New Horizons December 2020

Happy Holidays!

Dec. 2020 Vol. 45 No. 12

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 389

New Horizons from the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

Rick Galusha

This month, Rick Galusha will celebrate 30 years as host of Pacific Street Blues & Americana on the radio. A former president-CEO of Homer’s Record Stores, Rick is also a community columnist for The Omaha World-Herald and a political science professor at Bellevue University.

Leo Adam Biga’s profile of Galusha begins on page 8.

ENOA responds to COVID-19 Bellevue Senior Center Manager Kathy Van Den Top hands a Grab and Go meal to Donald Spetzman.

The Grab and Go meals are part of how the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging has continued to provide programs and services to older adults in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washingon counties during the coronavirus pandemic.

See page 5.

Outlook Enrichment can help persons with vision loss

Free webinars offered

by Alzheimer’s group

f you or a loved one with vision loss have found challenges in accessing critical services, Outlook Enrichment can help through its adaptive technology training program.

For individuals who are blind or have low vision, assistive technology includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with vision loss/disabilities and also includes the process used in the evaluation and selection of adaptive technology.

Outlook Enrichment offers computer and smartphone training remotely. This helps clients learn how to use smartphone apps and other technology tools that are increasingly important for working remotely, learning online, shopping, banking, and engaging with others.

Outlook Enrichment also established a technology help line for people with visual impairment at 531-365-5334.

The organization’s adaptive technology trainers respond to messages within 24 hours with technology solutions to help their blind neighbors stay connected and conduct business.

Outlook’s trainers can help consumers find adaptive

The Alzheimer’s Association is offering a variety of free educational webinars.

Topics include the warning signs of Alzheimer’s, dementia research, healthy living, legal and financial planning, early stage care partners, late stage caregivers, and understanding and responding to dementiarelated behavior.

To register or for more information, please call 800272-3900 or go online to alz.org/crf.

I

techniques, software, or devices to overcome the barriers presented by vision loss. They’ll demonstrate options and give tips on using the devices that work best.

Through this program, you or a family member with a vision condition can learn how to: • Visit with family via Zoom, Facebook messenger, or other videoconferencing apps.

• Order groceries, prescriptions, and other items to be delivered to your home through platforms like Instacart and Amazon.

• Enjoy home entertainment through movie streaming and audio books.

• Read the mail, the newspaper, or recipe cards with digital magnifiers.

As we’re all spending more time at home and adapting to the new normal, technology is now more important than ever. Outlook Enrichment’s adaptive technology trainers are ready to help with your technology needs Please call 531-365-5314 to schedule a phone appointment.

Broken down?

Can’t dance around? ad s i h t n i Bring

E V SA !

10%

Kohll’s Rx Certified Medical Equipment Staff repairs: Walkers Rollators Wheelchairs Canes Crutches Transport Chairs Respiratory Equipment …and more Offer valid through December 31, 2020

402-408-1990 | kohllsrx.com Visit 12741 Q Street

Page 2

•

New Horizons

•

December 2020

Long-term Care Ombudsmen The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging is looking for men and women age 21 and older to join its Long-term Care Ombudsman Program which is co-sponsored by the Nebraska State Ombudsman Program.

ENOA’s Long-term Care Ombudsmen volunteer in local long-term care facilities and assisted living communities to protect the residents’ rights, well-being, and quality of life.

Long-term Care Ombudsmen must complete 20 hours of initial classroom training and 12 hours of additional training every two years.

During the training, the volunteers learn about the residents’ rights, aging issues, Medicare, Medicaid, communication skills, how to investigate the residents’ complaints, the importance of confidentiality, and about the federal and state rules, regulations, and laws regarding Nebraska’s long-term care facilities and assisted living communities.

Before being assigned to a long-term care facility or an assisted living community, new volunteers will make four visits to a site with an experienced Ombudsman Advocate to learn more about what the program entails. After a three-month probationary period, the new volunteers are certified as Ombudsman Advocates.

Certified Ombudsman Advocates will be assigned to a long-term care facility or an assisted living community where they’ll visit for two hours a week to meet with administrators, residents, and the residents’ family members to address concerns.

For more information about ENOA’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Program, please call Beth Nodes at 402-444-6536.

People spending more time together

How COVID-19 has impacted relationships

C

OVID-19 has upended the daily lives of almost all Americans, especially older adults. As the most at-risk group, older men and women have to navigate keeping themselves safe, maintaining relationships with friends and family using technology, and having regular travel and activities canceled.

Much has been written about isolation since that’s a big risk to the older population, but what about older adults who are living with a significant other? How has the pandemic affected those relationships? In other words, when older adults vowed to love and cherish each other forever, did they consider living in close quarters 24 hours a day for several months in the middle of a pandemic?

More than 600 older adults (age 55+) were asked how the coronavirus has impacted their relationship.

They were also asked about specific elements of their relationship as well as about what COVID-related issues were having the biggest impact.

While most older adults feel their relationships with significant others are as good or better than prepandemic, 17% feel their relationships have gotten worse.

On balance, older adults are seeing better communication with their partners during the pandemic.

On the other hand, more older adults believe that intimacy and laughter/joy have worsened.

Women were more likely to notice relationship changes than men.

One in three feel COVID restrictions on travel and activities are hurting their relationship HorizonAD-2010:HorizonAD-08 Older couples are spend-

ing time together and communicating more than before the pandemic, but some unfortunately are reporting a decrease in important relationship metrics.

More than 60 percent of older men and women said they are spending more time with their partner during COVID, and for the most part, this increased togetherness has been good. There is a strong correlation between those who are with each other more than before, and feelings the pandemic has had a positive effect on their relationship.

While the majority of older adults surveyed said COVID hasn’t changed the relationship with their partner, 25% report a positive impact, with 17% experiencing a negative impact.

When looking at specific elements of a relationship, responses differed. Only 10% of older adults said the communication has gotten worse in their relationship, and 17% feel it has improved.

However, when asked about intimacy, 8% said it has gotten worse since the pandemic while 6% feel it got better. When it came to laughter and joy in a relationship, an alarming 18% said it had gotten worse while 14% felt it had improved.

While women and men had similar responses on communication and intimacy, women were much more likely to report differences in laughter and joy.

When asked what COVID-related issues were negatively affecting their relationship, 70% selected at least one option, even though the vast majority felt their relationship overall had stayed the same or gotten better.

The most prevalent issues for older men and women have been the restrictions on travel and activities since the pandemic began, with over a third of respondents noting each as a problem.

COVID precautions, family stress, and restrictions on social, cultural, and religious activities were selected as issues for 27% of older adults, while 23% are experiencing added strain on their relationship due to politics and the 2020 election.

The majority of the older adults surveyed had been with their partner for more than 25 years. COVID is undoubtedly not the first storm these relationships have had to weather, but several months into the pandemic many are feeling the changes. For some, the increased time together has helped the relationship become stronger, but for others, the strain is showing up as decreased intimacy and joy.

2/4/10 AM Page 1 (The8:00 SeniorList provided this information.)

Attorneys at Law William E. Seidler Jr.

www.seidler-seidler-law.com 10050 Regency Circle, Suite 525 Omaha, NE 68114-5705

402-397-3801

Delivering quality legal services since 1957.

December 2020

New Horizons New Horizons is the official publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. The paper is distributed free to people over age 60 in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Washington, and Cass counties. Those living outside the 5-county region may subscribe for $5 annually.

Address all correspondence to: Jeff Reinhardt, Editor, 4780 S. 131st Street, Omaha, NE 68137-1822.

Phone 402-444-6654. FAX 402-444-3076.

E-mail: jeff.reinhardt@enoa.org Advertisements appearing in New Horizons do not imply endorsement of the advertiser by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. However, complaints about advertisers will be reviewed and, if warranted, their advertising discontinued. Display and insert advertising rates available on request. Open rates are commissionable, with discounts for extended runs. Circulation is 9,000 through direct mail .

Editor....................................................Jeff Reinhardt Ad Mgr................Mitch Laudenback, 402-444-4148 Contributing Writers......Nick Schinker & Leo Biga ENOA Board of Governors: Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County, chairperson; Janet McCartney, Cass County, vice-chairperson; Lisa Kramer, Washington County, secretary; David Saalfeld, Dodge County, & Angi Burmeister, Sarpy County.

The New Horizons and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging provide services without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, or age.

•

New Horizons

•

Page 3

Learn to respect, understand Health Department info line can answer other people’s points of view Call 402-444-3400

COVID-19 questions in English, Spanish

T

he Douglas County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to educate Nebraskans about the COVID-19 outbreak.

The DCHD, working with colleagues at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine, has created a COVID-19 information line at 402-444-3400.

The information line will be open seven days a week (until further notice) from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Callers will be able to have their questions answered in Spanish and English.

“Our website and social media platforms will continue to provide the best and most current information,” said Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour.

Dr. Pour said the best advice to avoid

the COVID-19 is to practice good hygiene like you would with the seasonal flu. Good hygiene includes: • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Hand sanitizer is a second option.

• Don’t touch your mouth, nose, or eyes, especially with unwashed hands.

• Avoid contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home while you’re sick.

• Wear a mask when around other people.

• Don’t cough or sneeze into your hands.

• Frequently clean and disinfect your home, car, and workplace A COVID-19 vaccine isn’t available yet. Most people have recovered by drinking lots of fluids, resting, and taking pain and fever medication. If symptoms worsen, medical care might be needed.

Caregivers need to determine if their loved one is eating properly

A

pproximately 85% of people with dementia and chronic illness are cared for exclusively in their own home. One major worry for caregivers can be ensuring their loved one is eating healthfully.

Good nutrition is important for managing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, preserving stamina and independence, and maintaining a strong immune system that can fend off illnesses.

