Especially for Seniors: Cheer up, bundle up, tighten up
Here is a roundup of some relevant information covering a variety of topics:
• The big news for many seniors is an increase in Social Security for next year. Already, we’ve heard complaints about how much this will be costing the taxpayers. Sometimes I wonder if those doing the complaining realize that we seniors also pay all the same kinds of taxes as everyone else, and have been doing so for many, many years. Today, we pay the same taxes, do it with less, and we still have to eat. Most of this increase will be taken up by an accompanying increase in the monthly insurance premium for Medicare, so I doubt if any of us will see our wallets get fat.
• If you are a caregiver to someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you may be interested in a program presented by Home Instead Senior Care at the Baxter Memorial Library in Gorham. “Managing Alzheimer’s Disease in the Home” includes ways to cope with day-to-day challenges of this disease. Cathy Kline, Social Worker for Maine Medical’s Geriatric Clinic will discuss tips and effective ways to provide care. Reservations are required. Call 839-0441 or email myager@homeinsteadmaine.com.
• Some of our friends have left Maine for their winter homes, where the weather promises to be more pleasant. For those of us who stay in Maine, waiting for those first snowflakes, there’s much to get done before it gets too cold. Last week, we gathered up the leftover rope caulking for the windows and made a note on our to-do list to get some clear plastic to add an extra layer over those windows after all the cracks and air spaces have been filled. I always recall the advice of my late father – if cold air is coming in, warm air is going out. So fill up those little breezy places around your windows.
• Summer clothing has been packed away, replaced by wool socks, sweaters, and comfortable (and warm) sweatpants. When I was growing up, we had flannel-lined blue jeans, but I haven’t seen them lately. Sweatpants and the reliable long-johns work just as well.
• Fuel assistance agencies are holding dozens of appointments and people are lining up to wait their turn to provide information that is needed to determine the amount of help available. If this is the first winter you may need help, contact your town’s municipal office and the general assistance department can help you, or call PROP (Peoples Regional Opportunity Program at (207) 553-5800. You may also find sources of assistance by calling the 2-1-1 state help line.
• Part-time jobs are hard to come by and there is little opportunity for seniors to add to their reduced income, but there are some possibilities. If you are 55 or older, and “mobile,” you may have interest in an opportunity to earn a little money and help make life better for children and/or adults. PROP has two programs for income-eligible volunteers. Foster Grandparents is a well-known program that’s been around for quite some years. We know many who have enjoyed and are enjoying the hours they spend in area schools and child development centers.
• Another program PROP has is called Senior Companions, which involves helping isolated adults maintain independence. In each of these programs, income-eligible volunteers receive non-taxable stipends in return for a weekly commitment of 20 hours or more. All volunteers also receive meal and travel assistance. For more information call 773-0202 or 800-698-4959.
• This might be a good season to start writing some of your memories. It’s obvious to me that the technology of today’s world is changing almost daily and the way things used to be may be forgotten if we don’t start putting it into “hard copy” – that is, writing. No matter what type of devices are available for use today, the written word will survive. Start your memory book this year – begin at the beginning with where and when you were born, who your family was, where your first name came from (I was named for a Bing Crosby song!) and just keep going. Tell about going to school, your first job, what your hobbies and hopes were. You’ll be surprised how easy this will be. And keep me posted on your progress.
Kay Soldier welcomes reader ideas for column topics of interest to seniors. She can be reached by email at kso48@aol.com, or write to 114 Tandberg Trail, Windham, ME 04062.
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