Author: A J Shorter

NODA Area agency on Aging

Senior Class

August
2011

Serving Seniors
In Northern
Oklahoma
Alfalfa County
Blaine County
Garfield County
Grant County
Kay County
Kingfisher County
Major County
Noble County

hhhh gggg
In This Issue
ffff eeee

Page 1
Medicare
Part D
Counselor Training
Page 2
Medicare.gov
Compare Tool
Page 3
A Precious Gift
Page 4
The NODA Area Agency on Aging

Become a NODA Area Agency on Aging
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP)
Volunteer Counselor
2012 Medicare Part D Open Enrollment is
October 15 through December 7.
Medicare Part D can be difficult to navigate.
In order to successfully purchase the plan that will provide the best coverage at the lowest cost, it is important to have trained counselors available to assist beneficiaries compare
their 2011 plan with the new 2012 plans.
The NODA Area Agency on Aging will provide free Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan training to
volunteers who would like to assist beneficiaries select a 2012 Prescription Drug Plan.
The training will be held at NODA,
2901 North Van Buren, Enid,
on Saturday, October 01, 2011,
from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
and again 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
You will learn how to:
Look at premiums, deductibles, and drug co-pays
of the Medicare Part D PDP’s available in our area
Assist beneficiaries in finding, comparing, reviewing, and choosing the plan that best covers their needs
Compare the cost of a person’s current plan to all other plans available
Help beneficiaries enroll in a Medicare Part D
Prescription Drug Plan for 2012
For more information or to pre-register for the training contact:
Judy Rupp judy@nodanet.org A.J. Shorter aj@nodanet.org
580-237-2236 or 800-749-1149

Page #

Page #

Senior Class

Senior Class

— August 2011

Medicare offers an online resource for accessing all its compare tools
to help consumers improve their own health outcomes and costs
It can be difficult to find health care providers like doctors, hospitals, or nursing facilities that meet your needs. Now, you can find all of Medicare’s resources to compare providers and plans in one place,
Medicare’s Quality Care Finder, available at www.medicare.gov/qualitycarefinder.
What is the Quality Care Finder?
The Quality Care Finder on Medicare.gov offers tools such as Hospital Compare, Nursing Home Compare, and Plan Finder in one place that show objective information about the quality of health care providers and plans. These tools help you compare similar types of providers and plans. For example, you can check how often hospitals in your area give the recommended care for certain conditions, compare nursing homes by their star ratings, look at health plan costs side-by-side, and more.
Why should Medicare.gov be the first stop when looking for a new provider?
The quality of health care providers and facilities you choose can impact your health. Providers and facilities may vary in how well they care for patients, and their experience with specific health conditions or procedures.
Finding the right expertise and care for your needs may help speed up your recovery time and improve health problems.
Getting personalized information when choosing a health plan may help you save on costs.
Medicare’s Quality Care Finder helps you find all these tools in one place so you can choose the most appropriate providers and plans for you and your loved ones.
What kind of comparison information is available?
Compare Hospitals: Use Hospital Compare to compare Medicare-certified hospitals based on the quality of their care (for example, the rate of readmission to the hospital within 30 days for certain conditions, like heart attack and pneumonia).
Compare Nursing Homes: Use Nursing Home Compare to find Medicare-certified nursing homes based on services like dementia care, ventilators or rehabilitation. Then compare their star ratings and the quality of care they give (for example, whether residents have gotten their flu shots, are in pain, or are losing weight).
Compare Home Health Agencies: Use Home Health Compare to find Medicare-certified home health agencies based on services like skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech therapy and home health aides. Then compare each home health agency based on the quality of their care (for example, how well they manage pain and treat wounds, keep patients safe, and more).
Find a Medicare Health or Drug Plan: Use Plan Finder to get detailed, personalized information about the cost and benefits of available Medicare health and drug plans.
Compare Dialysis Facilities: Use Dialysis Facility Compare to find Medicare-certified dialysis facilities and their services. Then compare each facility based on quality of care (for example, whether patients had enough waste removed from their blood during dialysis treatments, or if their anemia was controlled properly).
Compare Doctors: Use Physician Compare to find doctors based on medical specialty, clinical training, foreign languages spoken, and more (for example, whether a doctor accepts the Medicare-approved amount as full payment).
To start benefitting from these valuable tools visit www.medicare.gov/qualitycarefinder. Data are collected and updated regularly to ensure accurate information to help you make the best choices. You should discuss the information with your doctor and loved ones, and visit the facilities you are considering.

— August 2011

Senior Class

Page 3

A Precious Gift
David M. Huff
All of us have within our power the ability to give a precious gift to friends, family or even strangers. This gift is our time and attention.
So very many Seniors, whether they reside at home or in a long term care facility, live in loneliness. They all have a store of memories that they would love to share with someone, but have no one with whom to share. Though a person might have facility staff, or home-visit staff to help care for them, they frequently have no one who has the time to listen and to talk. We all long for interactions with other people. The yearning for this interaction will be obvious to you if you will only take the time to visit.
If you know someone who is homebound or a resident of long term care, please consider visiting with them. The visit will cost you but a little time; you will be repaid abundantly by the gratitude you will see on the face of the person you visit. If you have a desire to help residents of long term care, please consider becoming an Ombudsman Volunteer. Ombudsman Volunteers visit the residents of a long term care facility, spending a minimum of two hours per week, conversing and helping with any problems or complaints. Ombudsman Volunteers participate in a two-day initial training and then meet briefly once a month with other volunteers for further training and to discuss the month’s activities.
You may take the training, or any part of it,
with no obligation to volunteer.
If you are interested in becoming an Ombudsman Volunteer,
or for more information regarding resident’s rights,
long term care information, or caregiver support groups
in the eight counties NODA serves please call
David Huff or LaJean Kirby
at the NODA Area Agency on Aging
(580) 237-4810 (800) 749-1149

NODA
Area Agency on Aging

2901 N. Van Buren
Enid, OK 73703

580-237-2236 800-749-1149
Statewide Senior InfoLine:
800-211-2116

A

A

A

Connecting Seniors
To Information,
To Resources,
and To One Another

PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Enid, OK
Permit No 228

NODA
Area Agency on Aging
Thomas S. Wade: Director/Planner
Brandi Atkinson: Assistant Director
David Huff: Ombudsman Supervisor
LaJean Kirby: Ombudsman Supervisor
Judy Rupp: Care Coordinator & I&A
A. J. Shorter: Information & Assistance
Senior Class editor
Kathaleen Dempewolf: Bookkeeper
The opinions expressed in the Senior Class are not necessarily those of the
NODA Area Agency on Aging.
The NODA AAA does not discriminate in admissions, access, treatment or employment in its programs or activities on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, ancestry, national origin, religion or disability.
The Senior Class is financed with
state and federal Older Americans Act funds from NODA Area Agency on Aging.
and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

The NODA Area Agency on Aging is committed to providing information and access to resources for people aged 60 years and over. Our programs include:
Wheatheart Nutrition Project, providing congregate and, for those who qualify, home-delivered meals in our eight county service area;
Caregiver Support Information, helping caregivers apply for Respite vouchers to help pay for care, providing caregiver support groups, and publishing a newsletter filled with useful, practical information;
Living Longer, Living Stronger, teaching people how to improve their health and lives through exercise, nutrition, coping skills, and learning how to talk to family members and doctors about health care decisions;
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, providing information and resources, including support groups, to people rearing grandchildren;
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, giving Seniors access to free legal advice, within the rules of that program;
Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, protecting the rights of residents in Long Term Care facilities.
Information about these and other services is just a phone call away at NODA Area Agency on Aging.