in this issue >>>

THE COMMUNICATOR A Wyandotte/Leavenworth Area Agency on Aging Publication

current topics >>>

Caregiver Tips for

Traveling with the Elderly

In the Know About

Shingles

Save the Date - Adult

Abuse Symposium

AARP Drivers Safety

Area Agency on Aging

Annual Survey

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 VOLUME 22, ISSUE 5

Ruth E. Jones, Executive Director

IN THE CENTERFOLD:

Dress for Success Program

Elder Abuse Awareness

Symposium

CHANGES IN AFFECT FOR

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFICIARIES

Beginning August 1, 2014, the Social Security Administration no longer provides

Social Security number printouts. If you need a replacement card, you must com-

plete an application and provide Social Security with the original, required

documentation. Take or mail those documents to your local Social Security office

or card center.

If you need proof of your Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits,

you can get a benefit verification letter online

instantly through a my Social Security account.

You no longer have to wait for a letter to be

mailed to you.

With your my Social Security account you can

easily view, print, or save an official letter that

includes proof of your:

Benefit amount and type;

Medicare start date and

withholding amount;

Age

Please don’t go to the Social Security office for a benefit verification letter, as of

October 1, 2014, offices will no longer provide these letters onsite. Instead, go

online to www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

If you are unable to go online, call Social Security toll-free at 1-800-772-1213

(TTY 1-800-325-0778) for assistance.

THE WYANDOTTE/LEAVENWORTH AREA AGENCY ON AGING (AAA) & DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER ANNUAL

SURVEY IS INCLUDED ON PAGE 7 IN THIS

PUBLICATION. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO COMPLETE

AND RETURN IT TO THE AAA OFFICE.

en español página 5

PAGE 2

CAREGIVER TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH THE ELDERLY

When traveling with seniors, all you need is a little extra preparation so that you and loved ones can vacation in comfort and

worry free.

Travel can be one of the most rewarding experiences in our lifetime, whether the goal is to see the world or to visit long-distance friends and family. However, when we travel with our elderly loved ones, we may be faced with challenges we don’t anticipate and issues that simply aren’t

there when traveling on our own.

Our loved one may not be mobile without a wheelchair, or they may have a specific health condition such as Alzheimer’s disease or heart disease or heart problems; any of these can make vacation-ing much more complex, regardless of whether you’re traveling by plane or your

own family car.

As with any other vacation, preparation is key; plan ahead for some of the most com-mon senior travel needs so that you and your family will be able to enjoy a hassle-free trip that’s memorable for the right rea-

sons.

Consult With A Doctor for Travel Approval and Tips The all important first step

is to make sure your loved one is cleared for travel by his or her primary care physician, especially if you’re accommodating a health condition. Make sure the chosen destination is appropriate to your

loved one’s limitations and ask the doctor for specific travel tips as well as any necessary vaccinations or

extra medications.

Arrange Special Services Ahead of Time If your loved one needs a wheelchair at the

airport, advance boarding, special seating in a disabled row or near a restroom; get in contact with the airline personnel or travel company to make sure

these are available upon arrival.

Research Medical Facilities at Your Destination

When traveling to an unfamiliar place, make sure you know where the nearest hospitals and care

centers are, in case of an emergency,

Prepare All Necessary Documentation and Identification Make sure travel documen-

tation is in order: driver’s license, travel tickets, itineraries (and make multiple copies) and pass-ports, if needed. You’ll also want to pack medical documentation, such as Medicare and Insurance cards as well as any prescriptions or physician state-

ments.

Provide a Way for Your Senior Loved One to Contact You Providing your loved one

with a calling card or a prepaid cell phone, if they don’t already have one, is an ideal way to make sure they can get in touch with you at all times and make

sure your phone number is programmed in.

Pack Essential Items in a Bag That Is Easily Accessible Make sure you have essen-

tials close at hand: an ample supply of necessary medication, important documents, phone numbers, favorite snacks or drinks, a deck of cards or other entertainment, a light sweater and a travel pillow. These should be kept in a carry-on bag, or a tote

that’s readily available inside the car rather than

locked away in the trunk.

Pack as Lightly as Possible This is particu-

larly important if you are traveling with a loved one who needs special care and assistance. Less in your hands will help you focus more attention to your care

recipient.

When Possible, Maintain a Predictable Daily Routine Maintaining a routine or a

predictable schedule is critical to reducing stress and anxiety in a loved one with cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s. Keeping mealtimes, medication schedules and rest times as consistent as possible AND planning flights and care trips accord-

ingly will lower the risk of agitation.

