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October 15 starts Medicare open enrollment; shop wisely October 15 marks the beginning of the 2022 Medicare Open Enrollment period for Advantage plans and Part D drug plans. The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) wants to remind older adults to be smart consumers as they consider the plethora of advertising aimed at them through TV,…

Contributed by Ethan R. Kent, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, CAGCSProgram Director | Senior Life Solutions @ Excelsior Springs Hospital Today kicks off the last week of Suicide Prevention Month. We want to conclude the Suicide Prevention Month features with identifying risk factors and some immediate things you can do to help those in need. Risk factors…

Contributed by Stephanie Weatherly, DNP, PMH RN-BC, FACHEPsychiatric Medical Care/Senior Life Solutions Chief Clinical Officer To honor Week Four of Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, we are highlighting the need for support for those struggling and some of the factors that may put someone at higher risk for attempting suicide. The U.S. Department of Health…

Info provided by SCPRP The U.S. Administration on Aging has established a grant program to provide pension counseling projects across the United States, because it can be difficult for individuals to understand complex pension plans and laws.  One of those projects, The South Central Pension Rights Project (SCPRP), assists people in Missouri, as well as…

Our friends at the National Council on Aging (NCOA) want us to know that falls are not a natural part of aging. Even when we or a loved one are healthy, and have talked with our health care providers about it, it’s important to check for the presence of risk. The good news is that…

Contributed by Stephanie Weatherly, DNP, PMH RN-BC, FACHEPsychiatric Medical Care/Senior Life Solutions Chief Clinical Officer We would like to discuss recent data collected about suicide rates and their continued effect on communities across the country. Death by suicide is a worldwide health epidemic. Suicidal ideation and death by suicide are incredibly complex, with multiple factors playing a…

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that Young at Heart Resources, formerly Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging, released Request for Proposal (RFP) documents on June 3, 2022, for procurement of audit services under 200 CFR Part F. The proposal also contains additional agreed upon procedures and supplemental statements. The audit period will be July…

Contributed by Ethan R. Kent, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, CAGCSProgram Director | Senior Life Solutions @ Excelsior Springs Hospital This month, when we help so many, we cannot lose focus on those who lost their lives before they could get the help they needed. Sobering data was released this year by the Trust for America’s Health Foundation on…

Contributed by Ethan R. Kent, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, CAGCSProgram Director | Senior Life Solutions @ Excelsior Springs Hospital September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and community organizations are coming together to show their support. Excelsior Springs Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions aims to raise awareness on the misconceptions of suicide and to spread hope and educational…

Medicare will not phone you asking for information The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol has a message for beneficiaries: Medicare will not call you seeking information or trying to sell you something. Telemarketers and potential scammers are rampant these days. And older adults who are getting ready to enroll in Medicare or who are already enrolled…