During the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP), Medicare Advantage plan enrollees may enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan or disenroll from their Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare. Individuals may make only one election during the MA OEP and may also consider adding or dropping Part D (prescription drug) coverage. For more information or a Medicare Plan review, please contact Tioga Opportunities, Inc.’s Health Insurance Information, Counseling, and Assistance Program (HIICAP) at 607-687-4120, ext. 344.

The following information has been sent from the Social Security Administration:

We have become aware of reports of fraudulent telephone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Social Security Administration (SSA). In them, unknown callers are using threatening language to warn unknowing victims that they will be arrested or face other legal action if they fail to call a provided phone number or press the number indicated in the message to address the issue. In some instances, these unknown callers switch tactics and communicate that they want to help an individual with activating a suspended Social Security number. Such calls are a scam, and are not coming from official SSA representatives.

We encourage you to inform your members and extended networks not to engage with such callers, and to report any suspicious calls to Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General by calling 1-800-269-0271 or submitting a report on the OIG website (https://oig.ssa.gov/report).

Sepsis can and does affect people of all ages. The very young and those who already have a chronic health issue or a compromised immune system are at higher risk of developing sepsis. But people over 65 years old, particularly those who have health issues, are even more susceptible to sepsis than any other group. According to a study published in 2006, while people aged 65 years and older make up about 12% of the American population, they make up 65% of sepsis cases in the hospitals.

Sepsis kills someone every 2 minutes, hospitalizes someone every 20 seconds and is the leading cause of hospital readmissions and avoidable hospitalizations. Eighty-ninety (89) percent of sepsis infections originate in the home and community and NOT in the hospital. Prevention and identification are key, and when identified, 80% of people’s lives are saved.

For more information, watch the clip below:

Video clip:  Sepsis & Older Adults

Thank you to all of our RSVP volunteers (and their guests!) who joined Department of Aging staff for a Holiday Luncheon on Wednesday, December 5^th at Tioga Downs Casino Resort.  RSVP volunteers have made a significant difference in the lives of many older adults in Tioga County, both by delivering healthy meals and providing transportation to needed medical appointments.  In the time period from March 2018 through September 2018, RSVP volunteers dedicated 1,430 hours of their time serving their fellow community members.  We were grateful to have the opportunity to offer a small token of thanks for the time and energy given by these selfless volunteers.  If you are interested in learning more about volunteering through RSVP and giving back to the community, please contact Christine Shaver at 607-687-4120, ext. 313 or cshaver@tiogaopp.org.