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Deliver a Holiday Wish Wrapped in A Home Delivered Meal
Ken, a Vietnam Veteran, has been bringing warm, nutritious meals on wheels to the door of homebound older adults for more than two years. He was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community in his retirement and found out about home delivered meals on his local city’s website. The program interested Ken, and he believed in the importance of helping seniors retain their independence. He delivers meals four days a week, and also delivers meals on holidays including New Years Day and Easter.
“I get joy from being involved in this program,” said Ken. “I enjoy socializing with the other volunteers, but most of all, I enjoy talking with and helping the older adults who receive the meals. Each day, after my delivery route is done, it just feels good.”
While traditional government funding
Volunteer Ken Pool and Bettie, a Meals on Wheels recipient recovering from surgery.
covers the cost of meals delivered on weekdays, it does not cover the cost of holiday meals. Each year, the Area Agency on Aging 1-B helps fund the delivery of more than 7,000 festive meals to frail, homebound seniors in our community who are often alone on the holidays. The visit from the volunteer delivering the warm, home-cooked meal is often the only company they receive. For these seniors, it is more than just a meal. The holiday program delivers nutrition, friendship, health and safety.
You can deliver a holiday wish this year, wrapped as a home delivered meal. Please help us bring hope, joy and compassion to the door of thousands of older adults in need in our community and donate today by calling the Area Agency on Aging 1-B at 800-852-7795, or by visiting www.aaa1b.com.
Information and
Assistance Service
Resource specialists can quickly answer questions and access information for callers using a computerized database listing over 5,000 senior services and 2,000 providers in southeast Michigan. Call toll-free, 800-852-7795.
Hours are 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., weekdays. You can also visit www.aaa1b.com
ACCESS: Your Link to Community Resources is published by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B, 29100 Northwestern Highway, Suite 400, Southfield, MI 48034, phone: 248-357-2255,
fax: 248-948-9691. Paid advertisers are not endorsed by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B. Questions and comments may be directed to Jenny Jarvis, Director of Communications, or Sallie Justice, Communications Manager, editor. Access is written by Rebecca Rabano.
Design and production by Northlight Design. Printing by Pinnacle Printing & Promotions.
TOP 10Ways to Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month in November*
1. Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they can spend time with friends, or simply relax.
2. Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten a family caregiver's day.
3. Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.
4. Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
5. Offer comic relief! Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family
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caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them with a book on tape.
6. Find 12 different photos of the caregiver’s family and friends. Have a copy center create a 2008 calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
7. Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.
8. Take a few minutes to write a letter. Encourage your faith community to ask for prayers not only for those
who are ill, but also those who care for them.
9. Encourage family caregivers to become a part of the National Family Caregiver Story Project. It’s a great place to not only share but read about others in like situations.
10. Help a family caregiver find new educational materials and support through family caregiving web sites or by calling local social service agencies for help.
For more information about resources and services for family caregivers, call the Area Agency on Aging 1-B at 800-852-7795.
*From the National Family Caregiver Association
Calendar of Events
The Nutcracker performed by the Macomb Ballet Company December 12 at 10:00 a.m.
and 7:00 p.m.
December 13 at 2:00 p.m.
and 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $12 seniors age 55+ and students/$15 regular admission Call 586-286-2222
Located at the Macomb Center
for Performing Arts Macomb Community College Center Campus 44575 Garfield Road
Clinton Township, MI 48038
“Schoolhouse Rock Live”
performed by All the World’s a Stage. Gather up your grandchildren for a fun, educational night out!
February 4 at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
February 5 at 10:00 a.m.
Tickets are $6/10:00 a.m. show; $10 in advance and $12 at the door Call 586-286-2222
Located at the Macomb Center
for Performing Arts Macomb Community College Center Campus 44575 Garfield Road
Clinton Township, MI 48038
Tips on how to insure an “admitted” status during a hospital stay
So what should you do if you find yourself in the “observation” vs. “admitted” status during a hospital stay? Here are some tips, as well as a few proactive measures you can take:
L Whileinthehospital,inquireeachday about your status to see if it’s changed. Know that it can be altered at any point during your hospitalization.
L Talk to your hospital physician about why your observation status is appropriate. Ask if they would plead your case before the hospital’s utilization review committee (URC) to highlight the medical factors in your case that require admission status. If this doctor is unable to help you, see if your primary care physician can appeal your case with the hospital physician, or take up your own defense and address the
issue with a hospital case management supervisor.
L If, as in Kolynuk’s case, hospital administration insists on classifying you as observation care/outpatient, ask that your case be referred to the hospital committee that determines status.
L If you don’t qualify for Medicare coverage at a skilled nursing facility, ask your physician if they can order similar care at home covered by Medicare, as was the case for Kolynuk.
L You can formally appeal Medicare’s decision not to cover your hospitalization and a skilled nursing facility stay. Contact the Center for Medicare Advocacy at 860-456-7790 or visit online at www.medicareadvocacy.org for
more information and to obtain a free copy of their guide titled, “Observation Status Self Help.”
L Ask your U.S. Representative to support legislation like H.R. 1179 and S. 569 which would count all time in the hospital towards meeting Medicare’s 3-midnights stay requirement. In addition, ask your legislator to make it mandatory in Michigan for a hospital to inform a patient of their observation or admittance status prior to a hospital stay. Inform state and federal legislators about family and friends who have been adversely impacted by an observation care hospital stay.
For more information, contact the Area Agency on Aging 1-B’s Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program, at 800-803-7174.