4 GCDHH: Breaking the Sound of Silence
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8 Age Friendly Tucker: Tiny Homes in Tucker? 10 Food for Thought: It’s Pumpkin Time Again! 20 The Helping Hands of a Doula
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Our Town DeKalb
OurTown NE DeKalb Community and Family Magazine
A Shiny Inc Publication Editor Lizbeth A. Dison Shinycomm.com ldison@shinycomm.com Our Town DeKalb is published and direct mailed to
select homes in the Tucker / Northeast DeKalb area. Opinions expressed by the writers and staff are their Creative Director own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Jay Adcock the publisher. Our Town DeKalb reserves the right jay@adcockcreativegroup.com to edit or reject any editorial or advertising content. Our Town DeKalb is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space or for the Writers validity of claims made by advertisers.
Cindy E. Farrar Lauren Hise Doug Reynics Lois Ricci Sanah Sayani Bob Smith Art Wood
Entire contents copyright 2021 by Our Town DeKalb and Shiny Inc LLC. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden in any media without written permission from the publisher.
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4426 Hugh Howell Road, Suite 307B Tucker, Georgia 30084 770.621.9041 | info@ourtowndekalb.com
IN THIS ISSUE 4 GCDHH: Breaking the Sound of Silence 6 The Bits in Between: Fate Comes on Little Cat Feet 7 Wellness In-Sight: Isles of Isness 8 Age Friendly Tucker: Tiny Homes in Tucker? 9 Common Sen$e: Shop Local! 10 Food for Thought: It’s Pumpkin Time Again! 11 Beauty Byline with Sanah: Showering Your Skin with Love 14 Medicare: Open Enrollment and You 17 “Kroger Delivery Now” Provides 30-Minute Home Delivery 18 Main Street Theatre Returns in October with Comedy “Things My Mother Taught Me” 21 The Helping Hands of a Doula 22 Tucker Civic Association Schedules 12th Annual Rivers Alive Clean-Up ON THE COVER: Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing campers at the 2019 Camp Juliena sign “thank you” for the gift of birdhouse kits and aprons from sponsor Home Depot.
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GCDHH Executive Director Jimmy Peterson signs while board member Jessica Scott reads during children’s storytime.
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On The Cover:
Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Breaking the Sound of Silence L.A. Dison clients communicate through the latest in Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard telecommunications equipment. of Hearing (GCDHH) is a statewide • The Georgia Telecommunications Equipment nonprofit organization that provides a Distribution Program (GATEDP) provides a variety of assistive services to the Deaf, Hard variety of specialized solutions to fit the needs of Hearing and Deaf-Blind, their family of applicants who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, members and friends, and local, state and Deaf-Blind, or have difficulty speaking. Options federal agencies. In March of 2020, GCDHH include: Amplified and CapTel® phones; handsrelocated its corporate office from Memorial free phones; tablets; visual alerts; personal Drive in Decatur to an office on Henderson amplifiers; and speech equipment. Mill Road in Tucker, hoping that the new • iCanConnect is the National Deaf-Blind location would help broaden awareness of Equipment Distribution Program that the organization and the expansive list of provides communications technology free of services and programs it provides. charge to low-income people of all ages who “Many people don’t know about us or have combined vision and hearing loss. The exactly what we do, including many members program helps ensure that qualified individuals of the Deaf community,” said Executive have access to the Internet and advanced Director Jimmy Peterson. “We felt very communications, including interexchange isolated in our former office on Memorial services and advanced telecommunications and Drive, surrounded by other government information services. office buildings, and the area was not Staff members will determine if clients welcoming to visitors or allowed a lot of are eligible for funding, help with the engagement with the local community. Here application process, and order the equipment. in Northlake, we are surrounded by active Coordinators located throughout the state businesses, including plenty of shopping deliver the equipment; and train on use and and restaurants, and just a few miles from care. GCDHH also handles trade-outs of old downtown Tucker.” or inoperable equipment, helping to make The organization was founded in 1989 as GCDHH Community Coordinator Andrea Alston helps Deaf-Blind sure clients are always up-to-date with Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired client Stacey Heath fill out an application for equipment. the latest technology. but in 2016 changed its name because of pressure Employment from the Deaf community. “The term ‘hearing GCDHH connects clients with meaningful employment, preparing them impaired’ was viewed by many