However, special dietary needs, reduced ability to eat independently or recognize hunger, reduced appetite, difficult behaviors, and other issues all can make providing a healthy diet challenging. Malnutrition is a real risk.

Looking for strategies to improve nutrition and reduce stressful mealtimes? The What’s on Your Plate? guide from the National Institute on Aging Resources can help with choosing foods and planning meals. The following ideas may help meals go more smoothly: • Offer one food at a time. Too much food on a plate can be confusing and overwhelming.

• Eat with your loved one. Model eating behavior and have pleasant conversations during meals. Talk about the smell and enjoyment of each type of food.

• If chewing or swallowing are a problem, prepare

Happy Holidays!

From the Midwest Geriatrics, Inc. family to yours, “Seasons greetings and a promise to support you and your loved one by providing the best around the clock care possible.”

Call 402-827-6000 to learn more about : • Florence Home Healthcare • Royale Oaks Assisted Living • House of Hope Assisted Living • House of Hope Memory Care • Gerimed & Unimed Pharmacies

Page 4

•

New Horizons

•

soft, chopped or bite-size items like cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, applesauce, etc. Watch for choking hazards like small hard objects (grapes or raw carrot pieces). Make sure that all dentures are in place and fit well.

• Keep table settings simple to avoid distractions.

Don’t worry about messy eating.

• Serve finger foods like sandwiches in quarters, carrot or cheese sticks, and fruit slices.

• Optimize appetite for meals by offering opportunities for physical activity and avoid constipation with plenty of fluids and fiber.

• Offer small, frequent meals rather than three large meals.

To find more ideas for feeding people with dementia or to prevent malnutrition in your older loved one, consult your healthcare provider, contact a dietitian, or visit the nutrition resources created by the Alzheimer’s Association, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Need additional assistance? Through grants to states and community organizations, the Administration for Community Living funds several programs that provide support to family caregivers.

Find out what’s available in your community by contacting the ElderCare Locator online or at 800677-1116, or by visiting the caregiver resources pages on ACL.gov.

December 2020

T

he 2020 elections are over, but the divisions are far from mended. Families and friends avoid topics that are so volatile many decide they cannot even be discussed. Relationships are broken and we wonder if we can ever knit them back.

One author, Arthur Brooks, addresses this political divide in a book titled, Love Your Enemies. His thesis is that we see people who disagree with us as defective. We’re acting from a culture of contempt. Contempt is intolerance of the other marked by sarcasm, sneering, hostile humor, and eye rolling. Sound familiar?

These expressions of contempt create a divide that cannot be bridged until contempt is dismantled. The chal-

Conscious Aging

By Nancy Hemesath

lenge is how to overcome and replace contempt with a more constructive way to engage with others. I propose there are three effective ways to accomplish this.

The first coming from a classic prototype of life as a hero’s journey. By viewing each person as being on a hero’s journey, we conclude this person has goals, dreams, and a desire to make a difference. Everyone has something to contribute to others, and in their heart of hearts, wants to do just that. No one is born into this world intent on making a mess of things. While it’s true that some stray into mean-

ness or extreme selfishness, it’s not their nature to be evil.

Typically, those attitudes are a response to hurts they have experienced in their own lives. Buried beneath this is an innate goodness. By seeing and treating the other as being on a hero’s journey, we draw out that goodness. We focus on the person’s essential integrity instead of the opinions and behaviors we may not like.

Second, because we see the hero’s heart, we extend respect. We treat the other as worthy of our regard and acknowledge that it’s not our job to change or fix them. No one likes to be fixed by another. We demonstrate respect by how we listen, even when we disagree. When we truly listen, we discover why they believe in their ideas and learn to enlarge our own perspectives.

Listening with deep respect doesn’t mean we agree on everything but it’s likely to uncover those things we have in common. By allowing ourselves to “walk in another’s shoes” even for a short time, we open doors and build bridges. We may even elicit understanding from others, allowing them to listen to us.

Third, as older adults who have experienced and witnessed many conflicts in our lives, we have the capacity to take the long view in our personal lives and in history. Our country has weathered many crises that were overcome, keeping us together as the United States. Life is too short to focus all our energy on what divides us and overlook all we have in common.

By committing ourselves to respect those closest to us even when opinions differ, we sow the seeds of respect across political divides. We practice listening with respect versus eye rolling with contempt. In our heart of hearts, we all want justice, liberty, and life in pursuit of happiness. We are more alike than we are different.

(Hemesath is the owner of Encore Coaching. She’s dedicated to supporting people in the Third Chapter of Life.

Contact her at nhemesath@cox.net.)

ENOA adjusts its programs, services during the pandemic

M

ore than 12 million Americans have been infected with the COVID-19 virus during 2020, according to Johns Hopkins University. Of that total, more than 250,000 have died as a result of the coronavirus.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed men and women ages 65 to 74 were five times more likely to be hospitalized and nine times more likely to die from COVID-19 than were persons ages 18 to 29. Those figures rose to eight times more likely for hospitalizations and 220 times more likely for death in persons ages 75 to 84, and 13 times more likely for hospitalizations and 630 times more likely for death in men and women ages 85 and older.

“We need to work together to protect older people from the virus,” said World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “They are valuable members of our families and communities, and they’re at a higher risk of the more serious complications of COVID-19.”

In March, the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging began implementing a plan to protect its staff and the older men and women the agency serves in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties.

Most ENOA employees began working primarily from home. The main office was closed to the public, hand sanitizing stations were installed throughout the building, and staff members – who each received a bottle of hand sanitizer – were required to wear a mask when not in their office or cubicle.

E

NOA is committed to empowering older adults by giving them more choices and greater control over the services they receive, where they receive those services, and the manner in which its contractors and providers deliver those services.

The agency’s CHOICES (Choosing Home Or In Community Elder Services) division consists of the Care Management, Medicaid Waiver, Level of Care, and Caregiver Support programs.

“The biggest adjustment for the CHOICES staff during the pandemic has been suspending home visits and completing all contacts and assessments via telephone,” said Janelle Cox, who directs the CHOICES division for ENOA. “Observing the client in their home setting is invaluable but not as priceless as ensuring our clients’ health, welfare, and safety.”

“I’m increasingly impressed with the flexibility and adaptability the care managers show every day working from home,” said ENOA’s Care Management Program Coordinator Montanna Walling.

“It’s been difficult not seeing the clients we serve. Being available through telephone conversations and email correspondence, however, ensures our clients are still receiving the assistance they need.”

E

ach weekday, ENOA’s Meals on Wheels program provides hot, nutritious midday meals to more than 600 older adults.

Since mid-March, the drivers – after making visual or verbal contact with the recipients – have left the meals in a plastic bag attached to a doorknob or on a table or chair near the door instead of handing the meals directly to the older adult.

“We feel this is a safe and effective way to deliver the meals,” said Arlis Smidt, who directs the Meals on Wheels program for ENOA.

T

he pandemic forced ENOA to close 21 of its 22 senior centers (North Bend has stayed open) which provide midday meals and a variety of social and recreational activities. In response, the agency’s Nutrition division

As part of ENOA’s SeniorHelp Program, Jim Busse painted Sharon and Jim’s house. began a Grab and Go meals program at 18 of the meal sites.

“In order to continue providing hot, nutritious meals, we modeled our program after Meals on Wheels by using pre-plated, packaged meals the recipients could pick up and take home,” said Susie Davern, who directs ENOA’s Nutrition division.

“The curbside pickup minimized the direct contact, but still allowed the recipients to interact with the center managers from a distance.”

Davern said some of the managers have also handed out activity sheets, crossword and word search puzzles, as well as nutrition information.

On average, 175 to 250 Grab and Go meals are served weekdays. “We’ve had a lot of new people getting the meals, and they enjoy the drivethrough system,” Davern said. “Our numbers are as high if not a little higher than when we served the meals inside the centers.”

end of each day.

Changes have also been made in ENOA’s Homemaker, Personal Emergency Response System (PERS), and Personal Care programs.

“Homemakers, who provide light housekeeping services, must wear a mask and gloves during their visit,” Gillette said.

PERS contractors are limiting the number of in-person installations, and personal care providers – who assist with bathing the clients – are required to wear masks and gloves during their home visits.

E

NOA’s Volunteer Services division features the Senior Companion, Foster Grandparent, Retired and Senior Volunteer, Ombudsman Advocate, and SeniorHelp programs.

“Each program has done an outstanding job of meeting its mission without person-to-person contact since the beginning of the pandemic,” NOA’s Information and Assistance (I & said Mary Parker, director of ENOA’s VolunA) specialists answer 400 to 500 telephone teer Services division. “The staff continues to calls per month requesting information communicate with the volunteers and clients to about the agency’s programs and services. When restructure protocols and to keep safety and wellappropriate, callers are directed to other commu- ness in the forefront.” nity resources.

Funded by AmeriCorps Seniors – formerly the “In the early days of the pandemic, some of the Senior Service Corps – Senior Companion Proolder adults were afraid to leave their home to gram volunteers provide support and friendship go to the grocery store,” said Mary Ann Eusebio, to frail older adults in the clients’ homes. who directs ENOA’s I & A division. “We con“The SCP staff has trained some Senior Comnected them to resources for grocery shopping, panions to use Zoom and their cellphones to food delivery, pantries, and to ENOA’s Grab and enhance the virtual client visits,” Parker said.

Go Meals and Meals on Wheels programs.”

Funded by AmeriCorps Seniors – formerly the Senior Service Corps – Foster Grandparent Prorior to the pandemic, the agency’s Rural gram volunteers serve in schools, hospitals, Head Transportation Program offered rides to Start programs, and child development centers to medical and business appointments, to go help children needing special attention. shopping, to the airport, etc. After a brief shutOne Foster Grandparent has created videos down due to the coronavirus, the program inifor the children she works with featuring singing tially re-opened for medical appointments only, and puppet shows while other FGP volunteers but has since returned to pre-pandemic service have recorded themselves reading books for the levels. youngsters.

