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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – WEDnESDAy, JUly 3, 2024 Page 15 Calling all adult and youth singers R ehearsals begin on September 4 for the Medford Community Chorale & Youth/Young Adult Chorus (MCC) holiday concert, which is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, at 7 p.m. in the Caron Theatre at Medford High School, and new members are welcome! The concert is titled “Happy Holidays!” and proceeds from the concert program book will be donated to the Medford Council on Aging, the primary advocate for Medford’s older adults, which provides services that enhance the quality of the lives of our elder residents. There are no auditions required to become a member of the MCC, and the only requirement is a love of singing! Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings at First Baptist Church (34 Oakland St. – off Salem Street in Medford Square): youth/ young adult chorus at 6 p.m. and full chorus from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.. For more information or to join, please contact director Betsy Pesce at HEALTH CARE | FROM PAGE 6 requires DPH to promulgate revised regulations governing the operation of licensed freestanding birth centers to ensure safe, equitable and accessible birth options; directs the Commissioner of Public Health to develop and distribute materials to the public regarding pregnancy loss and the accessibility of the range of evidence-based and medically-appropriate treatment options, including comprehensive mental health supports, necessary procedures and medications, and culturally responsive supports such as pregnancy-loss doula care; and requires MassHealth to cover cell-free DNA-based testing to detect whether a pregnancy is at increased risk for chromosomal abnormalities such as Down Syndrome, Edwards Syndrome, or Patau Syndrome, for all pregnant patients regardless of age, baseline risk, or family history. During floor debate, the House adopted several amendments to the bill, including proposals to: Say nir Sa ay nior y Senior Seni by Jim Miller How to Hire a Caregiver for In-Home Help Dear Savvy Senior, I need to hire a good in-home caregiver to help my elderly father who lives alone. What’s the best way to do this? Searching Sarah Dear Sarah, Finding a good in-home caregiver for an elderly parent is not always easy. How can you fi nd one that’s reliable and trustworthy, as well as someone your parent likes and is comfortable with? Here are some tips that can help. Know His Needs Before you start the task of elizabethpesce@comcast. net or 617-335-8155. The Medford Community Chorale, a 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organization, is supported in part this season add Duchenne muscular dystrophy to the list of diseases for which physicians must screen newborn children and require the advisory committee on newborn screening to convene at least twice a year; require DMA to provide coverage for services rendered by a certified nurse midwife equal to the payment rate for the same service if performed by a physician; amend the defi nition of low-risk pregnancy to specify that include specify that it involves no maternal or fetal factors that place the pregnancy at significantly increased risk for complications; allow directors of clinical aff airs at birth centers to be licensed midwives as well as certifi ed nurse-midwives; require employers to provide earned sick time for employees to address their own physical and mental health needs, and those of their spouse, if the employee or the employee’s spouse experiences pregnancy loss or a failed assisted reproduction, adoption or surrogacy; direct the Commissionby grants from the ArtsAlive Medford Foundation and the Medford Arts Council, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council and the City of Medford. er of Public Health to develop procedures for information related to miscarriage and pregnancy loss in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Haitian Creole, and other commonly spoken languages in the Commonwealth; provide insurance coverage for the provision of medically necessary pasteurized donor human milk and donor human milk-derived products; and expand the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee by adding the assistant secretary of MassHealth or their designee, as well as the executive director of the Healthy Policy Commission or their designee, and authorize the committee to request and receive information it deems necessary from relevant agencies, including the Executive Offi ce of Health and Human Services, the Executive Offi ce of Public Safety and Security, the Center for Health Information Analysis, the Offi ce of Patient Protection, and any other health care facility or provider. House Bill 4773, as amended, now moves to the Senate for its consideration. looking for an in-home caregiver, your fi rst step is to determine the level of care your dad needs. For example, if he only needs help with daily living tasks like shopping, cooking, doing laundry, bathing or dressing, a “homemaker” or “personal care aide” will do. But if he needs health care services, there are “home health aides” that may do all the things a homemaker does, plus they also have training in administering medications, changing wound dressings and other medically related duties. Home health aides often work under a nurse’s supervision. Once you settle on a level of care, you then need to decide how many hours of assistance he’ll need. For example, does your dad need someone to come in just a few mornings a week to cook, clean, run errands or perhaps help him with a bath? Or does he need more continuous care that requires daily visits? After you determine his needs, there are two ways in which you can go about hiring someone. Either through an agency, or you can hire someone directly on your own. Hiring Through an Agency Hiring a personal care or home health aide through an agency is the safest and easiest option, but it’s more expensive. Costs typically run anywhere between $15 and $30 an hour depending on where you live and the qualifi cation of the aide. How it works is you pay the agency, and they handle everything including an assessment of your mom’s needs, assigning appropriately trained and pre-screened staff to care for her, and fi nding a fi ll-in on days her aide cannot come. Some of the drawbacks, however, are that you may not have much input into the selection of the caregiver, and the caregivers may change or alternate, which can cause a disruption. To fi nd a home care agency in your dad’s area use search engines like Google or Bing and type in “home health care” or “non-medical home care” followed by the city and state your dad lives in. You can also use Medicare’s search tool at Medicare.gov/care-compare – click on “home health services.” Most home health agencies off er some form of non-medical home care services too. You also need to know that original Medicare does not cover in-home caregiving services unless your dad is receiving doctor ordered skilled nursing or therapy services at home too. But, if your dad is in a certain Medicare Advantage plan, or is low-income and qualifi es for Medicaid, he may be eligible for some coverage. Hiring Directly Hiring an independent caregiver on your own is the other option, and it’s less expensive. Costs typically range between $12 and $25 per hour. Hiring directly also gives you more control over who you hire so you can choose someone who you feel is right for your dad. But be aware that if you do hire someone on your own, you become the employer so there’s no agency support to fall back on if a problem occurs or if the aide doesn’t show up. You’re also responsible for paying payroll taxes and any worker-related injuries that may happen. If you choose this option, make sure you check the aide’s references thoroughly and do a criminal background check at companies like eNannySource.com. To fi nd someone use an elder-care matching service like Care.com or CareLinx. com, which both provide basic background checks. . 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. ior

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