deaf people as a negative connotation,” for the workplace and researching potential employers and job availability. explained Peterson. “Being deaf or hard of hearing means you can’t hear – Working with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), not that you aren’t capable.” GCDHH assists clients with Work Place Readiness (WPR), job coaching, and Most of the office staff is deaf or hard of hearing, including Peterson, and supported employment. all are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). GCDHH offers a wide range GCDHH works with local schools, ensuring that individualized education of services to enrich the lives of the Deaf and help them connect more fully plans (IEP) for deaf or hard of hearing students include a vocational with the community and with life. element as part of this specialized curriculum. (Tucker schools offering Communication Working with the Georgia Public Service Commission, GCDHH helps its CONTINUED on page 13
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The Bits in Between: Fate Comes on Little Cat Feet October ushers in fall with cooler days, earlier sunsets and changing leaves. It also brings in Halloween, which in my mind is the start of the holiday season. The pandemic is slowly winding down and people are venturing outdoors warily to enjoy fall festivals. Halloween decorations are already on display in stores and in many homes: pumpkins, skeletons, spiderwebs, ghost, and the iconic black cat. Our readers have met my black cat, Lucy C. Brantley, Our Town DeKalb’s official spokeskittee. In August, I introduced Calida (Cali), the orphan black kitten I was fostering through Lifeline Animal Project, the humane animal support service that manages the animal shelter for DeKalb County. Four-week-old Cali was found abandoned in a Decatur parking lot, sickly and extremely malnourished and dehydrated. She was what is called a “fading kitten,” one who is not thriving and requires dedicated and specialized care. I nursed little Cali through a severe case of ringworm and myriad intestinal problems, got her healthy and well-socialized, and ready for her new home. After an intense promotional campaign through social media (which required many costumed photo shoots), and many inquiries from and interviews with prospective parents, Cali was adopted and off to her new family. Everything was good for her for about twenty-four hours – and then she was unceremoniously returned due to a sudden change in her new family’s household. I thought about putting Cali (now renamed Birdie) back in the adoption pool. The week Birdie was returned, Lifeline was holding open adoptions, with no adoption fees. The foster director assured me that Birdie would be adopted out quickly; kittens were “flying out the front door,” as she said, Birdie was adorable and friendly, and the costume shots they had posted with her online profile were attracting a lot of attention. As much as I hated the prospect of being a “foster fail,” I couldn’t take her back to the shelter, even if it was just for a few days until she was re-adopted. So much to Lucy’s annoyance about her little doppelganger, Birdie is now here to stay. Most of my friends had a pool going on the odds of me being a foster fail. The jury is still out as to whether I am indeed a foster fail, since I had fulfilled my obligation all the way to the end. The only thing that is sure is that a small, sick kitten is now fat and happy in her forever home – and Our Town DeKalb has a new assistant spokeskittee. Happy Halloween! Lizbeth A. Dison Publisher and Editor
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Wellness In-Sight: Isles of Isness Cindy E. Farrar Wellness InHappy Fall! began writing this on the Cindy E. IFarrar evening of the autumnal equinox that marks the beginning of Fall. Immediately, the day conjures shorter days and cooler temperatures. It also denotes the time of the mutual letting-go of leaves from the trees and trees of their leaves, a process of endings making way for the new that also represents the seasons of life. It is particularly representative of what we have experienced the last eighteen months. We have had to let go in many ways of many things and sadly people as well. We have had to adapt, best we are able, to the new flow and rhythm. Through this part of our journey, we find strength and hope in the promise of restoration and renewal. While we have experienced the stress of physical and emotional isolation, we take our comfort in the assurance that there remains connection among all things. Know there may be moments when there is simply no way to personally express or qualify any of it. It just is, and that’s okay.
Isles of Isness
Cindy E. Farrar, LMT, BCTMB, CLC is a licensed massage therapist, certified life coach and the owner of Massage Associates of Atlanta, LLC (Lavista Road in Tucker). In addition, she is a certified Qi Gong instructor and a nationally approved continuing education provider for massage therapy and bodywork. Cindy enjoys sharing insights on wellness and personal and community development as a speaker and writer.
