CrossRoadsNews, October 6, 2018

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October 6, 2018

Volume 24, Number 17

www.crossroadsnews.com

Seniors/Baby Boomer Expo Oct. 13, 2018 • The Mall at Stonecrest

Embracing, enjoying your best life

Information, entertainment, screenings and more available noon to 5 p.m. on the mall’s lower level

CrossRoadsNews Photos By Curtis Parker and Jennifer Ffrench Parker

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October 6, 2018

“Everyone, at any age, can benefit from being active, eating healthy, and embracing their talents.”

Seniors, Baby Boomers to turn out for annual expo 2346 Candler Road Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007

www.CrossRoadsNews.com editor@CrossRoadsNews.com The Seniors/Baby Boomer Expo Special Section is a publication of CrossRoadsNews, Atlanta’s award-winning weekly newspaper.

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker / Publisher Editor Jennifer Parker Graphics Editor Reporter Curtis Parker JenniferReporters Ffrench Parker Office Administrator Jennifer Ffrench Parker Catherine Guy Donna Williams Lewis Multimedia Editor Copy Editor Sharif Yarbrough Williams Brenda Multimedia Editor Sharif Williams CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers

The concept, design . and content of CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher © 2018 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without written permission of the publisher. . .

Thousands of seniors and baby boomers will fill the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 13 for CrossRoadsNews’ sixth annual Seniors/Baby Boomers Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest.

From noon to 5 p.m., adults 50 years and older will dance, perform and sashay down the runway at the popular expo, presented in partnership with title sponsor Kaiser Permanente of North Georgia.

Two dozen exhibitors will provide information and resources on the mall’s lower level between Dillard’s and First Class Barber Shop.

Exhibitors include AAA Auto Club, Anthem Group Allianz, BSHARP Research-Emory University, ClearCaptions, Congressman Hank Johnson, DeKalb Clerk of Superior Court Debra DeBerry, DeKalb Tax Commissioner Irvin J. Johnson, Discover DeKalb Convention & Visitors Center, Oakhurst Medical Center, Emory Hillandale Hospital, Lou Walker Senior Center, JenCare Neighbood Senior Medical Centers, Drive Safe Technology, and WellCare Health Plans.

There will also be free health screenings for diabetes, hypertension and prostate cancer.

And line dancing!

Dance troupes and groups at Lou Walker Senior Center and Grace School of Dance will entertain. There will also be ballroom dancing and after the incomparable Beulah Boys light up the Main Stage, near Footlocker at 4:15 p.m., the expo will culminate in a line dance-off with the audience.

Come early for the Icon Models & Talent Fashion Show featuring the latest fashions from Macy’s at Stonecrest at 1 p.m.

Emcee Jazzy Jan Martin will keep things running all day and line dancers, ballroom dancers, special performers and the Beulah Boys will bring the house down.

Jennifer Parker, CrossRoadsNews editor and publisher, says seniors and their families flock to this expo because it celebrates

Photos by Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Expo-goers will get information and resources from 24 exhibitors like Emory Hillandale Hospital (above); and free health screenings for diabetes (left), hypertension and prostate cancer.

There will also be performances by line dance groups, a Macys fashion show, and prizes and surprises.

embracing life, being active, and having fun – at any age.

“These seniors are living their best life,” Parker said. “During the fashion show, they show that you can be sexy and confident at any age; and when they dance, it’s with gusto.”

Parker said the expo is so much fun, everyone should come, even if they are not a baby boomer.

“The message for and about seniors is universal,” she said. “Everyone, at any age,

can benefit from being active, eating healthy, and embracing their talents. You certainly don’t have to wait on retirement to do these things.”

There will be prizes and giveaways, and expo-goers who visit at least 15 exhibitors can enter to win the grand prize drawing for a deluxe Fall/Harvest Gift Basket from the Mall at Stonecrest.

The Mall at Stonecrest is at I-20 and Turner Hill Road. For more information, call 404-284-1888.

.

2018 Seniors/Baby Boomer Expo Exhibitors & Grand Prize Entry Form Visit at least 15 of these exhibitors* at the 2018 Seniors/Baby Boomer Expo and enter to win a Fabulous Fall Harvest Basket from the Mall at Stonecrest.