Plan for Breaks and Downtime in the Schedule There’s nothing less relaxing during a

vacation than having to rush from place to place and quiet time is even more important if you’re a caregiv-er. Plan to arrive for flights earlier than you normally would, to make sure your loved one has plenty of time to get settled. On road trips, plan to take plenty of breaks, whether it’s taking the time for full meal or

simply a short restroom break.

Plan a Schedule That Accommodates Your Loved One Alzheimer’s patients tend not

to do well traveling in the late evening or at night because of Sundowners’ syndrome, so take this into account when making your travel plans. Travel when your loved one is most likely to do well and both you and your family will get much more out of the experi-

ence.

Written by: Sarah Stevenson

PAGE 3

Appreciation is extended to the following who have

contributed toward the cost of this newsletter.

Names are listed in alphabetical order.

Wanda Collins (Contributor)

Lillie Elder (Contributor)

Pauline Estell (Patron)

Mary King Kerns (Contributor)

If you would like to contribute to the cost of the newsletter, please make checks payable to:

Wyandotte/Leavenworth AAA, 849 North 47th, Suite C, Kansas City, Kansas 66102

Dear Newsletter Recipient:

For 21 years “The Communicator” has served as a vital means for providing seniors in Wyandotte County im-portant information regarding senior news, events,

programs, services and much more!

We have been able to supply this communication to you for a donation only. However, the newsletter’s continuity

depends on your donations for its existence.

Please help us to continue to provide this important

publication by becoming a sponsor!

Respectfully,

The Newsletter Committee

Send Donation to:

Wyandotte/Leavenworth AAA Attn: Newsletter Committee 849 North 47th Street, Suite C Kansas City, Kansas 66102

_____ $100 Advocate defensor

_____ $50 Benefactor benefactor

_____ $25 Patron patrón

_____ $10 Contributor contribuidor

_____ Other otro

¡Necesitamos su ayuda como patrocinador para continuar

con esta publicación importante! ¡Gracias!

IN THE KNOW ABOUT SHINGLES Information provided by the Department of Health and Human Services

Shingles usually affect adults after age 50, although it can strike at any age. In the U.S., the incidence of shingles is actually increasing. If you live to be 85 years of age or older, you have a 50% chance of getting shingles.

Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus - the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus stays with you for life, hidden and inactive in your nerve cells. Your immune system helps keep chickenpox from returning. But later in life, the virus can re-emerge and cause shingles (also known as herpes zoster).

You can’t catch shingles from some-one else, but it is possible for a person with blistery shingles (rash) to pass on the virus to someone who has never had chickenpox or a chickenpox vac-cine. If that happens, the other person would get chickenpox, not shingles.

Shingles may cause skin sensitivity ranging from mild itching to severe pain along with burning, tingling or numbness. A rash with fluid-filled blisters nearly always appears on just one side of the body or face. The rash usually lasts for 7 to 10 days. Other symp-toms may include chills, fever, upset stom-ach and headache.

To treat shingles, your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs to help fight the varicella-zoster virus. Steroids can lessen pain and shorten the time you’re sick. To help pre-vent these problems, see your doctor at the first sign of shingles. Early treatment can shorten the length of infection and reduce the risk of serious complication.

Left: Common places the shingles virus form.

ARE YOU A CAREGIVER

CARING FOR A LOVED ONE?

If so, do you often have feelings of being overwhelmed, stressed and alone?

JOIN OUR ON-LINE SUPPORT GROUP TODAY!

Email your request to join our on-line community to: rvandyke@wycokck.org

www.kscaregiversupport.org

Weekly live chats

Monthly caregiver

forums

Caregiver tips

Join our 24 Hour Caregiver

Support Group in the

comfort of your own home

and whatever time of day

or night you need support.

PAGE 4

Dress for Success The Dress for Success Project offered free school uniforms to

qualified grandparents raising their grandchildren. The grandparents were

identified by the Kansas City Kansas Public School District.

To qualify, the grandparent must have been at least 55 years of age AND:

Is responsible for raising the child(ren)

Act as the primary caregiver for the child(ren) because the parents are

unable or unwilling to act as the primary caregiver

Have the child(ren) living in their home

The number of children living in a grandparent's home has increased significantly over the past decade, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

PAGE 5

Monster Mash A spooktacular guacamole recipe

4 ripe avocados 1/4 cup light or fat-free sour cream 1/3 cup tomato salsa 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Spoon the avocado from the skins into a medium size bowl and mash with a fork. Add the sour cream, salsa, lemon juice and salt. Stir well and serve immediately.