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Age Friendly Tucker: Tiny Homes in Tucker? Dr. Lois Ricci Tiny Homes have been around a long time. As far back as 1000 BC, yurts, small, mobile, tent-like structures covered in animal skins or felt, were used by nomadic tribes in Mongolia. In 500 BC, Native Americans used tipis, small, conical tents that were not only portable but also waterproof and extremely heat-resistant. In the 1800s, “Shot Gun Houses,” so called because their linear design and small square footage allowed a bullet to easily pass through from front to back, gained popularity in New Orleans and other Southern cities. In the 1970s, the average home size was 1,700 square feet, but now in 2021, the average home size is 2,500 square feet. Tiny homes have always been around, but their popularity has soared over the last decade, thanks to top cable shows like “Tiny House Nation” and “Tiny House, Big Living.” A tiny home is defined as one with 600 square feet or less, but small houses, bungalows and cottages have also increased in sales, with sizes up to 900 square feet. Imagine walking in the door to your home and being able to see your entire living space. Before you are the bedroom, the kitchenette, the bathroom, and a small living room. Every item has a specific purpose and place, and you own nothing that you don’t use, need or want. Cleaning your home from top to bottom takes less than an hour. When you look at it this way, living in a home that’s less than 900 square feet sounds simple, frugal, and blissfully stress-free. Living in a tiny home does have compelling benefits, but it is not without its challenges as well. Realtor Guy Van Ort leads the Lifelong Community Committee in its search to find housing that anyone can afford. The team visited the Cottages on Vaughn, the tiny home community in Clarkston, to see what you can get for around $200,000. The eight cottages sit on a 3/4 acre lot, with underground utilities, mini split HVAC systems, and solar roof panel options. All but one have 700 square feet of living and storage. The yards are small but there is a community area with permaculture landscaping. The original goal, prepandemic, was to sell these homes in the low $100s, but the selling price for the last two homes was $201,000. The community is fully occupied, a great place for those who can live in a small space. The concept worked in Clarkston, attracting buyers looking for small affordable homes. Can it work in Tucker? The need for affordable housing has become a major concern in our city. Can you afford to buy? Can you afford to rent? With low mortgage rates, the monthly cost of a tiny home can be less than paying monthly rent, with the added bonus of ownership. In 2018, about 78 percent of tiny home residents owned their home. After a big rezoning win in 2018, the East Point city council approved the Eco-Friendly Cottages, the first cottage community of its kind in metro Atlanta. The community was built on 7.69 acres and has forty eco cottages on permanent foundations. Each house will range from 500 – 1000 square feet and will have access to community areas and green space. Local developers are reviewing plans to build and make available small home rental communities, community housing where people who are not related can live at reasonable rents. A program along these lines is Silvernest, a combination of AirBnb and Match.com for empty-nesters, who would like to rent out a room for money, chores or both. Van Ort says that although housing continues to present a challenge in Tucker, he is hopeful that the tide will soon turn towards more affordable housing. A lot of community resistance is based in ‘NIMBY-ism’ (not in my backyard). Everyone talks big about how fair housing is needed, but no one seems to want to build it in their own community. We are talking about
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homes, apartments, and arrangements that will provide housing for essential workers, single homeowners, and the middle-income family. We’ve been conditioned to believe that low-income housing, including Section 8 housing, brings crime to the area and will bring our own home values down. This is not true. Can Tucker be open to the small home concept? Will residents support moderately priced housing? The Lifelong Community Committee will look for ways to make housing available and equitable for everyone. Dr. Lois Ricci is a longtime resident of Tucker, where she chairs the Tucker Civic Association Lifelong Community Committee. She serves as an adjunct faculty member at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches gerontology courses and the Professional Development in Gerontology Certificate Class. Ricci also serves as an official representative for American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), co-facilitator for the Rosalyn Carter CareNet, and on the board of the Atlanta Regional Commission Advisory Committee on Aging.
