Join in on Saturday, February 23 from 4-7 at the Vita Art Center for a champagne preview reception where we will be offering complimentary champagne, wine, and refreshments. Admission is free for Members and $10 for Non-Members.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, March 2019, the Vita Art Center in collaboration with Focus on the Masters will exhibit the artwork of 4 women artist that will be interviewed and documented by Donna Granata in 2019.
This is the third annual all Women’s art exhibit co-curated by Vita Art Center and Focus on the Masters.
About 1.3 billion people in the world live with some form of vision impairment. The reasons vary but the fact is, your risk of developing vision problems drastically increases as you age. Over 91% of people age 55+ use some form of vision correction, so having access to quality vision care is critical as you get older. Issues with vision can increase the risk of falls, driving incidents, and impacting quality of life.
Medicare plans cover a wide variety of services including doctor visits, home health care, and a range of preventive screenings and treatments, but when it comes to vision coverage, beneficiaries’ options are extremely limited. So, what are the available options when you retire?
Vision coverage through Original Medicare is limited to mostly preventive and emergency services. Original Medicare generally doesn’t cover routine eye exams for eyeglasses or contact lenses. Medicare Part A covers medical emergency related to your vision if you are admitted to the hospital and Medicare Part B covers preventive treatments and screening related to diseases affecting your vision.
Medicare Part B covers annual glaucoma test for at-risk individuals which includes those with diabetes, African-Americans aged 50+, Hispanics aged 65+, and/or those with a family history of glaucoma. Annual exams to test for diabetic retinopathy among diabetics, diagnostic tests and screenings for macular degeneration, cataract surgery and one pair of post-surgery eyeglasses or contact lenses are also covered. Medicare will only pay for contact lenses or eyeglasses from a supplier enrolled in Medicare. For each of these services, the out-of-pocket costs is the 20% Medicare-approved amount, and Part B deductible.
One of the easiest options for vision coverage when you retire is Medicare Part C. Part C includes the same emergency and preventive benefits included with Original Medicare, but some Part C plans may also offer additional benefits that include a yearly eye exam, eyeglass frames and lenses, or contact lenses. The cost and coverage for these services vary from plan to plan. The best way to find a Medicare Advantage plan that covers all the services you need is to compare plans online or speak with a licensed benefits advisor.
Enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan to receive vision coverage is not necessarily the best option for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you should not be able to get adequate vision coverage. There are national and local programs available that can provide vision care for little to no cost, but there may be additional requirements to participate and resources may be limited.
As you begin to research your Medicare options keep in mind the enhanced services you may need to maintain, or maybe even improve your quality of life. Having yearly eye exams and updated prescriptions or dental cleanings and fillings may not be the things you consider when choosing a Medicare plan, but they should be.
To get help discovering a plan that covers your needs try taking our Medicare Questionnaire, which allows you to compare plans online or connects you to free professional advice from licensed benefits advisors. You can also contact your local State Health Assistance Insurance Program (SHIP) for access to federally-funded Medicare counseling from trained staff members.
Ventura has a free eye clinic run by the Ventura Rotary Club, Ventura Downtown Lions Club and the Salvation Army of Ventura. Patients are seen each Thursday from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM except holidays.
The Eye Clinic is located inside the Salvation Army Hope Center 155 S Oak St.
The Rubicon Theatre opened its 21st season labeled “Coming of Age” with a work guaranteed to stretch your thinking and perceptions. While you’re at it, dust off your notes from physics class and review Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle to best get a grasp on the play Heisenberg now on stage in downtown Ventura.
Penned by English playwright Simon Stephens, the two-person staging by director Katharine Farmer certainly lives up to its publicity, as “quirky” and “full of surprises”. It is a romance of sorts with as many comedic moments as dramatic. It is also deeply introspective and emotionally complex, delving into considerations of life’s myriad alternatives and potential consequences.
Alex (Joe Spano) is an older man of measured adherence to the familiar. A butcher by trade, he spends his spare time in a London train station, listening to music. Georgie (Faline England), a perky, unpredictable younger lady, appears one day, spontaneously kisses him on the neck, and quickly becomes an intriguing enigma. Their initial emotional dance where each tries to capture the other’s intents builds into a relationship that surprises both of them.
