St. Blogory’s— The internet café d’un prêtre à la retraite ac o offeiriad wedi ymddeol.

October 20, 2020 Volume 2, Issue 3

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

POIGNANT QUOTES

"When an old man dies, a library burns." An African proverb from Stephen King, "Mr. Harrington's Phone," in If It Bleeds, (New York: Scribner, 2020), p. 80.

"I'd love to know how Dad saw me when I was 6. I'd love to know a hundred things. When a parent dies, a filing cabinet full of all the fascinating stuff also ceases to exist. I never imagined how hungry I'd be one day to look inside it." David Mitchell, The Bone Clocks, 2014

"The human brain is finite— no more than a sponge of tissue inside a cage of bone— but the mind within the brain is infinite. Its storage capacity is colossal, its imaginative reach beyond our ability to comprehend. I think when a man or woman dies, a whole world falls to ruin— the world that person knew and believed in. Think of that, kiddo— billions of people on earth, and each one of those billions with a world inside. The earth their minds have conceived." Stephen King, "The Life of Church," in If It Bleeds, (New York: Scribner, 2020), p. 111-112.

 

2020 RETIREE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT: NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 7, 2020

You are receiving this Newsletter in the early days of our annual enrollment, and so it's a good time to remind you about an extraordinary feature of our Medical Benefits—

You can upgrade your current plan if you know your medical or dental expenses will be higher during the new year because, for example,

a) you will be having surgery and anticipate recovering in the hospital for some days

b) you have new and expensive prescriptions

c) you will need one or two hearing aids BREAKING NEWS: see below!

d) you will need major dental work

Although you will pay higher premiums up front, by year's end you will have paid less overall.

You can decide whether upgrading your medical or dental plan for the new year makes sense by using the information in the Plan Document Handbook, including the "Summary of Benefits and Coverage" beginning on page 85, and the Medical Expenses Worksheets beginning on page 98.

You can download the 2021 Plan Document Handbook by clicking here.

We highlighted the word extraordinary because Bill's first career was in group insurance, and one of the key underwriting principles is guarding against "adverse selection"— that is, preventing those who are insured from cherry-picking their coverage based on how much they are likely to use it.

But wait! There's more! If you have a spouse, you don't have to be on the same plan(s)— if only one of you needs to upgrade your coverage in anticipation of higher expenses, that's all right.

This extraordinary feature is another sign of how much CPG cares for us ahead of insurance niceties!

Finally, if you need additional help in deciding your coverage for 2020, there are many useful resources in the Annual Enrollment packet you received in the mail.

 

BREAKING NEWS

 

 

 

 

 

"Do You Hear What I Hear?"

Enhanced Medical Trust Medicare Supplement Plan Hearing Benefit for 2021

 

For Comprehensive and Plus Medicare Supplement Plans

Current Benefit:

Maximum of $1,000 per year every 5 years, plus hearing aid device discount

2021 Benefit:        

Maximum of $1,500 per year every 3 years, plus hearing aid device discount

 

For Premium Medicare Supplement Plan

Current Benefit:     

Maximum of $2,000 per year every 5 years, plus hearing aid device discount

2021 Benefit:        

Maximum of $2,000 per year every 3 years, plus hearing aid device discount

 

And on the topic of hearing and hearing aids:

CAN HEARING AIDS HELP PREVENT DEMENTIA?

By Kim Tingley

For the entire article, please click here.

"What's unclear is how hearing loss affects the structure and function of the brain over the long term. There are hints, though. fMRI scans have shown that if the ear sends a garbled signal to the brain— whether a result of poor hearing or background noise that interferes with good hearing— regions in the frontal cortex related to reasoning, decision making and memory, as opposed to speech comprehension, are activated, 'overloading' them and making them work harder in order for the listener to comprehend what is being said in the moment.

"Hearing loss has also been associated with an atrophy of brain tissue in auditory regions, potentially from lack of use. People who can't hear well tend to be less likely to go out and engage with others socially too, which is another known risk factor for dementia." 

 

FLU SHOT AND PNEUMONIA VACCINE MIGHT REDUCE ALZHEIMER'S RISK

By Jon Hamilton

For the entire article, please click here.

"People who got at least one flu shot had a 17% reduction in risk. . . . And people who got regular vaccinations saw their risk drop another 13%." . . .

"Those who received a pneumonia vaccine before age 75 were at least 25% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. . . ."

 

Editors' Note: And have you received your Shingles vaccine?!

 

"I WAS UNPREPARED":

LOUISE GLÜCK ON POETRY, AGING, AND A SURPRISE NOBEL PRIZE

By Alexander Alter

For the entire article, please click here.

"I'm not interested [in] my particular life, but instead on the struggles and joys of humans, who are born and then forced to exit. I think I write about mortality because it was a terrible shock to me to discover in childhood that you don't get this forever."

"One of the few good things to say about old age is that you have a new experience. Diminishment is not everybody's most anticipated joy, but there is news in this situation."

July 20, 2020 Volume 2, Issue 2

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

FUN QUOTE

"There are only three things in life which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension, so we must do what we can with the third."    —John F. Kennedy

 

FRAUD IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

from AARP in partnership with CPG

The coronavirus pandemic is a scammer's dream-come-true, working hard to leverage our collective anxiety in order to steal our sensitive personal information and money.

Here's a breakdown of Scams and Facts:

 

1. Scam: Websites touting bogus "coronavirus products"— from face masks to vaccines to cure-alls— and using email, text messaging and social media posts to get you to share payment or sensitive personal information.

Facts: There is currently no treatment, cure, or vaccine for coronavirus.

 

2. Scam: Scammers are pitching "can't miss" investment opportunities related to the pandemic.

Facts: "Investment opportunities" related to treatments, cures, vaccines, or protective gear may well be opportunities to lose money to a scam.

 

3. Scam: They pull on heartstrings by claiming to be raising money for families affected by the virus.

Facts: Scammers often name their fake charity to closely resemble a legitimate charity.

 

4. Scam: They try to get a piece of the government payments that households have already received and may again receive if Congress passes another round of economic impact payments. Some offer to help speed up your payment; others ask for your bank account information to deposit your check.

Facts: The majority of recipients don't need to take any action to get their checks.

 

Additional Cautions

1. Ignore offers for vaccines or treatments, and listen for reliable information in the news and from your physician or primary health care provider.