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Common Sen$e: Shop Local! Art Wood In previous columns, I have written about a bunch of ways to help you make or save money, but this month, I decided to focus on how you can help “the little folks” out there. I have always been a proponent of community both in the way I conduct my business as well as the way that I spend my money. I feel like I get much more “value” when I can spend money in my community. Here’s why I think it is important to shop local. 1. Customer service is unparalleled when you shop in your community. Why? Because to your local businesses, you are more than just a number. Personally, I have built my entire business around my community. I cannot go anywhere in Tucker without running into a client. I am motivated to be excellent all the time because I can’t hide out “after the sale.” I have always mentioned this when people want to use online or out-of-state lenders. If something goes wrong, then that virtual lender or unfamiliar entity can just stop communicating. They are not motivated to “do the right thing” because they have no personal connection or feel no responsibility to you. When you shop in your community, businesses are highly motived to do the right thing so that they are glad to see you in public - not embarrassed. Just look how popular our Tucker Facebook Groups are. If we do a bad job, everyone will know and that matters to us. 2. Shopping local is so much more convenient and predictable. Now, I am not going to lie: Amazon Prime stops at our house every day, and that is fine for basic necessities. What I am taking about are more customized products or services. How many times have you bought something online, and the return process was awful, and you had to fight to get your refund? And shipping now is never on time. It is so much more reliable to hop in your car and pick something up in person that you can feel and touch, and know that you won’t have to return it. I had an older client do a mortgage with me a couple of years ago, but he really wanted to use the out-of-state bank with which he had done business for forty years. After all was said and done and we closed on his house, he thanked me profusely for my help because it had been so easy. He never would have been able to figure out how to scan and upload files to the out-of-state bank, but he was able to drop them by my local office several times during the process. He would have been miserable dealing with an out-of-state company. 3. Let’s keep the money local. Keeping our money in our community benefits everyone within the community. The more successful the business owners are in the community, the more money is spent, and the more investment is in the community. 4. It just feels good! Maybe it’s just me, but I LOVE to make people’s day and that is how I feel whenever I shop local. When you shop local, your business means so much more to the business owner than when you shop at a big box business. Your dollars go so much farther with the small business owner. It HAS to make you feel good when you know you are part of their success story, or when you know that patronizing that local business may help their child go to college. I have never gotten that kind of happiness shopping online.
Art Wood (NMLS #118234) is the branch manager of The Art Wood Mortgage Team of Goldwater Bank, located at 2341 Main Street in downtown Tucker. “Tucker’s Mortgage Guy” for fifteen years, he is a former Tucker Tiger (Class of ’92), and co-founder and organizer of Taste of Tucker. Family guy, community guy, and definitely not your typical mortgage guy - it’s all that he does that makes Art Wood who he is. Contact him at 678.534.5834 or art. wood@goldwaterbank.com
Local businesses are the backbone of our community and deserve our support. If we choose to ignore them, the “soul” of our community goes away and will not come back. Eat at Hot Betty’s. Get your trophy at Pinehill Trophies. Get your car worked on at Wilkinson Tire. These are just a few of the businesses in Tucker that I support, and it makes we feel good.
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Food for Thought: It’s Pumpkin Time Again! Doug Reynics Pumpkins have long been a staple of American fall cuisine, synonymous with Thanksgiving dinner. One of the earliest pumpkin recipes was included in a 1670 cookbook, and was for a side dish made from diced ripe pumpkin that had been cooked down in a pot over the course of a day, then seasoned with butter and spices. Today, the most popular way to prepare pumpkins is undoubtedly pumpkin pie. This trend first began during the 1800s when it became stylish to serve sweetened pumpkin dishes during the holiday meal. Eighty percent of the pumpkin crop in the U.S. is available during October. (That is roughly 800 million pumpkins out of the 1 billion pumpkins grown in the U.S. each year.) Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but are now grown on six continents—all but Antarctica. I love pumpkins and winter squash. Pumpkins have many forms; I love the shapes, the colors and the many flavors they offer. The common kind you see in the stores is the bright, round, orange type. They are great for displays and for carving, but are not the most flavorful for eating, tending to be a bit bland. Pie pumpkins can often be white or grayish in color, with flesh that is more intensely flavorful. Varieties include fairytale and kabocha. They can be baked or roasted and turned into pies, soups, stews, breads, even as a dog food digestive aid. Butternut squash is a winter squash that grows on a vine, and has a sweet, nutty taste like that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp with a compartment of seeds in the blossom end. I use them all year long for roasting, soups and incorporated in a chilled rice dish. Delicata squashes are often what you see when you purchase small table gourds for fall displays. Acorn squash are also included in the pumpkin types; I love them halved and roasted with cinnamon, clove and maple syrup. They have a distinctly different flavor than other varieties. I hope you’ll try out a pumpkin or two this fall season. Have a great recipe? I’d love to be able to share it in a future issue! Here’s my go-to pumpkin soup recipe, courtesy of cookieandkate.com:
Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin 1 large yellow onion, chopped 4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ⅛teaspoon cloves Tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice) Freshly ground black pepper 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth ½ cup full fat coconut milk or heavy cream 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
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Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds (you can roast the seeds if you’d like—but you won’t need them for this recipe). 2. Slice each pumpkin halve in half to make quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes. 3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin. 4. Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld. 5. While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool. 6. Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. I prefer to use my stand blender, which yields the creamiest results—working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches. 7. Taste and adjust if necessary (I thought the soup was just right as is, but you might want to add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it a little sweeter). 8. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months. Doug Reynics is a longtime Tucker resident and self-described “foodie.” Many know him as “Doug the Driver,” who provides rides to and from both the domestic and international airport terminals. (To date, his service has provided 1,650 airport rides!) If you have a food story or question you would like to see him write about, email him at dougthedriver1@gmail.com.
