Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 19, 2022 THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 9 “Yours truly, “The Sketch Artist” A “Happy birthday” Shout out Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo was busy crafting “Shout Outs” for this week’s paper. She emailed us three. “This Birthday ‘Shout Out’ goes to Jeannie Meredith, my Birthday Twin!! We have the same name, the same birthday (Aug. 18) and we never tell our ages!!! Thank you Jeannie for sending me a Birthday ‘Shout Out’ and this one is for you. Have a great Birthday my Leo friend!!! “This second ‘Shout Out’ goes to Tina and Don Tang, my neighbors and owners of Diamond Nail Salon & Spa on Jackson Street. Occasionally they will stop by with their 3 year old son Jason to visit me. Yesterday afternoon Tina noticed a large killer wasp nest in a tree in my yard. She and Don came back when it was dark with a ladder and flashlight and Tina dressed in protective gear to spray and kill the nest. I am astounded at her bravery and so grateful to them for helping me. They are such a hardworking young couple and deserve this ‘Shout Out’. I can’t thank them enough for their kindness and friendship.” “I have another ‘Shout Out,’ this one a sad one. A very sad ‘Shout Out’ for Paul Ciccarelli the owner of Bisbee’s Funeral Home who passed away this week. Paul was the epitome of a gentleman and class act. He will be missed by everyone who knew and loved him. Rest In Peace my dear friend.” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to sinSavvy Senior BY JIM MILLER Ways to Pay for Long-Term Care Without Insurance or Savings Dear Savvy Senior, What types of financial resources are available to help seniors pay for long-term care? My 86-year-old mother will need either an assisted living facility or nursing home care in the near future, but she doesn’t have long-term care insurance and her savings are minimal. Searching Daughter Dear Searching, The cost of assisted living and nursing home care in the U.S is very expensive. According to the Genworth cost of care survey tool, the national median cost for an assisted living facility today is over $4,600 per month, while nursing home care runs more than $8,100 per month for a semi-private room. (See Genworth.com/ aging-and-you/finances/ cost-of-care.html to look up costs in your area.) Most people pay for longterm care (LTC) – which encompasses assisted living, nursing home and in-home care – with either personal funds, government programs or insurance. But if your mom is lacking in savings and has no LTC insurance to cover her costs, here are your best options to look for funding. Medicaid (not Medicare): The first thing you need to know is that Medicare (the government health insurance program for seniors 65 and older and those with disabilities) does not cover long-term care. It only provides limited short-term coverage, up to 100 days for skilled nursing or rehabilitation services after a threeday hospital stay. Medicaid, however, (the joint federal and state program that covers health care for the poor) does cover nursing home and in-home care. But to be eligible for coverage, your mother must be very low-income. Her countable assets can’t be more than around $2,000, including investments. (Note that most people who enter a nursing home don’t qualify for Medicaid at first but pay for care out-of-pocket until they deplete their savings enough to qualify.) There are also many states that now have Medicaid waver programs that can help pay for assisted living. To get more information on Medicaid coverage and eligibility, call your state Medicaid office (see Medicaid.gov). You can also check your mom’s Medicaid eligibility at MedicaidPlanningAssistance.org. Veterans benefits: If your mom is a wartime veteran, or a spouse or surviving spouse of a wartime veteran, there is a benefit called Aid and Attendance that can help pay toward her long-term care. To be eligible, your mom must need assistance with daily living activities like bathing, dressing or going to the bathroom. And her yearly income must be under $15,816 as a surviving spouse, or $24,610 for a single veteran – after her medical and long-term care expenses. Her assets must also be less than $138,489 excluding her home and car. To learn more, see VA.gov/ geriatrics, or contact your regional VA office, or your local veterans service organization. Call 800-827-1000 for contact information. Life insurance: If your mom has a life insurance policy, find out if it offers an accelerated death benefit that would allow her to get a tax-free advance to help pay for her care. Or consider selling her policy to a life settlement company. These are companies that buy life insurance policies for cash, continue to pay the premiums and collect the death benefit when she dies. Most sellers generally get four to eight times more than the policy cash surrender value. If she owns a policy with a face value of $100,000 or more and is interested in this option, get quotes from several brokers or life settlement providers. To locate some, use the Life Insurance Settlement Association member directory at LISA.org. To look for these and other programs in your area that can help pay your mom’s long-term care, go to PayingForSeniorCare.com and click on “Find Financial Assistance for Care.” 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. gle out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Summer Concert Series concludes Wednesday The National Parks Service and Saugus Public Library are co-sponsoring a free Summer Concert Series that continues next Wednesday (Aug. 24) at 6 p.m. with the final performance of the season at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site (located at 244 Central St. in Saugus). Come to the park and enjoy Marina & Bernardo: Acoustic Folk. The concert will be held outdoors, weather permitting (see SaugusPublicLibrary.org for updates/cancellations). Bring your own chair or blanket. Picnics welcome! “Zoom” Book Study The Rev. John Beach of St. John’s Episcopal Church wants to get the word out to Saugonians who might be interested in participating in a new book study via Zoom videoconferencing. The book is “The Violence Project: How to Stop A Mass Shooting Epidemic” by Jillian Peterson, PhD and James Densley, PhD.” It’s the winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award. According to The Violence Project’s website, “Using data from the writers’ groundbreaking research on mass shooters, including first-person accounts from the perpetrators themselves, The Violence Project charts new pathways to prevention and innovative ways to stop the social contagion of violence. “Frustrated by reactionary policy conversations that never seemed to convert into meaningful action, special investigator and psychologist Jill Peterson and sociologist James Densley built The Violence Project, the first comprehensive database of mass shooters. Their goal was to establish the root causes of mass shootings and figure out how to stop them…” The Cofounder and Managing Director of Sandy Hook Promise, Nicole Hockley, stated, “If you ever wondered how can we stop mass shootings, this is the book for you. By mixing compelling first-person interviews with mass shooters and significant data analysis, The Violence Project illustrates the tangible ways we can intervene and prevent a tragedy from occurring. No one is helpless—read this book and help stop violence before it starts.” Rev. Beach says the book study group meets on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-8:30 East Coast Time, from Sept. 7 through Oct. 5. For more information, contact The Rev. John Beach at revjbeach@gmail.com What’s happening at the Saugus Public Library For schoolchildren looking for interesting projects and programs to participate in this summer, there’s plenty to do at the Saugus Public Library. A magical morning: Amy Melton, the library’s Head of Children’s Services, wants folks to know that the library’s last summer reading performer is Magic Fred and he’ll be at the Saugus Iron Works next Tuesday (Aug. 23) at 10 a.m., weather permitting. “He’s funny, engaging and an awesome magician!” according to Amy. Children of all ages are welcome to the event. Not a bad way to wrap up the summer before preparing for the start of another school year. “Summer Reading ends Friday August 26th, so we’re encouraging patrons to keep reading, log their reading and come in for their prizes before the 26th!” says Amy. “Be Cool! Learn to Sew! Here’s a great idea offered by Joyce Rodenhiser: “Would you like to save and have fun? JUST SEW! Come to the Saugus Public Library and learn to sew on the second Monday of the month at 6 P.M. The class is tailored to the needs of the students! We teach basic sewing skills that you can use now! It’s air conditioned and we can do a lot in an hour. Join the JUST SEW class, it’s Free.” Library offers free “Zoom” program on college search Parents and High School students can feel like they are overwhelmed when it’s time to explore their options for college. But the Saugus Public Library will be offering a special hour-long program titled “Navigating the College Search” via Zoom videoconferencing from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. It’s free, but registration is required. “Navigating the college search is stressful especially if it is your first time doTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 11
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