2. Consider and confirm the credibility of the source before clicking on an email or website link— you could download malicious software to your smartphone or tablet or computer which will steal your credentials.

3. Be suspicious of emails claiming to be from experts with breaking news about the virus. Email addresses from local, state, and federal government entities end in .gov.

4. Before giving to a charity, research the charity at www.give.org or www.charitynavigator.org.

5. For information on economic impact payments, visit www.irs.gov.

 

If you suspect fraud, please call the AARP helpline at 877-908-3360, and for an abundance of information, go to the AARP's Fraud Watch Network website: www.AARP.org/FraudWatchNetwork

 

CORONACLASTIC CONCERNS

For the Church Pension Group's COVID-19 Resource Center, please click here.

For a complete list of the Church Pension Groups COVID-19 resources, please click here.

 

Here are some of the articles about dealing with COVID-19 that Ingrid and I have found helpful:

 

5 RULES TO LIVE BY DURING A PANDEMIC

By Tara Parker-Pope

For the entire article, please click here.

1. Check the health of your state and community

2. Limit the number of your close contacts

3. Manage your exposure budget

4. Keep higher risk activities as short as possible

5. Keep taking pandemic precautions: Wear Mask, Practice Distancing, Wash Hands Frequently, Mind Public Surfaces, Be Stricter if someone in your circle is at higher risk.

 

WHEN CAN I SEE MY GRANDKIDS?

By Tara Parker-Pope

For the article, please click here.

 

WHY YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT SO GREAT AT RISK ASSESSMENT

Our minds don't always see risk clearly— and that's important to remember as you navigate life after lockdown

By A. C. Shilton

For the article, please click here.

 

WHAT TO SAY WHEN PEOPLE TELL YOU THEIR CORONAVIRUS FEARS

By Anna Goldfarb

For the article, please click here

 

TO BUILD RESISTANCE IN ISOLATION, MASTER THE ART OF TIME TRAVEL

By Adam Grant

For the article, please click here.

 

THE IMAGE OF GOD

By Michael Mayne, from A Year Lost and Found

The image of God is to be seen in us— as it was in Jesus —equally in our active lives, in our work and our creativity, and in our passive lives, by the way in which we accept and respond to the things that are done to us.

Or indeed, as we grow old, or as we endure illness, by our response to the things which are done for us.

This means that those forced to be inactive by lack of work or handicap or illness or old age need not feel they are of any less value as human beings.

Rather, this time can be seen as a true and creative sharing in the nature of a God who himself became powerless and vulnerable.

This meditation appeared in a weekly online bulletin published by St. Matthew's Church, 20 Great Peter Street, Westminster. To access their website, please click here.

 

We welcome George Hull and the clergy and spouses of the Evanston and Joliet Deaneries to our Newsletter family!

 

April 20, 2020 Volume 2, Issue 1

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

IN MEMORIAM

_________, one of our Elgin and Waukegan Deaneries' retired members, died on March 9. Please take a moment to pray for _________:

God of all mercy, into whose hands your Son Jesus Christ commended his spirit at his last hour: Into those same hands we commend your servant _________, who was sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever. Amen.

Give courage and faith to _________, that he may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a holy hope, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with _________. Amen.

CORONACLASTIC CONCERNS

None of us could have envisioned these dark times when Ingrid and I sent and you received our last Newsletter on December 20, 2019 B.C.— Before COVID-19. This new Volume 2, Issue 1, reflects our current reality. For those of us who are sheltering-in-place, and I hope that means all of us, we offer these Scriptures:

"Let me find refuge under the shelter of your wings": Psalm 61:4

"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust'": Psalm 91:1-2

"Wisdom guided them along a marvelous way, and became a shelter to them by day, and a starry flame through the night": Wisdom of Solomon 10:17

NOMENCLATURE

Viruses, and the diseases they cause, often have different names. For example, HIV is the virus that causes the AIDS disease. 

Viruses are named based on their genetic structure to facilitate the development of diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines. Virologists and the wider scientific community do this work, so viruses are named by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses [ICTV].  

At first, the virus causing this terrible pandemic was known as the "2019 novel coronavirus."

The ICTV's official name for the virus is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, abbreviated as SARS-CoV-2.

The ICTV chose this name because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003. While related, the two viruses are different.   

Diseases are named to enable discussion on disease prevention, spread, transmissibility, severity and treatment. Human disease preparedness and response is the World Health Organization's role, so it names diseases.

The WHO's official name for the disease is coronavirus disease, abbreviated as COVID-19.

The CO stands for corona, the VI for virus, the D for disease, and the 19 for 2019, when the virus was first recognized.

COVID-19 INFORMATION

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] has a website for information about the Coronavirus which you can access by clicking here.

COVID-19 FRAUD

Some examples of COVID-19 fraud include treatment scams, supply scams, provider scams, and charity scams. The Federal Trade Commission [FTC] has two important tips:

1. The government will not ask you to pay anything up front. No fees. No charges. No nothing.

2. The government will not call you for your Social Security, bank account, or credit card number.

The FTC encourages you to keep up to date with the latest Covid-19 scams by clicking here.

LETTER FROM THE CHURCH PENSION GROUP REGARDING COVID-19

On April 2, Mary Kate Wold, the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Church Pension Group, sent an email outlining some of the ways our Church Pension Fund is responding to the pandemic.

What follows are the excerpts from her letter that are most relevant for us; to read her entire message, please click here.

"At the Church Pension Group (CPG), we are witnessing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on many institutions and individuals around the Church.

"Over the past several days, we have waived . . . specific out-of-pocket expenses associated with coronavirus detection and treatment for members of The Episcopal Church Medical Trust. Please refer to our notices of all rules and policy changes.

[Included in the "rules and policy changes" are:

"For retirees enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan with United Healthcare, Medicare has announced that there will be no out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 lab tests. For more information regarding Medicare benefits and additional information, please visit https://www.medicare.gov/medicare-coronavirus."]

"Effective immediately, the Medical Trust will allow claims for virtual provider appointments and will waive member costs for healthcare plan telehealth services for the rest of the year.

"Given the challenge of getting access to medical help these days, we are working with Anthem, Cigna, and Kaiser Permanente to do two things:

"1. Process claims for virtual appointments with network and out-of-network doctors (co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance will apply.