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Beauty Byline with Sanah: Showering Your Skin with Love Sanah Sayani The temperatures are dropping and I’m ready for my favorite time of the year! Fall is my season. I love a cool breeze, sweater weather, and hot showers. Oh, how much I love a good, hot, steamy shower, but this time around, I’ll be cutting them out - for my skin’s sake. Earlier this year, there was some back and forth among celebrities on how often one should shower. Some said they wait till there’s a stink before bathing while others need to rinse off multiple times a day. I don’t really look at celebrities as experts on anything so I did my own research. A few Google clicks suggested at least showering every other day, but keep in mind, everyone’s body is different and has different needs. Most doctors suggest showering two to three times a week to maintain basic physical health. Daily showers could strip your body of necessary essential oils and dry you out, but waiting too long to clean yourself can cause a build-up of bacteria and lead to health problems. The bottom line is, if you are dirty or you sweat a lot, wash yourself. It’s important to note how often you shower but more important to identify how you shower. The number one mistake most people make is taking steaming hot showers. This strips your body of natural oils, dries you out, and increases blood circulation which could lead to itching. The water should be body temperature and showers should last no more than five to ten minutes. If you are using soap, only use it in the areas where there is a buildup of dirt, not all over. Antibacterial or deodorant soaps strip the moisture out of your skin so look for a moisturizing cleanser instead of soap. Change your loofah! Experts suggest replacing the loofah every four weeks because it is a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. This could lead to an infection in the hair follicles. Replace your loofah with an array of fresh washcloths to clean with. Keep in mind your skin will change as you age, getting thinner and drier. You have three minutes after showering to lock in the moisture. Dermatologists say after stepping out of the shower, pat excess water from your skin and immediately lather on a moisturizer that contains ceramide, a natural oil found in skin. I never skip this step. I started a few years ago with my heels because they were always dry and cracked. I now spend at least five minutes moisturizing my full body - Vaseline on my feet and oils mixed with lotion for the rest of the body (stomach, arms, legs, chest, and buttocks). My skin loves me for it. With winter around the corner, it is very important to listen to your skin and give it the right products. In my September column, I went on and on about how amazing Eminence Organic Skin Care is for my face, but they also have body products. I just started using their Stone Crop Body Scrub and Stone Crop Soothing Oil and I’m already noticing changes to my strawberry skin. What is strawberry skin you ask? I’ll let you know in my November column!
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Sanah Sayani is a master cosmetologist and owner of Thread Beauty Spa (4426 Hugh Howell Road in the Tucker Publix shopping center). Her monthly column seeks to answer readers’ beauty concerns; write to her at threadbeautyspa@gmail.com or drop by the shop to ask her in person!