The drawing takes place on October 13, 2018, at 4:40 p.m. at the Main Stage in front of Footlocker on the lower level of the Mall at Stonecrest. _____ AAA, The Auto Club Group

_____ DeKalb Clerk of Superior Court Debra DeBerry

_____ Kaiser Permanente of Georgia

_____ Advanced Urology

_____ DeKalb County Tax Commissioner Irvin J. Johnson

_____ Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company

_____ Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

_____ Discover DeKalb Convention & Visitors Center

_____ Lou Walker Senior Center

_____ Ascension Group Allianz

_____ Driver Safe Technology

_____ New Phase Senior Move Management

_____ BSHARP Research -Emory University

_____ Emory Hillandale Hospital

_____ Oakhurst Medical Center

_____ ClearCaptions, LLC

_____ First Afrikan CDC Food Pantry

_____ The Griffin Firm, PLLC

_____ Congressman Henry “Hank” Johnson

_____ Icon Models and Talent

_____ WellCare Health Plans Inc.

_____ CrossRoadsNews

_____ JenCare Neighborhood Senior Medical Centers

_____ Young Life Pharmacy

_____ Just Right Solutions

Name _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________________________________________________________ State __________ ZIP ___________-__________ Email________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Home phone _____________________________________________________________ Cell ______________________________________________________

* Eligible entries must be validated by at least 15 exhibitors and must include your complete name, address, email address and telephone number. Employees and immediate family members of CrossRoadsNews, Kaiser Permanente and the Mall at Stonecrest are not eligible to win. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.

You MUST be present to win.

CrossRoadsNews

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2018 Seniors/Baby Boomer Expo Program Highlights October 13, 2018 • Noon - 5 p.m. • The Main Stage in Front of Footlocker Lower Level, The Mall at Stonecrest 12:00 p.m.

Warm-up With Exercise Motivator Rae Rae and the East Lake Y Active Older Adults Line Dance Group

12:20 p.m.

Lou Walker Tai Chi Demo with Hertencer Sheppard & Dr. Adelina San Juan

12:45 p.m.

Joyful Highlighters

1 p.m.

Emcee Jazzy Jan Martin

ICON Models Fashion Show featuring styles from Macy’s

1:30 p.m. Talent Tuesday Troupe & Jan Martin

2:30 p.m. Hip Hop Nanas 2:45 p.m. Antonio “The Chozen 1” Hinton

Rae Rae “The Exercise Motivator” Clark

Lou Walker Tai Chi Demo with Hertencer Sheppard & Dr. Adelina San Juan

1: 45 p.m. Ballroom dancers Johnny Kimbrough & Angela Sanford 2:15 p.m. 2nd Line Queen Ora

ICON Models Fashion Show featuring styles from Macy’s

Johnny Kimbrough & Angela Sanford

Joyful Highlighters

Hip Hop NaNas

2:50 p.m. Lou Walker Dance Troupe 3 p.m.

Christel Finley, Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage

2nd Line Queen Ora

3:15 p.m. Highlighters 3:30 p.m. The Grace Dance Group

Christel Finley

3:45 p.m. Ballroom dancers Ken Wilson & Diane Gilliard 4:15 p.m. The Beulah Boys 4:30 p.m. Line Dance-off 4:40 p.m. Grand Prize Drawing 5 p.m.

Expo Ends

Highlighters Lou Walker Dance Troupe

Antonio “The Chozen 1” Hinton

Grace Dance Group

The Beulah Boys Ken Wilson & Diane Gilliard

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“Sometimes people don’t know they high blood pressure or diabetes, or they haven’t been taking their medicine.”

Oakhurst Medical Centers, Emory Hillandale Hospital, JenCare Neighborhood Senior Medical Centers and Advanced Urology will offer free screenings for hypertension, diabetes and prostate cancer on Oct. 13 at CrossRoadsNews Seniors/Baby Boomers Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest. The expo, in its sixth year, takes place noon to 5 p.m. on the mall’s lower level.

Free screenings for diabetes, hypertension and prostate cancer at expo Free health screenings for diabetes, hypertension and prostate cancer will be available on Oct. 13 at CrossRoadsNews’ sixth annual Seniors/Baby Boomers Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest.

Oakhurst Medical Centers and Emory Hillandale Hospital will offer free diabetes and hypertension screenings; JenCare will do hypertension screenings; and Advanced Urology will offer free PSA screenings for prostate cancer.