"2. co-pay costs entirely if you use the telehealth platform offered by Anthem, Cigna, or Kaiser Permanente

"Until June 30, we will not be cancelling any group benefits, and we are temporarily implementing a 90-day hardship grace period for those who cannot make timely payments.

"Individuals . . . can make pension and other benefits and insurance payments up to 90 days after the date of invoice without disruption of coverage or any accrued interest. If you have any questions, please contact CPG Client Services at (866) 802-6333, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM ET.

"For updates on our special resources, be sure to follow CPG on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

"Please know that you are in our prayers. We pray especially for your health and safety and that of those whom you serve."

 

STUCK INSIDE? KEEP WALKING

By Gretchen Reynolds, April 1, 2020

Taking an extra 4,000 steps a day, even if it's around your living room, may lower your risk of dying prematurely.

This is a slightly modified excerpt; for the entire article, please press here.

Taking an extra 4,000 steps a day might reduce our risk of dying prematurely, even if those steps are not swift, according to a large-scale new study of moving and mortality.

At a time when so many of us are confined to home and worried about whether we are being active enough, the study is especially inspiring in that the added steps do not have to come from running or other vigorous exercise. It finds that for every additional 4,000 steps someone takes in a day, even if it's just ambling around the block or across the room, his or her risk of dying early from heart disease, cancer or any other cause drops by 50 percent or more.

Right now, shelter-at-home restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic cover more than three out of every four Americans and millions more worldwide. In this situation, questions about just how much and how best to exercise or move about for our health and well-being are pressing.

There are no reliable studies supporting the 10,000-step target, which may have begun as a 1960s-era Japanese publicity campaign promoting pedometers with a name that translates as "10,000 steps!"

The new study, published in March in JAMA [the Journal of the American Medical Association], researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to look at health and activity data from a large cross-section of Americans.

The researchers pulled data for almost 5,000 of the men and women who had worn one of the monitors. All were middle-aged or older and included Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic participants from a swath of socio-economic backgrounds.

The researchers had expected both the number and intensity of steps to be linked to longevity. But after controlling for gender, age, smoking, body mass index, diet and multiple other factors, only step counts were linked to mortality risk. Step intensity was not.

People who averaged about 8,000 steps a day were about half as likely to have died from heart disease, cancer, or any other cause as people accumulating 4,000 steps or fewer, while men and women completing at least 12,000 daily steps were 65 percent less likely to have passed away than those in the 4,000-or-less group.

The message of the data seems clear. Try to move in some way throughout the day, even if slowly or in snatches, and whether or not you can formally exercise. Use your phone or smartwatch to give you a sense of how many steps you are taking, and, especially if it is below 4,000 a day, consider walking around the block, or circuit your living room a time or two.

Here are two articles we enjoyed. To read the first one, "Finite and Infinite Games: Two Ways to Play the Game of Life," please click here.

To read the second, "Looking on the Bright Side May Be Good for Your Health," please click here.

And to see a wonderful tribute to the heroic women of this pandemic, please click here.

 

 

December 20, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 7

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

FUN PHOTOS

Amidst the pageantry and business of November's Diocesan Convention, two emblematic pictures:

For voting, new electronic gizmos were distributed to all voters. After a few inevitable glitches, the casting and counting proceeded apace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help conventioneers find their seats, we had this helpful and colorful poster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorful, that is, except for:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"FIRST, MAYBE TAKE A DEEP BREATH" REPRISE

In the last Newsletter, we summarized the above-named article, including this paragraph:

"One simple exercise is called the '3-4-5 Breath,' in which you breathe in for three seconds, hold it for four seconds, then exhale slowly to the count of five. Any time your out-breath is longer than your in-breath, you help to switch off your body's stress response and promote relaxation."

George Back emailed this response:

"I have been practicing a prayer form very similar to the '3-4-5 Breath':

Inhale on the first line            Lord Creator breathe over us

Pause on the second line        Lord Savior breathe in us 

Exhale on the third line         Lord Spirit breathe through us

"Now I will try to stay closer to the "3-4-5 Breath" proportions."

If you use some sort of breath exercise or prayer, and would like to share it, please send it to us.

 

"Be silent, still, aware, for there in your own heart the Spirit is at prayer. . .." *

*Lancelot Andrewes

In addition to a breath exercise or breath prayer, perhaps you have a "regular" prayer you'd like to contribute.

Here's one that Ingrid and I discovered at Bath Abbey during our Sabbatical in 2000, and which I use every Friday during my morning devotions, and at other needful times:

Come to me, Lord Jesus Christ, in your understanding love, when all around me seems dark and uncertain, when my faith is low and I cannot feel you near, and I find it hard to pray. Come to me, then, dear Lord, as you came to your disciples, in the darkest hour of the night, and let the light of your presence dispel my fears, renew my trust, and bring peace to my heart, for your tender mercies' sake. Amen.

 

YOUR CPG ACCOUNT

We hope all of you have signed up for your online Church Pension Group [CPG] Account.

If you have a CPG Account: Do you have a new email address or phone number? Have you moved?

Or, you may send an email with your updated information by sending it to benefits@cpg.org.

If you do not have a CPG account, please either click here, or cut and paste this address in your browser: www.cpg.org. If you need help, please let Ingrid or me know.

For security reasons, Ingrid and I can't update your contact information— only you can do that.

 

Researchers Reveal the Real Reason You're Addicted to Your Phone (and What You Can Do About It)

By Nate Klemp, October 9, 2019

This is a slightly modified excerpt; for the entire article, please press here.

Do you ever wonder why it's so difficult to put down your phone? 

The conventional answer is that we're addicted— the drug-like hit of dopamine each time we use it.

Emerging science reveals an alternative explanation: we're trying to avoid the voice in our head.

University of Virginia social psychologist Timothy Wilson and his team placed subjects in an austere room and removed all sources of distraction: phones, pens, paper, etc. The subjects then spent the next 15 minutes just sitting there, alone with their thoughts. Not surprisingly, Wilson's team found that the majority of subjects rated this experience as either boring or unenjoyable.

They then added a twist. They left a device on the table that allowed subjects to shock themselves.

The results? 27 percent of women and 67 percent of men found the experience of being alone with their thoughts so intolerable that they decided to shock themselves. One man reportedly shocked himself 190 times. [My note: that disparity between women and men deserves a separate article!]

