Senior News Briefs

Social Security's Top 5 Ways to Protect Against Identity Theft

EARLIER SENIOR NEWS BRIEFS:

• Washington Ranks 7^th in 2024 America’s Health Rankings Senior Report   ...by UnitedHealthcare

• Between 2017-2019 and 2020-2022, senior drug deaths increased by 60%, from 8.6 to 13.8 deaths per 100,000 adults aged 65 and older between 2017-2019 and 2020-2022).
• Held the second-lowest rate of physical inactivity at 22.9%, compared to a national average of 30.9%.
• High-speed internet access increased by 12% in households with one or more adults aged 65 and older between 2016 and 2022.

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• Long-term study offers clues for healthy aging... this article is courtesy of Kaiser Permanente

To learn more about why some people develop memory problems and what we can do to help prevent it, Kaiser Permanente researchers in Washington state created the ACT study in 1994. ACT stands for Adult Changes in Thought. The study has followed volunteers over many years to better understand what increases the risk of developing dementia. The goal is to find ways to prevent or delay dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

Linda McEvoy, PhD, a neuroscientist who co-leads the study, talks about what the researchers have learned and the questions they still hope to answer. She said "that people can have changes in their brain that are known to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and still never develop dementia in their lifetime. This is important because it suggests there are factors that can protect us from getting dementia, even if we experience some of these brain changes with age. We know from our research that regular exercise can help prevent or delay dementia. Keeping your blood pressure and blood sugar levels under control also helps. We found that high blood sugar levels are linked to increased dementia risk, even in people without diabetes. For people who have cataracts, getting them removed may lower their risk. A study of ACT participants found that cataract surgery reduced the risk of dementia by nearly 30%. This may be because people get better input to their brain when they can see more clearly. The ACT study has also found that higher levels of air pollution are a risk factor for dementia. So, paying attention to air pollution levels and trying to stay inside on days with high pollution are good ideas."

Next, the ACT study will look at how our sleep habits and time spent sitting throughout the day relate to brain health; whether common medications may be associated with increased or decreased dementia risk; and how the different types of air pollution (traffic, wildfires) are related to dementia risk.

Here is a link to the article on the Kaiser Permanente site: Long-Term Study Offers Clues for Healthy Aging | Kaiser Permanente 

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Rebuilding Together Needs New Tools

Each year, Rebuilding Together South Sound helps low-income seniors by making homes safe with a wide range of repairs, as well as making updates that will enable seniors to "age in place" by installing ramps, grab bars, easy-open doors and more.

Rebuilding Together South Sound is calling on the community to help them purchase new tools and respirator masks so that they can continue their vital work. 

To contribute to this worthy cause, click the following link: Rebuilding Together South Sound (rebuildingtogetherss.org) 

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MEDICARE UPDATE: Getting Care in an Emergency or Disaster

Medicare.gov provides these tips in case of an emergency: 

Seeing a doctor during a disaster or emergency: If you have Original Medicare, you can always see any doctor who accepts Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your health plan about making temporary changes, like using an out-of-network doctor during an emergency or disaster. 

Getting your prescription drugs during a disaster or emergency: You can move most prescriptions to another nearby in-network pharmacy, and back to your regular pharmacy when the emergency or disaster ends. Contact your Medicare drug plan if you need to use an out-of-network pharmacy.

Accessing critical care or replacing durable medical equipment during a disaster or emergency: Learn how to replace durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs and walkers), or get dialysis or cancer treatments in case of a disaster or emergency. 

For other resources or help after an emergency, visit DisasterAssistance.gov.

Another Medicare Update: Looking for a hospital?

Trying to find a hospital nearby with doctors that accept Medicare? Or, perhaps you're planning to have surgery or are thinking about your future needs? Visit Medicare.gov to compare hospitals in your area.

Understanding your choices will help you have a more informed discussion with your doctor or other health care provider — and choose the hospital that's best for you.

Search for Hospitals

Make the most out of your hospital search:

• Look at a hospital's overall and patient star ratings. The overall rating is based on how well a hospital performs across different areas of quality, like treating heart attacks or safety of care. The patient survey star rating measures patients' experiences of their hospital care.
• Compare a hospital's performance against national averages for patient experiences, timely and effective care, complications, and more.