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Medicare: Open Enrollment and You Bob Smith Medicare riddle: What do Annual Open Enrollment and Halloween have in common? Each year they seem to start earlier and earlier. Halloween candy appears on store shelves in September along with health plan solicitations in mailboxes and on TV and radio. When individuals “age into” Medicare, the plan selection process can be a daunting and challenging experience. When I initially meet prospective clients in their homes, it is not uncommon to see piles of solicitations strewn across tables where they have unsuccessfully tried to compare the multiple options available in their county of residence. The window of opportunity for selecting coverage begins three months prior to one’s 65th birth month while investigating options up to six months prior to the birth month is usually recommended. Each year, Annual Open Enrollment mirrors the “aging in” period, and over eight weeks offers the time to become knowledgeable of the changes in plan designs that have been approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The period runs October 15 through December 7, while carriers can present their 2022 plans on October 1 but are restricted to process applications until October 15. Open Enrollment provides multiple opportunities to consider: switch from an Advantage plan to another; individuals with Medigap plans can consider another prescription drug plan (Part D), or terminate an Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (not recommended) and select a stand-alone Part D. If a beneficiary is happy with their existing coverage no decision is necessary as coverage will automatically roll over to their carrier’s 2022 plan design. With each passing year, the competition for new members becomes more aggressive, prompting plans with enhanced benefits that can include home health care, hearing aids, eyewear, and transportation, just to name a few. When considering plan benefits, it is essential not to overlook plan Provider Networks and drug formularies (list of covered medicines). Participation in each can change and confirming the status of your doctors and drugs in the 2022 plan is important. To aid in understanding changes, CMS requires each carrier to provide the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) document. This alerts clients of their benefit changes from year to year, i.e., copay, deductibles, etc. The ANOC is an important document to review; in my experience, clients can often overlook this document in their regular mail delivery. Other than allowable Special Enrollment Periods (SEP), there are few exceptions to change coverage during a calendar year. It’s important to be
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aware of the available options to avoid costly errors. For example, when confirming drugs in the formulary, you may find one carrier categorizes a drug as a Tier 2, when the same drug is categorized a Tier 3 by another carrier. A carrier can also change the Tier designation of a drug from one year to the next. The difference may cost the patient significantly over the next year if not noticed when confirming plans. My goal in writing this article is to provide insight to those looking at Medicare, as decisions can be complicated and once made, can’t be changed for the calendar year unless qualifying for an SEP designation. Take time to consider options; a licensed health agent, certified annually to represent plans with Medicare contracts, can be a vital part of a risk adverse strategy. The role of an agent is to represent their client with no monetary incentive to favor one carrier over another, as their compensation is the same for each plan and regulated by CMS. Since 2009, Licensed Health and Life Insurance Agent (and Tucker resident) Bob Smith has represented major health insurance carriers for the ACA Marketplace, Medicare, Medicaid, Ancillary Plans and life insurance. For a free no-obligation quote and review of your health coverage programs call Bob at 404.593.9663 or email Bob@BobCaresForYou.com. For additional insight, visit BobCaresForYou.com. From Obamacare to Bidencare to Bobcares Helping Families Protect Their Health, Wealth and Assets.
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SM
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Banking for what’s next.
Our goal has always been to help meet yours. Today, we’re here for you in more ways than ever. With more locations, more services, and more expertise to help you wherever life takes you. This is banking at its best. This is Banking Forward.
Brian C. Moon
AVP, Branch Manager NMLS# 1934368 9353 Lavista Road, Tucker, GA Office 404.297.2238
800.277.2175 | SouthStateBank.com Member FDIC
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“Kroger Delivery Now” Provides 30-Minute Home Delivery Our Town DeKalb Staff Kroger and Instacart launched “Kroger Delivery Now” nationwide in September – a new service which provides its customers fresh groceries and household essentials in thirty minutes or less. Shoppers can choose among 25,000 items for meals, snacks, last-minute ingredients, over-the-counter medications, diapers and more – all delivered straight to their doorstep. The new service delivers from early in the morning to late at night. The service is available to all customers in Kroger’s Atlanta Division, which includes Georgia, Eastern Alabama and South Carolina. Participating Kroger stores in Tucker include Kroger Northlake (3959 Lavista Road), Kroger Embry Hills (3559 Chamblee Tucker Road) and Kroger Cofer Crossing (4357 Lawrenceville Highway). To learn more about the Kroger Delivery Now service, visit Kroger.com/deliverynow or Instacart.com/kroger-delivery-now.
