Fraud, waste and abuse cost the Medicare program $48 billion in 2010, affecting one in 10 claims, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It comes in many forms, but has one thing in common: We all pay for it through higher costs. That’s a powerful reason why everyone should help identify, report and prevent fraud. Both the government, which administers Original Medicare, and private health plans, which contract with the government to administer Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans, are getting better at detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse, according to Edward Stubbers, vice president of compliance for Anthem Blue Cross’s senior products. In the past

On the day of a home visit, mother-daughter duo Maggie and Ellie Keenan have brainstormed topics that Ada Cooper, 83, will find interesting to talk about. The topic for this particular visit was the Korean War. “Her husband served in the military, so she may have a lot of input on the recent events happening right now,” said Maggie, a kindergarten teacher at Barbara Comstock Morse Elementary. Maggie and Ellie Keenan are volunteers for one of the newest programs at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS), the Senior program. This program matches volunteer families and socially isolated seniors with the assistance of Eskaton’s Talking Listening Caring Telephone Reassurance Program (

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011, legislation that would require each state’s department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization to put in place a Complete Streets policy that ensures all Federally-funded transportation projects accommodate the safety and convenience of all users. Complete Streets policies ensures roadways are built with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, motorists, freight vehicles, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Congresman Steven LaTourette (R-OH). “Complete Streets policies are a win-wi

Officials from the County Redevelopment Agency (www.shra.org) and developer BRIDGE Housing Corporation broke ground today on a new 138-unit apartment complex for low income seniors in the Old Foothill Farms community at 5400 Auburn Boulevard, the site of a former Kmart retail center. “I think this project is going to be a great synergy for the community and for this corner,” said Supervisor Susan Peters whose district includes the Old Foothill Farms community. The development is the first project that BRIDGE Housing will build in Sacramento. President and CEO Cynthia Parker says the apartments will be a catalyst for revitalizing the area. “This is a first step to attracting other develo

The best caregiver for an elderly person is a friend, said Priya Bansal, owner of Sacramento’s Seniors Helping Seniors, which employs seniors to help their peers with activities they can no longer do alone. “Seniors are the most-neglected people with needs,” Bansal, 33, said. “It’s a satisfying feeling knowing you can help and make a difference in someone’s life.” Seniors Helping Seniors is a national organization founded in 1998 with more than 120 locations in the United States, and Bansal opened the Sacramento franchise in late 2009. “Since then, we’ve helped 60-65 families,” she said. “We have 35-40 caregivers who all go through background checks with the California Department of Jus

Seniors gathered at Midtown’s Ethel Hart Senior Center Wednesday morning for clothing, a hot meal and information on services available to them. “Lots of folks came in here today to find services and go to the food closet and the clothes closet,” said Mary Lynn Perry, volunteer coordinator for the city of Sacramento’s Human Resources Department, which helped organize the event. “We’ve been getting lots of calls from seniors looking for support in the recession,” she said. “They don’t go out and protest or demonstrate. They quietly suffer, so we started this program to help them.” The Senior Connect program began about two years ago, and the first event was held in Oak Park. Various seni

Maybe it comes from having folks that lived off the land, but I have always had affection for dirt. I remember making mud pies in the backyard of my L.A. home. I was three and there was just something about getting my hands dirty that felt good. In case you were wondering, yes, I did try a bite or two. Even the taste didn’t turn me off to playing in the dirt. It makes me now ponder how children seem to know that dirt is associated with food. My connection to dirt didn’t stop with that good L.A. mud. I found another connection to dirt in the backwoods of Oklahoma. It was where my daddy grew up. The air smells different in Oklahoma. There’s a sweetness to it along with a humidity you canno

The City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services Division is hosting a Senior Awareness Day next Tuesday, October 26, 2010 from 9am to 3pm at the Pannell / Meadowview Community Center. This free event filled with services to older adults and seniors could not come at a better time. “With a national economic crisis, we’ve seen more services to seniors reduced or cut altogether,” said Kris Wimberly, Neighborhood Resource Coordinator and coordinator of next Tuesday’s event. Wimberly addressed the City Council prior to receiving a resolution recognizing October 26, 2010 as “Senior Awareness Day”. “Our focus for the day is to promote health, wellness, and positive aging for the thousand of seni

The transition into a care home can be traumatizing for elders especially if they suffer from dementia. It’s important to visit them often because it is a well-known fact that residents whose family checks up on them regularly receive better care than others. It’s also important to engage your loved one in conversation. It keeps their mind working. It is more difficult with dementia patients who become frustrated at not remembering the recent past. I suggest talking to them about things they do remember. I use this theme with the elders I visit in an Elk Grove assisted living home. We do this in a group setting where the residents can learn more about each other and engage in socialization

If you died today, what would you leave behind? For most of us, the first thing we think about is the material items that would remain. But perhaps the most important thing you could leave is the story of your life – your Legacy Letter. Wisdom is hard won and if you’ve lived very long, you’ve learned many lessons that have made your life better. What’s more remarkable is that remembering, talking and writing about those experiences can make you healthier and happier. Numerous studies have been conducted over the past 30 years on how reminiscence therapy alleviates depression, promotes understanding and encourages socialization. Remembering is a brain exercise that nearly everyone can par