“Plexiglass shields that separate the drivers Also funded by AmeriCorps Seniors – formerfrom the passengers were added to the vans, and ly the Senior Service Corps – RSVP volunteers drivers and passengers are now required to wear are placed in public and non-profit organizations, masks,” said Chris Gillette, director of ENOA’s health institutions, food pantries, and senior Community Services division. centers.

Only one passenger – who rides in the backParker said RSVP is working with Boys Town seat of the van – is allowed at a time and the vans and Carole’s House of Hope to develop the are cleaned and disinfected at the beginning and --Please turn to page 6.

E P

December 2020

•

New Horizons

•

Page 5

Adapting to life with COVID-19...

--Continued from page 5.

Senior Smiles program where volunteers will correspond by mail with children to recognize their achievements and birthdays.

The Ombudsman Advocates volunteer in long-term care facilities and assisted living communities to help ensure residents enjoy the best quality of life possible.

For the most part during the pandemic, the Ombudsman Advocates haven’t been able to enter the facilities where they serve.

The residents, however, haven’t been forgotten.

“The volunteers have continued advocating for the residents by phone and video,” Parker said.

Through SeniorHelp, volunteers of all ages provide a wide range of assistance that allow the older adults to remain in their own homes.

Despite the no-contact rules resulting from the COVID-19, SeniorHelp volunteers have cleaned yards, telephoned clients, delivered Meals on Wheels, shopped by list for and delivered groceries, and completed outdoor home projects.

E

NOA’s Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha, which blends the talents of musicians age 25 and younger and age 50 and older, has also adjusted to the pandemic.

“Auditions were held virtually, a new location was secured for the rehearsals which were delayed, some concerts were postponed, and the annual Pops & Pie concert is now scheduled to be held outdoors in May,” Gillette said.

During rehearsals, the IGO is broken into two groups of 25, the musicians sit six feet apart while wearing masks, covers are placed on all bell instruments, and the members refrain from sharing food and beverages while gathered.

Kindness, generosity, support displayed by state’s citizens have given older Nebraskans reasons to celebrate in 2020

By Jen Beck

T

hroughout eastern Nebraska, kindness, love, and support are both seen and felt among older adults.

More specifically, that compassion fills retirement homes, assisted living residences, and full-time care facilities.

Though the year has dealt some devastating setbacks, Midwestern folks continue to prevail with resilience, optimism, and the cheerfulness that makes Nebraska such a great place to call home. In the spirit of the season, Nebraskans have delivered – physically and metaphorically – reasons to celebrate and reflect on another trip around the sun.

Senior living facilities and rehabilitation centers were recently surprised with additional holiday spirit. Abundant holiday Clella Wiliams (right) walks to the Bellevue Senior Center each weekday décor was added to senior homes thanks to gift where she picks up a Grab and Go card donations from the meal from Center Manager Dreamweaver FoundaKathy Van Den Top. tion. Throughout local communities, the DreamNOA’s Executive Director Trish weaver Foundation gave Bergman said the agency represents a cornerstone of the local service sys- $16,000 to spread holiday cheer. Not only will the lights be tem that meets fundamental needs for older hung on the chimney with care, but residents in facilities will also receive notes and cheer from a card drive. adults living at home.

Holiday cards from community donations will help “During this pandemic and going forward ENOA will continue to be a key contributor lessen the feelings of isolation and loneliness this time of to local responses – including providing nu- year may bring to older men and women without visitors.

Prior to the holiday season, generous citizens in comtritious meals, information and assistance, in-home care, transportation, and attempting munities delivered plants to nursing homes on Mother’s Day. When life requires a move to assisted living, imagine to address social isolation. knowing a garden, flowers, and the weeds all need atten“While the intensity of COVID-19 to tion. Volunteers from church groups, scout troops, and the older adults’ health and independence community horticulture enthusiasts can often be seen in the is new, developing innovative services to protect those individuals is what ENOA has weeds of senior housing. Not only does the facility need the support, but residents enjoy the companionship, socializing, always done,” Bergman added. and admiring the work from bird watching windows.

Since the beginning of the pandemic celebrations from window visits have felt “normal.” Sitting on the other side of the window with games and delivering packages have been the new hugs. Given the distance communication, hospice and home care organizations have donated electronics to help residents communicate with their loved ones. Pen pal initiatives to older adults have surged. Kids learning at home have committed to delivering cookies or snacks to their local nursing home on a regular basis. Inside the facility, phones ring constantly with people wanting to help, and the support has not gone unnoticed.

No act of generosity has been too small in 2020. Whether the contribution has been an hour of service to an older man or woman, muffin deliveries, or a financial contribution, the love and support is recognized and has proven time after time the resiliency of the human spirit.

The philanthropy mentioned is by no means an exhaustive list of engagement, but a small attestation of Midwest kindness. In times of great despair, Nebraska continues to rally around those who need a boost, and the older adults in the 402 area code have reaped invaluable benefits.

(Beck is with Midwest Geriatrics, Inc. of Omaha.)

E

9

Charles E. Dorwart Massih Law, LLC 39 years of legal experience

• Wills • Living Trusts • Probate • Healthcare and Financial Powers of Attorney • Medicaid Planning • In-home consultations • Free Initial consultation 226 N. 114th Street • Omaha, NE 68154 Office: (402) 558-1404 or (402) 933-2111 chuck@massihlaw.com www.dorwartlaw.com

Page 6

•

New Horizons

•

December 2020

Some suggestions for keeping your home medical equipment operating properly

By David Kohll, PharmD

t’s important to keep your home medical equipment in great working condition. These items help many people maintain their independence.

While there’s no sure-fire way to avoid incremental damage to your home medical equipment due to wear and tear, there are steps you can take to keep your investment in good shape including: • Keep it clean. You’d be amazed at the number of dirty pieces that are repaired. Wiping down your walker, scooter, etc. once a month does wonders combating dust and dirt buildup.

• Don’t force it. If something isn’t working properly, don’t try to force it to work. This is especially true for new pieces. If something is off, call your retailer to figure out why there’s a problem and what can be done. Breaking a major part due to force may void a warranty.

• Watch your batteries. Keep batteries for powerchairs, mobility scooters, and other mobility items charged. Charging them once a week will help you avoid gradual battery degradation.

• Proper storage. If you aren’t using a specific piece of equipment, keep it stored in an area where it won’t get damaged or collect excessive dust.

• Proper care and use. Make sure you aren’t being too rough with your equipment. Most durable medical equipment can be damaged.

Following these basic tips and throwing in some common sense can add years to the life of your home medical equipment.

New medical equipment comes with different warranties and warranty packages. Each manufacturer has its own warranty policies, but there are important things to look for.

For each of the categories listed below, look at how long the warranty lasts, parts coverage, labor fees, shipping fees, and void clauses.

• Electronic parts. Probably the most important warranty clause to look for is how comprehensive is the electronic parts warranty? The longer the warranty, the better.

• Specific mechanisms. In powered equipment like lift chairs and scooters, specific mechanisms (motors, suspensions, etc.) may have separate clauses from the electronic parts. Make sure the important parts of your equipment are covered.

• General parts. This is important when it comes to minor, less expensive parts. Plastic seals and rings will break more often than metal pieces, and replacements can be hard to find without a manufacturer’s warranty.

• Frame. If you’re purchasing a large piece of medical equipment (scooter, lift chair, hospital bed, etc.) check to see if there’s a lifetime frame warranty. Frame issues are rare, but if you experience one, you’ll want to be covered by a limited or a lifetime warranty clause.

A comprehensive warranty covers everything for the specified time. Find out if the warranty includes labor costs.

Repair labor costs are important to understand. I’m referring to the work someone will perform to fix a piece of medical equipment. Many warranties don’t include labor charges. The manufacturer will send parts to the consumer at no charge but they may not pay for the installation.

There are a few steps to follow if you receive the parts for the home medical equipment but the labor isn’t free.

• Call the manufacturer. The manufacturer may not be able to directly provide labor, but they usually have names you can contact for assistance.

• Call a local medical equipment retailer. A brick and mortar store that specializes in medical equipment may be your best bet for help.

• Call your doctor or a local hospital. A hospital will have contacts with medical suppliers and manufacturers. It may be able to put you in touch with someone that can help with the repairs or installation.

Used medical equipment can be extremely tricky to repair. Most medical equipment warranties become voided after the equipment changes hands for the second time. On top of this, home medical equipment manufacturers often don’t sell or ship parts directly to the consumer.

To fix a piece of used medical equipment, I suggest: • Call a local medical equipment retailer. Most medi-

I

Call 1-844-268-5627

Legal help available during the pandemic

N

ebraskans who have questions or who are experiencing legal problems due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 public health emergency can get legal advice and help through the free COVID-19 Disaster Relief Hotline.

Hosted by Legal Aid of Nebraska, working closely with the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), this hotline aims to make key legal assistance easy and accessible.

If you’re a Nebraskan facing legal issues related to the virus, or the owner of a small, locally-owned business (less than 50 employees, and not a franchise) that’s closed, in risk of permanent closure due to the virus, and where the payment of fees would significantly deplete your resources, the hotline may be reached at 1-844-2685627.

Callers will be connected to the hotline’s voicemail. Callers should leave their name, phone number, brief details of the problem and the assistance needed, and in what county they’re located.

Callers will receive a call back from an experienced Legal Aid staff member. Individuals and businesses that don’t qualify for Legal Aid’s free services will be directly referred to the VLP. The VLP will work to place cases with Nebraska volunteer lawyers who will provide free legal assistance.