Alex’s mundane, highly routine existence is challenged by Georgie to live in the moment, be more spontaneous, explore new thoughts. Alex accepts the challenge reluctantly. Ultimately, it is their differences that attract each to the other, while both remain wary and questioning throughout. We are reminded that no matter how much we feel we can predict the behavior of another, it is important to remain cognizant of a person’s right to change their mind, going in a different direction than anticipated. It’s human nature, after all. Humans have foibles. How we handle them is what contributes to our uniqueness.
Both Faline and Spano are superb. They show how intimate an emotional connection can be and how that connection can grow. So much is said with a twitch of an eyebrow, a slight curve of the lips, a pause in dialog and action. Their minimalistic physical movement carries deep meaning, inviting the audience to focus on the actors’ words, inflections and subtle expressions as they work through the complexity of their unexpected rapport.
Alex and Georgie seem complete opposites at first. In time, however, they discover many congruities to bind their friendship.
The 90-minute uninterrupted play actually begins before the play begins, with Spano quietly contemplating his thoughts while the muted ambiance of a busy train station continues in the background. Scenes change as thoughts do, without fanfare, the station behind a constant reminder of where this pairing began.
The play raises many questions such as what risks are involved in stepping outside of your comfort zone to try something new? If the results are potentially equal, why not try? According to Heisenberg, causality shapes events and future behavior. Is the future uncertain? Of course. Are risks involved? Yes. What do we give up if we don’t take the path of risk? The Rubicon’s production choices enable us to take risks, challenges our thinking and satisfies our desire for compelling theater.
Heisenberg plays Wednesdays to Sundays through February 17, 2019 at the Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main St. (corner of Main and Laurel Streets) in downtown Ventura. Matinees: 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Evening performances at 8 p.m., except 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, which features a post-show talk back with the cast. Ticket prices vary. The box office is open 7 days a week. There is 24-hour ticketing and seat selection online at www.rubicontheatre.org. (805) 667-2900.
The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and the AARP Foundation are partnering to offer tax preparation services to residents of Ventura County. This service is free and available to anyone of low to moderate income and may be especially suited to those 50 and older.
To receive services, individuals must bring all necessary documentation, including applicable Social Security cards, a photo ID, a copy of 2017 tax returns, and 2018 documents showing income from all sources including wages, Social Security, interest, dividends, investments, self-employment and pensions. For individuals that itemize deductions, please provide total figures for each category of deduction, including medical, charitable contributions, property tax, and mortgage interest. Any individual that received a health insurance statement (Form 1095-A, 1095-B or 1095-C), is asked to also bring the required documentation. Volunteers are unable to prepare returns for married taxpayers who file separate returns, or for taxpayers with rental property income. Volunteers are also unable to prepare out-of-state tax returns.
AARP representatives will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. through April 15 at the VCAAA offices located at 646 County Square Drive in Ventura. No appointment is necessary, and participants are not required to be AARP members. This location is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
The AARP Foundation operates the AARP Tax-Aide program under a cooperative agreement with the IRS. To help you complete your tax forms, AARP’s trained and IRS-certified volunteers will see personal information that you give them about you and your finances. This information is strictly confidential. We will not share your information with anyone except as necessary to accurately file your tax returns or as otherwise required by law. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has more than 5,000 locations in neighborhood libraries, malls, banks, community centers and senior centers. There’s no fee and no sales pitch for other services and AARP membership is not required.
The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, an agency of the County of Ventura, is the principal agency in Ventura County charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, people with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting and to advocate for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services
The Ventura Police Officers’ Association presents the 6th annual Ventura Eco Extreme Mud Challenge hosted by the Ventura Land Trust on April 27, 2019. The event will take place at a new location at Harmon Canyon which is located off Foothill Road and Kimball Road in East Ventura.
The event features a 5k mud challenge that kicks off at 10:30 am. Registration is $50 and includes a goody bag, event t-shirt, finishers medal and event timing. A 1k kids mud challenge is also offered with a 9:30 start time and $20 registration fee.
Some of the challenging and exciting obstacles will include mud pits, hurdles, low crawls, tube tunnel crawls, tire runs and lots of mud!
The goal of this event is to create a fun and challenging adventure while raising scholarship funds for the Dee Dowell Memorial Scholarship. Sergeant Dowell is the only Ventura Police Officer killed in the line of duty 40 years ago. The Dee Dowell Scholarship Fund was created in 2002 and has provided over $109,000 in financial assistance to 96 college-bound students.
