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worth noting
AARP Tax-Aide 2022
Westchester residents can now visit roughly 20 libraries and community centers around the county to have their income tax returns done by certified volunteer preparers, as part of the 2022 AARP Tax-Aide Program.
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Most sites will be open this year, but again because of COVID, each site is coordinating with its host location to determine which of several “models” might work best for counselors and clientele alike. Like last year, however, no site is permitting walk-in tax prep this season.
For taxpayers who are technologically comfortable and have access to a computer or phone with camera and mic, as well as a printer and the ability to upload scanned documents, counselors will be able to guide you through the setup process remotely and communicate with you during the preparation of your return. This is the “No-Visit” model. Depending on COVID restrictions, some sites might help you out with scanning, but, after that point, remotely as just described.
If you are less comfortable with technology or don’t have some of the required equipment for remote tax prep, some sites are offering a “Two-Visit” model. Counselors scan your documents on the first visit and, working from those scans, do your returns off-site over the course of the next week or two. At your second appointment, they will print you a copy of your return, review it with you, and have you sign the required pages.
A “Drop-Off” model is also being offered this year at some locations; you come in with your papers and leave them with the counselors until your second appointment: the same day or a week later to finish up the process. This model most closely resembles Tax-Aide’s pre-COVID procedures, the main differences being that appointments are required and you cannot wait at the site while your return is being prepared. Check with your library in all cases.
For more information and appointments at particular sites, please call your local library or community center, or check out the AARP Tax-Aide locator at www.aarp.org/money/ taxes/aarp_taxaide/locations.html
Meeting of the Minds
Director of Scientific Programs and Outreach for the Alzheimer’s Association Dr. Claire Sexton will be the keynote speaker at the Hudson Valley Chapter’s Meeting of the Minds 2022 Dementia Conference. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, 2022, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown. Breakout sessions will be held on the following topics: Understanding Medicare; Medicaid and LongTerm Care Insurance; Family Dynamics in Dementia Care; Communicating Creatively; Dementia, Delirium and Depression; and Making Difficult Decisions. There will also be a panel discussion of legal and financial issues.
Jobs for Seniors
The private not-for-profit Careers Support Solutions has secured a grant from Field Hall Foundation to help ages 55 and older find a job through their Jobs for Seniors program.
As most of us know, preparing to find a new job can be overwhelming for anyone – even more so for older job seekers. In fact, a 2020 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that people over the age of 40 are only about half as likely to get a job offer as younger workers when employers know their age.
But with 34 years of experience in placing people in jobs, Careers Support Solutions can assist with their free program to help baby boomers and seniors find jobs.
Any resident of Westchester, Putnam or Dutchess Counties who is at least 55 years old and in need of a job is eligible for the program.
Jobs for Seniors will: teach workforce readiness skills to attain and keep a job; provide assistance in resume preparation; help with finding job openings; arrange interviews; be available for on-thejob placement; provide ongoing support to ensure job success; and provide individual services tailored to meet the unique and changing needs of each participant – including problem solving and stress management.
For more information, contact Allison Scorca at 914-741-8500 ext. 106 or email her at ascorca@careersfp.org; www.careerssupportsolutions.org
Now Part of Summit
Westmed Medical Group has been acquired by Summit Health, which was formed by the 2019 merger of CityMD–a leading urgent care provider in the New York Metro area–and Summit Medical Group.
Summit Health now has more than 2,500 providers, 12,000 employees and over 340 locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Central Oregon.
Anthony Viceroy, CEO of Westmed, has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Summit Health. “Westmed and Summit Health share a vision of health care delivery and a commitment to the health of our patients,” said Viceroy. “By leveraging Summit Health’s expertise in coordinated, value-based primary and specialty care, the newly bolstered organization will create a uniquely accessible comprehensive care delivery model and allow us to play a greater role in the health of our communities.”
Further expansion into adjacent areas is expected as Summit Health continues to grow to meet evolving patient needs. Westmed currently has 13 locations in Westchester and Fairfield Counties.
Learn more about the practices at www.westmedgroup.com and www.summithealth.com
30 years of providing exceptional caring and compassionate end-of-life care to Westchester County residents
1025 Westchester Avenue Suite 200 White Plains, NY 10604 • 914-682-1484
www.hospiceofwestchester.com
Be Prepared Kit
Wartburg has announced their “Be Prepared Kit,” addressing Advance Life Planning issues is now for sale on Amazon.com for $9.99.
The guide helps individuals and families who are facing a serious illness by providing descriptions of common situations, and needs and concerns around a diagnosis. The kit will help guide discussions with your medical team and your family.
The four sections of the kit include: Being Prepared; Being Diagnosed; Living with Serious Illness, which offers guidance about how to live as well as possible in different care settings (home, hospital, nursing home) and about the role of your medical team – including how to locate illnessspecific information and support; and At the End of Life, which explains the symptoms of active dying, suggests what you can do for someone who is close to the end, and guides survivors through the period after a death.
Find the kit on Amazon by searching for “advance life planning be prepared kit.”