The types of legal issues associated with COVID-19, and focused on by the hotline include: • Tenants with rent issues, including eviction.

• Debt problems, including debtors with garnishments or who are ordered to appear at a debtor’s exam.

• Mortgage foreclosures, including advising on options for delinquent payments.

• Unemployment insurance denials.

• Employee rights, including sick leave and wage payments.

• Government benefits available to low-income persons such as ADC, SNAP, AABD, and SSI. • Medicaid and medical insurance claims.

• Drafting wills, health care power of attorney, and transfer on death deeds.

• Domestic abuse and safety issues.

• Elder abuse and exploitation.

• Access to education.

• Helping small, locally-owned businesses with business and employment related matters, including human relations issues, unemployment benefits, and contracts.

More information on these legal issues, including ways you can directly help yourself, are available at legalaidofnebraska.org.

--Please turn to page 11.

December 2020

•

New Horizons

•

Page 7

Galusha enjoys educating folks about blues, politics

By Leo Adam Biga Contributing Writer

I

t’s not every day one walks away from being a music store executive and concert promoter to pursue a career in academia. But that’s what Rick Galusha did in 2005 when he left Homer’s Record Stores in Omaha to get his master’s degree in Business Administration and to reinvent himself as a Bellevue University (BU) instructor.

Initially, he drew on his business expertise to teach retail management. Galusha has since earned a doctorate in political science, the subject he focuses on today as a BU associate professor and director of its Kirkpatrick Signature Series.

He also waxes social-political commentary as an Omaha World-Herald community columnist.

The Omaha native has kept one foot in entertainment, however, hosting Pacific Street Blues & Americana, a radio program he conceived and launched in 1991. This staple on KIWR, 89.7 FM, The River, marks its 30th anniversary this month. He’s welcomed major artists such as B.B. King to the show. As host, Galusha shares his musical tastes and insights and conducts lively interviews.

Rick annually hosts a live simulcast benefit concert that buys toys for kids and propane for older adults at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Until the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live music events, Galusha loved going to concerts.

He knows some artists well enough to chum around with them backstage.

Galusha, 60, is equal parts straight arrow, hipster, intellectual, and populist. During a 27-year tenure at Homer’s, he lived and breathed music.

But the further he rose in the corporation the less time it left to interact with customers.

“I was never as happy at Homer’s as when I was a clerk at the counter. I enjoyed that more than any other job at the organization,” he said, “It was just fun to turn people onto music. But you can’t feed a family on that. And I needed to grow up, we all do. I was actually running Homer’s and attending Creighton (University) law school when offered the opportunity to become the store’s president-CEO, which I took. I dropped out of law school.”

During his Homer’s run, Rick was establishment enough to develop the Old Market Busi-

ness Association (OMBA) and outlaw enough to kick back a few drinks with New Orleans bluesman Dr. John. Using his people skills, Galusha brought together independent-minded Old Market business owners to work as a team.

“My role was to create a sense of ‘we’. We also figured out how to manage the image of the Old Market to enhance business and earn publicity. OMBA (which is still active today) earned the respect and cooperation of landlords and city government.”

Even then this political animal felt drawn to the back-and-forth, give-and-take scrapple of vying personalities and points of view.

“I always loved politics. I figured law would take me there. In 2004, I ran for Douglas County Register of Deeds. When you campaign it’s an incredible amount of work and in the end there’s one winner and one loser and nothing in between. To work that hard and to get nothing out of it is discouraging.”

Galusha now views that bid for elected office as misguided.

“My motivation to run for public office was not good. I just wanted to win and be in politics because that’s what I wanted for me. If you read Plato, he talks about the philosopher kings and the people that should run for office are the ones that don’t want to run because their motivation is not self-glory but doing the right thing.”

With maturity, Rick’s come around to working for the greater good.

“I had to learn it’s not really all about me. I had to learn how to make it about someone else.

That’s a really hard lesson.”

He tries patterning himself after area leaders John S. McCollister, Clare Duda, and Brad Ashford.

“I really admire those guys because they’re not in it for the glory, they’re in it for the betterment of society. They have honor in what they do.

So much of the political landscape today lacks honor, and that is saddening.”

Should he ever run for elected office again, this maverick politico will bring his own brand of independence to the dance.

“I’m toying with the idea of running for the Nebraska Legislature. I think I would learn a lot and I would bring a lot to it as well.”

I

n higher education, Galusha said professors try to teach engaged citizenship by asking students questions like their definition of a

Rick Galusha behind the microphone during a KIWR-FM (89.7) broadcast of Pacific Street Blues & Americana. The program has been on the air for 30 years.

Page 8

•

New Horizons

•

December 2020

good society?

“With 30 people you get 80 definitions. The lesson is we need to understand good means different things to different people. If we’re going to achieve that good society it means I have to step back in leveraging my rights so you can execute yours. If each of us in a country of 330 million people agrees to step back so others can exercise their rights, we’ll get to a good society.”

Galusha encourages robust discourse and civic engagement in his teaching and columns as well as via two online forums he’s started – the Free Speech Society and Omaha Watch and Learn.

“The pursuit of truth is endless, so the journey never ends,” he said. “By pursuing the truth and the better idea you become educated, you become critical, you become discerning. We don’t arrive at that without being educated on how to get there.”

Coming from a family of educators, teaching is Rick’s birthright. His father, Richard, was principal at Omaha’s J.P. Lord School for special needs children. He later oversaw psychological services for the Omaha Public Schools before being appointed by then United States President Jimmy Carter to set-up special education programs in China. Rick’s mother was a special education instructor. His brother and sister are both K-12 educators.

M

usic, not academics, ruled most of Galusha’s early life. His fascination began when afflicted with a rare childhood disease called Perthes, that put him in traction.

On the front porch of his childhood home he played records over and over.

Later, when exposed to The Rolling Stones and Boz Scaggs, he got hooked on classic American rock, whose undertow of rebellion and raw emotion spoke to him. He later learned classic rock drew from the blues.

Then, in 1975, Rick’s father won a Rotary “Ambassadorship” that took the family – sans Rick’s sister – to Newcastle in Northern England.

It registered as a major culture shock for Galusha who had to wear a suit and tie to school. He struggled deciphering the heavy English accent spoken by locals, who call themselves Geordies.

Though not love at first sight when Rick first laid eyes on Newcastle, a dull, gray workingclass industrial town quite different from his hometown, he soon discovered its compensatory benefits.

“It wasn’t pleasant initially. We lived about two miles outside downtown Newcastle and I could walk down there. I realized pretty quickly I could see a band once or twice a week that would maybe come to Omaha in four or five years. The music was extraordinary.”

It helped, too, that as an American he was embraced by the locals.

“You’re special. You are the pet. It’s nice to be the pet. I developed a friendship with David Wilson, who’s still one of my closest friends. David’s become a very famous painter and alpine climber. I go back (to Newcastle) probably every other year to hang out with David.

“We explored the city together. In England at that time if you could see over the bar, even at (age) 15 or 16, you could go to a pub and have a beer. Mom and dad realized it wasn’t that big a deal,” Galusha said, reflecting on that coming of age year with his close mate.

The boys covered every inch of downtown Newcastle as well as sections of the Jesmond Dene and the Northumberland countryside and coastline. “Coming from a landlocked state, the seaside was compelling,” Galusha wrote in a social media post. “There were some shenanigans that occurred as you might imagine.”

As a music buff, Rick reveled in the area’s --Please turn to page 9.

Life in the UK enhanced Rick’s appreciation for music, soccer While working at Homer’s, Rick got to sample its huge music inventory, hang out with fellow musicheads, and meet DJs, promoters, and artists. He’s met members of The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The E Street Band, as well as Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, and many more performers.

“Later I learned that knowing about and sharing knowledge about music was very important to me. That sense of being a part of the music scene was something I wanted to be identified by.”

G Galusha spent 27 years with Homer’s Record Stores, including a stint as its president-CEO.

--Continued from page 8. strong music heritage and showcase. It’s home to such pop music icons as Sting, Brian Johnson (AC/DC,) Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), the Pet Shop Boys, and Dave Stuart (The Eurythmics).

“Hundreds of millions of records were sold out of that market in the 1980s. It’s a city of about 250,000 people.”

At Newcastle City Hall, Galusha saw many dynamic acts and bands perform. “The music scene was spectacular,” he said.

Another English passion he adopted was rooting for the local football (soccer) team, Newcastle United. “When I was there, they went all the way to the league championship. To experience sports at the highest level was a heady experience for Galusha coming from Nebraska, where there’s no major league pro sport.

“A ticket then was 50 pence (80 cents). You’re packed in and stand for the entire three hours. The English sing and chant through the whole match. It’s a communal experience. As the team got nearer to a championship, more people attended, including visitors. There were a lot of fights. Hooliganism was at its height. Between the violence and bawdy songs, it was everything a teenage boy loved.”

After his family’s 10-month England sojourn, Galusha finished his junior and senior years at Omaha Northwest High School. He tried attending the University of Wyoming, but it proved a bad fit. He ended up back home at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). After one year there his wanderlust pulled him across the pond again to Newcastle where he endeavored to study labor economics. But between the live music, the pubs, and the football culture, social life trumped studies.

“I lived in a dorm 200 yards from the football stadium in one direction and 200 yards from the original Newcastle Brown Hill brewery in the other direction, At night with the windows open you could smell the malt from the brewery.”

When Galusha’s resources ran dry, he returned to the United States to complete his bachelor’s degree in economics at UNO. He started working at Homer’s to fulfill a longheld aspiration to work there. As a teen, he’d frequented the store, which for him was Mecca.

