at some statistics for seniors"

                Statistics, like the Bible, the Constitution or “talk radio,” can be used to “prove” almost anything, because many of us are so assaulted by “facts” that we’re bewildered by the facts – Electing, instead, to believe whatever it is that we believed before the assault – It’s the downside of the “information age.”

                Occasionally, however, it’s rather interesting to just look at some facts – Some statistics – And attempt to decide for ourselves what (if anything) we think about them; so today, just for a few minutes, let’s look at what “we” look like, without headlines or screamers screaming at us about what to believe. If I suffer the uncontrollable need to make an editorial comment, I promise to clearly identify it as such, OK?

                So, here are some selected stats from a “Profile of Older

Americans: 2010,” put out by the Federal “Administration on Aging” – I did

the selecting:

• For openers, they appear to define “older Americans” as 65 or better; as we’ll see, in many cases, MUCH better. You and I both know that “older Americans” means “people that are older than me;”
• Anyway, the “older population” numbered 39.6 million in 2009, which was an increase of 4.3 million (12.5%) from 1999; in other words, one out of every eight folks in the U.S. of A. is 65+ (Mark says: …and we have an interesting tendency to VOTE!);
• Those of us who get to (or have gotten to) 65 or better have an average life expectancy of an additional 18.6 years (17.2 for males, 19.9 for females) (Mark says: So, settle in for the long-haul, and if you’re planning for retirement or your “golden years,” figure on needing a bit more moolah, huh? – Because we are just not dying according to the accepted actuarial table);
• Speaking of money (which many of us often do), the median (meaning “middle”) income of us “older Americans” in 2009 was $25,877 for males and $15,282 for females (Mark says: Doesn’t sound like much, does it? That’s because it isn’t, and those are ANNUAL figures! So, back to planning: The odds are that “Mrs.” will carry on beyond Mr., so if “Mr.” is doing the “financial planning” in the household, you might want to think beyond your additional 17.2 years);
• Money is always depressingly fascinating: According to what we told the Feds in 2008, our collective, major sources of income are Social Security (87%), income from assets (54%), private pensions (28%), government employee pensions (14%) and earnings (25%!). Mark says: Interesting! I’d wager that the “income from assets” and “private pensions” have dropped precipitously in the last couple of years, but did you get the part about 25% of us are working? “Earnings?” So, we don’t get feeble, stupid and disappear at 65?? But I’m sure you also got the part about…
• …Social Security; in fact, good, old Social Security constituted 90% of the income received by 34% of beneficiaries in 2008, 21% for married folks, 43% for non-married (Mark says: Well! Apparently we do better if we’re married, but then, statistics can be used to prove anything. And if our national leaders feel the need to mess with Social Security, I’d suggest that they do it very, VERY carefully);
• OK, back to the gender-gap: Older women outnumbered older men by 22.7 million to 16.8 million. Older men were much more likely to be married than older women (72% vs. 42%), and 42% of older women, in 2009, were widows (Mark says: No kidding. Who would’ve thought? Sparing us all the obvious wisecracks about it being VERY cool to be an “older man,” once again we have to think “planning’);
• Did I say “planning?” Half of older women 75 or better (49%, actually) live alone (Mark says: Think about that: One out of two – That’s a lot of women trying to put one foot in front of the other, day-after-day, alone. And if you’re one of the “kids,” think about that!).  More broadly, 30% of all of us “older Americans” (11.3 million, but who’s counting) live alone. (Mark says: …hmm…Well, “living alone” isn’t necessarily “bad,” if you’ve figured out how to make it work for you…Have you figured that out? Have you even thought about it? Sorry – I’ll try to get away from this “planning thing”);
• Speaking of “voting blocs” (which I actually hadn’t, because I was too busy “planning”), our 65-or-better crowd is going to grow from 35 million in 2000 (“Y2K” didn’t work) to 40 million in 2010, to 55 million in 2020, which is only nine years away (Mark says: If that doesn’t impress people who ought to be impressed, they are simply UNimpressable!);
• …and in case some idiot still thinks that we’re all goofing around the golf course, 475,000 grandparents 65 or better had the primary responsibility for grandchildren who lived with them (Mark says:…and that number is growing. If you’re one or two of them, and you could use some help, call any of the numbers at the end of the column – It won’t cost you anything);
• …but just in case some other idiot thinks that none of us are having any fun, only 11% (3.7 million) of “older” Medicare enrollees received “personal care” from anybody in 1999.

“Personal care” means exactly what you’d guess it means: Somebody else’s hands on your body, helping you do stuff (sometimes, VERY personal stuff) that you’d vastly prefer to be doing yourself; now think about that:

Granted, 3.7 million folks is a LOT of folks! But it isn’t the 35.3 million (look at the increase from 1999, and do the math) that we saw above; in fact, roughly 10%-ish. So, what?

