DCOA E*News At-A-Glance
 On Thursday, October 17, Mayor Vincent C. Gray swore in the new members of the District’s new
Age-Friendly DC Task Force, which will develop a strategic plan incorporating
resident-driven recommendations to improve security, increase independence, boost
health outcomes, and enable more purposeful living for older adults in the
District by 2017.
In September, the Mayor appointed George Washington
University President Steven Knapp and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human
Services Beatriz “BB” Otero to co-chair the Task Force. Newly sworn in members of the Task Force include Office on Aging Executive Director John M. Thompson, Ph.D., FAAMA and Commission on Aging Chairperson Romaine Thomas. For a complete list of task force members, view the full press release here.
The Medicare Open Enrollment Period
is October 15 – December 7, 2013. Once a year Medicare offers you a chance to change prescription drug plans or enroll in a plan if you missed earlier
deadlines. If you are already enrolled in a prescription drug plan (Medicare
Part D), it is a good idea to examine your coverage to determine if it will
continue to meet your needs next year. Likewise, now is the perfect time of
year to see if you qualify for the DC Medicare Savings Program.
For help comparing Medicare prescription drug plans or
applying for the DC Medicare Savings Program, call the GWU Health Insurance Counseling Project at (202) 994-6272.
The LGBT @ 60 Plus is open to LGBT seniors, 60 years of age or older. Participants
will explore together how past life challenges as sexual minorities have
prepared them to face challenges of aging and death with resilience,
determination and hope.
This
group is not appropriate for those with active addictions or serious, untreated
mental health conditions. An individual screening interview is required.
Medicare, DC & VA Medicaid and some private insurances can be billed for
payment. Group sessions take place on Wednesdays
from 2:00pm – 3:30pm. For more information, contact Joe Izzo, LICSW at (202)
939-7631 or email jizzo@whitman-walker.org.
You are invited to join the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and The Atlantic Philanthropies for
the national premier of Fleeced: Speaking Out
Against Senior Financial Abuse on October 28,
2013 at 3:30 pm at The Pew Charitable Trust, 901 E
Street NW, Washington, DC. This film shares stories of older adults
and their families who were victimized by different types of scams and abusive
financial products. In Fleeced, these individuals and their
families transform from victims to advocates speaking out on behalf of others.
A reception and discussion with Kim Jacobs, the
producer of Fleeced, and Anita Gardner, who is featured in the film, is
scheduled to follow the screening. Please
contact Karen Kali at kkali@ncrc.org for more information.
To register, click here.
The Federal Trade Commission has reported
several recent scams targeted at older people. Scammers are calling and
emailing people with Medicare and telling them the Affordable Care Act or, "Obamacare," requires them to
change their insurance and buy a marketplace plan. Often, these scammers
will ask for personal information like Social Security numbers or bank
accounts. Do not give
them this information!
Beneficiaries and
their advocates are encouraged to report all attempts at scams like this to the Federal Trade
Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.
According to 2012 American Community Survey for the
District of Columbia, of the 266,662 households in DC, 77,163
(28%) have at least one person 60 years of age and older. This number has increased by 3,419 (5%) since 2010.
The number of households with elderly living alone or living
with other nonrelatives was 41,721 (54%) which exceeds the number of family households 35,442 (46%).
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