THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, November 1, 2019 Page 17 and generate revenue for the state. Amendment opponents said the amendment is well-intentioned but noted that the House must hold the line on additional spending if it wants to put away money in the State’s Rainy Day Fund. They noted that there are other boosts for tourism in the budget including a $1.2 million increase in funding for regional tourism councils. (A “Yes” vote is for the $250,000. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis No $200,000 FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH (S 2378) Senate 38-1, approved an amendment providing $200,000 for the Silent Spring Institute for research on links between environmental chemicals and women and children’s health. Amendment supporters said the Institute was created to examine elevated breast cancer rates on Cape Cod. They said the research is very important for Massachusetts residents who have elevated breast cancer risks because there are toxins in the environment. “I have a long-standing policy of opposing [earmarks],” said Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Boston) who opposed the amendment. “While some earmarks benefi t wonderful organizations, overall I believe earmarking hurts our ability to plan long-term fi scal policy and undermines opportunities for fair, transparent, rigorous allocation of taxpayers’ dollars. I fi nd other ways to go to bat for great organizations and causes." (A “Yes” vote is for the $200,000. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis Yes DOUBLE DEPENDENT TAX CREDIT (S 2378) Senate 10-28, rejected an amendment that would double a dependent tax credit, from $1,000 per year to $2,000, for families with children and those who care for an elderly or disabled relative. The break was fi rst proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker in his version of a supplemental budget but was stripped from the House and Senate versions of the budget. Amendment supporters said the state has a more than $1 billion surplus and can aff ord to help working families with a reasonable tax cut. “A taxpayer with two children and a dependent elderly parent would be eligible for a $6,000 exemption under this proposal, up from $3,000, with tax savings rising from $150 to $300,” said Baker when he filed the proposal back in September. “This change is expected to reduce tax collections by $87 million per year and I recommend reserving $175 million to cover approximately two years at the higher exemption rate, which will give budget writers suffi cient time to adjust to the revision in collections.’ Amendment opponents said it is not a good idea to implement a tax cut when the economy is fl ourishing. They argued when the state has excess revenues, the money should put it away in the Rainy Day Fund so it will be there when the economy eventually tanks. (A “Yes” vote is for the tax cut. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis No HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK'S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature's job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of October 21-25, the House met for a total of 14 hours and 15 minutes while the Senate met for a total of seven hours and 20 minutes. Mon. Oct. 21 House 11:01 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. Senate 11:06 a.m. to 1:09 p.m. Tues. Oct. 22 No House session No Senate session Wed. Oct. 23 House 11:02 a.m. to 9:21 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. Oct. 24 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:09 a.m. Senate 1:21 p.m. to 6:38 p.m. Fri. Oct. 25 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bingo is Back every Tuesday night Congregation Agudas Achim-Ezrath Israel 245 Bryant St. off Rt. 60, Malden 781-322-7205 Doors open at 4:00 PM Games start at 6:30 PM Free Coffee Cash Snack Bar Pull Tab Tickets available Come Back Prizes **October 29-FREE Pasta Supper with paid admission.** by Jim Miller How to Help Aging Parents Manage their Medications Dear Savvy Senior, What tips or tools can you recommend that can help seniors and their caregivers keep up with medications? My 82-year-old mother, who lives alone, is supposed to take several diff erent medications at various times of the day but often forgets. Working Daughter Dear Working, Anybody who juggles multiple medications can relate to the problem of forgetting to take a medication, or not remembering whether they already took it. This is especially true for older adults who take medications at varying times of the day. Here are some different product and service solutions that may help. Simple Medication Helpers LAW OFFICES OF JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149 (617)-381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, MST, PFS, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee Commercial Snow Services * Everett * Chelsea * Revere * East Boston Call Anthony (617) 212-2003 * Snow Plowing * Sanding Services * Snow Plowing * Shoveling * Parking Lots * Condominums * Businesses Over 35 Years of Experience! Getting organized and being reminded are the two keys to staying on top of a medication schedule. To help your mom achieve this, there are a wide variety of pillboxes, medication organizers, vibrating watches, beeping pill bottles and even dispensers that will talk to her that can make all the difference. To fi nd these types of products, the best source is Epill.com, where you’ll fi nd dozens to choose from. You can also help your mom stay organized by creating a simple medication list that breaks down exactly what she should take and when she should take it. To help you with this, go to SafeMedication.com – a resource from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists – and download and print a copy of “My Medicine List.” Smart Pill Boxes There are also a variety of “smart” pill boxes on the market today that will remind your mom when she needs to take her medicine and will send family members and caregivers notifi cations if she forgets to take her pills, or accidentally takes the wrong ones. Three to consider here include Tricella (Tricella.com, $95), which uses Bluetooth connectivity but requires that your mom have a smartphone with data service or tablet with Wi-Fi; PillDrill (PillDrill.com, $279), a comprehensive system ideal for strict medication schedules but requires home Wi-Fi; and MedMinder (MedMinder.com, $40 per month), that operates off a cellular network (no phone line or Wi-Fi necessary). Convenient Packaging Another way to help simplify your mom’s medication use is to get her prescriptions fi lled in single-dose packets that put all her medications (vitamins and over-the-counter drugs can be included too) together in neatly labeled packets organized by date and the time of day they should be taken. This does away with all the pill bottles and pill sorting. One of the top providers of this type of service is PillPack.com, an online pharmacy owned by Amazon. Apps and Calling Services If your mom has a smartphone, there are apps she could use to help her keep up with her medication. One of the best is Medisafe (MyMedisafe.com), a free app works on Apple and Android phones. Medisafe will organize your mom’s pills in one place, send her timely notifi cations to take her meds, and send her reminders to fi ll her prescriptions. Caregivers can also connect with the Medisafe app to get notifi cations about when it’s time for their loved one to take their medication – and they can see whether or not it’s been marked as taken. If your mom doesn’t use a smartphone, there are also calling services, like Care Call Reassurance, which provides medication reminding calls – see Medication-Reminders. com. This service will call your mom’s phone at the scheduled times she needs to take her medication as a reminder, and if she fails to answer or acknowledge the call, a family member or caregiver will be contacted. This service runs between $15 and $20 per month. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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