“Banjo Gal” Donna Lynn works full-time as a social worker for the county.
by Jill Forman
Banjo player, songwriter and singer Donna Lynn Caskey isn’t sure where the nickname “Banjo Gal” came from, but it suits her. “It just kind of stuck,” she says; “people forget my name.”
Growing up in Virginia, and at college in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she dreamed about banjos and got “weepy” when she heard them. “It had my name on it.” She loves music and the power of songs, “…spooky things that move me emotionally.”
Although she came from a musical family and actually had a banjo for a couple of years, she didn’t start playing until she was in her 20’s. She got a scholarship to the Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, an intensive week-long banjo class that left her with “bloody cuticles and shredded fingernails.” Immersing oneself into a new instrument is “…a good way to start…by the third day, it clicked.”
After working a variety of jobs in Virginia and a stint in Peru taking care of sick kids, she decided to come to Santa Barbara for grad school. She had just started with the banjo, so she brought her instrument, a backpack, and a suitcase. Within three months she had written her first song, “Gold in the Mud,” which has been used in several church services, talking about the worthiness of every person. She is passionate about the creative process. “Making things and sharing them is service. Encouraging people is also service.” Another of her songs includes the line, “Everyone is worthy…all are welcome at the table.”
Speaking of service, Donna Lynn works full-time as a social worker for the county. She sees creativity and service as the themes of her life and finds that the stability of a consistent job fuels her own creativity. Phrases and melodies come to her in dreams at times. As a child she would sing to herself “…when nobody could hear me.”
Folk music is “…the music of the people.” The first banjos, for instance, were made by enslaved peoples trying to recreate the instruments of West Africa in the mountains and flatlands of the American South. “Anybody can write a song…sing it to your dog. It’s a human birthright to be creative and do it your own way.”
In addition to songs, she makes art: drawing, painting and mixed media. Her college degree is in Art, and her home displays her work. Plus a large collection of banjos, a couple of guitars, and a fiddle!
Donna Lynn has two CD’s, “Nameless Heart” and “The Love Still Shows.” Both are entirely songs she wrote herself, in varied styles, “…not stereotyped.” Something has to strike her emotionally in order to make a song out of it. She performs in the L.A. area at times and is part of that music scene, but it is not financially rewarding. There are a few singer-songwriter showcases she is part of, a house concert in Oakland, some benefit concerts, churches and art spaces.
CD’s can be purchased directly, and her events calendar viewed, at http://www.donnalynncaskey.com or at shows. Another alternative to download or buy CD’s is https://store.cdbaby.com.
She doesn’t do a lot of local shows, but will be performing at NAMBA Performing Arts Space in Downtown Ventura on March 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets will be $20 at the door or can be bought at http://www.nambaarts.com.
“This new app is really good, wish I could read it!”
The Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new app that gives consumers a modernized Medicare experience with direct access on a mobile device to some of the most-used content on Medicare.gov.
The new “What’s Covered” app lets people with Original Medicare, caregivers and others quickly see whether Medicare covers a specific medical item or service. Consumers can now use their mobile device to more easily get accurate, consistent Original Medicare coverage information in the doctor’s office, the hospital, or anywhere else they use their mobile device.
In addition to the “What’s Covered” app, through Blue Button 2.0 the agency is enabling beneficiaries to connect their claims data to applications and tools developed by innovative private-sector companies to help them understand, use, and share their health data.
“eMedicare is one of several initiatives focused on modernizing Medicare and empowering patients with information they need to get the best value from their Medicare coverage,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “President Trump is delivering on his commitment to Medicare by modernizing tools that deliver health information in the most convenient way possible. This new app is the next in a suite of products designed to give consumers more access and control over their Medicare information.”
CMS created the app to meet the needs of the growing population of people with Medicare. The Medicare population is projected to increase almost 50 percent by 2030—from 54 million beneficiaries in 2015 to more than 80 million beneficiaries in 2030. As of 2016, about two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries indicate they use the Internet daily or almost daily (65 percent).
Questions about what Medicare covers are some of the most frequent inquiries that CMS receives. There are approximately 15 million page views annually for coverage-related questions. Medicare.gov and 1-800 MEDICARE receives over 3 million coverage-related calls each year.