All three diseases disproportionately affect African Americans.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often called the silent killer because it has no symptoms, and victims are often unaware that they have it.

The only way to determine if your blood pressure is high is to test for it. Physicians say that prolonged hypertension can lead to a stroke.

Diabetes and pre-diabetes, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says now afflicts more than 100 million Americans or 9.4 percent of the US population, is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

But the CDC’s 2015 study “National Diabetes Statistic Report: 2017, Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States,” found that most people are unaware that they have the disease.

That means that 7.2 million or 23.8 percent of people with the diabetes, and an estimated 84.1 million people, or 33.9 percent of U.S. population with pre-diabetes, don’t know they are at risk for serious illnesses like stroke and heart attack.

Pre-diabetes – higher than normal blood glucose levels – is a condition that leads to Type 2 diabetes within five years, if left untreated.

Diabetes screening is key in helping identify people who don’t know they have high blood sugar so that they can get treatment and make life-style changes to reduce their risks for serious illnesses.

Tarri Johnson, a spokesperson for Oakhurst Medical Centers, said that over the more than 10 years of screening participants at CrossRoadsNews Expos and through the community, they have identified many people with hypertension and high blood sugar.

“We have had occasion where we have had to call for an ambulance,” she said.

“Sometimes people don’t know they high blood pressure or diabetes, or they haven’t been taking their medicine.”

Drs. Karl Pete and Derek Prabharasuth of Advanced Urology’s Decatur clinic, will be offering men free PSA [prostate-specific antigen] screenings for prostate cancer which

grows in the prostate gland, located under a man’s bladder A prostate-specific antigen test measures the level of PSA – a substance made mostly by the prostate – in the blood. Men who have prostate cancer have increased amounts of PSA in their blood.

The annual test is recommended for African-American men at age 40. For other men, screening should begin at age 50.

Advanced Urology will also provide literature on overactive bladder, urinary, bowel incontinence and enlarge prostate.

Ebony Bagwell, Advanced Urology spokesperson, said it’s all about education.

“Overall we will educate both women and men on urological health conditions and treatment options,” she said.

The expo, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, takes place noon to 5 p.m. on the lower level of the Mall at Stonecrest. For more information, call 404-284-1888.

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When you consider the things that really are the best for you, you begin to see that balance is at the center of your best life.

Your best life may be as simple as when and how you move, what

By Asata Reid

to 2 hours per week n Companionship: surround yourself with Living your best life doesn’t have to wait people who want to see your best self for a day when the weather is perfect, when If you feel like your best life is somewhere you have extra money in your bank account, out there, or some day that has yet to come, or when you’ve lost that last 10 pounds. you can begin to adjust these five basic comYour best life starts ponents and make improvement to your life right now, in this mostarting today! ment, this second when you decide that from now Sleep is important on, you are going to make Sleep can be a challenge, especially in this the best choices for you. high-tech day and age where everyone seems That means you’re not attached to a screen. But good sleeping habits competing with a coare the foundation for improved mood, betworker, a Pinterest perter energy, and higher cognitive function. fection or some stranger’s Asata Reid Everyone doesn’t require the same glamorous life on Instagram. That means amount of sleep, but everyone has to sleep. you’re no longer worried about keeping up When you sleep you give your brain the opwith the Joneses, or doing what other people portunity to “clean up the hard drive” so to think you should be doing. Your best life is speak, which is why sometimes when faced designed by you, for you, and is all about with a tough decision, you’re able to make you. a move after you’ve had a chance to “sleep For some people, that may sound selfish, on it.” excessive or extreme. But when you consider Ideally, your bedroom should be cool, the things that really are the best for you, dark and free from all screens and illuminayou begin to see that balance is at the center tion. Setting a bedtime routine can help your of your best life, as is health, love, and com- brain and body wind down and prepare for a passion. So let’s explore what your best life night of rest. A hot bath or shower will relax really means outside of eating snow crab and your muscles and allow your body temperapopping bubbly every day. ture to drop quickly after you dry off, which The best you is a healthy you, not nec- will also tell your brain it’s time to get ready essarily the perfect BMI percentage or the for bed. “right” clothing size. A healthy you is strong, Set a bedtime and try to stick with it, and vibrant and full of energy. A healthy you gets try not to eat anything two hours before you that way by getting a good balance of all the plan to go to sleep. If you are having probright stuff: lems sleeping or staying asleep, talk to your n Sleep: most adults need 6-8 hours a physician to see what options are available night. for you. n Nutrition: real food, mostly from plants. n Hydration: Eight 8-ounce glasses of water Embrace a healthy diet per day works for most people Nutrition is key to living your best life n Movement: you gotta move it or lose it - 1.5 because you really are what you eat! Calorie

for calorie, a plant-based diet is the way to go if you want to pack in lots of nutrients, fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. But that doesn’t mean you have to commit to being a vegan today.

