Senior Center News, June 9, 2017

North Central Senior Citizens Center, June 12-16,

Monday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m .; exercise class at 11 a.m.

Tuesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m .; bingo at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m; TOPS at 8 a.m .; cards at 1 p.m .; mall or Walmart shopping from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Thursday — Great Falls Trip at 8 a.m., transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m .; exercise class at 11 a.m .; cards at 1 p.m

Friday — Medical transportation will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but people must make a request at least 24 hours in advance.

Pinochle — First place, Elva Van Desse; second place, Dave Novak; third place, Diane Andrew; pinochle – Mary Novak (Lucky)

Menu by Earlene DeWinter

Monday — Pork schnitzel sandwich, coleslaw, Tater Tots, apricots

Tuesday — Oven-baked chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, roll, Jell-O cake

Wednesday — Oven-baked fish, rice pilaf, Riviera vegetables, applesauce bars

Thursday — Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, cauliflower, pudding

Friday — Soup, salad bar, chef’s choice, dessert, milk

Senior Gift Shop

The Senior Gift Shop has a wonderful selection of greeting cards for your shopping needs. Be sure to stop by and check them out. We know you will be pleased with both our selection and our prices.

Commodity Slots are available, if interested request an application from the Senior Center.

An ounce of prevention — Medicare benefits to help you stay healthy

The Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, included requirements that health insurers offer certain preventive benefits to their subscribers with no cost sharing requirements. The good news: Medicare fell under this new requirement as well. Since 2011, a number of exams, screenings, lab tests and vaccinations have been available to beneficiaries covered under Medicare with no cost sharing. Access to preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs increases the likelihood that beneficiaries will look for those services. Being able to prevent a disease or catch it at an early stage both improves the quality of life for beneficiaries and is also more cost effective Medicare.

The list of preventive services covered by Medicare with no cost sharing comes from ongoing research done by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Only services recommended by them with a grade of A or B are eligible for inclusion. Since research is ongoing, services may be added or removed or the specifics of the recommendations may change from year to year. Medicare may continue to cover it if a doctor deems it is medically necessary.

Services currently available to beneficiaries with no cost sharing include a yearly wellness visit, screening for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and glaucoma; cancers of the colon, breast, lung, prostate and cervix; smoking cessation counseling; and vaccinations for the flu, pneumonia and hepatitis B. The frequency is defined by the USPSTF recommendations, so if a doctor determines that a patient needs screenings or lab work more frequently, some of the services may be subject to deductibles and co-pays. Also, if a screening turns into a diagnostic procedure, such as when a colonoscopy reveals polyps that are removed and evaluated for cancer, out–of-pocket charges may result.

To make the best use of the preventive services benefit, a beneficiary can go to http://myMedicare.gov and log in or register for an account. They can get a two-year calendar of the covered tests and screenings that they’re eligible for. This information can be very useful when sitting down with your doctor.