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups

Come acquire the tools to prevent Elder Abuse, Neglect and

Exploitation.

Any professionals who work with seniors should attend this

symposium.

Employees, caregivers, law enforcements, domestic and

sexual violence advocates and seniors are also welcome to

attend.

Thursday, September 25, 2014 8:00am to 4:30pm

and

Friday, September 26, 2014 9:00am to 12pm

Registration $25

Presented by Friends of Yates, Inc. in conjunction with:

The KCK Police Victim Service Unit The Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority

The Wyandotte County Area Agency on Aging

Elder Abuse Awareness Symposium

LOS CAMBIOS AFECTAN A

LOS BENEFICIARIOS DEL SEGURO SOCIAL

A partir del 1 de Agosto, 2014, la Administración de Se-

guro Social no va proveer las impresiones del número

de Seguro Social. Si usted necesita una tarjeta de

reemplazo, usted debe completar una solicitud y

proveer el original de la documentación necesaria.

Lleve o envie por correo a la oficina local del Seguro So-

cial o al centro de la tarjeta.

Si usted necesita una prueba de su Seguro Social o Se-

guro de Ingreso Suplementario, usted puede obtener

verificación de sus beneficios por escrito en línea al

instante a través de Mi Cuenta de Seguro Social. Ya no

tendrá que esperar por una carta por el correo.

A mi cuenta de Seguro Social puede fácilmente visualiz-

ar, imprimir o guardar una carta oficial que incluye

pruebas de su:

La cantidad de beneficio y el tipo

Fecha de inicio y la cantidad de retención

del Medicare

Edad

Por favor, no vayan a la oficina de la Administracion del

Seguro Social para obtener la carta de verificación de

beneficios; comenzando el 1 de Octubre, 2014, las ofici-

nas ya no ofreceran estas cartas. En su lugar, vaya en

línea a www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

Si no puede ir en línea, llame al Seguro Social al 1-800-

772-1213 (TTY 1-800 -325-0778) para obtener asistencia

técnica.

PAGE 6

R G S Q P N T D D E E R B F C P D H Y J

E C A E X A W R N E A L F O A V A L Y A

M O Y P L L T W I K D N O T N U O A K C

M R M B V P G F E C A U R H N F D G Y K

U N C X S G P B O L K I C T T S I A P O

S O G O J U L A P O O O E T T U D R G L

F C I D E R S S R T T D R N I R N O E A

O O P L Y D G T D O H B E T O B B O Y N

D P L K U N M A S O F R A B R L L R D T

N I E K I O Y A U O A B A L I E A E G E

E A H V D I E S S P H L O N L C A V M R

H N A Y X T E B D K R G S B S X H T E N

A S R D O P E N E N R O L L M E N T D O

Y F T N L I A P O P C O R N B A L L I T

R A X A D R H C T A P N I K P M U P C E

I L E C G C V Y N E E W O L L A H X A L

D L W L X S U F S F C O S T U M E S R E

E O A J P E S U B M U L O C Q H E M E K

H P P H V R B L A C K C A T I Q Y C H S

U O C S N P S E V A E L R B G U G N P V

FALL IS ALMOST UPON US

Find and circle all the words hidden in the grid.

BLACK CAT BOB FOR APPLES BONFIRE

CANDY CIDER COLUMBUS

CORNOCOPIA COSTUMES DEDUCTIBLE

DONUT HOLE END OF SUMMER EXTRA HELP

FALL FOOTBALL GHOSTS

GOBLINS GRANDPARENTS’S DAY HALLOWEEN

HAUNTED HOUSE HAYRIDE JACK O LANTERN

LABOR DAY LEAVES MASK

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT PATRIOT DAY

POPCORN BALL PRESCRIPTION DRUG

PLAN

PUMPKIN PATCH

RAKE SAVINGS PLAN SCARY

SKELETON TRICK OR TREAT

Does email

work for

you?

By joining our email club, you’ll get

information before everyone else!

If interested, send an email to:

60Plus@wycokck.org with your request.

Saturday Classes

September 13 & 20, 2014 8am to 12pm

Kansas City Kansas Community College 7250 State Avenue, KCK

913-288-7660

September 13 & 20, 2014 9am to 1pm

Providence Medical Center 8929 Parallel Pkwy, KCK

913-596-4873

September 25 - 26, 2014 9am to 1pm

Leavenworth Council on Aging 1830 S. Broadway, Leavenworth, KS

913-684-0777

October 4 & 18, 2014 9am to 1pm

St. John Medical Plaza 3500 S. Fourth St, Leavenworth, KS

1-800-281-7777

AARP Driver Safety Program

September/October Classes

PAGE 7

HOW ARE WE DOING?

