President’s Message
Happy spring! I hope that by the time you receive this we are having warm April showers getting us ready for the lovely May flowers. I am very pleased with our first silent auction. We took in $78. See Roxanne’s article for details about the April auction.
Remember to mark May 14 on your calendar as the AARP Day of Service, and sign up at the meeting if you have not already done so. Roxanne Kessler is in charge this year and will have more to say at the meeting. Remember that we will be providing a sack lunch for those participating. We will not have T-shirts from AARP this year as they have actually postponed the Day of Service to the fall, but since we were already in the planning stage when we were notified, we are going to keep to our schedule, which is fine with AARP. Also in the fall we are busy with the Election Day BBQ. Please sign up so we can have another great Day of Service. If you can’t make the meeting and want to help, call Roxanne on 972-8364.
I would like to say a special thank you to Alan and Pat Berry, Dick and Carolyn Durphy and Joe Wascalus for all their help during the Frank Walker lecture series. Without them there would have been no coffee and no chairs to sit on.
On a sad note John Campbell who had been our membership chair for three years passed away. He will be missed.
Carla Wascalus, President
Making HealthCare Decisions at April Meeting
by Carolyn Wray, Publicity
The Clubhouse will feature guest speakers Ruth Pavlik and Robin Johnson from Hospice of the Rapidan discussing health care decisions senior citizens have to make. April 16 is National Health Care Decisions Day, a day that has been designated for every adult, regardless of age, to consider their medical decisions and to complete a form outlining those decisions in the event that they cannot speak for themselves. This is a gift that we can give to our families to save them the anxiety and possibly the heartbreak of not knowing what a loved one might want. One very important piece of that process is naming one’s agent for health care decisions, commonly known as one’s power of attorney for health care. The meeting will begin at 9:30 AM with sweets and coffee, followed by the program at 10 AM. This program should be of interest to all senior citizens, as well as people who are approaching their senior years. Everyone is invited to come and be with this very active and friendly group. The speakers will be available after the meeting for questions regarding Hospice care and volunteering for Hospice of the Rapidan.
New Members
Welcome to the following new members:
Bonell Kopke, Clive Louden, Janelle Seiberlich, and Marilyn Walker
Sunshine Report
Get-well cards were sent to Sandy Frame, Tina Aris and Dick Bradie.
A sympathy card was sent to Trish Campbell on the death of her husband John.
If you know of a member who needs cheering up, contact Carolyn Durphy at 972-3306.
Notes, Bits and Pieces
Mini White Elephant Silent Auction a Success at March Meeting
Summer is coming and so are the grandkids. Shop your silent mini-auction at the next AARP meeting for an ol' timey popcorn machine to entertain them. Have an interest in George Washington? There's a lovely book with as much about him as you'd ever want to know. As well as a great lake-type clock, a lovely handmade pocketbook, CD's, linens, and more. Many items are brand spanking new!! The others are gently used. Great items for yourself or for gifts, so bring your cash and checkbooks and shop before the program begins. Remember, all money goes to support our favorite local charities. We raised $78 for charity.
Don't forget to signup for AARP Volunteer Day on May 14. Many hands make light work!!
Driver Safety Course
by Bob Sherba, LOW Lions Club
The LOW Lions are again sponsoring AARP’s Driver Safety Program on April 23-24. The two-day course will be held in the Holcomb Building CR from 9 AM to 1 PM each day. The cost is $12 for AARP members and $14 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to AARP. Persons completing the course are eligible for a discount on their auto liability insurance. This discount is good for three years; therefore, the course should be retaken at the end of that time in order for the discount to continue. For reservations, call Bob at 972-0783 or Al at 972-9938.
Fundraisers for the Sheriff’s Office
· May 11, Golf tournament at Meadows
· Shredder Event
The OC Sheriff’s Office is sponsoring a Shredder Event from 11 AM to 2 PM on May 16 at the intersection of Route 20, near of Route 611. Pro-shred, a northern Virginia firm, conducts free shredding as a community service to aid in reducing identity theft by allowing folks who don’t have home shredders to destroy their old personal papers safely.
Even if you have a home shredder, when things have piled up, don’t burn out the itty bitty shredder, but bring those stacks to the shredder event. This is free, and folks can drop off their documents and leave or they can park and watch the shredding operation on a real time TV screen. Donations will be accepted and any proceeds will go to the OC Sheriff’s Office to be used for programs such as the Citizens Police Academy classes. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes cannot be put in the shredder, so they need to be emptied when you arrive; you can take the bags/boxes home to store more detritus. Credit cards and CDs are allowed to satisfy the hunger of the shredder. Paper clips and staples are also OK. Traffic control will be accomplished by volunteers and members of the Sheriff’s Office.
Health Care News
by Patti Batten
Advanced Medical Directives—allows a person to make a written advance directive to specify health care the declaring does or does not authorize, appoint an agent to make health care decisions for him, and specify an anatomical gift.
Do Not Resuscitate Orders—clarifies that the expression by the patient to be resuscitated in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest will constitute revocation of the Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order and that the order may be revoked only by the patient or the person consent for the patient if he is a minor
Posting Of Charity Care Policies—requires hospitals to post information related to its charity care policies related to free or discounted care in public areas of the hospital including admissions or registration areas , emergency departments and associated waiting rooms. Also states that the hospital must include criteria and procedures for applying to all patients upon admission and or discharge, with billing statements and on any websites maintained by the hospital.
On the National Level
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, announced that he will coordinate the efforts of several committees in drafting a comprehensive health reform bill. He said he is hopeful that healthcare is completed in the House prior to the August break.
Legislative Report
by Pat Berry
National: Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus package), older Americans will be eligible for a $250 economic recovery payment in 2009.
National: AARP has launched a Government Watch Website to hold elected leaders accountable on issues that matter to older Americans. (www.aarp.org/governmentwatch) You can click on a specific state to find how elected leaders voted on a specific bill.
Virginia: Signed by both the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House
SB 855 – Uniform Power of Attorney Act. Addresses the creation and use of a Power of Attorney, limitations of agent’s powers and other matters.
HB 2099 – George Washington Toll Road Authority. Creates a toll road authority encompassing the City of Fredericksburg and the County of Spotsylvania for the purposes of alleviating highway congestion, promoting highway safety and expanding highway construction.
HB 2476 – HOV Lanes. Extends the provision allowing those vehicles bearing clean special fuel license plates to use HOV lanes regardless of the number of passengers until July 1, 2010.