In my seven-year-old daughter's classroom, there's a poster on the wall that reads, "your mind can be your best friend." It's true for second graders, and it's true for us.  Here's how to do it.

1. Notice the urge to distract yourself.

2. See your thoughts as thoughts: the nature of mind changes when we see our thoughts as thoughts. We're usually so wrapped up in them that we don't even know we're lost in thought. 

All you have to do is notice your thoughts and place a small mental label on them: "thinking."

When your mind says, "I want to check my phone," label it as "thinking." This subtle practice changes the game because you are now aware of what is happening in your mind. 

3. Bring your attention to the present moment. The more aware we become of the present moment, the more we feel centered, focused, and at ease, and less impelled to check our phones.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR DEPARTMENT

In Malagasy, "Merry Christmas!"— "Tratry ny Krismasy!"— means "Be caught by Christmas!"

The response is "May we all be caught by the next one!"

May we all be caught up by the great joy of our Savior's birth!

 

SELF-CARE DEPARTMENT

In addition to writing this every-other-month Newsletter with Ingrid, I also edit my college class newsletter, published quarterly (February, May, August, and November).

Consequently, I worked on both Newsletters in February and again in August this year, and that schedule undermined a crucial tenet of retirement life: SELF-CARE!

Consequently (part 2), after publishing The Sabbatical Sentinel and Tired-Again Times this month, and in the New Year we'll publish a quarterly Newsletter with issues in April, July, October, and January.

 

October 20, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 6

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

FUN POEM— AND USEFUL PRAYER

When Ingrid and I were at St. Bartholomew's, Manhattan, in the 1980s, we met Leo Morris, a Church of England priest from the Diocese of St. Alban's. Later, we visited him and his wife Jo several times at their home in Harpenden. They called Archbishop Runcie "Bob" and Dean John "Jeffrey."

He taught me this poem on one of his visits to St. Bart's:

Oh tell my clergy when I'm gone o'er me to shed no tears,

For I shall be no deader then than they have been for years.

My Sabbatical in 2004 coincided with Leo's 50th anniversary as a priest. He had been active in the healing ministry of the Church, and during our stay he taught me this prayer:

"N., may the healing mercies of our risen Lord Jesus enter afresh your soul and mind and body, healing you of all that harms you, and may you be filled anew with his love, his joy, and his peace. Amen."

2020 RETIREE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT: NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 6, 2019

You are receiving this Newsletter in the early days of our annual enrollment, and so it's a good time to remind you about an extraordinary feature of our Medical Benefits—

You can upgrade your current plan if you know your medical or dental expenses will be higher during the new year because, for example,

    a) you will be having surgery and anticipate recovering in the hospital for some days

    b) you have new and expensive prescriptions

c) you will need one or two hearing aids

d) you will need major dental work

Although you will pay higher premiums up front, by year's end you will have paid less overall.

You can decide whether upgrading your medical or dental plan for the new year makes sense by using the information in the Plan Document Handbook, including the "Summary of BENEFITS and Coverage" beginning on page 85, and the Medical Expenses Worksheets beginning on page 94.

You can download the Plan Document Handbook by clicking here.

We highlighted the word extraordinary because Bill's first career was in group insurance, and one of the key underwriting principles is guarding against "adverse selection"— that is, preventing those who are insured from cherry-picking their coverage based on how much they are likely to use it.

But wait! There's more! If you have a spouse, you don't have to be on the same plan(s)— if only one of you needs to upgrade your coverage in anticipation of higher expenses, that's all right.

This extraordinary feature is another sign of how much CPG cares for us ahead of insurance niceties!

Finally, if you need additional help in deciding your coverage for 2020, there are many useful resources in the Annual Enrollment packet you received in the mail.

LIVING BETTER, AND PERCHANCE LONGER

In the last Newsletter, we provided links to articles on lifestyle behaviors that may help prevent or slow dementia. In the last two weeks, we've read these articles on longevity, excerpted:

"The Longest-Living People in the World have these 9 Things in Common" is based on The Blue Zones by a National Geographic journalist.

The "Power 9" key lifestyle habits are: 1) Move naturally; 2) Have a larger purpose; 3) Manage your stress; 4) Eat until you are 80% full; 5) Stick to a plant-forward diet; 6) Moderate alcohol consumption; 7) Find your community; 8) Stay close with family; and 9) Maintain a fulfilling social life.

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

"First, Maybe Take a Deep Breath" (the original print title) is about reducing chronic stress.

Among ways to reduce stress, the article suggests simple breathing exercises, calming morning routines, optimizing sleep and diet, cutting back on smartphone and social media, and fostering friendships and purpose to build resiliency.

One simple exercise is called the "3-4-5 Breath," in which you breathe in for three seconds, hold it for four seconds, then exhale slowly to the count of five— "Any time your out-breath is longer than your in-breath, you help to switch off your body's stress response and promote relaxation."

"Lastly, do at least one activity a day that gives you pleasure, and make it a priority."

To read this article in full, please click here, and to read the following article in full, please click here.

"What Apes Can Teach Us About Our Heart Health" is a fascinating article about heart plasticity.

The hearts of the chimps and gorillas proved to be well adapted for short, sharp bursts of activity, and human hearts for sustained aerobic activities, like walking or jogging.

Collegiate runners and subsistence farmers, whatever their age, had hearts that were endurance-ready, with the thinnest, springiest chamber walls and the lowest blood pressures.

The hearts of the football players, whose regular exercise consisted mostly of weight training, and those of the sedentary young Bostonians, whose regular exercise consisted of not doing any [!], showed relatively thicker chamber walls and greater heart stiffness.

That slight aping of the hearts of the football players and the sedentary young men was coupled with everyday blood pressures that, while still within the normal range, were higher than those of the runners and farmers.

When we do not get frequent cardiovascular exercise, our hearts begin to 'remodel themselves in ways that could be related to later heart problems.

Concluding message? Follow in the footsteps of our forebears and, whenever possible, go for a walk!

+ + +

THE LEARNING CENTER ON THE CPG WEBSITE

You can access it by clicking here, and read articles on Finance, Health, Pastoral Care, and upcoming Conferences and CREDO, and, in the eLearning Center, topics like Resiliency, Fraud, and Nutrition.

