“Welcome to Medicare” Seminar Offered in Grinnell

Dennis Day and Kathy Szary

Are you going to be eligible for Medicare in the near future?  Have you been on Medicare for a while and want to better understand what it offers?  Do you have a family member you help with Medicare issues.

“Welcome to Medicare” is for you!  This two-hour seminar offered by the Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s SHIIP counselors will be held Thursday, Sept. 29, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The seminar will be held at Drake Community Library, 930 Park St., Grinnell. Please register by Thursday, Sept. 22, by calling 641-236-2588.

“We’re excited to offer this free seminar to the community,” says Jeanette Budding, GRMC assistant director of communications and development and the SHIIP coordinator. “Medicare is such an important program and understanding what it offers helps assure that anyone eligible gets the health benefits they deserve. We have four excellent SHIIP counselors who will assist individuals with Medicare questions.”

 Maralee Kruse and  Montie Redenius

SHIIP counselors are Dennis Day, Maralee Kruse, Montie Redenius, and Kathy Szary. These counselors received training and certification from the Iowa Insurance Division this summer about the latest Medicare changes.

“Welcome to Medicare” seminar will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance. 

For more information or questions, leave a message at 641-236-2588. A volunteer will return your call.

SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, is a service of the State of Iowa.  SHIIP counselors are trained by the state and do not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents.  GRMC is the local sponsor for SHIIP in Poweshiek County. 

SEED Welcomes Grinnell College’s Latham

Grinnell College is an integral part of the Grinnell community, with changes on campus causing changes in the rest of the community. Join Mike Latham, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, on Monday, Sept. 19, at Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Senior Education Program as he speaks about Strategic Transformations at Grinnell College.

Latham will discuss steps that the College is taking to promote innovation in the liberal arts, such as promoting opportunities for student research, new steps in the “digital liberal arts”, innovations in global education, and plans for a new Humanities and Social Studies Complex.

Latham became vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college in 2014. An academic as well as an administrator, he has published several books, including The Right Kind of Revolution: Modernization, Development, and U.S. Foreign Policy from the Cold War to the Present and Modernization as Ideology: American Social Science and “Nation Building” in the Kennedy Era, as well as several articles. Before moving to Grinnell, he worked at Fordham University, where he received an award for outstanding undergraduate teaching in the social sciences.

This program is free and open to the public. It will be held at 10 a.m. in the Drake Community Library, with refreshments beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Parking is available at the Drake Community Library, along Park Street, on Fifth Avenue, and in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot. Seniors needing transportation may call GRMC Communications and Development at 641-236-2593 by the Thursday before the program. 

Avoiding Norovirus

With the onset of the new school year, Grinnell Regional Public Health advises taking precautionary steps of handwashing and avoiding school or work while ill to avoiding the spread of illnesses such as noroviruses. Norovirus has been identified in the community.

The most common symptoms are nausea with vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps. People of all ages have these symptoms. Diarrhea is more common among adults; vomiting is more common in children. Many persons (25 to 50 percent) also experience headaches, fevers, chills, and muscle aches. Illness usually lasts 24 to 48 hours. There are no known long-term effects.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there are no treatments for the virus, only symptom management. However, dehydration can be a complication. If you become ill, drink fluids and rest. Do not interact with people until 72 hours after the end of symptoms.

The symptoms may appear 12 to 48 hours after exposure to the virus, but onset may range from 10 to 50 hours after exposure. Norovirus are most commonly spread through the fecal-oral route, either by consumption of food or water contaminated with stool or by direct person-to-person spread. The virus can also be spread by contact with objects contaminated with stool and by spread due to the virus in the air after someone vomits. This may result in droplets landing on surfaces or entering the mouth and being swallowed. Noroviruses are also spread from person to person, especially among family members. 

Hand sanitizer is not effective with the norovirus. Soap and water with thorough washing is required to stop the spread of norovirus.  People can pass the virus to others while sick, and up to 72 hours after diarrhea has stopped.  Anyone ill with diarrhea, vomiting or fever should not work with food, the elderly, in health care, or child care. Anyone working in these occupations who becomes ill with these symptoms should leave work. Food recently prepared by this person should be discarded.

Individuals with norovirus symptoms should take precautions to avoid the spread of the virus. For more information about care, contact your primary care provider. For information about noroviruses, contact Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-2385.

Q& A from Senior Health Insurance Information Program

Local SHIIP counselor Montie Redenius provided answers to a common question about Medicare.

QUESTION: I currently work for a company that includes health insurance and prescription drug coverage as part of my compensation package. I will turn 65 in two months at which time I plan to retire. After my employment ends, my health insurance and prescription drug coverage also end. What are my options?