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New Rule Scrubs Medical Debt from Credit Reports Benefits Seniors and Families in Need

Following its launch of a major crackdown against abusive credit card industry junk fees that has saved consumers billions of dollars, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is out with a historic new rule earlier this month eliminating burdensome medical bills from most credit reports

Tens of millions of Americans are currently saddled with often inaccurate medical debt that diminishes their credit health, despite overwhelming data that shows medical bills have negligible predictive value in credit decisions.

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s action scrubbing medical debt from credit reports will be a lifeline for millions of Americans trying to get above water, especially those recovering from sickness or injury,” said Accountable.US’ Liz Zelnick. She went on to add that people should not be saddled with inaccurate credit reports that can negatively harm them.

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• PSE to Resume Shutting Off Power for Residents Behind on Payments, Including Households with Vulnerable Seniors. Tens of thousands of vulnerable and low-income households, previously protected from utility disconnections during and after the pandemic, are now at risk of losing access to power and heat. "Research highlights the extreme consequences disconnections have on vulnerable and low-income customers, including not being able to afford other basic necessities like food and medicine or even being evicted from rental properties,” said Yochi Zakai, an attorney representing WSCAP. The Commission granted PSE’s request to break its disconnection protection agreement despite being presented with this research. “Instead of resorting to punishing customers struggling to afford their bills, we need utilities to implement models that increase communications with residential customers behind on payments to help them take advantage of available financial assistance programs or get them into payment and budget plans," said Shaylee Stokes, director of The Energy Project, a program of WSCAP.

• Assisted Living Workers at WA Facility Call for Higher Wages. Workers for an assisted living facility are calling for higher wages in their union contract negotiations. Aegis Living, a Seattle-based company, has been in negotiations with Service Employees International Union - Local 775 - since March 2023. Workers say higher pay would help with retention. SEIU 775 says Aegis Living has increased fees for residents, but that money has not made its way to workers. Chetty said some of his colleagues are leaving for minimum wage jobs because the pay is similar, and the work is less stressful. --Washington News Service

•  911-211-988 Under One Roof: A first-of-its-kind service that brings social services and mental health together to support 911 is now operational through Valley Communications Center and Crisis Connections to serve South King County. --read full story at the following link:  http://dev.northwestprimetime.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2024/may/20/south-king-county-now-offers-911-988-211-under-one-roof/

• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: From June 1 through October 31, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides benefits to lower-income older adults to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey, and herbs. --read full story at the following link:     https://northwestprimetime.com/news/2024/may/15/senior-farmers-market-nutrition-program/

• AARP Seeks Nominees for Washington State Exceptional Volunteer Award: The award honors people ages 50+ who are sharing their time, talent, experience and skills to enrich the lives of community members. --read full story at the following link: AARP Seeks Nominees for Exceptional Volunteer Award

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A new report looks at the well-being of older Americans

WA ranks in top 10 for older Americans' well-being

The America's Health Ranking Senior Report shows a mixed bag for the living conditions of older adults, but Washington ranks seventh in the report.

Susan Engels, Unit on Aging office chief for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, said the state is succeeding for a number of reasons, including the expansion of its home delivered meals program during the pandemic.

"Some folks, that's their best meal of the day," Engels pointed out. "We did a lot of pivoting to get home delivered meals expanded to where anyone could access them, and it grew. We started spending three times the funding, and COVID funding came and we were able to do it."

Engels noted with funding from the pandemic ending, the state has stepped up to continue funding the program. The report also showed internet access has increased nationwide for older adults and early deaths decreased 8% between 2021 and 2022, although they did not dip below pre-pandemic levels.

Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, said there were other troubling signs for the well-being of older adults.

"We see more seniors living with depression and frequent mental distress," Randall reported. "We see some challenges in some economic majors like poverty and worsening housing cost burden and more seniors saying that they have food insecurity, that they're worried about getting access to food."

The report found the poverty rate increased 6% between 2021 and 2022. Food insecurity increased 8% between 2020 and 2021, rising for the first time since it peaked in 2014.