August 20, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 5

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

FUN ETYMOLOGIES

After I read an article Ingrid found online titled "Am I 'Old'?," I decided to look up the origins of "old" and "elder." Here's what I discovered:

1) old: originally a participle form from Proto-Indo-European *altós ("grown, tall, big"). Latin altus ("high, tall, grown big, lofty"). Related to eld =

2) elder: adjectival from Proto-Indo-European *h₁edʰ-l-i "spruce, fir" (compare Middle Irish aidlen: "silver fir"

I'm not "old" or "elderly"— I'm "lofty and spruce, like a silver fir tree!

You can read the article by clicking here.

 

DEMENTIA

This will be the last major installment on Dementia, although we will continue publish insights or links to articles we discover. And if you come across information about Dementia which you find useful, please let us know so we can publish them here.

Please let us know whether we may be of help in navigating your own circumstances.

The Experiencing Self and the Remembering Self

Here is a summary of what Daniel Kahneman writes in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2011), and explains in TEDTalks, NPR interviews, and at other venues:

There is an experiencing self, who lives in the present and knows the present.

There is a remembering self, who keeps score and maintains the story of our life.

The experiencing self is the one who answers the question, "Does it hurt now?"

The remembering self is the one who answers the question, "How have you been feeling lately?"

Insight

Kahneman's distinction between the remembering self and the experiencing self helped me realize the pastoral care aspect of this for people with dementia:

The human being whose remembering self is impaired by dementia still has an experiencing self, so I need to forget my desire to correct or confront that person's faulty remembering self, and concentrate on giving that person's experiencing self the very best experience I can in the present moment.

Lifestyle Behaviors May Help Prevent or Slow Dementia

NBC News recently published an article, which you can access here, which suggest not smoking, exercising at a moderate to vigorous level for at least 150 minutes a week, consuming a brain supporting diet, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, and engaging in late-life cognitive activities.

A complementary article, which you can read here, offers the acronym SHIELD for lifestyle factors that appear to help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's. They include developing good Sleep habits; getting a Handle on stress; Interacting with friends; Exercising daily; Learning new skills; and eating a healthy Diet.

Ambiguous Grief or Loss

The grief or loss we experience when someone dies is definitive: a life has ended, and we have public rituals and private ways to help us process our grief and cope with our loss.

Not all grief or loss is definitive: with divorce, the ex-spouse is still at large; with missing children, hope is in a constant struggle with fear; with dementia, we stand on shifting sands of engagement. In short, ambiguous grief happens when the other person is still alive.

You can read more about this here, and here, and here.

Insight

This concept helped me recognize an aspect of my experience of aging. Often unbidden, I experience my six-year-old self, and my ten and thirteen, and my twenty-five and forty and . . . older-year-old selves— and at the same time, I know and feel my diminishing powers and confront my inexorable ascent up the existential escalator to my final floor. The experience of aging is also the experience of ambiguous grief and loss, because I, too, am still alive.

What's the difference between forgetfulness and dementia? Two representative differences:

1. Losing things

People with dementia lose things frequently and have no idea how to go about finding them.

People without dementia lose things occasionally and are able to develop strategies for

finding them, like deciding to retrace their steps.

2. Having conversations

    People with dementia frequently forget or misuse words, repeat phrases or stories, and have difficulty holding a conversation.

    People without dimension occasionally forget words, and still carry conversations easily.

In conclusion, here are some links to additional resources:

For the Alzheimer's Association, "the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research," please click here.

For our Federal Government's "portal to information on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias care, research, and support," please click here.

For the Eldercare Locator, "a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging" which helps locate "services for older adults and their families, please click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ELDER FINANCIAL EXPLOITATON

For the last three issues our emphasis has been on Dementia, with some introductory comments about SCAMS— A VIRULENT FORM OF ELDER ABUSE. Scams are only one aspect of "Elder Financial Exploitation," and future Newsletters will address this. Let's begin with a quick assessment:

Identity Theft Self-Check

Review each response on the list and indicate whether you perform this action always, sometimes, or never. Then tally your score and see how well you are taking measures to avoid identity theft.

A = 2 points S = 1 point N = 0 points

1. Cover or block the ATM or Point of Service keypad when I enter my PIN.    A S N

2. Carry only the identification, checks, credit cards, or debit cards I really need.    A S N

3. Use direct deposit for paychecks, cash refunds, benefit payments, etc.    A S N

4. Shred documents with personal/financial information before disposing of or recycling them.    A S N

5. Use complex passwords with a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters.    A S N

6. Review financial statements and bills monthly and identify and correct errors.    A S N

7. Review my credit report annually and identify and correct errors.    A S N

8. Use secure mailboxes for incoming and outgoing mail.   

A S N

9. Avoid providing or sharing personal information, like SSN, whenever possible.    A S N

10. Review My Medicare Summary Notices, Explanations of Benefits statements, and medical bills for suspicious charges.    A S N

 

June 20, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 4

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

FUN FACTS

Ingrid and I joined other Chaplains from every province at the national triennial conference in Denver this past May. Matthew Price, the Church Pension Group's Senior Vice-President for Research and Data, gave a presentation on the ways ministry is changing in the Episcopal Church.

The "Traditional Model" for ordained priests featured six core characteristics: 1. Full-time employment, 2. At a Single Employer, 3. In the Episcopal Church, 4. With no fixed-term or end date, 5. Gradually increasing compensation, 6. And a clear line between active work and retirement.

Now, only 58% of priests are traditional full-time: 61% are men, 39% are women; Average Age: 53; Average Credited Service: 15 years; and over half of retirees continue to serve while pensioned.

DEADLY FALLS IN OLDER AMERICANS ARE RISING. HERE'S HOW TO PREVENT THEM

The New York Times published this article, which you can access by clicking here. Key points include:

For people over 75, the rate of mortality from falls more than doubled from 2000 to 2016.

Women are slightly more likely to fall than men; men are slightly more likely to die as a result.

Here are some measures you can take to help prevent a fall.

Exercise! At least 20 minutes a day, combining aerobic and anaerobic, particularly for the legs.

Mind your meds: Medications, especially those that help with sleep, can compromise balance. Benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax are especially bad.

Metabolism slows in older adults, so toxicity to benzos builds up, which can cause dizziness.

The same goes for non-benzodiazepines such as Ambien.

Antihistamines such as Benadryl and Advil PM are also bad for balance.

