Ohio Department of Aging Aging Connection - August 2008

August 2008

• Director's Notebook: Supporting Grandparents Who Raise Their Grandchildren
  Grandparents can face formidable challenges as they raise their grandchildren due to modest retirement incomes and lack of access to public assistance. Assistance, both financial and supportive, for kinship caregivers does exist.
• Money Matters: To Receive A Stimulus Check, File a Tax Return
  To ensure all seniors, including residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, receive the rebate checks they are entitled to, ask the seniors you know if they have filed a 2007 tax return. Don't let them lose out on this opportunity.
• Our Partners: Toolkits Help Advocates Connect Seniors with Rx Help
  Approximately half of those eligible for help paying for Medicare Part D programs have not enrolled and many are not aware that assistance is available for low-income beneficiaries.
• Research: Ohio Cities Again In List of Top 50 Metro Areas for Seniors
  Three Ohio cities are once again on the list of 50 cities identified as the top metro areas in the U.S. that offer the best overall qualities for senior living, according to a survey.
• Policy and Legislation: Competitive Bidding Program Delayed
  Cleveland and Cincinnati are among ten test markets for a now delayed competitive bidding program estimated to save Medicare $1 billion a year, but that critics say could end up limiting products and services to beneficiaries.
• Programs and Initiatives: Donate Unused Converter Box Coupons to Help Keep Seniors Connected
  The Department of Aging is encouraging all Ohioans to apply for digital television converter box coupons, then offer them to agencies and facilities, so that they can distribute the coupons to help keep vulnerable seniors connected.