ANSWER: First, you must decide whether you going to start drawing Social Security at age 65 or are you going to delay drawing it? If you are going to start drawing your Social Security, you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part A (hospitalization) and Part B (physician services). The premium for Part B (there is no additional premium for Part A) will be deducted automatically from your Social Security payment.

If you are married and your spouse is still working for an employer with 20 or more employees and you can be covered under your spouse’s employer health plan, you can defer Part B coverage until such time as your spouse quits working. At that time, you will have to re-enroll in Part B. If there are less than 20 employees, the employer plan does not have to pay primary and you may need to enroll in both Medicare Parts A and B.

If you are going to delay drawing your Social Security, you will have to contact Social Security to enroll in Medicare Parts A&B. If you do not draw Social Security, you will be billed quarterly for the premium.

Medicare has deductibles and co-payments so you might want to consider purchasing a Medicare supplement plan that will cover these health expenses plus some additional coverage not offered by Medicare. Medicare and Medicare supplements do not cover prescription drugs so you will want to purchase a prescription drug plan (Medicare Part D). You can enroll in this plan yourself by going to www.medicare.gov or you can receive free assistance from a SHIIP counselor who can help you compare the various plans available.

Another option is to purchase a Medicare Advantage plan. This policy is issued by a private insurance company so your Medicare coverage will be provided by them. The Medicare Advantage Plan includes Medicare Part A and B and may include Part D coverage. You still have to pay the Part B premium, which Social Security will withdraw from your Social Security payment. The main difference is that the Medicare Advantage plans have networks so you have to make sure your medical service providers are in the network and will accept the plan.

If you still have questions, you may contact a SHIIP volunteer at Grinnell Regional Medical Center by calling 641-236-2588. Four SHIIP volunteers are available to help you in Poweshiek County. 

Deer Creek Family Practice Expands Hours

 The Deer Creek Family Practice will increase clinic hours and be open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, effective August 1.

“We wanted to increase hours to accommodate patients and their busy lives. With the arrivals of Daryl Allison, physician assistant, and Dr. Polly Hineman, we are able to implement that goal,” says Brody Hala, GRMC clinic supervisor. “We anticipate more positive changes with providing services to meet the needs of area residents and remain here locally.”

In addition, Deer Creek Health Center has increased the number of visiting specialists who will hold clinic at the healthcare facility.  Specialists at the clinic include Matthew McKnight, Foot and Ankle of Iowa; Elizabeth Tigges, DO, and Mathew Severidt, DO, Surgical Associates; and Lauren Graham, Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine. Grinnell Regional Physical and Occupational Therapy staff also see clients regularly.

For information about scheduling, call the Deer Creek Family Practice office at 641-484-2602. 

The Jay “Ding” Darling Story

If you’re a frequent attendee of Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Senior Education program, you may be familiar with Tom Milligan, who has presented past SEED programs on Grant Wood, Henry A. Wallace, and Forrest Spaulding. On Monday, Aug. 1, he will be presenting “The Art of Conservation, The Jay ‘Ding’ Darling Story.”

The story, which will premiere at the State Fair this summer, features Jay “Ding” Darling, an Iowan and a two time Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist. He was also an internationally known conservationist, and the founder of the National Wildlife Federation.

Also an Iowan, Milligan was born in Des Moines and now resides in the Amana Colonies. An accomplished thespian, Milligan’s 45-year career has included performances in a variety of theatres, such as Charlie’s Showplace Dinner Theater, The Old Creamery Theater, The Des Moines Playhouse, and Hoyt Sherman Theater.

This program is free and open to the public. It will be held at 10 a.m. in the Drake Community Library, with refreshments beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Parking is available at the Drake Community Library, along Park Street, on Fifth Avenue, and in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot. Seniors needing transportation may call GRMC Communications and Development at 641-236-2593 by the Thursday before the program. 

Prepare to Care Graduates

 (from left) Rebecca Crady, Danette Johnson, Deb Morton and Nancy Klein. Not shown Steffanie Crady.

Patients of Grinnell Regional Home Care have another assurance of quality care as five home care aids have completed the Prepare to Care core training.

“Completion of this program recognizes our front line staff as professionals. Our staff has completed this advanced training in patient-specific areas such as communication, cultural differences, and lifting so they can do the very best work for clients,” say Carla Doane, Grinnell Regional Home Care manager.

Prepare to Care is a state recognized educational program, administered by Iowa Department of Public Health, and promoted by the Iowa Care Givers to ensure direct patient care staff are well trained to give quality care to patients. Each year, Grinnell Regional home care aids complete classes to ensure they are trained in the best practices.

“Across our staff, we have more than 50 years of service at GRMC. The longevity of our home care staff is excellent and one reason is that we support our staff. For the patient this ensures stability, knowledge, and experience in caring and meeting their needs,”

Doane says.