The Seniors Voice

Ra p p a h a n n o ck
Area Agency on
Aging
Inside this issue:
RAAA Events

Medicare News

Caregiver Act

Thank You

5, 8, 11

Word Search

Poem

Transportation

Scam Alert

10

Upcoming Holiday
Closings
February 15 - Monday
for George Washington Day

March 28 - Monday for

Easter Monday

May 30 - Monday for

Memorial Day

Winter, 2016

The Seniors Voice

Page 2

MORE FASHION AND TALENT SHOW!

Volume

, Issue

In memory of
Carolyn Tyler
(left), who
passed away
on December
7, 2015. Mrs.
Tyler was a
active member of the
Spotsylvania
Caf and will
be missed.

LOOK AT WHATS BEEN

HAPPENING AT RAAA...
On September 24, 2015, RAAA had its first annual Fashion and Talent show. So
many of the Caf participants showed off their talents it was hard to declare
any one group or person
the winner. From the talent
show winner, the King
George group performing
to The Pointer Sister's song
Fire complete with crepe
paper fire and a steering
wheel to the fashion show
winner, Mrs. Nanie GaJohn Drueitt, Clare Hutchings, Ethel Tidwell, Judy Rose, Lissi
lang, (below) in her beautiHartzburg, Marletta Elliott, Bob Graham, Marilyn Graham, Mary
ful kimono made of recyDavis, last but not least Shirley Johnson (Wheelchair)
cled materials.

Marion Whitley and RAAA

van driver
John Kiser.
While performing her
belly dancing
routing Mrs.
Whitley proclaimed the
secret to staying young is
to, Do something with your
life.

Ellen Mason

460 Lendall Lane

Fredericksburg, VA 22405
540-371-3375
FAX 540-371-3384
www.raaa16.org
[email protected]
Hours
M - F, 8 am - 4:30 pm

Judges Nick Tinch, Greenfield Assisted Living, Samantha

Stevens, Spotsylvania Dept. of Social Services and Lori
Myers, Alzheimers
Association had a
hard time deciding
winners of each category.

To enhance the quality of life for all older citizens.

Carolyn Tyler , Jean Dyson, Mary Ghee, Brenda Tyrell,

Fredericka Braswell

Patricia Moore

At the first ever Fall Fashion & Talent Show at the King George Citizens Center all five of our cafs joined together to display and showcase their unique talents and creative fashion abilities. The items created for the runway were designed and modeled by our caf participants and were made from recycled items found around
their homes and their cafs such as tablecloths, laundry detergent lids and vegetable cans. They were very excited and proud to display their one of a kind creations. The winner of the Fashion portion was Nanie Galang
from the Stafford Senior Caf who designed a kimono made from recycled tablecloths. The talent portion of
the event was equally as exciting as we had singing groups, dancing duos and the King George Caf participants performed a group choreographed piece to the Pointer Sisters Fire which won them the talent portion
of the contest. We had a great time getting to see everyones creativity and talents shine through and really
hope to make this an annual event for the agency.

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The Seniors Voice

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Every October the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) for Medicare starts. This is the time of the year that you or
your loved one can make changes to the current prescription drug plan you have. This year the agency hosted
9 open enrollment clinics throughout the community for people to attend and view the upcoming plans, as well
as make changes to their current plans as needed. A total of 215 beneficiaries came out and participated. This
was a great turn out and huge success knowing that we were able to help that many people. Please continue to
come out every year starting October 15th December 7th and review your options for the upcoming year.

The Agency has both Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol Monthly Personal Health Care Journals and Medicare 2016 Calendars. Stop by and pick yours up today. Sorry, due to postage costs we can not mail these items.