CMS launched the eMedicare initiative in 2018 to empower beneficiaries with cost and quality information. Other tools in the eMedicare suite include:
Enhanced interactive online decision support to help people better understand and evaluate their Medicare coverage options and costs between Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
A new online service that lets people quickly see how different coverage choices will affect their estimated out-of-pocket costs.
New price transparency tools that let consumers compare the national average costs of certain procedures between settings, so people can see what they’ll pay for procedures done in a hospital outpatient department versus an ambulatory surgical center.
A new webchat option in the Medicare Plan Finder.
New easy-to-use surveys across Medicare.gov so consumers can continue to tell us what they want.
The eMedicare initiative expands and improves on current consumer service options. People with Medicare will continue to have access to paper copies of the Medicare & You handbook and Medicare Summary Notices.
The What’s Covered app is available for free in both Google Play and the Apple App Store. The app is available in Google Play at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.medicare.coverage, and is available in the Apple App Store at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whats-covered/id1444143600?mt=8.
Wearing their new uniforms are volunteers Mary Wdowicki, Louise Sherman, Cecilia Ortiz and Clara Alvini.
Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue describes the CMH Auxiliary Volunteer’s department new uniforms. Out with the old color of pink tops. Please visit the new hospital to see the hospital and the new uniforms. The volunteers are always looking for new male and female volunteers so talk to them about that when there.
Thank you for running the article in the Breeze about Circle of Friends now accepting new members. It was a hit! Ten women showed up at our February 6 luncheon with an interest in becoming members. Fantastic success and definitely because the Breeze is so well read!
Marion Phalan
Breeze:
I know that a temporary homeless shelter is opened in Oxnard that is to serve Oxnard and Ventura. I think this is good to a point. How is someone from Ventura supposed to get to Oxnard to stay in the shelter? Getting there for people in Oxnard is difficult enough.
I think Ventura will have a permanent shelter open by the end of the year I certainly hope so. As a caring society certainly, we must provide some shelter for the homeless specially when it is 30-40° out and raining.
I have friends that say they are just a bunch of bums that like living that life without working. I say to them ”why don’t you spend a night out sleeping in 40° weather in the rain and then let me know if that would be a lifestyle that anyone would really choose to live. Going through trash cans is not a way to make a living and some homeless are hoping to find food in the trash cans.
I read this in the VC Star (is it okay if I say VC Star?) ” The shelter is currently seeking donations of men’s and women’s clothing of all sizes (sweat shirts and pants, T-shirts, socks, shoe laces, flip-flops and underwear); personal care items (tooth brush, hair brush, nail clippers) and disposable dining ware (bowls, plates and cups). Those who are interested in donating should call the shelter at 805-612-7381 to set a drop-off time. For more information about volunteering at the homeless shelter, call 805-247-0335.”
Serra Bell (living in a nice warm house in Ventura)
Serra
Thanks for your kind concerns and it is okay if you say the VC Star as long as you don’t call it the Star Free Press which it hasn’t been called for a very long time but folks still call it that.
to editor
Regarding the recent article about the city paying Harbor Church such a large sum of money for their land in the buyout-to-stop-adult- feeding-services: perhaps using their Christian ethic, the church members will take all excess funds they received (beyond reasonable payment for the facilities) and “donate in-kind” services establishing homeless programming in an area that is appropriate and obtain proper permitting to ensure health/safety/environmental standards of service and for the benefit of the homeless. Templates include Project Understanding’s programs and those similar.
Thanks
Laura Flores
The work of art is above all a process of creation,
it is never experienced as a mere product. ~ Paul Klee
Oooops:
In our last issue we had an article on the March for Justice but we failed to mention a few dignitaries who were there that we should have. Our new Deputy Mayor Sofia Rubalcava (she’s in the photo) and new Council Member Lorrie Brown was also there. And all four of Ventura’s women council members spoke.
Also in attendance was State Assembly Member Monique Limon and, with great speeches were Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and Representative Julia Brownley.
Join in on Saturday, February 23 from 4-7 at the Vita Art Center for a champagne preview reception where we will be offering complimentary champagne, wine, and refreshments. Admission is free for Members and $10 for Non-Members.
