Welcome to Our
September Newsletter!
🍂☕🍁
Hello to all our Clients, Families and Colleagues,
As we transition from summer to fall, it's the perfect time to focus on staying well-prepared for the months ahead. In this edition, we bring you valuable insights and resources to help you take proactive steps in maintaining your health and well-being through the winter season. Whether you're gearing up for the colder months or looking to stay ahead in your planning, we're here to guide and support you every step of the way!
Featured in this month's newsletter:
Let Us Be Prepared - By Joan Harris, LSW, MBA, CMC
Interview with Amy Roberts, owner of Out of the Box Moves: What is a Senior Move Manager? What steps can you take now to get organized?
Care Partner Coaching: Tailored Strategies for Families whose Loved Ones have Memory Impairment Disorders
Stay Ahead of Scammers! Protecting Vulnerable Loved Ones
Symphony’s Dementia Engagement Specialist
Vaccine Reminder Checklist
By Joan Harris, LSW, MBA, CMC
Let Us Be Prepared
Hello to all. It is a beautiful time of year. We are all making the transition in our lives from summer beaches and time off, to fall. Enjoying the cooler breeze, getting some mum plants, and thinking about what needs to be done to prepare for the months ahead. In this issue of our Newsletter, we will focus on getting organized and proactively planning for a healthy fall and winter season. Our priority each September is to assist our clients with Medicare Open Enrollment which runs from October 15 to December 9. Why is this important? Most people sign up for Medicare A & B (Hospital and Outpatient medical care coverage), a self-pay Medigap Policy to cover the 20% that Medicare does not cover, and a Medicare D Prescription Plan or they trade standard Medicare for a Medicare Advantage Plan Medicare C. Most people do not re-evaluate their chosen plan years down the road because they assume that it is covering them well and it can be overwhelming and complicated to evaluate.
In our work as Care Managers, we are engaging with clients and their families’ decades after they first chose a health plan. What we see often is that our client’s needs have changed and their health plans do not cover what they need. Outdated or poorly tailored Managed Care Plans do not give them the choices they want because the company only contracts with certain nursing & rehabilitation facilities. Many facilities will not accept clients who have this insurance. In addition, we see our clients sometimes discharged sooner from the hospital and shorter length of home health care approval if the insurance company’s utilization reviewer makes that decision.
Here is the good news: The State of Massachusetts has a free health insurance consultation program called SHINE: Serving the Health Care Needs of Everyone.
Every Senior Center in the state has trained SHINE volunteers. Starting in mid-September you or your family member can call your city or town’s Senior Center (Council on Aging) and schedule an appointment to meet (in person or on the phone) with a SHINE volunteer who will log in with you to your Medicare.gov account, look at your current plan, your need for coverage and prescription medications. They will, right then and there provide consultation and get you enrolled. They are a wealth of information and make the whole process easy. Schedule an appointment and make sure that when health issues arise, you have the coverage you need and the best choices available for care.
SCM's Highlights
Interview with Amy Roberts, owner of Out of the Box Moves: What is a Senior Move Manager? What steps can you take now to get organized?
In this video, Joan interviews Amy Roberts, the owner of Out of the Box Moves, to discuss the role of a Senior Move Manager and the essential steps you can take now to get organized for future transitions.
Click below to watch the interview and learn how a Senior Move Manager can simplify the moving process, reduce stress, and ensure a smooth transition for seniors and their families. Whether you're planning ahead or supporting a loved one through a move, this video provides practical advice and strategies to help you stay organized and prepared.
Featured Blog - By Julia Nickrosz, CDP
Care Partner Coaching: Tailored Strategies for Families whose Loved Ones have Memory Impairment Disorders
In this month's blog feature, Dementia Specialist Julia Nickrosz, CDP, shares her insights on navigating challenging transitions for individuals with dementia. Using personalized strategies grounded in Habilitation Therapy, she offers valuable guidance on how to support loved ones through difficult moves, manage behavioral changes, and create a more comfortable environment. Julia's approach emphasizes emotional well-being and practical techniques, such as fiblets and behavior logs, to enhance the quality of life for both individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Read the full article on our website to learn more about how these compassionate methods can make a difference.