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Main Street Theatre Returns in October with Comedy “Things My Mother Taught Me” Our Town DeKalb Staff Main Street Theater is back in October after an eighteen-month interruption, with a lighthearted look at the relationship between grown children and their parents. “Things My Mother Taught Me” will run for three consecutive weekends in October (October 8-10, October 15-17 and October 22-23) at the Tucker Recreation Center. The full-length comedy was written by Katherine Disavino, author of “Nana’s Naughty Knickers.” The play’s main characters, Olivia and Gabe, are a young couple who have recently moved to Chicago, where they share an apartment as they start new jobs and a new life together far from their native New York City. Move-in day in the Windy City doesn’t go exactly as planned, however, when both sets of parents show up unexpectedly to “help” them settle in. Can a two- bedroom apartment contain all of the love, laughs, worry and wisdom that’s about to happen? “I first read this play nearly two years ago, and I loved that it made me smile and laugh out loud and visualize every bit of physical comedy possible with it,” says Main Street Theatre veteran Carrie Harris, who is directing the production. “It is a great look into the realities of family dynamics, how our parents influence our decisions and personalities, and how we understand life’s stepping stones.” Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. for the Friday and Saturday performances and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and $10 for children. Tucker Rec is requiring temperature checks upon entry and masks will be required for all patrons while in the building. Seating capacity has been reduced to seventy-five audience members per show to facilitate social distancing. Concessions that can be consumed outside the theatre will be available for purchase. For tickets and more information, please visit mainstreettheatre.org.
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GCDHH CONTINUED From page 5 these IEP include Henderson Middle School and Briarlake Elementary.) The organization also works with the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, a K-12 day school in Clarkston, to help prep students for the workplace. GCDHH provides ASL training for businesses, as well as assistance in ADA compliance and making sure the workplace accommodates deaf and hard of hearing employees. Each year, GCDHH helps place thirty to forty people in meaningful jobs, which boosts these employees’ confidence and leads them to greater self-sufficiency. Interpreting Services GCDHH has a list of certified and experienced interpreters who bridge the communication gap between people who use a signed language and a spoken language, and provide complete and accurate information both to Deaf and hearing people. (Tactile Interpretation is a method of interpreting used for Deaf-Blind.) Interpreters can serve in any situation or setting, including education (K-12, college, conference, workshop and training); employment (job interview, orientation, meetings and trainings); legal; local, state and federal government; medical (doctor, dental, hospital, or mental health); special events (church, wedding, family gathering, or funeral); sporting events; and live theatre or performances. The office offers ASL classes to anyone wanting to learn and saw an uptick in registration during COVID. Classes were offered online during the past year, but recently returned to inperson held at the corporate office. Youth programs Founded in 1992, Camp Juliena is a week-long summer camp for children ages 6-13 who are deaf or hard of hearing, and was the first summer camp program to promote meaningful social interaction among deaf children. While supportive of mainstream education for students with hearing loss, the founders felt strongly about giving these students the opportunity to socialize exclusively with their deaf and hard of hearing peers. Today, Camp Juliena continues to inspire hundreds of campers each year with positive deaf and hard of hearing role models (counselors) and equip them with valuable leadership, communication and social skills. GCDHH manages Camp Juliena, and works with corporate and agency sponsors to provide scholarships for at-need campers. The camp went to a virtual format for 2020 and 2021, but plans to return to an in-person camp for 2022. GCDHH, partnered with Georgia State University, sponsors a STEM program for deaf and hard of hearing students 14-18 years of age through Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency. Students in this program learn more than science and mathematics concepts; the hands-on learning with real-world applications helps develop a variety of skill sets, including creativity and 21st-century skills. The students are also partnered with a mentor who will help them develop job skills and explore possible careers. Peterson hopes that the move to Tucker will help GCDHH engage more with the community, and looks forward to meeting residents at events like Tucker Day and through organizations like Tucker Business Association and the Rotary Club of Tucker. In the meantime, he welcomes guests to visit their offices, meet the staff, and learn more about their services and programs. Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GCDHH) is located in Tucker at 2296 Henderson Mill Road, NE, Suite 115. Learn more about the organization or their services at gcdhh.org, by visiting them at the office, or following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
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Peterson poses with an early TTY machine displayed in the office lobby.
Headed by Executive Director Jimmy Peterson, the GCDHH team includes (left to right) Community Coordinator Andrea Alston, EDP Specialist Andrea Kemp, Office Clerk Lara Garfinkel, EDP Assistant Jennifer Frew, EDP Coordinator Alexis Kennedy, and Program Support Assistant Ericka Lipscomb.
