Eastern Agency on Aging: Editorial Page

George Hale Silver Frame Awards

Eastern Agency on Aging’s mission is to be the best source for information, options and services for people as they grow older.  The agency also has a motto: Live Well, Age Well.  This year we want to celebrate May and Older Americans Month by honoring the many unique and inspired older people who demonstrate how living well helps you age well. 

This year Eastern Agency on Aging is announcing the first ever George Hale Silver Frame Awards: the Picture of Active Aging in

Eastern Maine

.  We are seeking nominations for older persons who may not be famous or a household name, but in some unique way have become a model for healthy and active living.  Active aging means living life as fully as possible within the 6 dimensions of wellness (emotional, vocational, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social). George Hale is one of those amazing role models we are privileged to honor by making him the namesake of these awards.

The judging process will be done outside of the agency by a selected group of community leaders. We will be presenting the winners with a silver, engraved frame and $100 cash.  The presentation will be made at a lunch celebration in each winner’s community in May. 

We have established three categories and two age groups (60-75 and 76+).  The categories are meant to be broad reaching and open to interpretation.  It is important to note that there is no wrong category for an entry. We are asking for a 350 to 500 word essay and it can be typed, handwritten, recorded on tape or if you need help writing it, let us know and we will find someone to help you.

Send the essays, include a photo of the nominee if you wish, to Noelle Merrill, Eastern Agency on Aging,

450 Essex St.

,

Bangor

,

ME

04401

or you may email nominations to

nmerrill@eaaa.org

.

The first category is “Artistic/Creative”.   “Living the creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith,” writes dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp in her book The Creative Habit. The world’s many talented artists like Tharp, Matisse and even Clint Eastwood have disproved the once held concept that creativity wanes in the second half of life or that the need to be creative goes away. If you know an older person who is living the life creative, tell us about them.

Our second category is Fitness or Outdoor Enthusiast/Adventurer.  Active aging means living life to the fullest extent possible within the dimensions of wellness. Tai chi and yoga, water exercise and strength training are some common ways older people find to stay fit.  The recent 19 kilometer Caribou Bog Ski Race in

Bangor

had 43 participants and 22 of them were over 50 years of age, and two were over 70.  Clearly our many senior athletes demonstrate that as people age they don’t have to give up their physically active nature.  We look forward to hearing about our resident adventurers or fitness role models.

The last category is Life-Long Learner/Entrepreneurial.  Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. Lifelong learning throws the axiom "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" out the door. It is said that brain fitness can be developed by formal education, being actively mentally engaged in life, continuing to learn, and exercises designed to challenge cognitive skills.  Given that

Maine

is the oldest state, it shouldn’t be hard to find those entrepreneurs or life-long learners in our midst.

We can’t wait to read the essays and stories, so don’t hesitate, nominate that special elder today!

Facts Behind Maine is the Oldest State

It has been difficult to pin anyone down on what it means when they say, Maine is the oldest state, and people have been saying it for a couple of years.

The March 2007 edition of AARP Bulletin lists the rankings and the source of the rankings for the oldest state.  The calculation described is simply the median age, the age at which half of the residents are younger and half are older.  Maine tops the rankings list by having a median age of 41.2. If you type in on your location bar or click on the following link, you will be able see the complete listings. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GRTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-_box_head_nbr=R0101&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-format=US-30&-_sse=on

If you don't have the time to review the full rankings page, suffice it to say that 11of the first 17 oldest states are in the east, and they are Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Delaware. Their median age goes from 40.7 in Vermont down to 37.9 in Delaware.  The youngest median age in the nation is found in Utah at 28.5.

The national median age is 36.4.  There is no doubt that we in Maine are an aging population, and our neighboring states are in much the same predicament. 

The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 American Community Survey also offers a variety of looks at the demographics in our nation, it's a fascinating collection of data that provides rankings nationwide for many different characteristics. 

Noelle Merrill, Executive Director

 

Recent Letter to the Editor in the Bangor Daily News

The tragic suicide of one of our community’s cherished elders seemed so needless and preventable.  While we don’t know all the details of this terrible incident, it was clear from the news stories that this person needed help paying for his prescriptions and fuel, and that he clearly felt desperate and hopeless.

Eastern Agency on Aging works very hard to provide programs that help our senior citizens.  We offer nutritious meals, help in getting fuel assistance, and now thanks to Medicare D, help with paying for prescription medications.  Sadly, there are still many of our areas seniors who think they must suffer in solitude.  But there is so much help available if they just give us a call.

If you know of someone who may be going without fuel, food or prescription medication because they just don’t have enough money, please let them know they should call their local agency on aging.  Our services are free and confidential and we are eager to assist seniors with any and all their concerns.

From providing free legal services, respite for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers, to providing home delivery of meals, area agencies on aging stand at the ready to take calls and improve seniors’ quality of life. It is our mission.  We also recommend a “Benefits Check-Up” which will be done free of charge and will ensure that the senior is receiving every benefit for which he of she is eligible.

Eastern Agency on Aging covers eastern

Maine

but there are five agencies on aging in the state. To find the one in your area call, toll-free 1-877-353-3771.

Noëlle L. Merrill

Executive Director

Eastern Agency on Aging

Cataract Surgery Comment Research

EAA's Director of Community Services researched a recent comment on this blog regarding cataract surgery and found that it was very possible that the consumer needed to pay $1500 for the surgery.  Our director assumed the following: 1) That the consumer had the surgery in Penobscot county, 2) that the surgery included insertion of a lens, and 3) the consumer had Medicare part B coverage to cover this procedure as an outpatient procedure.  EAA's Director found cost comparisons for that surgery (CPT code 66984) at www.cms.gov under a new “transparency program” that Medicare introduced in August 2006-see the link below for the actual press release. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1948

Based on the transparency program, the Director found that the surgery, in

Maine

, in Penobscot county has an average facility charge of $2249.00, that $954 is the average allowable charge, and that the average payment was $756.  If the consumer received the average payment of $756 then they would have needed to pay $1493.00 for the surgery, which is close to the $1500 which the consumer stated they were billed.  It is really an interesting chart and can be found at the link - http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HealthCareConInit/03_ASC.asp#TopOfPage and click “other commonly performed procedures in ASCs” for the actual data table comparing other states’ cost for the same surgery.  As this procedure is an outpatient procedure, it is listed in the Medicare 2007 handbook as outpatient surgery procedure which has a copay.