March 2010

 

(Sally Kidd has been Senior Services Director for the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency for the past 15 years. The agency operates seven senior centers throughout the three-county region. A message from Sally will be part of the monthly newsletter distributed by each of the centers.)
Sally Kidd
As promised in last month’s column, here’s more on an exciting and informative program scheduled for Friday, May 7, at the Danforth Place just outside of Escanaba.
Registration for the eighth annual Senior Living Conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the chockfull agenda kicking off at 9:20 (coffee and rolls will be provided in the morning along with lunch at noon). The conference will be provided by the Delta Council on Aging.
Agenda items for the conference include:
► Senior nutrition
► Public safety in the community
► Sex and the senior (including new friendships, companionship issues and intimacy)
► YMCA exercises
► Sex and the senior questions and answers
► Today’s economy (reverse mortgages)
I hope you will find this conference has a little bit of everything: useful information, entertainment, fantastic food, and the chance to win some nice door prizes. Fee is $5.
To register, make out a check payable to Delta Council on Aging and mail it to Community Action Agency, 507 1st Ave. N., Escanaba, MI 49829. Registration deadline is May 1. (Click HERE for registration form.)
While I’m at it, I would also like to invite you to take part in the quarterly Policy Advisory Committee meeting which takes place at each of our senior centers. This will give you a good opportunity to provide input on program planning, services at the center, meals and in-home services (like home-delivered meals or personal care). These quality-assurance groups provide our clients with the opportunity to tell us how we’re doing in their eyes. Call ahead so we can keep a spot open for you.
If necessary, we can try to arrange transportation so you can attend these meetings at the senior center of your choice. Meetings have been scheduled for Escanaba (10 a.m. Escanaba time, March 17) and Menominee (10 a.m. Menominee time, April 21). Check out our agency calendar at our Web site, www.mdscaa.org, for meeting day and times at our other senior centers.
Our senior centers are also hosting a special program called Senior Brigade provided by the state of Michigan Attorney General’s Office. The free sessions will provide information on protecting you from phone and mail scams along with identity theft.
So far the presentations have been scheduled for 11 a.m. (local time) April 19 in Hermansville, 12:45 p.m. (local time) April 19 at Mid-County in Dagget, and during the noon meal April 20 in Menominee. Programs at our Delta County senior centers are in the works, and further information will be provided in this monthly column.
I also need to correct an error that appeared in last month’s column concerning the Medicare Savings Plan. There is an asset limit, which doesn’t include a person’s home (plus contents) or car. The limit is $6,600 for a senior who is single or $9,910 for a couple. Monthly income limits are $1,219 for singles and $1,640 for couples.
March, with the change to Daylight Savings Time and the first day of spring, is a month of transition. Please take our good wishes along with you as we slowly make the move from the cold of winter to the warmth of spring.