Helpful Resources
Stay Ahead of Scammers! Protecting Vulnerable Loved Ones
We understand the importance of safeguarding older adults from financial scams, which are unfortunately all too common. Scammers often target older adults, and it's crucial to take preventive measures to protect them, especially if they show signs of cognitive decline. Drawing from a helpful AARP article, here are some key actions you can take to safeguard your senior loved ones:
Secure sensitive documents like tax returns and bank statements, either in a safe or online.
Set up alerts for unusual financial activity and monitor their bank accounts for signs of trouble.
Consider a service like Aura, Identity Guard, or LifeLock to catch identity theft early.
Be added as a trusted contact at their financial institution to be notified of suspicious activity.
Freeze their credit report to prevent unauthorized accounts from being opened in their name.
Install robocall and SMS blocking tools to limit contact with scammers.
Share scam-prevention basics such as being cautious with unsolicited calls and keeping personal information private.
Company updates
Symphony’s Dementia Engagement Specialist
Jean Clements, our Practice Manager has been busy this month working with one of our clients in her role as Dementia Engagement Specialist. Our client recently was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. After going through the Mass General Brigham “Drive Safe” Program, to determine if driving was still safe, he has retired from driving. Our Dementia Care Program focuses on the gold standard of care: Habilitation Therapy which means we champion all the remaining abilities our clients have and create a structure that supports them to do all the activities they need to do, have always done and activities they enjoy doing.
Jean has formed a great bond with our client while taking him to his appointments, and shopping. They have wonderful discussions and Jean is also able to make sure that our client’s newly scheduled appointments get onto his calendar at home. Jean has a deep understanding of how Dementia can affect her clients and the strategies that respect their needs. With Jean’s engagement and Care Management support for coordination of services, our client continues to “Age in Place” in his home with his wife. All our work together stems from this goal.
If your loved one could benefit from engagement to improve their quality of life while living with memory impairment, call us to discuss this great service.
Healthcare News and Updates
Vaccine Reminder Checklist
Check with your Primary Care Physician to get a list of the vaccines you need.
Flu Vaccine:
Often the Flu vaccine is given at your Dr’s office. If you are not scheduled to see your Primary Care Physician in September or October, you can get the Flu vaccine at the pharmacy. CDC States: "Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October."
Specific Flu Shots for People 65 and Older: The CDC and ACIP preferentially recommend the use of higher-dose flu vaccines (Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine and Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant influenza vaccine) or adjuvanted flu vaccine (Fluad Quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine vaccine) over standard-dose unadjuvanted flu vaccines for people 65 years and older.
This recommendation is based on a review of available studies which suggests that, in this age group, these vaccines are potentially more effective than standard dose unadjuvanted flu vaccines. If one of these vaccines is not available at the time of administration, people in this age group should get a standard-dose unadjuvanted inactivated flu vaccine instead. There are other flu vaccines approved for use in people 65 years and older. People 65 years and older should not get a nasal spray vaccine.
Last Reviewed: March 21, 2024, 01:00 PM
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
Covid-19 Boosters are now available at the pharmacy
What to know:
- Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
- The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
- It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are ages 65 and older, are at high risk for severe COVID-19, or have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses
RSV Vaccine: Talk with your physician.
The CDC states: Who should get an RSV vaccine?
CDC recommends RSV vaccines for all adults ages 75 years and older, and for adults ages 60–74 years who are at increased risk of severe RSV.
CDC recommends an RSV vaccine if you are ages 60-74 and:
- Have chronic heart or lung disease.
- Have a weakened immune system.
- Have certain other medical conditions, including severe obesity and severe diabetes.
- Live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility.
- RSV vaccine is given as a single dose.
- RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine, meaning people do not need to get a dose every RSV season. If you have already received an RSV vaccine, you do not need another dose at this time.
- If you have a moderate or severe illness, you should wait until you recover
before receiving an RSV vaccine. If you have a minor illness, such as a cold, you can get an RSV vaccine. Talk with your physician.
As we wrap up this edition, we hope the insights and resources shared have been valuable to you. Whether you're taking steps toward future planning or managing daily responsibilities, remember that we're here to support you every step of the way. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.
Wishing you a cozy and colorful fall season! 🍂
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