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With you along the journey...wherever it takes you |
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| Letter From the Executive Director
As we welcome the fresh air and new opportunities of an early Maine summer, I am reminded of how impactful the work our staff is doing can be on bringing a new sense of hope to our consumers. Just this Spring our Meals on Wheels team in Milo had the chance to drastically change the course of a consumer who felt he was at the end of his resources and had lost hope for something better. Without transportation and consistent access to his medication or food in his home, he was becoming increasingly unstable and unwell. His phone call to our staff can only be described as a person in crisis and it was clear that real work would need to be done to help him regain the foundation of health and wellness he had lost. In collaboration with a local health partner, our Milo staff was able to put him into our Meals on Wheels program to ensure he would have consistent access to the healthy meals he needed as well as secure delivery of the medication he had not been able to continue. In their follow-up visit, our staff was so pleased to find the consumer in a positive mind frame and receiving a healthy update from his doctor. For many consumers in our more rural areas, Meals on Wheels is truly a lifeline to support services and caring community partnerships.Â
We had the exciting privilege to work with PCHC to highlight some of our other high impact programing and would love for you to view how our Medicare 101 and Durgin Center programs can be of benefit to you and your loved ones.Â
-Rebecca Kirk |
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| Interested in volunteering? These positions are our greatest needs:
Café Support Volunteers, Durgin Center, Brewer, Monday & Tuesday, 10:45-1:30pm
Durgin Center Instructor, Durgin Center, Brewer
Furry Friends, EAAA office, Brewer
We have other volunteer opportunities as well! |
National Pet Preparedness Month |
June 2022 is National Pet Preparedness Month! This information is based around what one should do if they are experiencing an emergency and need to have someone care for their pet or, if someone gets separated from their pet for whatever reason. |
- Include plans for your pets in all emergency plans - ie death, hospitalization, emergency travel, etc
- Build emergency kits for your pets: food, water, favorite treats, first aid kit, a collar with an ID tag, grooming and sanitation items, a coat/blanket, and any other familiar items to your dog such as a favorite toy.
- Keep digital records and/or pictures to identify your pet after a disaster situation in case you become separated
- Create a list of places that will house your pets in emergency cases - not all hotels and motels allow pets!
 Learn more about Emergency Preparedness for your pets here and here. |
Pride Events in your community |
| Consumers can include common CSFP items in healthy, easy snacks and meals! Here are a few tips: - Add canned beans or vegetables to soup or chili.Â
- Pump up the protein in a salad by adding canned tuna, chicken, or beans.
- Top dry or hot cereal with raisins or canned fruit.
- Add canned/pouched beef to tomato sauce and serve over pasta or rice.Â
- Blend milk, peanut butter, canned fruit, and a few ice cubes for a quick smoothie.*Â
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| | Dear Marci, It has been challenging to live on a fixed income recently. A friend told me she has the Medicare Savings Program and that it really helps her financially. What should I know about this program?  -Sabrina (Randleman, SC) |
| Dear Sabrina, Medicare Savings Programs help pay your Medicare costs if you have limited income and savings. Medicare Savings Programs are also called MSPs, Medicare Buy-In programs, or Medicare Premium Payment Programs. There are three main programs, with different benefits and eligibility requirements. * - Qualifying Individual (QI) Program: Pays for Medicare Part B premium. Also reimburses for premiums paid up to three months before your MSP effective date, and within the same year of that effective date.Â
- Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB): Pays for Medicare Part B premium. Also reimburses for premiums paid up to three months before your MSP effective day, but unlike QI, you may be reimbursed for premiums from the previous calendar year.Â
- Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB): Pays for Medicare Parts A and B premiums. If you have QMB, typically you should not be billed for Medicare-covered services when seeing Medicare providers or providers in your Medicare Advantage Plan’s network. This means you should not owe Medicare deductibles, copayments, and coinsurances, as long as you see the right providers.Â