Medicare News

Virginia Thompson
Marjorie Brown

New Law in Vir ginia Suppor ts Family Car e givers

C a r e g i v e r A d v i s e , Re c o r d , E n a b l e ( C A R E ) A c t
More than one million Virginians are caring for an older parent, spouse, friend or other adult loved one, helping them live independently at home. These family caregivers have a huge responsibility, and now theres support in place that will make life a little bit easier for them. A new law went into effect July 1, 2015 and supports family caregivers when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home.
How will the new caregiver law help families?
The law requires hospitals to provide your loved one the opportunity to designate a family caregiver. If you
are named as the family caregiver, the hospital is required to:

Enter your name, address and phone number in your loved ones medical record;

Nanie Galang

Notify you when your loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home;

Members of the Itsy Bitsy Teenie

Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Club:
Patricia Moore, Ella Watts, Arlene
Reynolds, Teresa Carter, Margo Hill,
and Loretta Fennell

Consult with you on your ability to provide the medical tasks you are being asked to perform at home such as medication management, injections, wound care, and transfers;

Offer you a demonstration and explanation, in your native language, of the medical tasks you will need to
perform at home and give you time for questions; and

Provide you a copy of the discharge plan including contact information about any health care, long-term
care, or other community-based services and supports necessary to carry out the discharge plan.

Arlene Reynolds
Brenda Tyrell

In memory of Loretta Fennell (left),

who passed away on October 16,
2015. Mrs. Fennell was a active member of the Stafford Caf and will be
missed.

Being designated as the family caregiver does not obligate you to provide the care, treatment or services described in the discharge plan.

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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE AGENCY AND ITS CLIENTS:

Saying a special thanks to the Fraternal Order of Eagles
On September 29, 2015, the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging, along with its colleagues at the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) held its semi-annual driver Roadeo. This event provides an
opportunity for employees who drive clients of both organizations to come together and practice their driving
skills on a course consisting of nine individual obstacles. This particular event on September 29th, was referred
to as The Fun Run with a goal for drivers to practice their road skills in anticipation of the formal Roadeo held
each March. The March Roadeo, to be held March 29, 2016, is a scored event, and the top three drivers from
each agency will be entered into state competition to be held April 9, 2016. This year the Fun Run was held
for the first time at the local Fraternal Order of Eagles facility located on Cool Springs Road here in Fredericksburg. We were pleased to be the guests of the Eagles organization which provided a warm welcome to us.
A significant portion of the Eagles parking lots were cordoned off and marked with scores of cones, thereby
providing drivers on the course with obstacle parameters as each competitor drove the course. The weather
cooperated, the competition was lively and the event was a rousing success. We would like to send special
thanks to Mr. Milton J. Sale, Secretary and to the Fraternal Order of Eagles for all of their hospitality in hosting
our Roadeo. We will look forward to being back on Cool Springs Road again when the scores count!

THANK YOU TO INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES:

Adelaida Rodenas
All who contribute through their workplace Combined
Federal and Local Government Campaign
Bowling Green Health & Rehab Center
Sara Branner
Chilis
Community Foundation Elsie, Carroll and Willie
Wheeler Fund
County of Stafford- Department of Social Services
Michelle Flynn
Four Paws Animal Hospital & Wellness Center
Fredericksburg Baptist Ladies Auxiliary
Christopher Gambell
Kathy Habel
Sharon Hakanen
Lena and Helen Henderson
Holleybrooke Senior Citizens Association
Home Instead Senior Care
Kids Station
Robert and Sal Kubarek

Mr. & Mrs. William Lee

Amy McCullough
New Light Cathedral Church
Jamie Oldfield
Olive Garden
Outback
Rappahannock EMS Council
Ted Schubel
Nancy Segarra
George Solley
Spotsylvania Crime Prevention Council
St. Matthias Methodist Church
St. Asaphs Episcopal Church
The Fredericksburg Spinners and Weavers Guild
The Silver Companies
U16 National Team Stafford Stealth Volleyball Club
Virginia Star Quilt Guild
Wegmans
White Oak Volunteer Rescue
Squad

The Seniors Voice

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#1 IN THE 60S

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The Seniors Voice

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Thank you to:

