| | | With you along the journey...wherever it takes you
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| Letter From the Executive Director
We are thrilled to have rounded the corner into Spring with the official Ribbon Cutting of our Durgin Center located at 274 State Street in Brewer.
The event was a wonderful celebration of Nelson Durgin's legacy of commitment of service to our community and how it will live on the programs, gatherings, and social strengthening provided through the Durgin Center. Thank you to everyone who has given so generously to this center and to everyone who came out in support of the ribbon cutting. For more information on upcoming programs, please visit www.durgincenter.org or click HERE to sign up for our newsletter. Spring is also the perfect time to dust off your volunteer hat and get back into activities which support your neighbors! EAAA has many amazing volunteer opportunities that help us meet the many needs in our four service counties and we hope you will consider signing up to join our team! Thank you for your continued support of EAAA's work.
-Rebecca Kirk |
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| Interested in volunteering? These positions are our greatest needs:
Café Support Volunteers, Tuesday, 10:45-1:30pm
Brewer Meal Packers, Thursday mornings at the Durgin Center, 8-10am
Durgin Center Front Desk, Multiple shifts available, M-F, 9am-12pm or 12-3pm
We have other volunteer opportunities as well! |
KEEPING YOUR FURRY FRIENDS HYDRATED NOW THAT THE WEATHER IS WARMING UP! |
| 💧Choose a food to add moisture to your pet's diet! Wet food, packaged in cans or pouches, is usually 70 to 75% moisture. Frozen raw food or lightly-cooked frozen food is about 60 to 70% moisture. 💧Have more than one bowl of water available for your pet in different rooms to remind them to drink water. 💧Empty and refill your pets water bowls at least once a day. 💧Clean out the water bowls at least once a week. If your pet has an outdoor water bowl, clean it daily as there is a higher chance of contamination from other critters. 💧When you're traveling, pack water from home! Dogs and cats can prefer water from home, just like you. |
| Many older adults experience concerns about falling and restrict their activities. A MATTER OF BALANCE is an award-winning program designed to manage falls and increase activity levels.
We are excited to announce that we will be offering this program in person once again! A Matter of Balance starts April 5th - call us at (207)941-2865 or click below to sign up or learn more! |
| DID YOU KNOW: seniors in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, and Hancock counties can access FREE nutritious monthly food boxes by applying for the CSFP food box? Each food box is valued at $50 and is available to low income older adults, and contains a variety of canned fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry, pasta, rice, peanut butter, juice, shelf-stable milk, cereals, and cheese. Participating adults can pick up their boxes from their choice of 56 different distribution locations every month.
The USDA recently increased their guidelines to $1,473 a month for a single person household, and $1,984 a month for a two person household.* |
| | Dear Marci, I just realized I missed my Initial Enrollment Period to enroll in Medicare. What happens if I enroll in Medicare late? -Dan (Herman, MN) |
| Dear Dan, If you missed your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) and need to enroll in Medicare, you will have to enroll during either a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) or the General Enrollment Period (GEP) to enroll in Part B or Premium Part A unless you have limited income and savings and are eligible for a Buy In. If you are eligible for Premium-Free Part A, you can enroll at any time. Special Enrollment Period If you are eligible for the Part B SEP, you can enroll in Medicare without penalty at any time while you have job-based insurance and for eight months after you lose your job-based insurance or you (or your spouse) stop working, whichever comes first. If you are under 65, are Medicare-eligible due to disability, and have job-based insurance through a family member’s current work, you may also be entitled to the SEP if there are at least 100 employees at your family member’s place of work. General Enrollment Period The GEP takes place January 1 through March 31 of each year. During this period, you can enroll in Medicare Part B or Part A if you have to pay a premium for it. Enrolling during the GEP in 2022 means your coverage will start on July 1, 2022. Until that time, you will not be covered by Part B, although your Part A may start sooner if you qualify for premium-free Part A. You may have to pay a Part B premium penalty depending on the amount of time between your IEP and your enrollment.
Let’s talk about the Part B premium penalty. For each 12-month period you delay Medicare Part B enrollment, you will have to pay a 10% Part B premium penalty (unless you are eligible for a SEP through job-based insurance or are eligible for a Medicare Savings Program). In most cases, you will have to pay that penalty every month for as long as you have Medicare. If you are enrolled in Medicare because of a disability and currently pay premium penalties, once you turn 65 you will no longer have to pay that premium penalty. If you have limited income and savings, you may be eligible for additional help. the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) or Buy-in Program. MSPs help pay your Medicare Part B premium costs and may also pay Medicare cost sharing and Part A premiums. Additional benefits of enrolling in an MSP include: Allowing you to enroll in Medicare Part B outside of usual enrollment periods (like the GEP) Eliminating your Part B late enrollment penalty if you have one Allowing you to enroll in Premium Part A outside of usual enrollment periods in some circumstances
So, if you have missed your IEP, but have limited income and assets and qualify for an MSP, you will be able to enroll in Part B at any time without incurring a late enrollment penalty. I recommend contacting your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to check if you qualify for an MSP in your state. I hope this helps you learn what to expect as you enroll in Medicare late. Best of luck! -Marci
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- Don't Know the Number? Don't Answer! - |
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Don't answer the phone if you don't know the number, even if it appears to be a local number. Scammers call pretending to be from places like Medicare and ask for your personal information. You can protect yourself by not picking up the phone. |
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Caregiver Respite Program
The Caregiver Respite Program supports family caregivers by helping to pay for someone else to provide care for the person with dementia.
Caregivers can utilize agencies, friends, relatives, or day programs to provide care. Respite gives caregivers a chance to take care of their own needs while knowing that their loved one is safe and being cared for.
Respite funds are currently available, click here to learn more. |
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| | Medications And Your Brain
Talk to your providers about what is important to you and how your medications fit in that picture.
When you're talking to your provider, there are important questions to ask.
Are all your providers on the same page when it comes to your medications?
Will your medication have side effects?
Is your medication age friendly? |
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| | Office Closures
Eastern Area Agency on Aging and the Durgin Center will be closed April 18, 2022 for Patriots Day.
The Durgin Center will be closed April 28, 2022 for a staff event. Eastern Area Agency on Aging will be open with reduced hours. |
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Coming Soon to the Durgin Center: |
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| Community Café Dates April 5th - Turkey w/ Cranberry Gravy April 12th - Meatballs and Marinara April 19th - Honey Garlic Pork April 26th - Chicken w/ Herbed Gravy
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| | - Creative Crafting - Make a decorative wall hanging to spruce up your space for spring. Multiple designs, ribbons and accents to choose from! 4/13/22 1:00-2:30pm
- Pottery workshop - Make windchimes from clay Monday mornings from 10am-12pm 4/25/2022 - 5/9/2022
- Social Security: Your Questions - - Answered - Online and in-person hybrid presentation with an Edward Jones Financial Advisor Tuesday lunch hour talk from 12pm-1pm on 4/19/2022 |
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*In accordance with Federal Civil Rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Civil Rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior credible activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. |
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