"If everybody got off the sleeping pills, it would help a lot," Dr. Eckstrom said. As an alternative, she recommended melatonin to her patients, which she called a safe and effective sleep aid.

Re-accessorize: Eyesight is a crucial component when it comes to falls. Be especially careful if you use bifocal or progressive lenses— they change your depth perception.

No high heels; all shoes should have a back, and a sole with good tread; slippers make you slip.

Too proud to use a cane or walker? Get over it. If a doctor prescribes a walker, use it. It will allow you to be more independent for longer.

Eliminate tripping hazards: Get rid of small scatter rugs and eliminate extension cords that stretch across a floor.

Take a close look at the height of thresholds between rooms

Early and often to the bathroom: Hydration is a good way to fight dizziness. Drink plenty of water throughout the day

Don't wait until you're desperate to go to the bathroom and need to rush

There's a bonus to frequent bathroom trips: Doing that sit-to-stand is really good exercise and good for balance.

Keep a light on at night for visual access to the bathroom.

DEMENTIA

(Part 2) Dementia Friendly Communication Tips

The following information comes from Dementia Friendly Massachusetts, a public education campaign by Senior Living Residences. The website for Dementia Friendly Massachusetts is mcoaonline.com.

Note: How you choose to communicate with someone exhibiting symptoms of dementia will shape your interaction. Responding with kindness, compassion, and understanding, can diffuse a confusing or aggravated situation.

1. Be aware of your body language: 55% of what we are communicating comes from stance, gestures, and facial expressions. Be caring, smile, and never cover your mouth or face when communicating.

2. Choose your words: The words you choose should be clear and in simple sentences. Speak slowly. Remain calm while speaking. Allow time for your words to be processed and understood. Use "can" phrases rather than "can't" phrases.

3. Watch your tone: The tone and pitch of your voice will be perceived before the words you say.

4. Use visual clues when possible: Point to specific objects or use pictures on a chart or menu to help communicate and aid in their decision making.

5. Be patient: Some extra time is sometimes all it takes, whether that time is needed for counting money, comprehension, or making a decision. Don't rush or make them feel they are holding you up.

6. Be respectful: Never treat the adult as though she or he were a child. Don't be condescending. Do not argue. Do not command.

7. Assist, don't take over: Offering help and support can be very positive experiences, but don't take over. If someone needs help with a task or direction, do it with them, not for them. Completing a task for someone can reduce confidence and the feeling of independence.

A few miscellaneous tips from the Rev. Colette Bachand-Wood:

1. If a person is able to have conversation, consider what kind of topics you might bring up.

2. Remember to drop the word "remember!"

Don't use phrases like "Remember how. . . ?" or "Remember when. . . ?" or "Remember N.?" Otherwise, they may feel shame or confusion or lose their dignity when they can't remember.

3. If on first approach the interaction doesn't go well, leave for a short time, and when you come back, try something different.

4. Look for things in their environment that might engage them in conversation: photographs; paintings; objects on a table, like a paperweight; objects on a chair or sofa, like a pillow or quilt.

5. Be aware of their scope of vision and limited peripheral vision: don't "sneak up" on them

6. To wake someone, touch them below the knee and say her or his name

7. Forget your agenda, and go with theirs

 

SCAMS— A VIRULENT FORM OF ELDER ABUSE

The American Association of Retired Persons [AARP]'s Fraud Watch Network was among the exhibitors at the Triennial National Chaplains Conference in Denver.

We had the option of making "cold calls" from their phone banks to every Chaplain's list of retirees, but Ingrid and I didn't want to add to your unsolicited phone calls and messages!

If, on the other hand, any of you would want to call either of us about Scam Prevention, please do. Our phone number is 847-393-7952. We don't answer the phone unless we recognize the caller's phone number (which is one of our defenses against being scammed), so if we don't pick up right away, please leave a message— if we're away, we'll call back as soon as possible; if we're at home, and we hear you leaving your message, we'll pick up so we can have a conversation about scamming.

More about Dementia, Fraud, and new topics from Denver and the Church Pension Group next issue!

 

April 20, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 3

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

and

Tired-Again Times

 

FUN QUOTE

Anne Lamott: "Here is some free writing advice: Stop Not Writing. You can turn off the tv for one hour. (The breaking news is that no one knows anything yet.) And in that hour, you can get 45 minutes of bad writing done, and this will change your whole day. Just one bad sentence after another." (source: Twitter @annelamott)

CLERGY HOUSING ALLOWANCE IS CONSTITUTIONAL, APPEALS COURT RULES

As you may know, a Wisconsin district court had ruled that the allowance was unconstitutional, although the decision was put on hold, pending appeal. On the Ides of March, the 7th US Court of Appeals reversed the decision. You can read more by clicking here.

DEMENTIA

(Part 1) Recognizing the Signs of Dementia

The following information comes from Dementia Friendly Massachusetts, a public education campaign by Senior Living Residences. The website for Dementia Friendly Massachusetts is mcoaonline.com.

[Bracketed supplementary comments are mine]

Note: Our job is not to diagnose, it is our job to understand. While dementia affects every individual differently, there are some common signs that can be recognized. Should you see someone exhibiting one or more of these symptoms, be patient, communicate clearly, and listen. Here are some of the most common signs:

1. Balance and mobility issues: Dementia can physically affect someone, too, causing poor balance while standing or sitting, difficulties walking on uneven surfaces (like a weathered parking lot or grassy area), a need for assistance sitting or standing or walking, and even frequent falls.

[see also 6. below: Vision problems]

2. Memory loss that disrupts day-to-day activities: More than simply misplacing keys, individuals with dementia may not remember things like the reason for being where they are. Often someone with dementia will recall things from their past more easily than something very recent.

3. Challenges in thinking and planning: You may find someone with dementia struggling with decision making. Handling money falls into this category (making change, paying bills, or even understanding the cost of things). They may appear confused or have trouble following directions or instructions.

4. Poor judgment: Dementia inhibits a person's ability to assess risk or safety, and causes an inability to understand correctly the intention of others or even their own ability. They may also use unsuitable language or display inappropriate behaviors.

[3. and 4. above are also key reasons that some seniors fall for scams: before their cognitive problems are obvious to others, they may already lack enough of their executive functioning to make them vulnerable to scam artists.]

5. Confusion about time or place: It is very common for someone with dementia to be unaware of the date or confused about the time of day. They may find themselves lost in a well-known place.

