Willow Glen AARP Meeting

The Willow Glen chapter # 5193 of AARP will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, January 26, 1:00 pm in Room 11 at the Willows Senior Center. The program will be a presentation entitled "Maximizing Your Memory".

We continue to hear how the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease increases as the average age of our population increases. It is the most common form of dementia and has no current cure. However, there are efforts worldwide to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it from developing. And the more we can learn about exercising and improving our memory, the more we will be helping ourselves deal with this issue.

The program will be presented by the Alzheimer's Association.

Socializing and refreshments will begin at about 12:45, with the meeting starting at 1:00. All visitors are welcome.

Tom Binder
Seniors Real Estate Specialist

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

Excerpts from an article in AARP Bulletin Today, by Patricia Barry, October 24, 2008

Before deciding whether to sign up for Medicare drug coverage, you need to understand how the program works together as a whole. Grasping the big picture makes it easier to deal with the details.

Who can get Medicare drug coverage?
Anyone on Medicare (with either Part A or Part B) is entitled to drug coverage (known as Part D) regardless of income. No physical exams are required. You cannot be denied for health reasons or because you already use a lot of prescription drugs.

Do I have to sign up?
For most people, joining Part D is voluntary. However, if you now get your drugs from Medicaid, you must get them from a Medicare drug plan as soon as you become eligible for Medicare.
You won’t need to sign up if you have other drug coverage that is better than Medicare’s—for example, benefits from a current or former employer or union. (See Deciding Whether You Need Part D.)
But if you don’t have other drug coverage that’s considered as good as Medicare, and you delay signing up, you’ll incur a late penalty that adds to your premiums for as long as you’re in the program, except in certain circumstances.
Related Questions:
• What is the late enrollment penalty?
• Can I wait and sign up later when I need coverage?
• How can I avoid a late penalty?
• How do I tell if my current coverage is better or worse than Medicare’s?
For answers to these questions and to read the entire article, click on the following link:

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/medicare/articles/how_medicare_part_d_drug_coverage_works.html

This article includes a lot of really good information.

Regards
Tom Binder
Seniors Real Estate Specialist

Seniors: GET MOVING !!

Exercise is an activity that can make our senior years much more enjoyable. And it is so easy!!! And you don't need to join a gym or buy a lot of equipment. Exercising for endurance can be as simple as walking and you don't need to go out and buy a fancy treadmill. You can, if you're a real gadget lover, but save the money! Here in Willow Glen, our weather is so good most of the time that walking around your neighborhood is a great way to get some endurance exercise and get reacquainted with your neighbors.

AARP earlier this year got a lot of people started on a walking program "Step Up to Better Health" and passed out pedometers to all participants. See a summary of benefits of walking at http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/walking/a2004-06-17-walking-numerousbenefits.html

And a few little hand weights is all you'll need to get started on a good strength program.

Following are website locations for National Institute on Aging and National Institutes of Health that provide a lot of great information on the benefits of exercising.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/exercise.htm
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/exercise/toc.html

Exercise, in addition to just making you feel better, will also prevent or delay diseases like diabetes, heart and vascular problems, and many diseases associated with being overweight.

While virtually everyone can benefit from exercise, it is a good idea to check with your doctor before the start of an active exercise program. If you think you want to have the help of a personal trainer to get started, let me know an I can pass along a couple of names.

My daughter Katie, who is a doctor, tells me the story of interviewing a patient and asking him if he gets any exercise. He said "Sure; every time I want a cigarette, I need to walk downstairs, go outside, smoke my cigarette, walk back in and walk up the stairs!!!" That's not what I'm suggesting!!!

So GET MOVING!!!

Regards
Tom

AARP Willow Glen

Many of us are members of AARP and benefit from the variety of information that we get through various channels. But most of us don’t know that we have a local chapter of AARP here in Willow Glen. This chapter meets monthly and has programs that are both educational for Seniors and entertaining. Recent meetings have included presentations on Lighthouses of San Francisco Bay, Election review by the League of Women Voters, Lung Health for Seniors, and Tai-chi Exercises.

The program for the next meeting, on Monday, November 24, will be “Your Retirement Assets-How to Make Them and Keep Them”. This is a very timely program in light of the current problems in the financial markets.

In addition to the monthly special program, each meeting includes a legislative report which brings members current with how our state government in Sacramento is dealing with issues affecting Seniors.

The meetings are the 4th Monday of each month at the Willows Senior Center, 2175 Lincoln Avenue, in Room 11. Also each meeting includes refreshments plus time to socialize with other members.