Eleven years. That is how long it took for 85-year-old Alice Petta-Goldie to win a gold medal at the California State Senior Games. The West Sacramento resident took home a badminton title during a weekend-long tournament in Pasadena last month. “It was wonderful,” Alice said. “I like gold medals. They’ve been hard to come by.” Until the recent the Senior Games, Alice had always come up short, losing to the same opponent every year. “This lady had been beating me,” she recalled. “She was a local champ, state champ, U.S. champ, and she even traveled to other countries, and she won them all. Her being in California, (it seemed like) I was never going to get gold at all. So this win was gr

In 1994, Lori and Paul Hogan founded Home Instead Senior Care®, an international network of independently owned and operated franchises that provide non-medical home care for seniors. The Hogans established The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation in 2003 as a means to further enhance the health, safety, support services and lives of older adults and go "above and beyond" the Home Instead Senior Care mission. This private foundation funds non-profit organizations that specialize in programs and services for seniors. Areas of interest for funding grants include the following: age-related research and development; scholarships; advocacy for the health and well-being of older adults; and prog

Some think of curling as only a game, akin to shuffleboard on ice. Late Night host David Letterman quips that it is “consistently ranked the world’s number one broom-related sport”. This ancient Scottish sport is often underestimated and misunderstood but I found that it is a wonderfully complex and compelling activity. After getting hooked on TV coverage of curling during the 2010 Winter Olympics, I had to try it for myself. As it turns out, nearby Vacaville is home of the thriving Wine Country Curling Club so off went my friend and I to a free Learn-to-Curl night. After the introduction, we were still intrigued enough to continue in a 6-week league. After our first league night, I’m he

Carmichael, Ca. – There’s no doubt that moving can be a difficult event for anyone, but for a senior those difficulties escalate. A move for seniors usually involves downsizing which means deciding what to do with possessions that have accumulated over many years. Physically, most seniors are unable to do the actual lifting and moving. Many feel emotionally traumatized by having to leave the place they’ve called home for decades and that is often compounded by the fear of letting strangers handle their treasured household goods. The good news for seniors in the greater Sacramento region is found in a moving company designed just for them – The Eskaton Moving Connection. More than just a

  My last interview was with a lovely elder living in a beautiful retirement community in Sacramento. An accomplished artist, she conveyed how comfortable she was living there and was enjoying the camaraderie of people her age. She now has time to indulge herself in art and writing which is another passion she enjoys. But when I asked about why she left her private residence, she became very serious. A medical crisis snowballed and she no longer felt safe to remain in her home. Her story is similar to so many elders who felt compelled to leave their homes. In Mrs. D’s case, an allergic reaction to a prescribed medication nearly cost her life. Her family members, which all live close by

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH FOUND IN EXERCISE By Karen Everett Watson Roseville, Ca. – How do you prevent falls, build stronger bones, stay socially connected and lose weight? According to Lynell Ross, nutrition and wellness coordinator for the Village Center at Eskaton Roseville, the answer is . . . exercise. “Exercise is the fountain of youth,” said Ross. “If I could bottle it, I would be a millionaire.” Ross emphasized that exercise is the key to fall prevention which is the number one cause of fatal injuries to seniors. “If you have strong muscles you can catch yourself before you fall,” said Ross. “Exercise improves balance and creates flexibility. These are very important as we age.” Mill

"I see us potentially losing some of the volunteer base," said Supervisor Don Notolli at Tuesday's board meeting. "The human contact for the seniors is [currently] happening five times a week ... that day-to-day contact is important." Despite concerns, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved changes Tuesday designed to save the popular Meals on Wheels program. In 2010, hundreds of seniors will no longer receive daily hot meal visits. A plan drafted by the county's Department of Human Assistance will save the county $917,000. It will cut $680,000 from the program and shift $237,000 to the state's Medi-Cal program. The changes will become effective Dec. 31. The pl

Thursday afternoon, about 50 seniors, homeless and other community members participated in the Sacramento Housing Alliance Affordable Housing Bus Tour. The tour surveyed 10 different housing options and stopped to provide in-depth tours of three housing complexes. Guided by Shamus Roller, director of the SHA, Ken Cross, CEO of Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and Paul Ainger, Mercy Housing project developer, the four-hour tour began and ended at the SHA office in Midtown. "It's important to know what affordable housing means," Ainger said. According to the federal government, housing is considered "affordable" when a person renting or buying it spends no more than 30 percent of his or her

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, over 600,000 elderly Americans are seen each year in hospital emergency rooms from accidents in their homes. You can help make your home or your parent’s much safer and often it doesn’t take a lot of cash to do so. Since falls are the number one cause of fatal injury for seniors, pulling up those throw rugs and removing any clutter from the floors will do a lot to keep your parents safe. Not all improvements are this easy but many are. Experts have studied home safety and handy checklists are available on many websites. On the California Department of Aging website you can use the search words “home safety” to find a good list. Bu

Monday, Aug. 17 Noon - 1 p.m. Sacramento Area Coalition Against the Death Penalty will be holding a noon hour vigil against the death penalty. About 10 people are expected to participate in the vigil on the north steps of the Capitol. 11 a.m. - noon The Million Boat Float will hold a press conference and rally on the west steps of the Capitol. The event was created to voice opposition to legislation proposing to "construct a water conveyance system comparable to the Panama Canal" in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Tuesday, Aug. 18 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. ACLU of Northern California will be holding a rally to urge "elected officials to make equitable budget solutions and sensible crimin