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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 23, 2023 Page 19 Maplewood Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Malden Give it All Away Join us for our unique take on a traditional yard sale M aplewood Baptist Church and the First Baptist Church of Malden invite the Malden community to its fi rst-ever joint, FREE Yard Sale, on Saturday, June 24, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at 493 Main St., corner of Main and Salem Streets. There will be tons of great stuff to choose from, from clothing to household items, and everything in between. Every item off ered BHRC | FROM PAGE 17 held a hearing on legislation that would prohibit the state, cities and towns from requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of entry to any public buildings including state and local government buildings, all public and private schools and colleges and private businesses. “We put the bill forward to prevent public entities from requiring vaccination for entry into public buildings,” said Sponsor Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer). “This includes schools of any types.We have heard from a number of concerned parents that their children were not being allowed to attend college or other schools unless they were vaccinated.This created a devastating situation in which students and parents had to make a choice between getting something they may not have wanted and getting an education that they need.We believe that this creates a problem within the 14th amendment Privileges and Immunity Clause, as well as the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. ALLOW ALCOHOL SALES ON THANKSGIVING (H 353) – The Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee held a hearing on a proposal that would allow for the sale of alcohol on Thanksgiving. “Currently, 33 states already allow Thanksgiving alcohol sales including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey,” said sponsor Rep. David Linsky (D-Natick).“Prohibiting the sale of alat this yard sale will be given away, entirely for FREE. We want to show our neighbors and community the unconditional love of Jesus, with no strings attached. When asked, “Why are we having a FREE Yard Sale?” Pastor Gary McClenthen responded, “As a dad, I have often encouraged my children to DO ‘thank you,’ rather than simply just say it. In many ways, our free yard cohol on Thanksgiving likely dates back to colonial times when drinking alcohol on holidays was considered ‘unholy.” [The bill] would not require that a liquor store be open on Thanksgiving, but rather would give them that option. Notably, a majority of liquor stores that are open in states which do allow sales on Thanksgiving are closed by midday. This gives last minute shoppers the opportunity to purchase alcohol as they would any other item at the grocery store, while still allowing employees to celebrate Thanksgiving.” FINANCIAL SCAMS AGAINST SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (H 613) – The Elder Affairs Committee held a hearing on a measure that would impose an additional $2,500 fi ne on anyone who is convicted of perpetrating a fi nancial or other fraud against a person if the person is a senior or disabled individual. The bill would also create a special account to distribute educational materials to seniors and people with disabilities on how to be on the lookout for frauds or scams and would fund seminars people to better inform them of their rights as a consumer. “I fi led this bill after hearing from many constituents over the years who were concerned with deceptive actions being perpetrated against seniors or people with disabilities,” said sponsor Rep. Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy). “Those who perpetrate fraud against seniors and disabled individuals are constantly changing their methods to try and sale will be a tangible thank you to God for his gifts of joy, peace, purpose, good friends, and a promised home with Him forever.” For more information about Maplewood Baptist Church, visit www.MBMalden.net. For more information about First Baptist Church of Malden, visit www. fbcmalden.org. Pastor Gary McClenthen can be reached at 781322-2636. fi nd new ways of committing fraud. We need to adjust our eff orts for prevention to be proactive in protecting our vulnerable residents from scams and fi nancial abuse.” LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR HUMAN SERVICE WORKERS (H 214) – The Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Committee held a hearing on legislation that would provide fi nancial assistance to some human service workers to repay their student loans. Under the program, human service workers who work 12 consecutive months for a minimum of 35 hours per week and who have an individual income of no more than $50,000 can qualify for loan repayment of up to $150 per month for up to 48 months. “Human service workers perform an extremely diffi cult job for woefully low wages,” said Rep. Jeff Roy (D-Franklin). “Assisting with repayment of student loans could help alleviate some of the fi nancial burdens that new graduates face when choosing to work in their fi eld of study. Given the cost of living in Massachusetts and the value added by ensuring that those who are in need receive the best care the commonwealth can give them, [this bill] seems a small step to show our human service workers that we value their important contributions.” SHOOTING AT A HOUSE OR APARTMENT (H 1681) – The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a proposal that would impose up to a fi ve-year prison sentence and/ BHRC | SEE PAGE 20 aavvyvy S avy Dear Hard, The new FDA approved over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids that hit the market last October have become a very attractive alternative to millions of older Americans with hearing impairment. These new hearing aids can be purchased at pharmacies, consumer electronics stores or online without a hearing exam, prescription, or appointment with an audiologist. And the savings are signifi cant. The average cost of an OTC hearing aid is about $1,600 per pair, which is about $3,000 less than the average price of a prescription hearing aid. But sorting through all the diff erent options and styles can be confusing. Here are some tips along with a reliable resource that can help you choose the right aid for you. Check Your Hearing Your fi rst step to getting a hearing aid is to get your hearing tested. Be aware that OTC hearing aids are designed only for people with mild to moderate hearing loss (signs include trouble hearing speech in noisy places, in groups, and during phone calls). The best place to get your hearing tested is through a hearing care provider like an audiologist. These in-person tests are usually covered by private medical insurance, and as of this year, Medicare will pay for general hearing evaluations without a doctor’s referral. You can also assess your hearing at home with a good app-based hearing test like Mimi (mimi.health) or SonicCloud (soniccloud.com). If you fi nd through your test that you have severe hearing loss (signs include being unable to hear spoken words even in a quiet room or trouble hearing loud music or power tools) then OTC aids aren’t the right solution for you. You’ll probably need a prescription hearing aid, which you must get through an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist. Choosing an OTC Aid If you decide that an OTC hearing aid may work for you, here are a couple pointers to help you choose. First, you need to know that OTC hearing aids come in two types: self-fi tting and preset. Self-fi tting aids typically use a smartphone app to setup and adjust the device to suit your specifi c hearing needs, which makes them better suited for seniors who are technologically inclined. While preset hearing aids are much simpler devices that come with a number of set programs for diff erent levels of hearing loss, and the controls are directly on the hearing aid. Also, because OTC hearing aids have a learning curve, it’s very important to know the level of customer support you’ll have access to. So, before you buy, fi nd out how long the company provides support after your purchase, and what sorts of experts will be providing the support. You also need to fi nd out about the company’s return policy. It can take weeks to get accustomed to wearing hearing aids and fi gure out whether they’re really working for you or not. So, make sure to choose a brand that off ers a minimum 30-day free trial period, or money back return policy. Best OTC Hearing Aids To help you cut through all the diff erent options the National Council on Aging (NCOA), which is a national nonprofi t organization that advocates for older Americans, recently assembled a review team who collectively spent more than 5,000 hours researching, testing and interviewing customers about OTC hearing aids. They came up with a list of nine winners based on such criteria as aff ordability, style and fi t. Their best OTC hearing aids for 2023 in their nine categories include: • Best for Seniors: Jabra Enhance (jabraenhance.com) • Best Invisible Fit: Eargo (eargo.com) • Most User-Friendly: Lexie (lexiehearing.com) • Most Aff ordable: Audien (audienhearing.com) • Most Financing Options: Audicus (audicus.com) • Best Remote Customer Service: MDHearing (mdhearingaid.com) • Best Rechargeable for the Money: Go Hearing (gohearing.com) • Best Variety: Lucid (lucidhearing.com) • Best Earbud-Style: Sony (electronics.sony.com) To learn more, see NCOA.org/adviser/hearing-aids/best-otchearing-aids. 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. avvy S oiorenniioor nior by Jim Miller Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Older Adults Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good over-the-counter hearing aids for seniors on a budget? I’m not sure what to get or where to buy them. Hard of Hearing

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