Seniors: Don’t Fall Prey To Scams

March 20, 2023

New government data shows that scammers are making more money per episode. Close to 2.4 million people this year reported losses from fraud or scams totaling close to $9 billion dollars! Older adults are especially vulnerable to scams because scammers are skilled at preying on their fears or hopes by using a lure of dire consequences like a warrant, a grandchild in trouble, or some great windfall like winning a lot of money. Scammers get us to believe that there is an urgency, some imminent deadline, and you need to act immediately or miss the opportunity to get the promised ...

What Is Necessary On ‘Other Insurance’ Form?

March 6, 2023

Question: I received a form from my insurance company requesting information on what other insurance I have. How do I fill out this form? Answer: The form you received is probably a Coordination of Benefits (COB) form. This is how the insurance companies keep track of who pays first and who pays second. This is the time of year when these forms come from your new insurance companies, and we have gotten a lot of these types of calls lately. Many of us make changes to our insurance situation over the years. When we make those changes, the new company usually wants to make sure they have ...

When Does Family Have To Pay State Skilled Nursing Tax?

February 27, 2023

Question: My mother just transferred into a Skilled Nursing Facility from a hospital stay. We hope it is temporary, but if it isn’t, she will have to pay over $400 per day plus a 6.8% tax! What is that tax? Answer: I hope that your mother is feeling better and getting stronger every day. When individuals go from the hospital to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) it is often considered a Rehabilitation (Rehab) Stay. When you have Medicare, these Rehab stays are usually covered by your health insurance. Being covered doesn’t necessarily mean that the stay will be paid in full by your ...

Senior Sweetheart

February 20, 2023

Chautauqua County’s Senior Sweetheart this year is Richard “Dick” Reardon. Reardon and his wife celebrated their 76th anniversary in August. She has been a resident of Heritage Green for the past year and he leaves home every day at 7:45 a.m. to go be with her for breakfast and lunch. He ...

Old Partners Have New Methods To Deliver Meals

February 20, 2023

The Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services (OFAS) is an agency dedicated to advocating for and providing services to older adults in our community that help to promote and preserve their independence, safety and wellness. One way in which OFAS works toward that mission is through our Nutrition and Wellness department’s home delivered meal service, called Dining In. The mission of the Dining In program is to provide necessary nutrition to older adults who are unable to get out of their homes, prepare their own food, and do not have others to help them. We carry out this mission by ...

Chautauqua County NY Connects: All Ages Welcome

February 20, 2023

Did you know that NY Connects services all ages? We do! We partner with many agencies that can serve people of many ages. Recently our staff attended the “Connecting the Dots” event at The Jamestown Community College. This event was hosted by Strong Starts Chautauqua, this is a local network of community-based organizations that work to serve Chautauqua County families, and children from prenatal through age 5. This organization offers education, community events, outreach, information, assistance and referral services, and maternal and early childhood risk screening. What a ...