Heakth Care Reforms

Are the democrats likely to pass bold health reforms or are they afraid to rock the private insurance boat? The country has a consensus for expanded health coverage, but experience shows you can't achieve universal coverage at an affordable price unless you throw out the insurance companies overhead and profit. Have the Democrats learned this lesson or is 'universal coverage,' merely a euphemism for the right to purchase private health insurance? Has health reform flatlined

Caring for your aging parents.

We live in a very mobile society where family members don’t always live in the same town or even the same state. In fact, according to the National Institute on Aging, approximately seven million Americans are long-distance caregivers, mostly caring for aging parents who live more than an hour away.

“It’s only natural that adult children of seniors will have some concerns about how their aging parents are doing, especially if they are apart during the holiday season,” said a member of the Right at Home office. “Identifying strategies for long-distance caregiving will make the challenges of caring for aging parents or loved ones more manageable.”

Below are tips from Right at Home for long-distance caregiving:

1) Establish Support Contacts in Your Aging Parents’ Community – Make a list of family, friends and neighbors’ phone numbers and addresses. Ask if you can check in with them to find out how your loved one is doing. They may also be willing to stop by your loved one's home for regular visits.

2) Stay in Touch With Your Parents – Keep in regular touch with your loved one by phone, letters, and e-mail. Record any changes you sense in his or her personality or ability to function day by day.

3) Make Observations During Visits – When you are able to visit your parents, pay attention to any changes in grooming, eating, or social activities. Look for changes in the way he or she manages money, cleans, shops, and gets around.

4) Keep Track of Important Information – Find out where your parents keep important documents such as his or her insurance policies, bank account numbers, investments, living will and power of attorney (for legal, financial, and health care purposes). It’s also beneficial to have a list of physicians that your relative is seeing, and any hospitals or clinics that are involved in his or her medical care, and any medications he or she is taking.

5) Look into Professional Help Options – There are several options for aging parents who need additional assistance. In home caregiving agencies, such as Right at Home, provide services such as companionship, meal preparation, and light housekeeping to help seniors continue to live independently with the help of a caregiver.

6) Identify Community Resources – Research local area agencies on aging, senior centers, churches, synagogues, or other volunteer organizations about available resources for seniors. To locate the area agency on aging, individuals can call Eldercare Locator, public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, toll-free at (800) 677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.gov.

7) Involve Your Parent – Allow your parents to retain as much decision-making ability as possible. Remember that your primary objective is to help your loved one to fulfill his/her needs, not to take over your relative’s life. In some situations, when your loved one is unable to make decisions, you may need to do so on his/her behalf.

8) Take Time for Yourself – Caregiving can have an emotional and physical toll on caregivers, especially when done long-distance. Make sure you are eating right, getting enough rest, exercising regularly and keeping up with your own medical needs.

Remember, the holiday season is a time for family, togetherness and making memories. By taking the time to address these long-distance caregiving issues, your family will have the much-needed sense of security, comfort and hopefully the ability to create new memories with your aging loved ones for many years to come!

Malden Trash tax

Effective Monday, Oct. 6, Malden will institute the program. All household trash must be disposed of in special light blue City of Malden trash bags.

The 33-gallon bags will cost $2 each and will be sold in boxes of 10. They will be available for purchase at Lamson and Davis Ace Hardware, 190 Commercial St.; the Super 88 Market, 188 Commercial St.; three Stop & Shop locations: 99 Charles St., 60 Broadway and 540 Squire Road, Revere, at the Malden line; certain Malden Government Center offices, 200 Pleasant St., the Malden Department of Public Works, and JRM Hauling and Recycling, 1130 Eastern Ave. (M—F, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.) in early September. Additional locations may be added in the future.

Under this new program, recyclables and yard waste will continue to be collected at no additional cost.

Recyclables are picked up weekly; yard waste pickup is on a seasonal schedule. Visit cityofmalden.org for more information.

Supported by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the pay-per-throw program encourages recycling, as those who recycle more will pay less to dispose of their trash.

Under the program, all Malden residents, not just homeowners, who use the city’s trash service, will be charged the same.

Filing a bill State Legislature

Massachusetts citizens are permitted and encouraged to take an active
role in the lawmaking process of the state legislature. It is a good
idea for a person who feels strongly about an issue to present his or
her ideas to a representative or senator. That person may discover that
those concerns have already been formulated into a bill which is
awaiting legislative action. If not, the citizen is allowed to file
legislation addressing the subject. Massachusetts is one of the few
states to allow its citizens to do so. This access is called the "right
of free petition."
Although it is not mandatory that a representative or senator sponsor a
citizen's bill, the rules of the House and Senate provide that a
petition must be endorsed for presentation by a member before it can be
considered by the General Court. Obtaining the support of individual
legislators, then, is most advisable.


Howard McGowan

Swingvote

Active Grannies: the New Soccer Moms?
In the publication Politico on Tuesday, Democratic strategist Mark Penn wrote about the enormous importance of the senior vote in the race for president, especially in states like Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Penn declares that key swing voters in this election may be “active grannies” - empty-nesters who have found a new freedom in their lives after their kids have left, and who look at the world very differently than do their kids graduating college. Top issues in these “older grannies’” lives include: making income after the age of 65, fighting age discrimination, getting plugged into technology, having access to the latest medical treatments and good doctors through Medicare, and dealing with their families’ being torn apart by career-driven migration. In the coming months, active grannies are expected to be major viewers of cable television, the conventions and the debates. Fifteen percent of seniors surveyed in a recent poll were undecided, and 4 to 5% of undecided senior voters could be enough to tip the election.