Instead you can commit to putting more vegetables on your plate, every meal, every day. In fact, make a goal of making half of your plate vegetables.

Work vegetables into your snack. Plan vegetable-based dishes for your gatherings and celebrations. Find ways to incorporate

local produce or shopping at local farmer’s markets into your lifestyle.

Eating vegetables doesn’t have to be confined to boring steamed broccoli. As our culture has shifted its focus to a healthier lifestyle, hundreds of cookbooks have been published that are just about preparing vegetables. And the internet is populated with millions of videos and recipes featuring vegetables from around the world.

So next time you are staring at your smartphone, instead of playing Candy Crush, do a search for some recipes that you can try.

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Living your best life can begin today if you take stock of how you’re living and make some adjustments.

you eat and drink, how you sleep, even the company you keep

Optimum quality of life can be within reach for those who commit to (clockwise from far left) move more, get proper hydration, set and stick to a sleep schedule, and incorporate healthy foods like fruits and vegetables in a well-balanced diet. Surrounding yourself with rightminded people rounds out the recipe

Water packs a punch Many people struggle with hydration because they may be too busy to grab some water, or they may not want to use the restroom frequently. But proper hydration may be one of the best ways to instantly boost your mental alertness, reduce body aches, and improve elimination.

Your body is 70 percent water and operates well when it’s hydrated. Lack of water can contribute to confusion, dizziness, a false sense of hunger (which can attribute to over-eating and poor food choices), dry or dull looking skin, muscle cramps

and heart palpitations. That’s definitely not living your best life.

So do the easy thing and drink more water. If water isn’t appealing you can dress it up with cucumber slices and a sprig of mint, or a squeeze of lemon with a touch of honey. You may have heard that your body doesn’t benefit from the water in caffeinated drinks or food, but that’s not entirely true.

Juicy foods like watermelon and oranges can improve your hydration, and as long as you aren’t drinking too much soda or coffee your

body can extract the water from those drinks too much dead weight, emotional vampires, as well. Still, water really is the best option or someone who is a constant state of crisis it for maximum hydration. may be time to build some boundaries.

In your best life, the people in your life Movement is important will care about you and want to build you up, If you don’t love to exercise, try to find not wear and tear you down. an activity you do enjoy that involves moveIn your best life, you will have people who ment. It could be line dancing, gardening, inspire you, hold you accountable, and listen walking a pet, cycling, swimming, hiking, or to your needs. Your tribe should strengthen throwing a ball around with the kids. Moving you and encourage you to get out into the your body is essential to your overall health world and make a difference in whatever way and promotes joint health, cardiovascular is your personal gift. These are the folks who and muscular fitness, bone density and better will have your back and want you to be the sleep habits. As we age, it is important that we best you that you can be. stay strong, maintain our balance and work If you’re not getting the love, respect and on our flexibility so that we can enjoy moving encouragement you need from the people in safely through our lives and avoid injury. your life, then it’s time to clean house. There’s For people who have mobility issues, no room for “haters” in your best life, because water exercise classes at the local YMCA or it’s all love!

Lou Walker Senior Center or chair exercise Living your best life can begin today if videos on YouTube can be a good place to you take stock of how you’re living and make start a low-impact workout that’s modified some adjustments to ensure that you are right for you. with yourself. Then when you make goals If you are bored with your usual routine, and take action you know you’re coming don’t be afraid to try a new sport, a Zumba from a solid, real place inside of you. Not a class, or sign up for a 5K walk/run for char- hungry, sleep deprived, low-energy place; ity. Mix it up and stay active. Your body will but a nourished, empowered, supported and thank you, your energy levels will increase, recharged place! and you’ll sleep like a baby!

