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Page 12 Senior Times - January 2025200 West Michigan Avenue Suite 102Battle Creek, MI 49017 carewellservices.orgAging and Disability Resource Line: 1-800-626-6719General Agency Telephone: (269) 966-2450PROMOTING HEALTH INDEPENDENCE CHOICEDid you sign up for a new Medicare Advantage Plan and find that it%u2019s not going to serve your needs? Or, perhaps you were busy and thought you missed your only chance to compare plans during the annual open enrollment period (held 10/15 through 12/7 each year) to make sure you%u2019re on the best one for your needs? You have a second chance! If you%u2019re already on a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare allows you to review and change that plan once between January 1 and March 31 each year. If you%u2019ve decided that you%u2019d rather return to Original Medicare, you can also do that and sign up for a Medigap Plan and Part D plan. Do understand that you may need to go through underwriting, which is answering health questions, to join a Medigap plan. If you happen to be a dual-recipient of Medicare and full Medicaid, you can check and change your D-SNP Dual Medicare Advantage Plan any time of year. Have questions? Give us a call. We%u2019ll be happy to set an appointment to review your options. Bring the following to your appointment: Your Medicare card, a list of your prescriptions, a list of your doctors and health care facilities. Michigan Medicare Assistance Program (MMAP) has offices in every Michigan county. Call 800-803-7174 for more information. MMAP is a free Medicare counseling service provided to you via state and federal grants. MMAP is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from any insurance companies.My Medicare Matters -Oh NO! My Doctor Doesn%u2019t Accept my New Medicare Advantage Plan!By: Kim Smallcombe, MMAP Regional/Program Coordinator, CareWell Services SouthwestFall Prevention For Winter, and All Year!By: Liz Lawson Young, Marketing Specialist, CareWell Services Southwestprevention takes a little more consideration, but can include choosing winter shoes with rubber soles for better traction or adding an ice gripper tip to your cane.In addition to environmental changes, increasing activity and adding exercises to increase strength and balance can help prevent falls.CareWell Services Southwest is here to help with fall prevention this winter and all year! Join us for A Matter of Balance, an eightweek, evidenced-based program specifically designed to reduce the fear of falling and improve activity levels among community-dwelling older adults.A Matter of Balance includes eight two-hour classes taught in a small group setting. The program helps participants see falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, and identify small changes to make at home to reduce the risk of falling.The next session will run on Wednesdays from 2-4pm, starting February 5 at the Kool Family Community Center located at 200 W. Michigan in Battle Creek. Registration is required by January 29. Call (269) 966-2450 or visit carewellservices.org/registration to register.Fall prevention is top of mind in the winter, since snow and ice can drastically increase the risk of falling. Falls are a leading cause of injury for adults over 65. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one out of four older adults falls each year and that falling once doubles your chances of falling again. These numbers sound scary, but the good news is that falls are preventable!Fear around falling can lead to reduced activity and movement, but there are better options for avoiding falls.There are many simple ways to prevent everyday falls ranging from removing loose rugs, cords, and clutter to adding lights in stairways and entryways. Winter A MATTEROF BALANCEWednesdaysFebruary 5through March 26200 W. Michigan Ave 2:00 PM - 4:00 PMBattle Creek, MI 49017A Matter of Balance isan award-winning, freeprogram designed tohelp manage falls andincrease activity levels.For people 60+A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls Volunteer Lay Leader Model %u00a92006This program is based on Fear of Falling: A Matter of Balance. Copyright %u00a91995 Trustees ofBoston University. All rights reserved. Used and adapted by permission of Boston University.A Matter of Balance Lay Leader Model: Recognized for Innovation and Quality in Healthcare andAging, 2006, American Society on Aging. A Matter of Balance Lay Leader Model was developed bya grant from the Administration on Aging (#90AM2780).Scan toregisteronlinein a safe location where you can find them when it is time to file your taxes. While most of this is done online now, ensure that you have access from multiple locations if storing electronically, or printing a copy for the file cabinet. These will be needed for many applications in the future. You must keep them on hand for around seven years (per the IRS). IRS.gov has all of the requirements for each type of record and retention. 3. Insurance papers %u2013 you will get paperwork and packets from your current/new or previous insurance company. Make sure that you are reading those to understand your coverage. They may also be asking you questions about your health and your other coverage. Be sure to respond in a timely manner to ensure that you are not dropped from coverage. Be discerning about who you are sharing information with. Share it only with companies and plans that you are currently enrolled in. You will still get packets from folks trying to get you to change your coverage. You will also get scam letters. These scams can often excessively bill your Medicare coverage. 4. Explanation of Benefits %u2013 Review your EOBs to ensure that they are only billing for services you received. If you are seeing charges for services that you did not get, call 1-800-MEDICARE to report fraud. There are $60 billion per year lost to fraud. Let%u2019s keep those dollars supporting actual needs. 5. Medicaid/DHHS %u2013 If you applied for Medicaid, Medicare Savings Program (MSP), or Extra Help, you may get a request for additional information. Respond only to requests from CMS, DHHS, or Medicare. 6. Junk mail %u2013 We still get an awful lot of junk mail. Make sure to open it, even if it looks like junk mail. It could be something that you forgot about or that you need. If it is from an insurance company and has a statement to, %u201cCall now to speak to a licensed agent,%u201d this is an advertisement trying to get you to sign up with their company. Don%u2019t let the mail pile up; open regularly, every day if possible. Ask questions if you are not sure. Don%u2019t ignore the mail. It won%u2019t make the request go away. It could lead to a loss of coverage in some cases. MMAP counselors and CareWell employees can help you review your mail on occasion. For questions about MMAP or Medicare-related mail, call (800) 803-7174.Yes, I mean every piece of mail. A couple of months ago, my husband, following his usual routine, brought in the mail when he got home from work and tossed it on the counter right above the trash can. As I started to look through it, there was a plain white envelope with his name on the outside. I asked him if he wanted me to open it. He said, %u201cLooks like junk to me, just throw it away.%u201d Following my instincts, I pushed him to open it where he found a check from the insurance company (a reimbursement he forgot about). He was going to throw away a couple hundred dollars! This goes to show the importance of opening every piece of mail. January marks the beginning of the year when many important documents can come through the mail. So can a lot of scams. Here are a few things to keep in mind when opening your mail. 1. Income Statements %u2013 Every year, the Social Security Payment amounts increase, and you get a new letter stating what your income will be for the coming year. Store where you can easily find it, make a copy, or even take a picture. This proof of income will be needed for many items. 2. W2s/Tax forms %u2013 Store these Don%u2019t Miss Important Documents %u2013 Open Your Mail!By: Cassandra Lucas-Moore, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator, CareWell Services Southwest