by Lori Harasta, with excerpts from https://healthfinder.gov

Caregivers are vulnerable.  It is stressful work, both physically and mentally.

About 1 in 3 Americans are caregivers. Most caregivers also have other jobs and spend an average of 24 hours a week caring for a loved one.

Caregivers are more at risk for colds and the flu. They are also more likely to have long-term health problems, like arthritis, diabetes, or depression.

You may be a stressed caregiver if you feel angry, sad or overwhelmed, feel as if you don’t have time to care for yourself, or you are eating and/or sleeping too much or too little. The good news is that you can lower your risk for health problems if you take care of yourself and get support.

Find out about professional and volunteer services that can help:

• Transportation, meals, care management, fall prevention, caregiver support groups:  Ventura County Area Agency on Aging http://www.ventura.org/vcaaa, or call 477-7300.
• Respite services to give you a break from caregiving are available through Livingston CareGivers.  For more information, call  642-9570
• Ventura Caregivers has volunteers who can help 2-4 hours per week for low income seniors.  Call  658-8530.
• If you are caring for a veteran, call the VA Caregiver support line:  855-260-3274
• If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, call 800.272.3900.
• Livingston has a caregiver support group in Ojai.  Check the calendar:  http://lmvna.org/calendar/index.html, or call 642-0239.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, talk with your doctor about depression.

Take care of your body:

Making smart food choices will help protect you from heart disease, bone loss, and high blood pressure.

Being active is not only good for the body; it is a great stress reducer. Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, like walking fast or dancing.

Take steps to prevent back pain, like keeping your back straight and bending your knees when you lift something heavy, doing shoulder rolls, and engaging your stomach muscles to counter “computer hunch”

Make sure you get enough sleep. Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Manage mental stress:

Start by taking a few slow, deep breaths.

Do something for yourself. Spend time reading, listening to music, or talking to a friend.

Ask a neighbor to visit with your loved one while you take a walk.

Get support from others to help you cope with the emotional stress of caregiving.

Ask for help.  You don’t need to do it all yourself. Ask family members, friends, and neighbors to share caregiving tasks.

Don’t let the role of caregiver rob you of the relationship role you once had with your loved one, whether it be spouse, child, or dear friend.  Take care of yourself and ask for help!

ENCORE is a hands-on, self-paced training program for people 50+ who want to learn computer skills for job or personal use. There is no charge for tuition – just an annual $10 registration fee. You follow written materials and receive help from a teacher as needed. It is not a traditional lecture class where you have to be at the same point as everyone else. Select only the modules you want:

Career Development • Job Seeking Skills • General Math & English • Office Machines & Telephones • Keyboarding • Internet Basics & Email Microsoft Office Programs.

To register call 289-7925 and ask about the next start date; register at VACE; attend classes at VAAC.

Laubach Literacy of Ventura County is offering a free workshop to help volunteers learn to become English as Second Language (ESL) tutors of adults.

The next workshop will be held Saturday, January 28 (from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM); lunch will be provided.  The workshop will be held at Barrister Executive Suites in Ventura; directions will be given upon registration.

Various methods and materials for teaching English to adults will be demonstrated and taught during the workshop, enabling the new tutor to begin ESL tutoring right away.  Neither teaching experience nor the ability to speak a foreign language is necessary.  Open a world to an adult non-fluent English speaker with the gift of learning how to skillfully read, write, and speak English.

To register, get more information and directions, please call 385-9584, and please take some time to check out the website at www.laubachventura.org

by Cate Kortzeborn-Medicare’s acting regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories.

Not long ago, I had dinner with a group of friends from college. One of the big topics of conversation was Medicare, for which we’ll all be eligible in the next several years. (Farewell, callow youth!) And one of the biggest questions about Medicare was, “How much is it going to cost me?”

Like private health insurance, Medicare has premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. These costs can – and often do – change from year to year. What you actually pay depends on your work history, income, and inflation.

Only about 1 percent of people with Medicare pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part A, which covers inpatient hospitalization, skilled nursing care, and some home health services. That’s because they paid Medicare paycheck deductions for 40 quarters or longer during their working lives.

Most people do, however, pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part B, which covers doctor fees, outpatient treatment, durable medical equipment, such as that provided by Medtronic, and other items. Part B premiums are rising for next year, but for most people, the increase won’t be very much.

The law protects most seniors from Part B premium hikes if the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in their Social Security benefit doesn’t go up in a given year. Since the Social Security COLA for 2017 will be 0.3 percent, about 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries will pay an average Part B premium of $109 per month in 2017. That’s up from $104.90 for the past four years.

The remaining 30 percent of Medicare’s 58 million beneficiaries will pay the standard Part B premium of $134 for 2017, a 10 percent increase over the 2016 premium of $121.80.

This smaller group is not protected under the statutory “hold harmless” provision linked to the Social Security COLA. It includes people who don’t receive Social Security benefits; enroll in Part B for the first time in 2017; are directly billed for their Part B premium; are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and have their premiums paid by a state agency; and pay higher premiums based on their higher incomes.

This year, as in the past, the government has worked to lessen projected premium increases for these beneficiaries, while maintaining a prudent level of reserves to protect against unexpected costs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will work with Congress as it explores budget-neutral solutions to challenges created by the “hold harmless” provision.

Part B also has an annual deductible, which will rise to $183 in 2017 (compared with $166 in 2016). After your deductible is met, you typically pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for most doctor services (including most doctor services while you’re a hospital inpatient), outpatient therapy, and durable medical equipment.

The Part A deductible, which you pay when admitted to the hospital, will be $1,316 per benefit period in 2017, up from $1,288 in 2016. This deductible covers your share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.

People with Medicare pay coinsurance of $329 per day for the 61st through 90th day of hospitalization ($322 in 2016) in a benefit period, and $658 per day for lifetime reserve days ($644 in in 2016).

For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the coinsurance for days 21 through 100 in a benefit period will be $164.50 in 2017 (versus $161 in 2016).

Since 2007, higher-income people with Medicare have paid higher Part B premiums. These income-indexed rates affect about five percent of people with Medicare. So, for example, a person with Medicare who files an individual tax return showing an income between $85,000 and $107,000 will pay a Part B premium of $187.50 per month next year.

Some people choose to get their benefits through privately-operated Medicare Advantage health plans, or purchase a Medicare Part D plan to help cover their prescription drug costs. Many of these plans carry their own monthly premiums.

For more information about 2017 premiums and deductibles, go to www.medicare.gov, or call Medicare any time of day or night, at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Senior Song Circle Jan. 10 (2nd Tues. of each month), 3 – 5:30 p.m., at SCAN Health and Wellness Center, 6633 Telephone Rd., Ste., 100, led by Marty Capsuto. Center is for those 55+ and guests, so Marty will guest sponsor all Songmakers under 55. Located three blocks east of Ventura County Gov’t Center, corner of Partridge & Telephone. Plenty of parking behind building. For more information contact Marty at  658-0365 or [email protected]

Jan. 27 (4th Friday of each month), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Like to play acoustic music? Songmakers.org welcomes all lovers of acoustic music—instrumentalists, singers, and singer/songwriters of all levels—to join in a free song circle at the Bell Arts Factory Community Room, 432 N. Ventura Ave. Listeners welcome!  Mike Wittlin 750-8281.