Moving through your life as your best self will attract like-minded people and Keep good company positive circumstance because I believe the When it come to the people you surround universe really does conspire to bring you yourself with, consider them mirrors. What what you want when you step powerfully and would you like to see reflected back at you? intentionally into the world. Your goals and Hopefully, you’d like to see happy, loving, dreams deserve the best you have to offer, so well-adjusted people with a good sense of start by living your best life today. humor who are kind, responsible and com- Asata Reid is a Life Chef who is making passionate. the world a healthier place, one plate at a Those are good people to be around! So time. For classes and recipes visit her at www. take an inventory of who you are spending lifechef.net and www.youtube.com/chefasata. your time with and decide whether or not Follow her at twitter.com/chefasata and www. they are supporting your best life. If you have facebook.com/LifeChef.

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“The goal is to merge lip sync and line dancing as a total entertainment package.”

Performers will include (from left) Antonio “The Chozen 1” Hinton, the Beulah Boys and the Lou Walker Dance Troupe, and (below, left to right), Queen Ora, Johnny Kimbrough and Angela Sanford, and Ken Wilson and Diane Gilliard.

Expo will showcase seniors and their vast performance skills Seniors will be dancing up a storm at CrossRoadsNews’ sixth annual Seniors/ Baby Boomers Expo on Oct. 13 at the Mall at Stonecrest.

From ballroom to line dance, the 50-plus crowd will be waltzing and stepping.

There will also be lip syncing, mime, a tai chi demonstration, a fashion show featuring fashions from Macy’s at Stonecrest, and 2nd Line Queen Ora. This year, some of the performers will pay tribute to the late great Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, who died on Aug. 16.

The expo is noon to 5 p.m. on the mall’s lower level. The Main Stage will be near Footlocker.

“Talent Tuesday Troupe,” a new lip sync and line dance ensemble from Decatur, will be on the expo Main Stage for the first time.

Led by “Jazzy Jan” Martin of Beulah Boys fame, Talent Tuesday Troupe, which is made up of both men and women, will be joined on stage by other artistic individuals in per-

formances that incorporate everything from gospel to soul.

Martin, the new group’s producer and promoter and a line dance instructor, said the troupe is all about delighting audiences.

“The group’s main objective is to engage and entertain its audiences,” said Martin who started the group with the idea of entertaining others with line dances, but with

a twist.

“The goal is to merge lip sync and line dancing as a total entertainment package,” said Martin, who will also double as the expo’s mistress of ceremony. “After a couple of very successful shows that included lip sync performances of Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, James Brown, En Vogue, Gladys Knight & the Pips, along with The Tempta-

tions, it was clear that line dance and lip sync are a perfect match.”

Talent Tuesday Troupe will be on the Main Stage at 1:30 p.m.

Other performers include Joyful Highlighters, ballroom dancers Johnny Kimbrough and Angela Sanford, and Ken Wilson and Diane Gilliard, the Hip Hop Nanas, the popular Lou Walker Dance Troupe; Antonio “The Chozen 1” Hinton, the Highlighters, Grace Dance Group, and crowd favorites Beulah Boys.

Rae Rae Clark and the East Lake Y’s Active Older Adults Line Dance group will kick off the expo at noon.

Tai chi practitioners Hertencer Sheppard and Dr. Adelina San Juan from Lou Walker Senior Center will demonstrate the exercise of gentle stretching and breathing.

The mall is at I-20 and Turner Hill Road in the city of Stonecrest.

For more information, call 404-2841888.

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“[The expos] pull the community together, and I like to inspire people to believe in themselves regardless of their age or origin.”

Senior models to wow audience at expo’s Macys fashion show The models who will strut their stuff at the sixth annual CrossRoadsNews Seniors/ Baby Boomers Fashion Show at the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 13 includes octogenarians, but please don’t hold their age against them.

The 45 men and women – many from the Lou Walker Senior Center in Stonecrest – are not letting their ages hold them back.

Jan Reynolds, Icon Models & Talent founder, who is in her fifth year of coordinating and choreographing the popular fashion show, said the models believe in themselves and are not shy on the runway.

“They are well prepared,” said Reynolds, who teaches basic and advanced modeling classes at the Lou Walker Senior Center. “We have been rehearsing, and they are ready to show out.”

