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Young at Heart September 2021 Final

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Social Dancing for solos and couples Peggy Pollard, Teacher Peggy@WaltzTribe.com www.WaltzTribe.com www.PeggyDance.weebly.com Santa Cruz Waltz & Swing In Class & On-line Dances & Lessons Waltz Tribe membership Grow your mind, body & soul Dance to music you love Sign up Now for up-coming Classes! gories like Community Centers, Counseling & Mental Health Services, Dental Care, Education & Recreation, Food and Meal Programs, Legal and Consumer Services, Support Services, Trans- portation, and Volunteer Organizations. Last but not least, we're going to dive the deepest into the agency's HICAP services (seniornetwork- services.org/health-insur- ance-counseling-and-ad- vocacy-program-hicap). These offerings are tremendously valuable. When people turn 65, they can sign up for Medicare. They can also become eligible for Medicare before their 65th birthday through Social Security Disability. Because learning about Medicare and supplemen- tal insurance coverage can be such a confusing process, it's helpful to have someone available to explain it—and that's where HICAP staff and registered HICAP volun- teers come in. In addition to being able to assist by phone, they currently offer Zoom Medicare classes. Also, for those who are already on Medicare, HICAP staff can answer long-term care questions and help Medicare clients with billing problems. "The most popular HICAP service we expe- rience is people who are coming onto Medicare seeking more informa- tion," says Bill Proulx, program director of SNS' HICAP. "Because we do not sell insurance and thus are not paid by insurance companies, HICAP pro- vides unbiased Medicare counseling and education. There is a lot of misinfor- mation regarding Medi- care plans and the com- plexity of Medicare can be daunting for someone not versed in health insurance terminology." In addition, parts of Medicare can be different from county to county. Plus, some parts of Medicare are annual plans, and some are lifetime plans. "Most of the dif- ferent parts have different enrollment timeframes and the costs can change each year," adds Bill. "All these variations make it hard for most people to keep up with all the changes." HICAP provides com- munity education and individual counseling on Medicare all year long. But their busiest season is September through March. This is due to Medicare's "Annual Enrollment peri- od" (Oct. 7-Dec. 15), and due to "Open Enrollment Period for Part C Advan- tage plans" from January to March 31. "Seniors are the fastest growing age group in California, so we stay busy educating and counseling on Medicare," Bill says. When the COVID-19 pandemic started in the spring of 2020, HICAP was able to switch from in-person counseling and community presentations to Zoom and telephone counseling and presenta- tions very quickly. "Any senior in Santa Cruz or San Benito Counties seek- ing Medicare counseling can contact us directly at 831-462-5510," Bill says. "Our volunteers and staff are resourceful and dedicated to providing Medicare education to the community." Prior to the pandemic, they provided counseling and presentations through- out the community in public locations such as libraries, senior centers, community centers. One of the benefits of Zoom presentations is that individuals who have difficulty leaving their res- idences, can access these resources virtually and safely. "However, when HICAP counselors did in-person presentations at community locations, this provided HICAP with word-of-mouth adver- tising," says Bill. "Right now, the lack of commu- Senior Network Services... continued from page 1 nity visibility impacts the number of people who would normally use HI- CAP services." Hopefully, some people who weren't aware of HICAP will read this article and be able to benefit. Even though numbers are down, there are lots of people who have suc- cessfully utilized HICAP in 2021. In fact, we are sharing several comments from those who used these services in the last three months: • "The HICAP counsel- or was so helpful! This Zoom meeting made my decision process much easier than I expected. Good work!" • "The HICAP counselor steered me through a maze of information. He had the material well organized, gave ample space for my questions and spoke clear- ly and concisely." • "The HICAP counselor was AMAZING! Such an organized, informative and clear presentation- I greatly enjoyed my time on the call with the coun- selor. Immensely helpful!" • "The HICAP counselor was fabulous in her role as explainer-in-chief. Made something potentially frustrating seem not so bad after all. Great sense of humor! Thank you." • "Signing up for Medi- care is unbelievably confusing. It was great to have someone knowl- edgeable guide us through it in this time of COVID especially. The HICAP counselor was wonderful." • "The HICAP counselor was very nice and enjoy- able to speak with and her knowledge was very comforting! We felt very good and confident after the consultation." Don't forget, if you are a senior and in need of information of any kind, Senior Network Services is available. If they don't have the information themselves, chances are they know where to direct you! Contact Info: seniornetworkservices.org 1777-A Capitola Rd., San- ta Cruz, 831-462-1433 Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. courtesy of Senior Network Services website I will answer your questions by phone, email or in person. Call today for a free no-obligation quote. P 831.423.2900 PRESIDENT'S PLATINUM CLUB 2013-2020 2013-2020 TOP VOLUME PRODUCER • Reverse Mortgage FHA lending limit is now $822,375. Now may be the time to do a reverse mortgage or refinance your current reverse or forward mortgage at historically low interest and MIP rates. • Additionally, our Jumbo Reverse Mortgage Program may offer you a loan amount up to $4,000,000. Tax-free cash! Money to help you, your family members, or other loved ones. *Consult a tax specialist. Dan Casagrande NMLS# 561104, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc., NMLS ID 1025894. 3131 Camino Del Rio N 1100, San Diego, CA 92108 Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection & Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act, License 4131356. These materials are not from HUD or FHA and the document was not approved by HUD, FHA or any Government Agency. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org Premium Hearing Healthcare Dr. Jeannine is the only board- certified audiologist in the Santa Cruz and Monterey area. She diagnoses and treats hearing loss and specializes in tinnitus. At Harmony Audiology, solutions are tailored to your needs and values with a focus on patient- centered care. www.harmonyaudiology.com (831) 854-2882 820 Bay Avenue, Suite 210 Capitola, CA 95010 JeanneAnne ("Jeannine") Ramacho-Talley, Au.D., CCC-A, CH-TM American Board of Audiology Certified Is your Medicare Coverage still right for you? For more information, you can meet with me or attend one of my Kaiser Permanente Medicare Health Plans seminars. Please call: Learn more at kp.org/medicare You must reside in the Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan service area in which you enroll. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings call TTY 711. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. 393 E. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91188-8514 Y0043_N00015450_C Greg Orais Kaiser Permanente Medicare specialist 925-464-0537 (TTY 711) mykpagent.org/grego Please recycle. 446781680 CA February 2020 courtesy of Senior Network Services website

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