TELL US ABOUT YOU

GENDER: MALE FEMALE AGE GROUP: UNDER 60 60+

MARITAL STATUS: SINGLE MARRIED WIDOWED DIVORCED

RACE: AFRICAN AMERICAN HISPANIC AMERICAN INDIAN/NATIVE ALASKAN

ASIAN AMERICAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER NON-MINORITY CAUCASIAN OTHER: ________________________

RESIDENCE: SENIOR RESIDENCE OWN HOME WITH FAMILY ASSISTED LIVING NURSING FACILITY OTHER: ____________

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: BELOW $20,000 OVER $20,000 RESIDENTIAL ZIP CODE: ________________________

REASON YOU CONTACTED US

_____ INFORMATION - You received information on a single topic.

_____ REFERRAL - You received a referral to a community service provider.

_____ ASSISTANCE - You received assistance on how to access needed services in your community.

_____ OPTIONS COUNSELING - You received information on service options, provider options, or other options which helped you make an informed decision on your choices. This included a follow-up contact from our staff.

_____ ASSESSMENT - You received a functional assessment to determine your functional eligibility for community based services.

_____ CAREGIVER SERVICES - You received services as a caregiver OR grandparent raising your grandchild(ren). _____ CARE or Nursing Home Admission - You received a CARE assessment for nursing home admission.

_____ CASE MANAGEMENT - A case manager met with you to help set up in-home services.

_____ HOME DELIVERED MEALS (Meals on Wheels) - You receive: HotFrozen

_____ CONGREGATE MEAL SITE - You ate at one of our nutrition sites for lunch.

_____ LEGAL SERVICES - You received legal assistance through Kansas Legal Services.

_____ TRANSPORTATION SERVICE - You used either Assisted Services Demand Response

_____ OTHER (Please Specify) - ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HOW SATISFIED WERE YOU WITH:

THE OVERALL SERVICE YOU RECEIVED? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE COURTESY OF OUR STAFF? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR STAFF WITH YOUR ISSUE? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE HELPFULNESS OF OUR STAFF? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION YOU RECEIVED? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE PROFESSIONALISM OF OUR STAFF? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE FOLLOW-UP YOU RECEIVED AFTER YOUR CONTACT? (if needed)? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE TIME IT TOOK OUR STAFF TO ASSIST YOU? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

THE REASON FOR YOUR CONTACT WAS ADDRESSED? Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied Does Not Apply

IF YOU WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH ANY OF OUR SERVICES, PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY?

IF YOU HAD A NEED OR CONCERN THAT WE COULD NOT ASSIST WITH, PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR UNMET NEED.

ANY COMMENTS OR WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR SERVICE?

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A FOLLOW-UP CALL TO DISCUSS ANY OTHER CONCERNS, PLEASE LEAVE US YOUR NAME, PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS

Please return the completed survey to:

Area Agency on Aging & Disability Resource Center Attn: Survey Committee

849 North 47th Street - Suite C Kansas City, Kansas 66102

_____________DATE

849 North 47th Street - Suite C

Kansas City, Kansas 66102

Phone: 913-573-8531

Fax: 913-573-8577

Email: 60Plus@wycokck.org

Wyandotte/Leavenworth

DisABLED or 60PLUS?...Call on Us!

PRESORTED STANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

KANSAS CITY, MO

PERMIT NO. 1332

The Communicator is published bi-monthly by the Wyandotte/Leavenworth Area Agen-cy on Aging. It is funded by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Ser-vices through the Older Americans’ Act. We assume no responsibility for the care and return of unsolicited material. Donations are suggested.

The Wyandotte/Leavenworth Area Agency on Aging does not discriminated on the basis of race, color, religion, age national origin, sex, or handicap.

If you feel you have been discriminated against, you may file a complaint with the Kansas Department for Aging & Disability Services at 1-800-432-3535.

Linda Ramirez, Editor

Emma Fonseca, Contributing Editor

LaMonica Upton, Contributing Editor

coming soon >>> calendar >>>

Columbus Day Monday, October 13 2014

United Nations Day Friday, October 24, 2014

Summer Ends Sunday, October 26, 2014

Halloween Friday, October 31, 2014

Area Agency on Aging

Labor Day Monday, September 1, 2014

Patriot Day Thursday, September 11, 2014

International Day of Peace

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Fall Begins Tuesday, September 23, 2014