“Going to Homer’s when I was a teenager, was like going to the coolest place in the world. All that music to explore and learn about. Two of the guys I looked up to the most – in terms of music knowledge and taste – were musicians Jim Morrow (The Firm) and Jim Fleming (The Wingnuts and The Confidentials). To become friends with them was very special to me because they were like gods to me. As Lou Reed would write, they both had a ‘rock and roll heart.’”

alusha was there for the start of the Omaha Blues Society. He’s helped organize the Indigenous Jam and Playing With Fire concert series in Omaha. His music appreciation and support has been recognized nationally with the Keep the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation.

“Rick has done an excellent job making the blues engaging and accessible through his weekly radio program and podcast archives,” said award-winning Nebraska content producer and blues-roots columnist B.J. Huchtemann.

“He brings local artists into the studio to perform and showcase their new

releases. He conducts interviews with notable national and international artists and spotlights their new recordings. He also has become an invaluable supporter of roots community events.”

Homer’s founder Bruce Hoberman admires the lengths Galusha went through making his radio show a success.

“Early on he really had to bust his hump,” Hoberman said. “He had to sell advertising, he had to raise money to keep it on the air, plus program it, and go on air hosting it. He worked hard.”

Galusha models himself on the record spinners he grew up listening to.

“In my mind the DJs on KQ98, Radio Free Omaha, and KRCB were artists.

They would weave together the music and create an experience to where you didn’t want to miss it. That’s what I try to do; create a threehour experience.

“Instead of doing Chuck Berry, I do all the people to come out of classic rock who did Berry or relied heavily on him. Recently, I’ve been exploring Sam Cooke, which of course is Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and Rod Stewart. Without Sam Cooke there would be no Rod Stewart and Southside Johnny, and without Southside Johnny, you probably

December 2020

•

wouldn’t have a Bruce Springsteen. I try to weave that narrative so people can see that great people we appreciate today stand on the shoulders of other people.”

Galusha is like a band leader or album producer who selects the playlist himself. In all his years doing the program, management has never interfered with or censored his musical picks.

“You can’t ask for anything more,” Rick said.

He’s aware it’s rare for a DJ to have that much autonomy in this era of corporate, pre-packaged programming.

Galusha acknowledges the fine line he walks while on the air. “I don’t want to be, as they say, too cool for the room. But on the other hand, what I never want to be is predictable because I think we have enough predictable radio.”

While getting his radio show off the ground, Galusha helped grow the Homer’s chain and brand before tiring of the grind and following his curiosity into higher education. The same analytical mind that’s helped him connect the dots when it comes to music lineage, he now applies to social issues in columns he writes and classes he teaches.

“I try to take complex ideas and show how they exist in the lives we are --Please turn to page 10.

New Horizons

•

Page 9

Galusha working to bridge the nation’s growing political divide --Continued from page 9. living. And then I try to avoid the partisanship that taints politics, so that whether someone is from the right or the left is not relevant. What they have is an inquisitive mind.”

If Rick gives students, readers, or listeners information or a new way of looking at things, he’s satisfied.

Though some people may be surprised Galusha went from music devotee-entrepreneur to academiccommentator, his friend, mentor, and former boss Bruce Hoberman is not.

“I’m not the least bit surprised.

It’s in his pedigree. It suits him.

He’s an educator,” said Hoberman, who sold Homer’s in 1993 and later chaired Proxibid.

He said Galusha’s high character has remained intact. “He’s an extremely honest guy. Then there’s his attention to detail. His discipline goes hand in glove with that. He’s never hesitated to tell me what he thought. I admire his perseverance and his intellectual pursuits. I am proud to have worked with Rick. He is a plus guy in this world.”

G

alusha despairs over the nation’s polarization and how candidates are increasingly at one end or the other of the political divide.

“We are going to see from now on ideologically pure candidates on the right and the left as opposed to moderates. What we know from sociology and psychology is if you exist in a sphere where the only ideas you hear are like your own, your ideas become more extreme and further away from the middle, and therefore more destructive.”

He advocates for political leaders and policies that speak to the silent majority of Americans.

“The majority of the people are in the middle and they just want their elected representatives to compromise, pass laws, solve problems, and shut up. That’s not what we have now. We’re out of kilter at the moment. Special interest groups

are able to manipulate politicians to adopt their agenda at the expense of the larger interests of the larger public. Both sides are trying to recast our form of self-governance to allow them to get what they want.

“At the moment. it’s the right.

In the past, it’s been the left. Those of us in the middle that want stable government, compromise, and unification of ideas suffer from that.

“What I try to focus on is the value that moderate voices contribute to the political discussion The challenge is that while there are more moderates than there are people at the ends of the political spectrum, they are also less interested.”

In this time of political division, Rick feels what’s most needed from leadership is what’s most lacking.

“We need to have a trusted voice,” he said. “When that individual is unpredictable it creates uncertainty, which creates anxiety, and that causes us to change our behaviors.”

He said the growing gulf between right and left and haves and have nots, coupled with the legacy of systemic racism, lagging education, and other harsh realities, challenge the nation to examine how the American Dream is broken for many citizens.

“The world’s changing rapidly, and we need to view it as an opportunity to create that better world.

And we need the leadership to make good choices.

“I think you need a vibrant left alongside a vibrant right. As a nation we need to find a model that works to create a centrist voice. Not to further a political agenda, but to calm things down.

“We need to have conversations that vet or debate for the better idea and embrace the spirit of being with and doing for others. We live in a society of radical individualism where my rights trump yours, and we need to get away from that.”

Meanwhile, Galusha sees the focus of the Black Lives Matter movement on unjust systems that

Rick shaking hands with the great blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer B.B. King. King was a guest on Galusha’s radio show Pacific Street Blues & Americana.

Page 10

•

New Horizons

•

Galusha (in the middle wearing shorts) hanging out with the legendary Rolling Stones and some of their friends.

oppress marginalized populations as a framework for what America needs to address.

“In the first column I wrote for The World-Herald I said we have the opportunity now to end systemic racism in our society. Let’s do it.

But we have to do it with forethought and discussion. The nation is trying to get there. America is redefining or creating a national discussion on race and systemic racism and I think this is healthy.

“We need to acknowledge the history of the system which has created advantages for some and disadvantages for others. We need to confirm people’s impression of racial bias.

“If we’re going to get through this period of addressing concerns of race, we have to exhibit patience and tolerance.”

A

part from social justice and pandemic concerns, Galusha and his wife, Barb, are adjusting to the empty nest syndrome at their new home in Ponca Hills.

“We’re learning how to adapt to this newfound freedom.”

Rick has no plans on retiring anytime soon. “I’ve got three kids in college, so I know I want to work until they’re out. I can’t imagine not working, I enjoy being in the classroom.”

He doesn’t want to teach, however, past his prime. “You don’t want to be the guy that doesn’t get it. That’s my fear – that the nature of technology or learning or seeing the world becomes so different that I’m just this out of touch old geezer wasting their time. So, I want to have the common sense to step out when that time comes.”

He notes a sea change in students.

“Deadlines mean nothing to these young students coming in. They just operate differently, and they seem to think their opinion is all that really matters.”

F

ittingly, he and Barb, an accountant, met over music, She was actually a temp worker at Homer’s when they first met. “Our long-term relationship began when we re-met at a concert by The Call

December 2020

on Thanksgiving Eve at the Ranch Bowl,” Galusha said.

Many cherished music venues from Rick and Barb’s youth are gone now, including The Ranch Bowl and The Music Box. New venues like The Jewell pay tribute to Omaha’s music past and present.

“Omaha used to be a great jazz and blues town,” he said. “Musicians came up the Mississippi River and ended up in Omaha. All the greats played here. Billie Holiday, Count Basie, (and) Nat King Cole.

I’d love to see us get back to that.”

Galusha won’t be booking concerts until live music is back to stay again, though he fears things will never be the same after the pandemic.

“I think the scar of COVID-19 is going to be with us for our lives. I don’t think we’re ever going to go back to where it was. That’s scary and intimidating, but humans are very creative and resilient. So, we have an opportunity to recreate what society we want to live in.”

Of the countless concerts he’s attended, some memorable ones stand out for Rick. “Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes at the original Music Box in 1979, and being in the front row for Bruce Springsteen at Stafford, England.”

Then there was the time a young Joe Bonamassa so killed a set at Indigenous Jam that Galusha went on stage waving his socks in the air to announce how the guitarist had “knocked my socks off.”

W

henever he does step away from teaching, Rick wants to remain active in the community. Music will remain a part of that.

“I love Omaha’s music scene and music community. It’s vibrant.”

He said Omaha musicians like Mitch Towne, Doyle Tipler, Andrew Ballie, and Hector Anchondo are world-class players.

Galusha still enjoys turning people onto music and helping locals realize “you don’t have to go to Kansas City to see a great band.

They’re playing in the bar down the street, and I love that.”

Michigan study: Pandemic has increased levels of loneliness for older Americans

A

ccording to the University of Michigan, the lack of daily interpersonal interactions resulting from the pandemic has caused a spike in reported loneliness and isolation in older Americans. Social isolation has been linked to cardiovascular and inflammatory issues as well as hormonal and sleep-related disturbances, meaning that loneliness can cause severe impairment or even death.

Lisa M. Cini, president and CEO of Mosaic Design Studio, offers tips to safeguard the emotional wellness of older Americans, combat loneliness, and ensure they receive the companionship they need.

“We often think of seniors as adaptable to their surroundings, spending the day knitting in a rocking chair or sitting in front of the TV,” says Cini.

“However, social distancing measures have created havoc for our aging population with more than half of the people over age 50 saying they feel isolated which threatens the mental and physical health of our loved ones.