Pam Bettis, Sylvia Boone,
Fredricka Braswell, Alice
Chambers, Jean Dyson,
Nora Garza, Mary Ghee,
Louise Lewis, Jack McNutt,
Lorene Peterson, Barbara
Rice, Emma Roman, Brenda
Terrell, Carolyn Tyler, Marguerite Whitfield, Gwen Woolford for donating socks in Socktober. Four years ago
Socktober was launched by Kid President creator Brad Montague. Its a movement to get kids and grown-ups to
help the homeless in an easy, fun way. Last year, more than 10,000 schools, families, businesses, and churches
rallied together to bring Socktober to life. People from every state and continent have taken part in Socktober!
This is the second year RAAA participated.
The New Light Cathedral Church and Pastor & First Lady Mickey
hosted all of our cafes on Saturday November 21st and December
19th at their congregation to provide the caf participants with a
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner celebration full of fellowship and
welcoming good times. The participants enjoyed a Christmas Program of music from the children of the church which they thoroughly
enjoyed and even were provided with presents and door prizes. The
participants really enjoyed getting to be a part of these community
outreach events during the Holidays and spend extra time with their
peers.

Ho, Ho, Ho Mr. Santa Claus!

The King George Caf participants built this beautiful gingerbread house.

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As I age, I realize that:

Old age is coming at a really bad time!
I don't trip over things, I do random gravity checks!
I don't need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off!
My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that needs work!
The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it"
I talk to myself because sometimes I need expert advice.
Sometimes I roll my eyes out loud?
When I was a child I thought nap time was punishment. Now it's like a mini
vacation!
The day the world runs out of wine is just too terrible to think about!
I don't have grey hair. I have "wisdom highlights". I'm just very wise!
I like my middle finger best because it always sticks up for me!
I've lost my mind and I'm pretty sure my kids took it!
Even duct tape can't fix stupid, but it can muffle the sound!
Wouldn't it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes and
come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller!
Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet!
If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would've put them on my knees!
When the kids text me "plz" which is shorter than please I text back "no" which is
shorter than "yes"
At my age "Getting lucky" means walking into a room and remembering what I
came in there for!
Chocolate comes from cocoa which is a tree, which makes it a plant, which
means it's salad Almost!!
Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to
change the things I can & the friends to post my bail when I finally snap and give
me patience and give it to me NOW!!!!
TRANSPORTATION
Another year has passed and once again we had a
very successful and safe year. We were able to purchase three new vans and two used vehicles to transport
our participants in the different programs RAAA offers.
We just completed the year 2015 and look for many
good things to come in 2016.
Throughout our Service Area (Planning District 16), which includes The City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford we
traveled a total of 284,585 miles all performed with no accidents. This is a result of
having a group of very dedicated and safety minded drivers. The goal of the Transportation Department is to provide a safe and enjoyable ride for our participants, no
matter what their transportation needs are.
If you have transportation needs, call us, RAAA maybe able to help.

Ra p p a h a n n o ck A r e a
Agency on Aging
Board Chairman
James Howard
Advisory Council Chairman
Karl Karch
Executive Director
Leigh Wade
Finance Director
Director of Client Services
Pat Holland
Director of Nutrition
Tiffany Roman
LTC Ombudsman/VICAP
Nicole Farmer
Director of Operations
Angela Snyder
VICAP Counselor/CRIA Specialist
Tammy Morgan
Receptionist
Nikki Dubbiosi
WX, Energy & Quality Control Housing
Inspector
Donald Thomas
Mobility Manager
Denis Paddeu
Transportation Program Assistant
Jennifer Falknor
Travel Trainer
Don Engiles
Transportation Coordinator
Boyd Elliott
Education Care Navigator
Arminda Perch
Marion Schoen
Linda Wilson
Title V Assistant
Paulette Tantlinger
Title V Office Assistant
Renee Reynolds-Richardson

The Seniors Voice

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Health Care Schemers Often Target Medicare