The show, which is featuring fashions from Stonecrest Macy’s, takes place at 1 p.m. on the Main Stage on the mall’s lower level.

Reynolds said the show will pay tribute to Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, who died in August.

“We will model to her music,” she said.

“She made such an impact on all of us, we just wanted to honor her music.”

During a winter fashion scene, the models will also showcase boots for fall and winter.

Reynolds, the first Miss Black Missouri in 1976, coordinates fashion shows for two CrossRoadsNews expos – the Family & Backto-School featuring kindergarten to college students, and the Seniors/Baby Boomers. She says she loves the expo fashion shows because CrossRoadsNews Community Expos are so important to south DeKalb County.

“People come out for them,” she said.

“They pull the community together, and I like to inspire people to believe in themselves regardless of their age or origin.”

On Nov. 1, Reynolds said she will open her first Icon Models & Talent Studio on the mall’s upper level across from Round 1. She will offer classes in modeling, ballet, tap, line

Photos by Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Forty-five models – many from the Lou Walker Senior Center in Stonecrest – will feature fashions from Macy’s on the Main Stage at the expo.

dancing, Zumba, yoga and hip hop.

After 22 years of teaching modeling and choreographing traveling fashion shows and pageant courses for men and women ages 3 to 80, she said it is time to have a permanent location. She picked South DeKalb because she loves the area.

“A lot of my models are from the area,” she said. “I love the people. They know me and I know them.”

Reynolds lives in Conyers, but when she first relocated to Atlanta in 1991, Decatur was home.

The Nov. 1 grand opening takes place

The fashion show is choreographed by Icon Models & Talent founder Jan Reynolds (left photo, at center), who is in her fifth year coordinating the popular event.

noon to 4.

“People can come in and see what we offer and sign up for classes,” she said.

Reynolds is also looking for contestants for: n Ms. America Plus Pageant, ages 5 to 80 n Ms. America Senior Pageant, age 50 and up n Miss America Teen Pageant, ages 13 to

18 n Miss America Princess Pageant, ages infant to 12 n Ms. America Diva Pageant, ages 25 to 49 For more information, contact Jan Reynolds at moviestarjan@yahoo.com or 770-837-7587.

The Mall at Stonecrest is at Turner Hill Road and I-20.

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Open enrollment is the time to change health or prescription drug coverage for 2019 or join a Medicare Advantage Plan.

‘Medicare and You,’ a primer to help seniors pick the right option Seniors on Medicare and those becoming eligible for the program this fall can get a wealth of information from www.medicare.gov and from the program’s 2019 Medicare and You handbook.

The 120-page handbook walks Medicare members and enrollees through plan options and answers information about benefits and costs. It can be downloaded at , available at www.medicare.gov/sites/default/files/2018-09/10050medicare-and-you.pdf.

If you already have Medicare, you don’t need to sign up for Medicare each year, but if you find a better plan, you can switch during the annual Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 open enrollment period.

Medicare encourages seniors to start now comparing their coverage with other options. Visit Medicare.gov/find-a-plan. Open enrollment is the time to change health or prescription drug coverage for 2019 or join a Medicare Advantage Plan.

Changes made during open enrollment take effect Jan. 1, 2019. Between Jan. 1. and March 31, 2019, seniors in a Medicare Advantage Plan, can make one change to a different plan or switch back to Original Medicare (and join a stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plan) .

Here are some other frequently asked questions covered in the handbook:

What services does Medicare cover?

Medicare Part A and Part B cover certain medical services and supplies in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other health care settings. Prescription drug coverage is provided through Medicare Part D. If you have both Part A and Part B, you can get all of the Medicare-covered services, whether you have Original Medicare or a Medicare health plan.

To get Medicare-covered Part A and/or Part B services, you must be a U.S. citizen or be lawfully present in the U.S. What does Part A cover?

Part A (Hospital Insurance) helps cover: inpatient care in a hospital; inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility (not custodial or long-term care); hospice care; home health care; or inpatient care in a religious non-medical health care institution You can find out if you have Part A by looking at your Medicare card. If you have it, it will be listed as “HOSPITAL” with an effective date. If you have Original Medicare, you’ll use this card to get your Medicare-covered services. If you join a Medicare health plan, in most cases, you must use the card from the plan to get your Medicare-covered services.