6. Vision problems: Dementia can cause difficulty with identifying colors, faces, or objects. Patterns, reflections, and spatial relationship can also become hard to comprehend.

 

[A. Dementia patients often lose their peripheral vision, so the range of their vision isn't much different than seeing the world through binoculars, or having tunnel vision.

[That means you should approach them head on rather than from the side, which may surprise and startle them.

[Get at eye-level and say "hi," and don't touch them because their impaired vision won't give them the visual cue that they are about to be touched.

 

[B. It is harder for people with dementia to distinguish black and white, so it helps to use bright colors and to dress colorfully.

[A black mat in front of a door can deter them from leaving, because visually it looks like a hole.

[For men with dementia, it's a good idea to remove baskets from the bathroom and use a red or blue toilet seat.]

 

7. Difficulties in communication: Someone with dementia may experience an inability to find the right word, difficulties following a conversation, or find oneself easily distracted by background noise.

 

[A. Because the left brain deteriorates more quickly than the right brain, language is affected earlier, sometimes losing about every 4th word.

 

[B. And because conversation is more difficult, actions are more important than words.

 

[C. Rather than explain what you are going to do (which may sound like "blah blah blah"), use body language and demonstrations.

 

[D. When you do talk, don't yell or use baby talk.]

 

8. Restlessness or disorientation: In unfamiliar or noisy environments, people with dementia may become confused or ill at ease, fidgety, or even agitated.

9. Unusual behavior, mood, or personality changes: This covers a wide range of activities, such as withdrawal from social activities, inexplicable sadness, anxiety, or frustration, a lack of confidence, obsessive behaviors, or insensitivity toward others.

 

[A. The right brain, which deteriorates more slowly than the left brain, governs emotion, singing, prayer, and emotional memory.

[It also governs our language filters, so as these deteriorate, a person with dementia may use bad words and racial or misogynous slurs stored in memory.]

+ + +

 

The Conversation Project includes another useful resource for people and families of those living with dementia. On the left side of their home page at https://theconversationproject.org/, under Get Started, click on the Alzheimer's/Dementia Starter Kit button.

Here are three recent articles about dementia from The New York Times. If you don't subscribe to The New York Times, you may be allowed free access for several articles each month.

The first, titled "Supplements Won't Prevent Dementia. But These Steps Might," you can read by clicking here.

To read the second article, titled "Magic Table," please click here.

And the most fascinating article, about the possibility of future breakthrough therapy, was originally and better titled, "A Moonshot for the Brain"— which you can read by clicking here.

Next Issue: (Part 2) Dementia Friendly Communication Tips

 

SCAMS— A VIRULENT FORM OF ELDER ABUSE

In our last issue we began to look at Scams, and we'll return to this topic in the next issue.

For now, here are a few of the more common scams, by title: 1. the person-in-need scam; 2. the romance scam; 3. IRS scam; 4. lottery or sweepstakes scam; 5. debt collection scam; 6. charity scam; and 7. computer or internet scam. Many of these are "torpedoes"— coming at us suddenly by mail or phone.

Sobering facts: 10,000 people turn 60 every day; about 10% of seniors experience some form of abuse, but only 7% are reported; those who have been abused are 4 times more likely to be at risk and die than others; and the cost of elder abuse is $36.5 billion each year.

Finally, another important article from The New York Times for our consideration, this one titled "Falls Can Kill You. Here's How to Minimize the Risk." Just click here.

February 20, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 2

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

The Tired-Again Times

 

ENTITLING OURSELVES

We have a virtual tie between The Sabbatical Sentinel and The Tired-Again Times. Please cast your vote!

FUN FACT

The Church Pension Plan holds $1.13 of assets for every $1.00 it needs to cover every participant!

CO-PILOT OR ECONOMY PASSENGER?

The Church Pension Group recently learned about a couple whose husband did all their financial transactions. When he died, even though they had joint accounts, the surviving spouse was unable to do any financial transactions because she did not have the passwords, log-in information, account numbers, or access codes for their accounts.  

If you are married and only one of you has been doing the banking, paying the bills, and other financial transactions (especially online), please begin sharing those responsibilities.

If you are single, choose a family member or friend whom you trust to be your financial partner.

1. Record your sign-in or log-in names, passwords, and account numbers and keep them in an agreed-upon secure location.

2. Show your financial partner how to pay bills online, by mailed checks, or in person.

3. Make sure that both your name and your financial partner's names are on your accounts. 

4. Write step-by-step financial transaction instructions for each account, so your financial partner will be able to step in if necessary, and

    Consider alternating who does your monthly financial transactions. That way, if a question comes up, you can both discuss how to handle it.

A related example: A mother and father were experiencing declining health at the same time. Their daughter added her name to their safe deposit box. Even though her father was mentally able to deal with finances while her mother was in a nursing home, he was physically unable to get around easily. Adding her name meant she had access and didn't have to try to get her father to the bank. This example suggests that couples, as well as singles, should consider having a financial partner.

DEMENTIA

Dementia was the key topic for our first Retired Chaplains Conference. Even if we aren't struggling with the loss of memory or thinking skills, we may know someone who is, or may in the future.

For the next several issues, we'll share some of the things we learned about dementia. Our guide was the Rev. Colette Wood, whose father had dementia. In response, she wrote Do This, Remembering Me: Spiritual Care of Those With Alzheimer's and Dementia. You can review and order it by clicking here.

What is dementia?

In two words: Cognitive decline.

More completely: An overall term for a wide variety of conditions relating to a decline in the brain's ability to function, with symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, difficulty communicating, mood changes, challenges in planning, and physical decline, including mobility issues and vision problems.

Of people with dementia: 70% live alone, 25% are undiagnosed, 81% are over 75 years old.

There are many kinds of dementia— depending on whom you ask, anywhere from 50 to 100.

    Alzheimer's is the most common, accounting for 60% to 80% of all cases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], it's the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, and someone is diagnosed with it every 67 seconds.

    Vascular Dementia is the second most common, usually associated with a stroke or transient ischemic attack [TIA].

        The symptoms are similar to Alzheimer's, with a better ability to recognize people.

    Others include dementia related to Parkinson's, Lewy Body, and Huntingdon's diseases;

Frontotemporal Dementia; and traumatic brain injury, including post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)— e.g., from football injuries.

