Page 14 - Senior Times South Central Michigan - October 2017 - 24-10

Page 14
Senior Times - October 2017
Aging and Disability Resource Line: 1-800-626-6719 General Agency Telephone: (269) 966-2450
200 West Michigan Avenue Suite 102 Battle Creek, MI 49017
www.region3b.org
Kinship Korner
Family Enrichment Center
415 S. 28th Street Battle Creek, MI 49015
Beckie Brinks, Kinship Coordinator Email: bbrinks@fecfamilies.com
Ph: (269) 660-0448
Fx: (269) 963-0160 www.Fecfamily.com
Calhoun County Kinship Care Services advocates for and provides supportive services to families rais- ing related children. If you are rais- ing a related child (ages 0-18 years), you may be eligible for Kinship
Care Services through the Family Enrichment Center. Kinship Care Services offers support groups, inter- generational family activities, helpful classes and specialized training ses- sions.
Do Yourself a Favor by Attending One of Our Support Groups!
• Join us monthly on the first Tuesday of each month from 12:30-2:30pm for the Battle Creek Kinship Support Group. We meet in the All Purpose room at the Westlake Presbyterian Church. Support groups nurture relationships, decrease isolation and provide a safe place to vent. Support groups build on collective energy, creativity, and the talents of all group members. The next meeting is October 3, 2017, from 12:30-2pm.
• Consider visiting a support group. You won’t regret it!
• On Monday, October 16, Jane Wolf will discuss “Parenting the High Needs Child” at the Family Enrichment Center from 6:30-8:30 pm.
• Our “Saturday Parenting Series” training is scheduled for October 21, 2017, (also at the Family Enrichment Center) from 9am-12pm.
• Our Brown Bag Lunch is scheduled for October 5 from 12-1pm, at the Family Enrichment Center as well.
• We also provide respite for our Kinship families when it all becomes too much to handle!
Coming soon, Our 9th Annual Family Seminar on November 4, 2017. Look for it on our website at www. FECFamily.com.
We are interested in hearing your opinion on how we can better serve the Kinship community. Please
give Beckie a call or e-mail her at bbrinks@fecfamily.com. Your input will be appreciated!
We have the means to help provide necessities and enrichment activities for the children in your care. We also have the experience and knowledge to advocate for you and give advice on how to navigate through issues as they develop. Spread the word!
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for “tCheheMckedUigpa!p” SOupbesnidy!
“I get by with a little help from my friends.”
By: Karla Fales, CEO of CareWell Services SW
Enrollment Oct 15-Dec 7
I remember perfectly when we learned my dad had cancer. It was in the Oaklawn ER, when the doctor treating
my dad came and sat down and said gently, “I need to give you some papers for a referral, but I want you to understand them first. Let’s do this together.”
We are coming up on the anniversary of my dad’s passing. What comes to mind reflecting on that experience
is the amazing people who were together with us: A gentle doctor, a compassionate and funny receptionist, and the most significant, my cousin, Becky Porter. What I remember most about Becky was her ability
to help without doing for us; her talent for encouraging while comforting; and her ease in educating and raising our awareness in areas of importance.
Becky inspired me and taught me a concept that
what was more important
than having the best doctors, the latest equipment or the most cutting edge treatment
– empowered and enabled patients do better. It is a way of caring for and supporting people that I now know actually has a title: Community Health Workers. CHWs are those individuals, with formal training, that come alongside individuals in health crisis,
or those who have complex health care needs, or whose capacity to manage their health is impeded by other social factors. Like Becky, who would have been an awesome CHW, community health workers help vulnerable and compromised people navigate the health care system, making connections both within the health care system and the community. They are our advocates, coaches, counselors, educators, and supporters on our health care journey.
These ideas were the impetus for a new initiative CareWell Services has launched in partnership with Oaklawn
Hospital and Hemmingsen’s Drugstore with funding by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. The Care-Connection Health Intervention Program (C-CHIP) seeks to bridge the connection between seniors and their health care team, bringing support into the home, with
a focus on those with serious chronic conditions or that have non-health related challenges that make it hard for them to navigate the system on their own. Think of it as “wrap around for seniors and their caregivers.”
Through the program, Oaklawn Hospital patients
are connected to a CareWell community health care worker who meets with them in their home and through conversation learn of their goals and needs. They are then provided access to services, educational resources and referrals to help them meet those goals. We focus on helping the seniors
to remain stable, to avoid
being in the hospital and to gain confidence and capacity as they manage their chronic conditions. We want to help them on their journey of maintaining their health and making choices to better their health. As seniors gain greater confidence in managing their chronic conditions, they are able to understand, manage and seek resources to help them manage their conditions – together with their health care team.
In simplest terms, we
all need someone to come alongside us sometimes. Health is complex and the health care system can be challenging,
add in what my dad called the “pepperiness of life” – it can be overwhelming and confusing. But like our experience of having Becky alongside us, we are hopeful through this project many seniors can be successful and feel more empowered and enabled along their health care journey. And we want to do this together.
Perhaps our theme song should be, “I get by with a little help from my friends?”
By Karen Manney, Regional
Coordinator, MMAP
By Karen Manney, Regional
Coordinator, MMAP
Part D Prescription Plan Open Enrollment, October 15 through December 7, is when you can check your Medicare Prescription Part D or Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance costs and list of meds they’ll cover for 2018, and enroll in a new plan if you’d like for 2018. Save money by mak- ing your annual Part D “Check Up” appointment at your nearest MMAP office.
CareWell Services SW location inside the Kool Family Center in Battle Creek 1-800-803-7174.
Forks Senior Center in Albion (517) 629-3842.
Calhoun County Office of Senior Services or the Heritage Center in Marshall call (269) 781-0846.
Barry County residents are served at the Barry Commission on Aging in Hastings.
MMAP works by appoint- ments. Walk-ins may have to wait up to an hour for a coordi- nator to be available to set their appointment. Calling is best; we will call back within a couple business days. Please be patient. NOTE: If you have the “Extra Help” program you don’t have the December 7 deadline; you can make changes to your plan at ANY time during the year.
For your appointment, bring your Medicare Card, Driver’s License, and all other insurance cards you use. Bring a complete list of your current prescription medications, the dosage, and how often you take it, or the actual medication bottles/vials/pens/ inhalers. Know how many pills, boxes, pens, or vials you use monthly. Most pharmacies will print out your list for you.
Other unbiased ways to com- pare Medicare plans: Online https://medicare.gov then click on “Find health and drug plans” and do a personalized search, entering your own information. Or, call Medicare directly at 1-800-633-4227. They get infor- mation over the phone, and help you review your options and sign up for Part D, too.
CAUTION: If you are enrolled in MiHealth Link or PACE (CentraCare) for your health needs, signing up for a Part D Prescription Plan will disenroll you from MiHealthLink or PACE!
PROMOTING HEALTH
INDEPENDENCE CHOICE