What do I pay for Part A-covered services?

Copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles may apply for each service. Visit Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get specific cost information. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan or have other

B, you’ll have to pay for them yourself unless: n You have other coverage (including Medicaid) to cover the costs. n You’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan that covers these services. Some of the items and services that Medicare doesn’t cover include most dental care, eye examinations related to prescribing glasses, dentures, cosmetic surgery, What does Part B cover? massage therapy, acupuncture, hearing aids and exams for Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover medi- fitting them, long-term care, and concierge care (also called cally necessary doctors’ services, outpatient care, concierge medicine, retainer-based medicine, boutique home health services, durable medical medicine, platinum practice, or direct care). equipment, mental health services, and other medical services. How does Original Medicare work?

Part B also covers Original Medicare – managed by the federal governmany preventive ser- ment –is one of your health coverage choices as part of vices.

Medicare.

Find out if you have You’ll have Original Medicare unless you choose a MediPart B by looking at your care Advantage Plan or other type of Medicare health plan. red, white, and blue MediWith Original Medicare you can go to any doctor, other care card. If you have it, it health care provider, hospital, or other facility that’s enrolled will be listed as “MEDICAL” in Medicare and accepting Medicare patients. and will have an effective date.

You generally have to pay a portion of the cost for each To find out if Medicare cov- service covered by Original Medicare. ers a service, visit Medicare.gov/ Visit Medicare.gov to search for and compare health care coverage, or call 1-800-MEDICARE providers, hospitals, and facilities in Georgia.

(1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call With a few exceptions, most prescriptions aren’t covered, 1-877-486-2048. but you can add drug coverage by joining a Medicare PreFor more details about Medicare scription Drug Plan (Part D). covered services, visit Medicare.gov/publiMemb ers can buy a Medicare Supplement cations to view the booklet “Your Medicare Insurance(Medigap) policy to cover costs Original MediBenefits.” care doesn’t.

Call 1-800-MEDICARE to find out if a copy What are Medicare Advantage Plans? can be mailed to you.

A Medicare Advantage Plan – HMO, PPO, PFFS, SNPs, What do I pay for Part B-covered services?

MSA – is another way to get your Medicare coverage. , If you see doctors or providers who don’t accept as- Sometimes called “Part C” or “MA Plans,” Advantage Plans signment, you will pay more. Contact your plan or benefits are offered by Medicare-approved private companies that administrator directly to find out about the costs. must follow rules set by Medicare.

Under Original Medicare, if the Part B deductible If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you’ll still have ($183 in 2018) applies, you must pay all costs (up to the Medicare but you’ll get your Medicare Part A (Hospital Medicare-approved amount) until you meet the yearly Part Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covB deductible. erage from the Medicare Advantage Plan – not Original After your deductible is met, Medicare begins to pay Medicare. its share and you typically pay 20 percent of the MedicareIn most cases, you’ll need to use health care providers approved amount of the service, if the doctor or other health who participate in the plan’s network. Some plans offer outcare provider accepts assignment. of-network coverage. In most cases, you must use the card There’s no yearly limit for what you pay out-of-pocket. from your Medicare Advantage Plan to get your MedicareVisit Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE to get covered services. Keep your Medicare card in a safe place specific cost information. because you’ll need it if you ever switch back to Original You pay nothing for most covered preventive services if Medicare. you get the services from a doctor or other qualified health Medicare Advantage Plans operate with a network of care provider who accepts assignment. However, for some doctors, other health care providers, or hospitals. preventive services, you may have to pay a deductible, coThere are six advantage types: insurance, or both. These costs may also apply if you get n Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) a preventive service in the same visit as a non-preventive n Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) service. n Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) n Special Needs Plans (SNPs) What’s NOT covered by Part A and Part B? n HMO Point-of-Service (HMOPOS) plans Medicare doesn’t cover everything. If you need certain n Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plans services that aren’t covered under Medicare Part A or Part For more information, visit Medicare.gov/find-a-plan.

insurance (like a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy, or employer or union coverage), your copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles may be different.

Contact the plans you’re interested in to find out about the costs, or visit the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov/ find-a-plan.

October 6, 2018

Senior Expo

CrossRoadsNews

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It is a zero-premium plan. We offer primary care, labs, X-ray and pharmacy under one roof.”

