Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, May 19, 2018

THE GOOD LIFE

10

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 19, 2018 

‘EXTRA HELP’ PROGRAM HELPS SENIORS WITH 
THEIR MEDICATION COSTS

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …May Birthdays*

Joann Serrato-Chi, Harriett Lyle, Jean Coleman, Birgitta Gerlinger, Donna 
Mathieson, Luciana Rosenzweig, Linda Wochnik, Marian Woodford, Debbie 
Sheridan, Joanne Anthony, Carole Axline, Kika Downey, Shirley Hall, Annie 
Scalzo, Janet Ten Eyck, Jane Thomas, Ray Burley.

 * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 
YEAR of birth not required

ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the Hart 
Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 

 

Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10a.m. to 
11a.m. Join the class with Instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the 
art of Hula. 

Bingo Time: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00p.m. Cards are only $0.25 each! 
Everyone is welcome to join. Activity may be canceled if less than five people. 

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays of the month from 11a.m. to 12p.m. No appt. is necessary. 

Brain Games: Join us on Thursday, April 19th at 10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m for Scattergories, a creative 
thinking game by naming objects within a set of categories; or Jenga, a block-building challenge that 
keeps you stacking and balancing your tower. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is needed. What 
a great way to strengthen your brain and make new friends. Games facilitated by Senior Volunteers. 

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, April 18th from 10:30am to Noon. Attorney Lem Makupson is 
available for legal consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, and Injury. Please 
call Hart Park House for an appointment, 626-355-7394. 

Senior Club: Meets every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown Bag Lunch at 
11:30a.m. 

Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays from 11:00a.m. to 11:45a.m. with Paul Hagen. Classes include 
Yoga and balance exercises. All ability levels are encouraged and welcomed!

* A voluntary donation of $5.00 per week is suggested but not required.

Birthday Celebrations: Every 2nd Thursday monthly at the Hart Park House, share some free 
birthday cake provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club! 

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays from 12:45p.m. to 1:30p.m. with Lisa Brandley. This 
energetic class utilizes light weights, low impact resistance training and body conditioning. Class 
equipment is provided. 

Tax Assistance: Every Wednesday beginning on February 7th through April 11th from 1:00p.m. 
to 2:00p.m ...Don Brunner is available for income tax consultation... 
**Appointments are required by calling the Hart Park House Office 626-355-7394**

 ** Call Community Services Department for details about the “Ear to Ear Program” returning in 
2018** 626 - 355 - 5278

Dear Savvy Senior,

Are there any special Medicare programs that help 
seniors with their medication costs? My 74-year-old 
mother, who lives primarily on her Social Security, 
takes several high-priced drugs that sap her income 
even with her Medicare drug plan. 

Looking for Assistance

Dear Looking,

Yes, there’s a low-income subsidy program called 
Extra Help that can assist seniors on a tight budget 
with paying for their premiums, deductible and co-
payments in their Medicare (Part D) prescription 
drug plan.

 Currently around 10 million people are receiving 
this subsidy, but another two million may qualify for 
it and don’t even realize it. They’re missing out on 
hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars in savings 
each year.

 Changes in the law make it easier than ever to 
qualify for the Extra Help program. Even if your 
mom applied and didn’t qualify before, she may be 
eligible now. The amount of additional assistance 
she would receive depends on her income and 
assets. If she qualifies for help, she’ll pay no more 
than $3.35 for a generic drug and $8.35 for a brand-
name drug in 2018. 

 To get the subsidy, your mom’s assets can’t be 
more than $14,100 (or $28,150 for married couples 
living together). Bank accounts, stocks and bonds 
count as assets, but her home, vehicle, personal 
belongings, life insurance and burial plots do not.

 Also, your mom’s monthly income can’t be more 
than $1,538 (or $2,078 for married couples). If your 
mom supports a family member who lives with 
her, or lives in Alaska or Hawaii, her income can be 
higher.

 In addition, the government won’t count any 
money if your mom receives help for household 
expenses like food, rent, mortgage payments, 
utilities and property taxes.

How To Apply

There are three ways to apply for Extra Help: online 
at SSA.gov/prescriptionhelp; by calling Social 
Security at 800-772-1213; or by visiting her local 
Social Security office.

The application form is easy to complete, but you’ll 
need your mom’s Social Security number and 
information about her bank balances, pensions 
and investments. Social Security will review her 
application and send her a letter within a few weeks 
letting you know whether she qualifies.

 If your mom doesn’t qualify for Extra Help, she 
may still be able to get help from a state pharmacy 
assistance program or a patient assistance 
program. Visit BenefitsCheckUp.org and click on 
“Medications” to search for these programs. 