Well, it is still true in my world, and has been for the 24 years that I account for, that folks are more afraid of nursing homes than they are of morgues, so the fact is that most of us will never see the inside of one unless we (a) go to visit, or (b) are in, short-term, for rehab; otherwise, not likely.

So, that means that we have a lot of life left in us, and EVERYBODY needs to realize that! Everybody – Including us.

Mark says: Go do some planning, help somebody, get comfortable and have a little fun, because most of us aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

Peninsula Daily News column, 4-14-2011 "Civilian view of Medicare distilled"

                Tomorrow is the 15^th day of April. If that is news to you, I uncharacteristically suggest that you PANIC, because our red, white and blue Uncle has an ever-diminishing sense of humor when it comes to individuals not paying their taxes, as opposed to corporations not paying taxes, which he finds infinitely more endearing.

                If your situation is such that you are not required to pay taxes due to the fact that you are (a) a corporation, or (b) “low income,” this may be the one time of the year when you can unabashedly celebrate your circumstances -  We, who are about to pay, salute you.

                Speaking of large, governmental undertakings, a couple of weeks ago, to our unanimous relief, I finished up a three-week medley on “The Medicare Machine from 30,000 Feet”; since that happy ending, however, a rather considerable number of you have expressed various and sundry opinions on the matter of Medicare, with a few miscellaneous questions thrown in, about the state and the origin of said Machine – The phrase “conspiracy theory” pathetically understates the gist of most submissions.

                Nonetheless (or, less-the-none), being the true blue journalist that I am, I feel compelled to share a distillation of these observations, courageously dismissing “fact,” “history” and even political persuasion, in my usual swashbuckling, journalistic style; thus, near as I can tell, the civilian view of Medicare (which flies in the face of conventional political wisdom, a phrase that defines “oxymoron”) goes something like this:

                In the early days of our national odyssey toward confusing the term “healthCARE” with the phrase, “health INSURANCE,” people who made decisions for people who were considered incapable of making decisions, noted two distinct facts: (1) There was getting to be a lot of old, and relatively poor, people, and (2) should the number of old, poor people continue to grow, there appeared to be an entrepreneurial niche’ in which to develop a lucrative industry that accomplished virtually nothing, except to add dollars to pockets that were chuck-full of dollars – Dismiss “value-added,” and think, “opportunity!”

                Thus was born “health insurance” and, in there somewhere (because we are steadfastly avoiding being confused by facts), Medicare, and the approach is elegant in its simplicity:

                If healthCARE could continue to escalate its cost to the level of being unaffordable, people could probably be convinced that it made sense to send money to people who would, ostensibly, send back that money to people who were providing healthcare to people who needed healthcare, because the people who needed the healthcare didn’t have enough money to pay the people who provided it.

                And if, again, the costs of healthcare could be driven upward to point of orbital, people could probably be convinced that it made sense to pay some money out-of-pocket before the people you sent money to would send money to the people who provided you with healthcare, on the off-chance you needed healthcare, or – Better yet! – Drive UP the costs of this thing called “health insurance” to the point where people were afraid to use it, because using it would increase the costs of their health insurance, so they would die without using healthcare; thus, the money they paid for health insurance would stay squarely where it belonged, which was in the pockets of the people that people sent money to, so they would pay that money for something that, as it turns out, people were afraid to use.

                WHEW!

                But that’s not all, because here’s the most conspiratorial piece of the Conspiracy Theory: As a subset (or, “fringe benefit”) of the above: IF this health insurance/Medicare “thing” could adequately confuse, frustrate and intimidate (think, STRESSED-OUT!) unrich, old people to the point of medical capitulation, they would, likely, die sooner, providing the ever-elusive answer to reducing the number of poor people – Population control! – Which is why Medicare has never paid for “long-term care.”

                And the latter could be most effectively achieved by inventing concepts like “deductible,” “co-pay,” “benefit limits,” “managed care,” “benefits coordination,” et cetera ad infinitum, which would, eventually, replace the old cliché “…it isn’t ‘rocket science’” with “Well, it isn’t health insurance!”

                OK, maybe not, but it does make you stop and think – Or, think – Or, stop – Or stop thinking…BUT! As is often the case on this fascinating planet where God is considered to have no sense of humor, there is an unintended, and somewhat contradictory, side-effect to all of this; Consider:

                As our national life expectance has continued to increase in spite of health insurance, various forms of dementia (think, Alzheimer’s) have emerged as a leading means of retiring retirees; Now, how does one attempt to prevent dementia? Right! By developing new neuronal pathways.

                And how does one develop new neuronal pathways? Right! By learning new things and attempting to master the unmasterable.

                And what is the most unmasterable thing you can imagine? Right: Medicare!

                So, belay the Sudoku, cancel the crossword, relegate the quantum physics text to the doorstop and simply perseverate on your Medicare “Explanation of Benefits!”

                …and try to remember that tomorrow is April 15^th.