Kaiser Permanente to discuss Medicare open enrollment at expo

Seniors who are three months shy of their 65th birthday, and those wanting to make changes to their Medicare choices, will be able to do so Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 during the annual open enrollment period for Medicare.

Adults younger than 65 who have certain disabilities can also sign up for medical coverage during open enrollment.

There will be plenty of information about the upcoming enrollment period at CrossRoadsNews’ sixth annual Seniors/Baby Boomers Expo taking place noon to 5 p.m. on the Mall at Stonecrest’s lower level.

Title sponsor Kaiser Permanente, which serves 1.5 million Medicare enrollees in its Senior Advantage HMO, will provide information and take questions about various Medicare options.

Kaiser staff will also share dates, times and locations of KP’s “Straight-Talk” seminars, and schedule appointments for enrollment, which begins Oct. 15.

Christel Finley, Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare & Medicaid sales specialist, said seniors have a seven month window to make selections from Medicare Part A, B, C & D plans.

Medicare, created on July 30, 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed amendments to the Social Security Act, is managed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid of the Department of Health and Human Services. It offers: n Part A – Hospital Coverage n Part B – Medical Coverage n Part C – Advantage, in which seniors buy coverage through a private health plan, and n Part D – Prescription Drug Plan.

Each year, newly eligible seniors can sign up for original Medicare during open enrollment.

Because Medicare Parts A and B do not cover all medical costs, eligible seniors can buy more coverage through Medicare-approved private health plans, called “Medicare Advantage” plans like Permanente’s Senior Advantage which offers coverage for Parts A, B, C & D.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Christel Finley, Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare & Medicaid sales specialist, will discuss their Senior Advantage plan on the Main Stage at 3 p.m.

KP’s Senior Advantage is one of more than five Medicare Advantage providers in Georgia. Seniors can enroll up to three months before their 65th birthday, during their birthday month, or three months after their birthday.

Finley, who will provide details about their Senior Advantage plan from the expo’s Main Stage at 3 p.m., says seniors who are enrolling for the first time, and those who

want to drop, switch, or change their coverage, should consider Kaiser Permanente.

She says KP’s Senior Advantage offers a one-stop integrated care system.

“It is a zero-premium plan,” she said. “We offer primary care, labs, X-ray and pharmacy under one roof.”

For 2018, Kaiser Permanente received a 4.5-stars out of a possible 5 stars from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid which

rates all private Advantage Plans.

Medicare coverage secured during the annual open enrollment period becomes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

Eligible seniors who don’t enroll during open enrollment, and don’t have coverage from an employer, face a 10 percent penalty.

For more information, visit kp.org/ medicare.

Medicare Straight Talk sessions Kaiser Permanente is hosting 38 Straight Talk sessions in DeKalb County starting on Oct. 8.

Sessions will be held between Oct. 8 and Dec. 3 at Kaiser’s three medical centers in Decatur, Stonecrest and Tucker, and at the Stonecrest Holiday Day Inn Express, the Porter Sanford Center for the Performing Arts, and the Lou Walker Senior Center.

Here’s the list of scheduled seminars:

KP Stonecrest Medical Center 8011 Mall Parkway, Stonecrest, GA 30038 n Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. n Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. n Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. n Nov.14 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. n Nov. 28 at 10 a.m.

Holiday Inn Express Stonecrest 7846 Stonecrest Square, Stonecrest, GA 30038 n Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. & 1 p.m.

KP Crescent Medical Center 200 Crescent Center Pkwy, Tucker, GA 30084 n Oct. 8 at noon n Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. n Nov. 19 at 10 a.m.

KP Panola Medical Center 5440 Hillandale Drive, Stonecrest, GA 30058 n Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. n Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. & 6 p.m. n Nov. 6 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. n Nov. 13 at noon n Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. n Dec. 7 at 10 a.m.

Lou Walker Senior Center 2538 Panola Road, Stonecrest, GA 30058 n Oct. 15 at noon n Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur, GA 30034 n Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. n Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. n Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. n Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. n Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. n Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Piccadilly Restaurant - Decatur 2801 Candler Road 21, Decatur, GA 30034 n Oct. 17 at noon n Nov. 1 at noon n Dec. 3 at noon Space is limited. Register daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1-877-925-9210.

For more information, call 404-895-8985.

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CrossRoadsNews

October 6, 2018