Other Medicare Assistance

If your mom is eligible for Extra Help, she may also 
qualify for help with her other Medicare expenses 
through her state’s Medicare Savings Program.

 State Medicaid programs partner with the federal 
government, so income and asset qualifications 
vary depending on where she lives. Medicare 
Savings Programs will pay her entire Medicare Part 
B premium each month. Some also pay for Part B 
coinsurance and copayments, depending on her 
income. Contact your mom’s state Medicaid office 
to determine if she qualifies for benefits in her state.

 You can also get help through her State Health 
Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which 
provides free one-on-one Medicare counseling 
in person or over the phone. To locate a SHIP 
counselor in your area, visit ShiptaCenter.org or call 
the eldercare locator at 800-677-1116.

 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.


KATIE Tse......................This and That

VAMPIRE-IZE IT!

I have a confession to make that I’m 
sure won’t be a surprise to anyone 
who’s followed my column for a while 
--I don’t always get around to writing 
new stuff. I have good intentions, but 
things seem to have just been really busy lately. For that, I 
apologize. But like I always say, “If I barely remember it, 
that means you won’t either.” Enjoy!

 In revisiting this article about the critically acclaimed, 
Oscar winning film, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” I 
had to update a few things. Namely, when I originally wrote 
it I hadn’t yet seen the film, but now I’ve had the pleasure of 
viewing it in all its campy glory. So here is my (somewhat) 
new and enhanced critique of a 
thoroughly enjoyable horror flick. 

 This cinematic gem has all the 
stock elements we’d expect from a 
movie with that title. It has action, 
(Abe swings his axe around like a Jedi 
knight’s light saber), special effects, sex 
appeal (there are a few scantily clad 
vampire vixens), and blood. What 
vampire movie would be complete 
without copious amounts of blood?

 At the time I wrote this America 
was still in the throws of an obsession 
with death and vampires. We are 
still obsessed with death, but now 
we’ve transitioned from vampires to 
zombies. Nevertheless, the vampire 
craze did have an insanely long run. 
What started it all? Surely not Bram 
Stoker’s Dracula. Was it “Buffy, the 
Vampire Slayer”? That was back in 
1997! There are young people for whom much of their lives 
have been spent during the great American vampire era. It 
got so big that it almost could’ve defined their generation. 
There’s “Generation X” like “Brand X,” “Generation Y,” as 
in “Why should I care?” And now we have “Generation Z.” 
Is it part of a large scale zombie conspiracy or is it just a 
coincidence? But I digress. Back to Lincoln. 

 What fascinated me about this new spin on an old theme 
was that its main character is Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln 
is great for documentaries, but an unusual choice for the 
subject of a thriller/horror movie? Everyone knows that the 
main character in these things has to be sexy. Lets consider 
some current action flicks. (These were “current” at the 
time, so that lets you know how old this article is!) “The 
Dark Night Rises” and “The Amazing Spider-Man” have 
Christian Bale and Andrew Garfield in muscle suits and 
leotards. 

 The creators of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” 
couldn’t have chosen a less sexy historical figure. Even 
Lincoln himself defamed his appearance in his famous 
rebuttal, “If I were two-faced, do you think I’d be wearing 
this one?” Not only was Lincoln far from being eye candy, 
his wife, Mary Todd, resembled an angry Pillsbury Dough 
Boy in a dress. And she was a nut 
on top of that! Of course this movie 
couldn’t portray her as a dumpy, raving 
lunatic. The similarity between actress 
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays 
Mary Todd, and the historical figure 
herself end with their first names. It’s 
like comparing Angelina Jolie to Robin 
Williams as “Mrs. Doughtfire.”

 Ludicrous as it sounds, I really enjoyed 
this film. You can’t go wrong with a 
former president flying through the 
air like a character from “Crouching 
Tiger.” Back when I first wrote this 
piece there was a trend in books and 
entertainment about middle aged 
women “finding themselves” in India. 
At the time I supposed that Hollywood 
could come out with a movie about 
Baby Boomers flocking to India in 
search of the fountain of youth. I 
further imagined that an older Thelma and Louise would 
discover that the secret behind the others’ rejuvenation 
is that they’ve turned into vampires (or in these days, 
zombies). In the story I imagined Thelma and Louise 
would then have to learn Taekwondo and don body suits 
to stop the vampires (or zombies) and save the world! If 
you see movie ads for either of these ideas, remember --you 
read it here first. Also, if you haven’t had the pleasure of 
watching “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” you owe it 
to yourself!


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