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The Helping Hands of a Doula Lauren Hise As we grow, there are many subjects we learn to help build a foundation for our future as adults. While math, science, history, literature and even music are important parts of our education and development, not much emphasis is given to the most important step in many adult lives: becoming a parent. Surprisingly, before they become a parent, many people have spent little time with children or not even held a baby. Forty-plus weeks provide little time to prepare for the monumental event that is the birth of a baby. And no matter how much you try to prepare, you’re never really ready when it happens. Becoming a parent is a ‘learn as you go’ job. You never know how your body will react to pregnancy, how delivery will go, how your body will recover postpartum, what your baby will be like, or how the baby will change all the aspects of your life. Although there are many ways you can prepare for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood, there are many things you cannot or will not have prepared. One of the first things to do, once you discover you’re going to be a parent, is to think about providers and what kind of experience you want for your prenatal care and delivery. Most people are familiar with the roles of OBGYNs, midwives, nurses and sonographers, and other professionals you might encounter along your pregnancy journey. But there are more birth professionals with whom many Americans are not as familiar. Lactation consultants, sleep specialists, pelvic floor therapy, and doulas are all pregnancy support professionals who in other countries play an important role in helping new parents and families adjust to a new baby in the house. Labor will most likely be the most intense, amazing experience of your life. Imagine it like any huge event in your life, when you will want a professional by your side. That’s where a labor doula comes in. The role of a doula is to totally support - physically, emotionally and informationally - the laboring mother throughout active labor and delivery. A labor doula is trained in the tools to help you feel and cope better throughout the laboring and birthing process. Think of a labor doula like a wedding planner; sure, you could have a wedding without one, but you’ll be able to enjoy your wedding more and worry less if you do have a planner to attend to all the details, small and large, of such a big event. The learning curve doesn’t end after birth - that’s just the beginning! Once you get home, your new life sets in. Now it’s time to learn your baby, figure out feeding and sleeping, console fussing, constant diaper and outfit changes, tend to other children, pets and your spouse, and don’t forget to feed and care for yourself! There’s no denying that new parents have a new life that they must learn quickly to keep up with the constant demands. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know someone could come to your house and help you acclimate to all these changes, and ease the burden of all the new responsibilities of being a new parent? A postpartum and infant care doula supports mom, baby and family, and helps transition everyone into life after birth. During the day, a postpartum doula offers physical and emotional support for the new parents, especially
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mom. She can help with feeding; changing and caring for baby; address mom’s postpartum needs; help with light household needs like straightening up, prepping food and running errands; entertain and care for other children; and more. If you’d prefer help at night so you can get a good night’s sleep (yes, that’s a vital post-partum need), your doula can care for the baby all night while you sleep. If you’re already a mother, you know how appreciated this help would be. If you’re not a mother, I’m sure you can imagine how beneficial a doula would be to mom’s recovery and the family’s life as they adjust to a new baby. As helpful as family may want to be during this time, they usually think of visiting the baby and maybe sending food, not really helping mom care for her postpartum recovery needs, troubleshooting the baby’s indigestion issues, or doing a load of laundry. We keep hearing about how important self-care is, how the proper care for mom trickles down and benefits the whole family. A doula is a mother’s best self-care during the most pivotal time in her life, as she transitions into motherhood. If you’re pregnant, know someone who is, or planning for future parenthood, I hope you will consider incorporating doulas into your birth and postpartum plans. As a mother who has given birth three times, I can tell you from experience, it is a decision you will not regret. Lauren Hise is a certified doula who, as a mother of two, also gave the gift of motherhood when she served as a surrogate in 2020. She owns Baby Love (2244 Henderson Mill Road in Tucker by Northlake Mall), offering clothing, shoes, toys and more for children through age 10. Support for new parents is offered through Baby Love’s services division, BabyMoon (www. Babymoonatlanta.com).
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Tucker Civic Association Schedules 12th Annual Rivers Alive Clean-Up Our Town DeKalb Staff Tucker Civic Association (TCA) will host its 12th Annual Rivers Alive Clean-Up Event on Saturday, October 16 at South Fork Peachtree Creek from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Registration is open for volunteers; volunteers can register themselves at eventbrite.com (search for 2021 Rivers Alive) or by scanning the QR code below. If registering a large group (more than ten), simply register a “contact leader” and note the number of volunteers in the group by entering the total number in the questionnaire box. Adding all the names for a large group is not necessary. Once registration is confirmed, registrants will receive more information including directions, what to wear, what to bring, a copy of the liability waiver and other details. All Rivers Alive participants must be ten years old or older. For questions, email Albert Still at albertstill3@gmail.com.
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