“Research shows that loneliness can be as challenging for health as obesity or as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”

Cini’s emotional wellness tips include: • Setting up daily and weekly check-ins. Coordinate convenient check-in times for everyone through Skype, Facetime, Zoom, Loop, WhatsApp, or WeChat. If possible, do a video call as it’s better to see a smile than hear one, and easier for those with hearing loss or visual impairments.

• A handwritten note goes a long way. Write a card, send flowers, or start a pen pal system between an aging loved one and their family. By having a visual reminder in addition to texting and video chatting, older adults will be reminded of their support system all day long.

• Encouraging open and honest communication.

Foster a sense of understanding and empathy. Many older adults may be feeling different emotions such as sadness, frustration, anger, or loneliness. By practicing patience and understanding, loved ones can better verbalize how they feel and come to resolutions faster.

• Getting them moving. For older Americans, frequent movement and exercise gets the blood flowing and improves brain function, immune response, and reduces depression. Certain devices, like an Apple Watch or a FitBit can send notifications when an aging loved one is being active to address family concerns about prolonged immobility. If possible, create a time where the entire family can go on a socially distanced walk, or meet at the park to catch up family activities.

• Hold a car party. If near aging loved ones, consider getting some socially distant, face-to-face interaction with a car parade. Have family members drive by and hold posters with loving words of encouragement.

• Giving mood boosting gifts: One great way to target the blues and sleep issues is through light therapy which helps generate more energy and alertness.

• Consider an assisted living community. Research the best options for aging loved ones who live alone or may need extra help. Many of these communities follow safety protocols and health guidelines while providing residents meaningful social interaction, activities, and healthy meal prep in a nurturing community specially designed for mind, body, and brain health.

“We’ve all experienced hardships during this time that have made it difficult to stay connected with our older loved ones,” says Cini. “By being kind, compassionate, and understanding, we can help each other during this tumultuous time and assist our moms, dads, and grands in moving from fear to freedom.”

Metro Women’s Club of Omaha The Metro Women’s Club of Omaha’s motto is “Extending the hand of friendship.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, all

Metro Women’s Club of Omaha events are on hold until further notice.

For more information, please go online to metrowomensclub.org.

Home medical equipment...

See ad on page 3

--Continued from page 7. cal equipment retailers will have a technician or repairman on staff to help with installations or repairs.

• Call your doctor or a local hospital. They may be able to provide phone numbers or websites for you.

• Use the Internet. Use a search engine to find the manufacturer of your equipment and then give them a call.

• Search the Internet for articles or videos.

Type your model name and problem into any search engine and see what pops up. YouTube offers thousands of videos on general home medical equipment maintenance.

If you decide to search the Internet to help locate your problem, be sure to find a qualified individual to help with your repairs or installation. This is especially true with electronic equipment.

Purchasing medical equipment for your home isn’t cheap. Protecting your home medical equipment investments is key to keeping you as independent as possible, so it should be a priority after the purchase.

(Kohll is with Kohll’s Rx in Omaha.)

NH Club membership roll rises $20 Virginia Hogan $10 Paul Goetz $5 Kathleen Koons Reflects donations through 11/20/20.

The New Horizons is brought to you each month by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.

SPEND LESS

on your prescriptions with the

FREE

Douglas County Prescription Discount Card

FREE enrollment for Douglas County residents of all ages who are without prescription drug coverage.

AVERAGE SAVINGS OF 20%!

• No age requirements.

• No income requirements.

This program is offered in a joint effort of Douglas County and the National Association of Counties (NACo).

• Unlimited use for the whole family.

• No claim forms to fill out and no annual fee to pay.

For more information call 1-877-321-2652 or visit

nacorx.org

This plan is not insurance.

Discounts are only available at participating pharmacies.

December 2020

•

New Horizons

•

Page 11

Steps for protecting your meds

Volunteers Assisting Seniors

M

edicare’s annual open enrollment period runs through Dec. 7. This is the time of year to review your Medicare Part D coverage or your Medicare Advantage coverage. By reviewing your coverage, you may be able to save money on your prescription drug costs in 2021.

Volunteers Assisting Seniors (VAS) will be available – even during the COVID-19 pandemic – to help you review your plan. This year, drug and Medicare Advantage plan reviews will be done over the phone, not in person, in an effort to minimize exposure to COVID-19. Phone counseling sessions will be available daily. Limited evening and weekend appointments are also available.

Please call VAS at 402-444-6617 to schedule your phone session with one of VAS’ trained and certified Medicare counselors.

Intercultural Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Intercultural Senior Center (ISC), 5545 Center St., for the following: • Morning exercise classes. Mondays and Fridays: Tai Chi. Wednesdays: Zumba. Classes are held from 9 to 10.

Bring water. Masks, which are available upon request, are required. Due to CDC guidelines, these classes are open to 14 older adults only.

The ISC is closed on Dec. 24 and 25 for Christmas and on Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day. The ISC is open one day a week for nine people from 9 to 11:30 a.m. These men and women are encouraged to join exercise classes, do arts and crafts, play Bingo, and receive a Grab and Go meal they can take home. They are then driven home in an ISC van that has barriers between each row of seats to separate the passengers for safety during the pandemic.

The ISC will deliver 1,000 small gifts to the doorsteps of local older adults this month. If you know someone who would like a holiday gift, please call 402-444-6529 by Dec. 18.

Volunteers are needed to deliver pantry items and hot meals to older adults’ homes one day a week.

The ISC is also looking for home delivered meals volunteers on Wednesdays and Fridays @ 10:30 a.m. More information is available at interculturalseniorcenter.org.

The ISC is a site for ENOA’s Grab-n-Go meals Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reserve your meal before 10 a.m. the day prior. Recipients must be age 60 or older. A contribution is suggested. For more information, please call 402-444-6529.

A monthly food pantry and hot meals are also available at the ISC for persons age 50 or older. Please call 402-4446529 to learn more.

For more information, please call 402-444-6529.

The Sierra Group, LLC FREE Book & CD Call Us: (800) 309-0753

Page 12

•

New Horizons

•

F

or many people, the holiday season means extra visits with family and friends, creating fun memories, sharing traditions, and enjoying the warm glow of family.

With all the decorating and activities, it’s easy to let safety slip off your To Do list. This is an excellent time to make sure powerful medicines don’t fall into the wrong hands.

The prescriptions and over-the-counter remedies we rely on can be dangerous to others, and not just to children. About 60,000 young children are taken to the emergency room each year because they got into medicines left within easy reach. Unfortunately, older kids and teens often experiment with drugs they find in someone else’s medicine cabinet.

A surprising number of heroin users started abusing drugs by taking opioid painkillers stolen from a family member. In fact, drug addiction crosses all age groups, and it often starts with prescription medicines.

Here are six ways to safeguard your prescription drugs and your loved ones:

• Keep all medicines and over-the-counter items – especially cough syrup, sleep aids, and motion sickness medicine – locked up, or move them to a place where they won’t be easily found.

• Sort through all your medicines and get rid of old or unused medications. The label will tell you how to dispose of them. Before you put them into the trash, mix them with something that tastes bad like cat litter or old coffee grounds, then put them in a sealed bag or old container, and place it in the trash. Most medicine shouldn’t be flushed because it gets into creeks and rivers. Ask the pharmacy or police department about “drug take back” programs for an even safer method of disposal.

• Keep track of your medicines on a weekly basis, especially opioids or other painkillers, including how many pills you should have.

• Check around your home for medicines. Purses, coat pockets, kitchen cupboards, bureau drawers, and hall closets are common places to find old medications.

• If you take prescriptions with you when staying in someone else’s home, quietly ask your host or another trusted adult to lock up the meds or find a secure place to store them. Suitcases and purses aren’t safe places to keep powerful prescriptions.

• Keep the Poison Help number (800-222-1222) handy in case of emergencies.

More information on how to avoid becoming and “unwitting supplier” of prescription medications is available from the Food and Drug Administration.

(The Administration for Community Living provided this information.)

Participants needed for bone loss research study at UNMC The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Allied Health Professions is collaborating with Theranova, LLC, an experienced medical device development company, to conduct a federally funded research study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Spry Belt in preventing bone loss in post-menopausal women.

The Spry Belt is worn for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and delivers energy that may help prevent bone loss.

Laura Bilek, Ph.D., a professor and physical therapist in the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions is the principal investigator. Nancy Waltman, Ph.D., a professor and advanced practice registered nurse in the UNMC College of Nursing, is a co-investigator on the project.

Ten million Americans have severe bone loss or osteoporosis, and 34 million have low bone mass, known as osteopenia. Four of five patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis are women. Without treatment, women with low bone mass will likely continue to lose bone, develop osteoporosis, and have a greater risk of fractures.

“One in every two women will suffer an osteoporotic fracture during her lifetime,” said Dr. Bilek. “Despite the high prevalence of low bone mass, few treatment options exist.”

Participants will be randomly assigned to wear an active Spry Belt or a placebo Spry Belt. After 12 months, outcomes measured will include lumbar bone strength and hip and spine bone mineral density.

Women also will be asked to take study supplied calcium and vitamin D supplements.

“Fractures are devastating to older adults. A non-invasive treatment for women at risk would be a dramatic contribution to health care decreasing the number of fractures as well as the associated disability experienced by older adults,” Dr. Bilek said.

Women age 50 or older are being recruited for the study.

Study information can be found by contacting Kara M. Smith at beltstudy@unmc.edu or 402-559-6584.

December 2020

Elder Access Line

L

egal Aid of Nebraska operates a free telephone access line for Nebraskans age 60 and older.

Information is offered to help the state’s older men and women with questions on topics like bankruptcy, homestead exemptions, collections, powers of attorney, Medicare, Medicaid, grandparent rights, and Section 8 housing.

The telephone number for the Elder Access Line is 402-827-5656 in Omaha and 1-800-527-7249 statewide.