               

Peninsula Daily News - 4-7-11 "Beware of predators posing as caregivers"

Regardless of the meteorological fact that “Spring” officially began on March 20^th, most of us will believe it when we see it, but the fact is that the weather isn’t as bad or as cold or as wet as it was not long ago.

                And certainly the days are longer, so we begin to emerge (in one way or another) from the cocoons we built in late Fall to prepare for Winter, where most life is inside; funny, too, because our minds and hearts focus more on “inside” – Internal, quiet, insulated – Cocooned.

                But whether we’re “inside people” or “outside people” or, as is the case with most of us, some combination thereof, life seems to begin again – We “emerge,” to rejoin the world. “Life” returns. “Light” returns, so, sometimes, we see things a little more…Clearly.

                Most of us heard about the “Mickey Rooney thing” a while back. The short version is that Mr. Rooney appears to have been the victim of “financial exploitation.” There are a number of definitions of “financial exploitation,” but the National Center for Elder Abuse defines it as “…the illegal taking, misuse or concealment of funds, property or assets of a vulnerable elder,” and that’s as good a definition as any.

                In other words, somebody comes along and “takes over:” Sometimes it’s an “outsider,” a “predator,” a lowlife who has made it her or his business to put her or his nose into an elder’s business, usually under the guise of “caregiver” – Or lover. It isn’t “theft,” in the sense of pick-it-up-and-walk-out-the-door, it’s a little at a time – My car broke down, the “collectors” are after me, my niece needs emergency surgery, I can’t afford the rent, I can’t afford a coat, I can’t afford a fur coat – And, on and on and on – “Til it’s all gone, and so are they.

                Often, though, it’s a friend or a neighbor – Or most often: Family. That’s right, “family – Maybe “blood,” maybe by marriage, whatever, but Family – The people you are supposed to be able to trust. And it almost always starts by “helping” – Helping pay the bills, helping to figure out the insurance, helping to take you to the bank, helping to take-care-of-business, helping to manage all that annoying paperwork – Helping. Helping themselves.

                Maybe early dementia or memory loss is involved, maybe it isn’t; it certainly wasn’t with Mr. Rooney. It was the slow, insidious taking-over of an elder’s money and assets – Of an elder’s life. And if you don’t think that happens in our little towns and rural areas, wake up and smell the roses, because I’ve seen it happen for years.

                Shortly after Mr. Rooney’s act of incredible courage, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is under the U.S. Department of the Treasury, issued an “advisory” to financial institutions on what to watch out for to stop financial exploitation. Yes, I realize that most of us don’t work for financial institutions, but it’s a pretty darned good list of things that friends and family – The “good guys” – Can watch out for, too, so here you go:

• Frequent large withdrawals, which could include maxing-out ATM withdrawals, on a daily basis;
• “Insufficient funds” – All of a sudden;
• Uncharacteristic non-payment of bills, or uncharacteristic attempts to wire large sums of money;
• Debit transactions that seem “out of character” (…because they are);
• Closing CD’s or accounts, without regard to penalties.

Yes, I know: A lot of us might not “see” that kind of thing, but here are some things we might see:

• A “caregiver” (or whomever) seems to be particularly interested in an elder’s finances, or doesn’t allow him or her to speak for herself/himself – Or won’t leave their side during conversations;
• An elder seems, suddenly, fearful or submissive, or seems worried about eviction or “ending up in a nursing home” if money isn’t given to…;
• A new “caregiver,” relative or “friend” suddenly begins conducting business on behalf of an elder, without having all the “…ducks in a row;”
• The elder seems to move away from old, long relationships and toward new “friends” – Or strangers;
• All of a sudden, he or she doesn’t seem to know what’s going on with his or her business, and doesn’t want to talk about it;
• Suddenly, there’s a new person with a new power-of-attorney, or whatever…
• …and on and on and on…

If it smells bad, it probably is.

What do you do? Well, if you see something that seems to be illegal, CALL THE COPS! There is no penalty for being wrong.

If you see things that look like any of the things listed back – Things that seem, or feel, “wrong, call Adult Protective Services at 1-866-ENDHARM (1-866-363-4276) now – Right now.

Can I promise you that these folks can stop the abuse? No, and neither can they, but they’ll try, and often, just “shining a light” will send the vermin back into their holes.

Might you be sticking your nose into someone else’s business? Yes, but look at this way: Someone else already has.

And if we’re going to talk about HURTING, I’ve got to remind you about seriously considering a getting the “Shingles shot.” Most people report unbelievable pain, and people have actually committed suicide to make it stop – No, I’m not kidding. And the fact that you’ve had it once does NOT guarantee that you couldn’t be in for an encore.

Does Medicare pay for it? Not usually, but many insurances do, as do some Medicare supplement plans. Hey, look: Medicare doesn’t pay for a lot of things, like not roller-skating in buffalo herds, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea.

 Looking for something nice to do for an elder you like? Good, then YOU pay for it and call it a gift; besides, you can probably use the karma.