Beneficiaries with Diabetes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office
of Inspector General (OIG) recently wrote an article
Spotlight on Diabetes Test Strips and issued a Consumer
Alert to warn beneficiaries with diabetes about schemes
that involve telemarketing calls from people pretending to
be from the Government, a diabetes association, or even
Medicare calling you.
Some Telemarketers offer free health cookbooks. Other
callers typically offer free diabetic supplies, such as glucose meters, diabetic test strips or lancets and other supplies such as heating pads, lift seats, foot orthotics or joint
braces, in exchange for Medicare or financial information.
Additionally, beneficiaries may receive items in the mail not
ordered.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8.3 percent of the population is living with diabetes.
For those eligible for Medicare those aged 65 and above
that number jumps to 26.9 percent. The demand for diabetes supplies will more than likely continue. To avoid many
of the scams associated with diabetic supplies, if you receive a call like this, the OIG recommends the following actions:
Protect Your Medicare and Other Personal Information
Do not provide or confirm your Medicare number or other
personal information. Be suspicious of anyone who offers
free items or services and then asks for your Medicare number or financial information. These calls are not coming from
Medicare, or other similar organizations. While the caller
says the items or free, the items are still billed to Medicare. Once your Medicare information is in the hands of a
dishonest person or supplier, you are susceptible to other
scams.
Report the Call to Law Enforcement
Report the call to the OIG hotline at 1-800-447-8477 or
the Senior Medicare Patrol in Virginia (1-800-938-8885).
As part of your report, provide the name of the company
that called you, the companys telephone number and address, and a summary of your conversation with the caller.

Check Your Medicare Summary Notice and Medical Bills

Check your Medicare Summary Notice and other medical
information to see if you were charged for items you did
not order or did not receive. Also, check for items that were
billed multiple times. Report any irregular activity to your
health care provider and the OIG hotline at 1-800-4478477.
Do Not Accept Items That You Did Not Order
You are under no obligation to accept items that you did
not order. Instead, you should refuse the delivery and/or
return to the sender. Keep a record of the senders name
and the date you returned the item(s) to help OIG catch
any future illegal billing.
What about the Resale of Diabetic Strips?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is
not illegal for third parties to resell diabetic test strips as
long as the individual or organization registers with that
agency. In a few cases, the federal and state authorities
have successfully prosecuted re-sale operations that were
not registered with the FDA. A Center for Medicare and
Medicaid spokesperson, however, said in one article that it
is illegal for beneficiaries to sell testing strips that have
been paid for by Medicare or Medicaid with tax dollars.
The FDA and other health organizations warn that the resale of diabetic testing strips has serious health implications
because the strips are sensitive to fluctuations in temperature. If not handled properly in transport, they may give
inaccurate blood sugar level readings.
If you have questions about suspected health care fraud
related to marketing calls or improper billings, call Office
of the Inspector General (OIG) at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or your
local Senior Medicare Patrol Project. In Virginia, call 1-800
-938-8885 or visit www.virginiasmp.org. The Virginia SMP
is one of 54 Administration on
Aging grant-funded programs that utilizes volunteers
to provide education to prevent fraud and assistance to
report suspected fraud.

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IT WAS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging

460 Lendall Lane
Fredericksburg, VA 22405

Interested in
volunteering?

Ruby Harris, who attends the Caroline Caf

won the Grand Prize while attending the
Caroline Rotary Clubs Senior Citizens Holiday Gala in December. Were sure the cash
money prize came in really handy.
Congratulations!!

TO:

Many
opportunities
are available
contact us for
more information:
www.raaa16.org

MOBILITY OPTIONS VOLUNTEER DRIVER

PROGRAM

The pictures to the left and bottom are from

Stafford and Spotsylvanias Operation Blue
Christmas. Both Sheriffs Departments take
seniors Christmas shopping at Walmart in
Stafford Lakes and Southpointe. RAAA cant
thank the Sheriffs Offices enough for the
support they provide us as Christmas and
throughout the year.

Mobility Options, a transportation service of the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging, is recruiting area
residents for their Volunteer Driver Program. Volunteers
will have the opportunity to provide much needed
transportation to riders for a variety of trips including
medical appointments, places of employment, schools,
shopping, recreational outings, and social engagements.

BENEFITS TO VOLUNTEERING
Besides the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping, they also receive a stipend of 25 cents per miles
for miles traveled while the rider is in the volunteers
car.

HOW TO APPLY

Call Bay Transit at 804-250-2011 to schedule your trips.

Persons interested in becoming a volunteer driver

should contact Mobility Options at 540-656-2985 for
additional information about the program and
application forms.