This service is available to Nebraskans age 60 and older regardless of income, race, or ethnicity.

Its hours of operation are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday.

For more information, log on the Internet to legalaidofnebraska.com/EAL.

Burn pits, waste disposal may be responsible

Study examining impact of inhalant exposure on rheumatoid arthritis severity in military vets

I

t’s well known that cigarette smoking can increase one’s risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers are now learning other contaminants also may increase the risk.

University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers set out to determine the association between inhalant exposures with rheumatoid arthritis-related autoantibodies and severity in U.S. military veterans.

One of the study’s main conclusions found that military burn pit and military waste disposal exposures were associated with rheumatoid arthritis autoantibody expression, and thus may affect the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

“What we inhale from our environment may affect our risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by stimulating our immune system to produce pathogenic antibodies,” said Bryant England, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal MedicineDivision of Rheumatology & Immunology and the Omaha VA Medical Center.

“Among the most important findings was the association between military burn pits and waste disposal exposures with rheumatoid arthritis. Autoantibodies were strongest in individuals who also had a genetic background that predisposes them to rheumatoid arthritis-related autoimmunity.”

Dr. England, who is the

Omaha Fire Department The Omaha Fire Department’s Public Education and Affairs Department will install free smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors inside the residences of area homeowners.

To have a free smoke and/or carbon monoxide detector installed inside your home, send your name, address, and telephone number to: Omaha Fire Department Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Requests 1516 Jackson St. Omaha, Neb. 68102 For more information, please call 402-444-3560.

senior author of the paper, said the study’s conclusion supports the concept that both genetic and environmental factors drive rheumatoid arthritis-autoimmunity and rheumatoid arthritis risk. He said the findings are consistent with emerging evidence that various inhalant exposures influence autoantibody expression and rheumatoid arthritis risk.

“What we inhale from our environment may affect our risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by stimulating our immune system to produce pathogenic antibodies.”

D

ata for the study came from surveys mailed to participants in the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry as well as clinical data in the registry of the 797 study participants.

Researchers assessed occupational, agricultural, and military inhalant exposures with rheumatoid arthritis-related factors.

Study participants who responded were older, more often white or male, less frequent smokers, and had lower disease activity.

The study was funded by the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health headquartered at UNMC. Dr. England said there is emerging evidence that rheumatoid arthritis-related autoimmunity may start outside the joints at mucosal surfaces including in the lungs.

“While smoking has been recognized as the strongest environmental risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, it is little understood about how other inhalant exposures may affect rheumatoid arthritis risk,” Dr. England said.

He hopes the study findings will encourage other researchers to continue to study various inhalants as risk factors for the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

“Ultimately, we hope to uncover mechanisms that may help us treat rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritisrelated lung disease better and pursue a long-term goal of preventing rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritisrelated lung disease,” Dr. England said.

UNMC provided this information.)

ENOA is recruiting older adults to become Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions

M

en and women age 55 and older who want to earn a tax-free stipend while making an impact in their community are encouraged to join the Senior Companion Program or the Foster Grandparent Program.

Sponsored locally by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, the SCP and FGP are national programs of AmeriCorps Seniors, formerly the Senior Service Corps.

Senior Companions help other older adults maintain their independence by visiting them at home to discuss the news, read mail, play cards, run errands, etc.

Foster Grandparents serve as positive role models for children who need special attention with education, healthcare, and social development in schools, Head Start programs, and child development centers.

SCP and FGP volunteers must meet income guidelines and complete an enrollment process that includes references and background checks.

In exchange for volunteering 10 hours or more per week, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions receive a $3 an hour tax-free stipend, mileage reimbursement, an annual physical examination, supplemental accident insurance coverage, and other benefits including an annual recognition luncheon.

The stipend does not interfere with rent, disability, Medicaid, or other benefits.

For more information on the FGP and SCP, please call 402-444-6536.

A

ARP Nebraska wants to wish New Horizons readers a happy holiday season. It’s been a long time since AARP was able to host any in-person events. Its volunteers have missed seeing guests each month.

COVID-19 has taken a toll on all of us, and it’s not likely to change significantly in the near future. AARP’s state office has made webinars and other sources of information available online through the AARP website.

In the interests of continued health and safety, AARP Nebraska won’t be holding any in-person events until at least July. That means the Information Center at the Center Mall won’t be open.

AARP looks forward to catching up with everyone when it can safely re-open.

AARP wishes everyone the best in these challenging times and knows things will get better.

Receive a FREE copy of the New Horizons in your mailbox each month.

Meal or gift card delivery on 12/23

St. Margaret Mary’s group sponsoring Christmas program

T

he Wonderful Elderly Friends at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church, 6116 Dodge St., are sponsoring a holiday celebration for Omaha-area residents age 65 and older who otherwise would be alone for Christmas.

This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, volunteers will deliver a Christmas dinner made by Hy-Vee or a $25 gift card from Hy-Vee to the homes of program participants on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

For reservations or more information, please call Jackie Foster at 402-880-3798.

December 2020

AARP Nebraska

To be added to our mailing list, please call 402-444-6654 or send an email to jeff.reinhardt@enoa.org Please provide your name and complete mailing address with zip code when ordering.

•

New Horizons

•

Page 13

Helping caregivers navigate life VAS offering help in the Omaha area during pandemic, holiday season Insurance agent outlines mistakes older adults may Caring for a loved one is hard, and the challenges are amplified during the pandemic and the holiday season.

Caregivers may not be comfortable bringing new people into their home during the pandemic. They can’t visit a loved one living in a nursing facility, or their visits may be limited. The holidays bring extra stress as families adjust to the reality their celebrations may be different this year.

“The most important thing to know is that you aren’t alone,” said Nancy Flaherty, MS, CDP, president of Flaherty Senior Consulting in Omaha, who is available to help caregivers navigate these unusual times.

Flaherty said caregivers should focus on keeping their loved ones safe, while also paying attention to their own well-being.

She offered the following tips to caregivers: • Maintain a calm environment. One of the most important things a caregiver can do is to remain calm. The Alzheimer’s Foundation advises caregivers to not raise the alarm about the virus to the person they care for.

• Have a back-up plan. This is especially important if the loved one lives far away. Is there a trusted person available who could help if needed? Plan for sheltering in place by having activities like puzzles, photo albums, music, movies, and small tasks available.

• Take care of the caregiver. Caregivers should take breaks from the news, take care of their bodies by eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Take time to unwind by doing activities they enjoy, and connect with others.

A caregiver herself, Flaherty knows firsthand the challenges COVID-19 presents, both personally and professionally.

While Flaherty Senior Consulting’s normal workshops and Solutions groups for caregivers aren’t meeting because of the pandemic, she’s available to help in other creative ways. They include phone calls and Zoom or Facetime meetings which are a great way to involve multiple family members.

Now, more than ever, it’s important for caregivers to stay connected and to reach out to someone who can provide insight into stress, provide practical tips for navigating challenges, or offer a listening heart, Flaherty says.

Flaherty Senior Consulting offers help with care plans, advice on caregiver challenges, answers to questions about dementia, tips to address behavior issues, guidance on longterm and day care placement options, and more.

For more information, visit Flaherty Senior Consulting’s website at flahertyconsulting.net or call 402-312-9324.

Training begins in January

ENOA is recruiting virtual volunteers

D

id you know if you have a laptop or desktop computer, a tablet, an iPad, or a smart phone you can volunteer? We call it virtual volunteering and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s RSVP needs you.

With easy step by step instructions, you can use platforms such as Zoom and Facetime to make a difference in someone’s life from the comfort and safety of your own home.

RSVP, partnering with Learning for All, will provide the information and lessons for volunteers to pave the way for adults in our community to acquire the literacy and language skills necessary for them to thrive and achieve life goals such as English fluency and obtaining a GED. The next session begins in January 2021.

For more information about this and other unique and rewarding virtual volunteering experiences, call RSVP Volunteer Coordinator Sandy Walker at 402-561-2224.

Page 14

•

New Horizons

•

make during Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period

By Christian Worstell

T

he Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year. During this time, millions of beneficiaries have the opportunity to enroll in, switch, or drop privately sold Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. Many older adults could make costly mistakes while doing so.

As a licensed insurance agent, I see many of the same mistakes made every year. These mistakes can have lasting effects on the beneficiary’s health and finances.

Below are five mistakes you should avoid during the 2021 Annual Enrollment Period so you can take full advantage of your options and set yourself up with the right Medicare coverage for your needs.

• Not reviewing your coverage: You can’t find a better plan if you don’t evaluate your current coverage. Arguably the biggest mistake beneficiaries make is failing to review their Medicare coverage to ensure it’s still in line with their needs. In fact, we found one in three beneficiaries don’t review their coverage on an annual basis.

Medicare Advantage plans and Part D plans can change every year. Just because you’ve belonged to the same plan for several years doesn’t mean you’re locked in to receive the same benefits, costs, or terms from one year to the next.

Each year, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D beneficiaries receive an annual notice of change in the mail prior to the Annual Enrollment Period. This notice outlines any changes to your plan for the upcoming year. Carefully review your annual notice of change so you have ample opportunity to explore other options during the enrollment period. From there, you can decide whether you prefer to remain in your current plan or switch to a new coverage option.

• Not reviewing what’s new and available where you live: New Medicare Advantage plans and Part D plans are introduced in some parts of the country every

December 2020

year. In 2021, about 1,700 new Medicare Advantage plans are becoming available that weren’t offered in 2020.

The number of Medicare Advantage plans offered nationwide has increased more than 76% over the past five years. With so many new options at your fingertips, it’s worth the time and effort to see what else is out there. Not all plans are offered in all locations, so the plans available in Nebraska could be vastly different in coverage and costs than plans in other parts of the country.