*There is a fourth MSP called the Qualified Disabled Working Individual (QDWI), which pays for the Medicare Part A premium for certain people who are eligible for Medicare due to disability. Contact your local Medicaid office to learn more. There are even more benefits to enrolling in an MSP. MSP enrollment: - Allows you to enroll in Part B outside of the regular enrollment periodsÂ
- Eliminates your Part B late enrollment penalty if you have oneÂ
- Automatically enrolls you in Extra Help, the federal program that helps pay your Medicare prescription drug (Part D) plan costsÂ
To qualify for an MSP, you must have Medicare Part A and meet income and asset guidelines.  If you do not have Part A but meet QMB eligibility guidelines, your state may have a process to allow you to enroll in Part A and QMB outside of the General Enrollment Period. It also may be helpful to note that income and asset guidelines vary by state. Certain income and assets may not count and some states do not count assets at all when assessing MSP eligibility. You can contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to learn more about MSPs in your state and to receive assistance with the application process. This really is a great program that helps so many beneficiaries with their Medicare costs! Again, contact your local SHIP to see if you’re eligible for an MSP in your state. Best of luck!  -Marci |
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Caregiver Respite Program
The Caregiver Respite Program supports family caregivers by helping to pay for someone else to provide care for the person with dementia.
Caregivers can utilize agencies, friends, relatives, or day programs to provide care. Respite gives caregivers a chance to take care of their own needs while knowing that their loved one is safe and being cared for. 
Respite funds are currently available, click here to learn more. |
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| | | We have an amazing opportunity to receive 27 pallets of FREE pet food and supplies. We absolutely want to make this unique offer of a truckload of pet food and supplies work!
This one drop shipment needs to be stored in a large space with either a loading dock or a ground level entrance for initial delivery. We are also looking to borrow a pallet jack to unload the truck. We need this indoor space for approximately 4 months and pallets cannot be stacked.
If you have storage space to donate, we’d love to promote your business and your personal generosity as a partner who made this project a reality and helped so many.
Please call Kelly Adams, at (207)941-2865 x125 if you have storage space to lend. |
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| | Money Minders Are you having a difficult time getting your bills paid on time? Do you need help balancing your checkbook? Could you use assistance in setting up a budget? The goal of Money Minders is to give consumers help with these types of financial matters so that they can continue to live independently. Help is provided in the least intrusive way to preserve client dignity and privacy, and there are program safeguards that will protect the client’s money, the volunteer, and the sponsoring agency.
For more information about the Money Minders program, click here. |
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- Medicare Fraud Stops with You - |
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| | | EAAA contracts with Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) to fight Medicare fraud. We continue to educate beneficiaries to be the first line of defence and be the eyes and ears in their communities.
If you or someone you know has been affected by Medicare fraud, errors and/or abuse, call us and ask to speak with a Medicare counselor to determine next steps and a plan of action. |
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Coming Soon to the Durgin Center: |
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| Community Café Dates June 6th - Spring Chicken Stew June 7th - Pork w/ Mango Sauce June 13th - Manicotti w/ Squash June 14th - Honey Mustard Chicken June 21st - Tilapia w/ Hollandaise June 27th - Tomato Chicken Meatballs June 28th - Steak in Red Wine Sauce |
| | - Ask a Financial Advisor -  Offered by UBS June 15th and 22nd, 9:30 am
- Fundamental Foot Care Clinic - Your feet can say a lot about your overall health. Learn more about proper foot care and schedule an appointment with Heather Fogg, a Registered Nurse and Certified Foot Care Specialist June 27th from 9 - 3
- Improving Your Life Through Downsizing - Downsizing your home may have life-changing benefits that you have not considered. Join us to learn about why people choose to downsize, and more with Mark Higgins of MCH Organizing. June 17th at 9:30 amÂ
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*In accordance with Federal Civil Rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Civil Rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior credible activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. |
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