The New York Times recently published an article titled "Dementia May Never Improve, but Many Patients Still Can Learn." You can read it by clicking here.    

Next month: Recognizing the Signs of Dementia (Part 1)

SCAMS— A VIRULENT FORM OF ELDER ABUSE

For our second conference, last October, the central focus was "Money Smart for Older Adults." Our presenter was Jenefer Duane, a Senior Program Analyst in the Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans, part of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency. We learned about financial scams and predatory programs that target older adults.

To find out more about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, go to www.consumerfinance.gov.

In our first Newsletter, we offered some Tips for Talking to Telemarketers from that conference, and we'll continue looking at ways to be "Money Smart" in coming Newsletters.

In the meantime, the following article is an excerpt from Neil Steinberg's January 31, 2019, column in the Chicago Sun-Times, titled "What's next? 'Hi, this is a scam! Grab your wallet so we can cheat you.'"

My iPhone rings. An 800 number, calling me. Which might as well flash a red "SCAM!"

But I am a curious sort.

"Dear citizen …" an ominous robotic voice begins. "Due to a certain suspicious activity, we are forced to suspend your Social Security number to immediate effect. Due to this your benefits will be cancelled …"

I've received this call 14 times over the last two weeks of January.

"In order to connect with a Social Security administration officer, press one now," it continues. "In case we do not hear from you, your Social will be blocked permanently. Press one now, and you will automatically be connected with a concerned department official."

I admire that "concerned" — a nice touch. Who doesn't want to believe there is a soul in the government who cares?

Once I broke down and pressed "1," though the person I then connected with sounded, to me, not so much concerned as confused. A harried drone in a Third World basement boiler room. They immediately asked for my Social Security number. "You're the one who called me," I said, hanging up.

"Social Security numbers do not get suspended," the Federal Trade Commission points out on its web page devoted to this scam. "Ever."

Are there people who don't know this? Apparently so. Which raises the question: Why base your scam on something a halfway savvy person knows to be false?

For exactly that reason. Because scammers want to weed out those with discernment. Fraud isn't about duping everybody. It's about identifying the most credulous, the choicest marks, and going after them. It's a manpower issue. What scamster wants to laboriously lead a would-be mark along, only to have him balk at buying $3,000 in Apple gift cards to pay off a delinquent tax bill? Falling for the obvious initial gambit means you are more likely to keep giving, information and even cash.

Scams fall into two categories: fear and greed. The Social Security number is a fear scam. The terrifying and mysterious government is about to drop kick you into oblivion. There are similar scams involving the IRS, which will never call you demanding payment. Or Com-Ed, calling to say your power is about to be cut.

Greed scams are those with imaginary U.S. soldiers trying to find a confederate to accept a suitcase of cash found in Iraq. Qualms like why an American officer would have so limited a command of English are pushed aside at the prospect of "$35 MILLION ($35,000,000.00 USD)" or whatever worm is wriggling on the hook. These are the scams that offer free Caribbean trips or other prizes.

Not only does the fear and/or greed already in the victims-to-be make them party to their own defrauding. . . .

They have given their trust, their money. . . . Law enforcement investigators are familiar with the granddads who won't believe it, even after the bank account is drained and the authorities brought in. The victims are indignant — at those telling them they've been had. They can't believe it, literally."

January 10, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 1

 

The Sabbatical Sentinel

The Retreat Record

The Tired-Again Times

 

ENTITLING OURSELVES

What shall we call our Newsletter? We came up with three possible titles.

At least in theory, being retired is a continuing rest or cessation from labor, so The Sabbatical Sentinel seems appropriate.

In French, the word for retirement is retraite, or retreat— and again, in theory at least, being retired is a continuing retreat, in an ecclesiastical rather than military sense, one hopes!

Or, as one speaker on retirement notes, re-tire-ment means "tired again!"

Which title resonates with you? Would you like to offer your own suggestion?

"DO HEAR WHAT I HEAR?"

The New York Times recently published an article titled "Hearing Loss Threatens Mind, Life and Limb: Poor hearing is not just an annoying inconvenience," which you can read by clicking here.

If you are covered by the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Supplement, you have a Hearing Assistance Benefit through Amplifon. For their website, please click here.

If you are on the Comprehensive or Plus Plan Benefit, you will receive $1,000 per ear every five years.

If you are on the Premium Plan Benefit, you will receive $2,000 per ear every five years.

And— if you have the Comprehensive or Plus Plan, and you know that next year, for example, you will need hearing assistance, you can consider whether it makes financial sense for you to switch to the Premium Plan for the extra $1,000 per ear— and then switch back the following year!

For more information, you go to the Church Pension Group's Amplifon Hearing Health Care Program webpage by clicking here. Or you can call this number at Church Pension: 866-349-9055.

UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION

In the course of calling each of you, we sometimes discovered that the Church Pension Group didn't have a correct residential address, phone number, email address, or worse:

In several cases, CPG had the wrong wedding anniversary or date of birth; and in the worst case, someone hadn't updated CPG's records since that person's first marriage— and in subsequent years there had been a divorce, a new marriage, and the second spouse had died— and the first spouse was still listed as the person's beneficiary for life insurance and pension!

So please remember it's our responsibility to update CPG whenever we change our postal address, or phone number, or email address, or beneficiaries, or marital status, or the bank where your pension checks are sent.

Here is key contact information: 

Church Pension Group: 800-223-6602; www.cpg.org

Pensions and Life Insurance: 866-802-6333; benefits@cpg.org; www.cpg.org    

The Medical Trust: 800-480-9967; mtcustserve@cpg.org; www.cpg.org

Tax Hotline— Nancy Fritschner: 877-305-1414        

Tax Hotline— Bill Geisler: 877-305-1415

TIPS FOR TALKING TO TELEMARKETERS

1. Don't! We don't answer the phone if unless we recognize the caller or caller's phone.

Some scammers only need to record your saying "Yes" to them, so they can claim that you agreed to what they were offering.

2. If the call is from a charity, tell the caller you never give money over the telephone and hang up.

3. If the caller is selling something, say you never make decisions over the phone and hang up.

4. Never give credit card, banking, or Medicare and Social Security numbers over the phone.

5. RED FLAGS: "The offer is good only today!" "We need to verify your information."

6. If you are at all suspicious, report the call to your State Agency on Aging. You can find contact information for your community by entering your zipcode or city and state here.