You might find a new plan that offers identical coverage to your current plan but at a lower cost. Or maybe you’ll find a plan that offers more robust coverage for a particular service, item, or prescription medication you utilize frequently. You’ll never know if you don’t look.

• Forgetting to enroll in Medicare if you’re newly eligible: A beneficiary becomes eligible for Medicare for the first time and waits until the AEP to sign up for a private Medicare plan. They find out they aren’t eligible to do so because they haven’t enrolled in Medicare.

You have to be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B before you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D prescription drug plan. If you delay enrolling in Medicare after you become eligible, you could also potentially face late enrollment penalties and coverage gaps.

Make sure your ducks are in a row and that you’ve enrolled in a Medicare coverage plan prior to the start of the AEP if you’re a newly eligible beneficiary.

• Neglecting prescription drug coverage: Many older adults believe they don’t need prescription drug coverage because they don’t take prescription drugs. On the surface, this may seem logical. However, health insurance is less about what we need now and more about what we may need in the future. Even though you don’t take any medications today, you may have to tomorrow. Your odds of requiring a prescription drug go up with age.

You won’t be able to wait until you need a prescription medication before you enroll in prescription drug coverage.

That’s why it’s advised to enroll in either a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage or a Part D plan so it will be there when you need it.

You may also face a Part D late enrollment penalty if you go without creditable drug coverage for 63 or more days in a row after your Medicare Initial Enrollment Penalty ends when you become eligible for Medicare.

• Going at it alone: I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Medicare can be confusing. In fact, research found nearly 70% of Medicare beneficiaries agree Medicare is confusing and difficult to navigate.

In the Omaha area, Volunteers Assisting Seniors (VAS) is available to help older adults review their Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage coverage during the AEP. (See the story on page 12 for more information).

You may also consider enrolling in a plan through a licensed insurance agent. Doing so can give you the opportunity to ask questions, review your options, and ensure you get properly enrolled if you’re eligible.

Avoid these five Medicare enrollment mistakes during the 2020 AEP, and you’ll get on the right course for your Medicare coverage in 2021.

(Worstell is a licensed insurance agent and a Senior Writer for MedicareAdvantage.com.)

A 144-page paperback

Museum Director Justman pens book on Sarpy County’s history

B

en Justman, director of the Sarpy County Museum at 2402 Clay St. in Bellevue, has recently written a book titled Sarpy County: A History.

The 144-page paperback is published by The History Press and Arcadia Publishing, the nation’s leading publisher of books on local and regional history with a catalog of 15,000 titles.

CLASSIFIEDS In Sarpy County: A History, Justman informs readers that Sarpy County – the smallest geographically of Nebraska’s 93 counties – was once home to the Otoe, Omaha, and Pawnee tribes of Native Americans. Thousands of settlers moved through the area during westward migration crossing rivers on ferries like the one operated by Peter Sarpy, the county’s namesake.

The addition of Offutt Air Force Base and the Martin Bomber Factory showcased the importance of Sarpy County during WWII and beyond.

For more information on Sarpy County: A History, go online to historypress.net or arcadiapublishing.com.

The book is available for $21.99 on Amazon and other booksellers.

We want to hear from you.

• Do you have questions about the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, its programs, or services?

• Do you have a comment about the agency and how it serves older adults in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties?

• Do you have a story idea for the New Horizons newspaper, or would you like to receive a FREE copy each month?

For Sale

Lamplighter II

Some of the nicest, newer 1 & 2 bedroom apartments. Elevator, w & d, heated parking garage. Small complex. By bus & shopping. No pets or smoking.

93rd & Maple • 402-397-6921

GET RID OF IT!

1999 Mustang Cobra SVT convertible.

Black on Black. Clean title.

56,000 miles. Mint condition. $20,000 or best offer.

402-709-4479

Senior Citizens (62+)

Haul away, garage, basement, rental clean out…

Accepting applications for HUD-subsidized apartments in Papillion & Bellevue.

Call Frank

1002 Bellewood Court Bellevue (402) 292-3300 Bellewood@KimballMgmt.com

Johansen Brothers

402-312-4000 TOP CASH PAID

Best & honest prices paid for: Vintage, Sterling, Turquoise, & Costume jewelry, old watches, old quilts, vintage toys, old postcards, advertising items, military items, pottery, and antique buttons.

Also buying estates & partial estates.

Call Bev at 402-339-2856

Bellewood Courts

Please call 402-444-4148 or 402- 444-6654 to place your ad Cartagena Painting Service

Commercial/Residential Interior/Exterior/Insured Free estimates 402-714-6063 cartagenapainting@yahoo.com

OLD STUFF WANTED (before 1975)

Military, political, toys, jewelry, fountain pens, pottery, kitchen ware, postcards, photos, books, and other old paper, old clothes, garden stuff, tools, old household, etc.

Call anytime 402-397-0254 or 402-250-9389

deFreese Manor

Monarch Villas

201 Cedar Dale Road Papillion (402) 331-6882 Monarch@KimballMgmt.com

Managed by Kimball Management, Inc. PO Box 460967 Papillion, NE 68046 www.kimballmgmt.com

Subsidized housing for those age 62 and over with incomes under $30,450 (1 person) or $34,800 (two persons) 2669 Dodge Omaha, NE 402-345-0622

We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Law.

Please send your questions, comments, and story ideas to:

ENOA

enoa.info@enoa.org We appreciate your interest in ENOA and the New Horizons.

December 2020

•

New Horizons

•

Page 15

Measures remove some regulatory barriers

CMS outlines plan to pay for, administer COVID-19 vaccinations

T

he Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking steps to ensure all Americans, including the nation’s older adults, have access to the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to them when it becomes available.

CMS recently released a comprehensive plan with proactive measures to remove regulatory barriers and to ensure consistent coverage and payment for the administration of an eventual vaccine for millions of Americans.

CMS released a set of toolkits for providers, states, and insurers to help the health care system prepare to swiftly administer the vaccine once it’s available. These resources are designed to increase the number of providers that can administer the vaccine, ensure adequate reimbursement for administering the vaccine in Medicare, while making it clear to private insurers and Medicaid programs their responsibility to cover the vaccine at no charge to beneficiaries.

In addition, CMS is taking action to increase reimbursement for any new COVID-19 treatments that are approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.

“We have developed a comprehensive plan to support the swift and successful distribution of a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “As Operation Warp Speed nears its goal of delivering the vaccine in record time, CMS is acting now to remove bureaucratic barriers while ensuring that states, providers, and health plans have the information and direction they need to ensure broad vaccine access and coverage for all Americans.”

T

W

ith Medicare, hospitals are generally reimbursed a fixed payment amount for the services they provide during an inpatient stay, even if their costs exceed that amount. Under current rules, hospitals may qualify for additional “outlier payments,” but only when their costs for a particular patient exceed a certain threshold.

Under this IFC, hospitals would qualify for additional payments when they treat patients with innovative new products approved or authorized to treat COVID-19 to mitigate any losses they “CMS is acting now to remove may experience from making these therapies bureaucratic barriers while available even if they don’t reach the current outlier threshold. ensuring that states, providers, CMS also recently released information to and health plans have the prepare hospitals to bill for the outpatient administration of a monoclonal antibody product in the information and direction they event one is approved under an emergency use need to ensure broad vaccine authorization. access and coverage for This rule allows states to employ a broad range of strategies - based on local needs - to appropriall Americans.” ately manage their Medicaid program costs. The guidance and flexibility provided to states in the IFC will help them maintain Medicaid benefiThe IFC also implements provisions of the ciary enrollment while receiving the temporary CARES Act that ensure swift coverage of a COVID-19 vaccine by most private health insur- increase in federal funding in the Families First ance plans without cost sharing from both in and Coronavirus Response Act. CMS is taking steps to ensure price transparout-of-network providers during the course of the ency extends to COVID-19 testing during the public health emergency (PHE).

In anticipation of the availability of new COV- PHE. Provisions in the IFC require that any proID-19 treatments, the IFC established additional vider who performs a COVID-19 diagnostic test Medicare hospital payments to support Medicare post their cash prices online. Providers that are non-compliant may face civil monetary penalties. patients’ access to these potentially lifesaving (CMS provided this information.)

COVID-19 therapies. o ensure broad access to a vaccine for older Americans, CMS released an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period (IFC) that establishes that any vaccine that receives Food and Drug Administration authorization, either through an Emergency Use Authorization or licensed under a Biologics License Application, will be covered under Medicare as a preventive vaccine at no cost to beneficiaries.

How much alcohol usage is OK during the pandemic?

The Nebraska Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program wants you to know.

COVID-19 has created additional stress for all of us, so it’s natural to seek comfort by drinking alcoholic beverages. It’s important to know how much alcohol consumption is safe.

• Moderate alcohol consumption is up to one standard drink per day for women and up to two standard drinks per day for men.

• Binge drinking means bringing your alcohol level to 0.08 g/dL or higher. This occurs after consuming four or more standard drinks in a day for women and five or more standard drinks for men.

• Heavy alcohol usage means drinking eight or more standard drinks for women and 15 or more standard drinks for men on five or more days in a month.

Both men and women age 65 and older are advised to have no more than one standard alcoholic drink per day. Having more than seven standard drinks a week or more than three standard drinks on any one occasion puts older adults at risk especially if they have chronic health problems, are taking certain medications, or who have memory or mood problems.

For more information, please call Nebraska Medicine Addiction Services at

402-552-6007

For additional information, National Institute on Aging resources can be found at: nia/nih.gov/health/topics/alcohol-use-or-abuse This publication was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $90,625 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS, or the U. S. Government. For more information, go to hrsa.gov.

Page 16

•

New Horizons

•

December 2020