Register for the SSA Conference - Aging on Your Terms: Saturday • October 22 • Noon to 5:30 p.m. • Free Zoom Webinar. - below:

The Aging on your Terms Conference will provide the information an resources you need regarding the following:

• Understanding the Benefits of Universal Design;
• How Medicare Part D Has Changed;
• How to Prevent Becoming a Mail Fraud Victim;
• The Health and Well-Being Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness;
• The Connection Between Music, Medicine and Health.

Understanding the Benefits of Universal Design

A Welcome Home for Everyone — regardless of age, size, ability or disability: Understanding the Benefits of Universal Design.  Universal design is a framework for the design of the home that benefits the widest range of people during all life stages and unforeseen circumstances. Universal design does not mean
compromising style. Many features go unnoticed and blend right into the rest of the décor. The benefits of universal design are endless and are accomplished through thoughtful planning. This workshop will take a closer look at how universal design and its principles can work especially well for aging and for having our homes continue to serve us effectively while increasing the potential for a better quality of life. Learn about solutions and concepts for general areas of the home, the kitchen and bathroom. A home with universal designed features can benefit everyone.

Deborah Rozell, E.C.H.M., C.A.P.S., is the founder, president and principle designer of the firm Innovative Inclusive Design LLC. Deborah is passionate about creating beautiful and functional interiors that fit her clients’ budget and unique style. Prior to founding Innovative Inclusive Design, LLC, Deborah managed an interiors department in an architectural firm, worked as a design associate in an interior design firm, as well as provided independent interior design consulting services. Deborah holds a certification in Interior Design from Paier College of Art. She has earned certifications in Home Modification (ECHM) from University of California, Los Angeles, and Aging in Place (CAPS) from the National Association of Home Builders. Deborah has also received certifications from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Residential Design for Health and Longevity, the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Learning Environments for Tomorrow, and Feng Shui from the Kew Training Academy. Deborah was a founding board member for Little Falls Village.

The ABCs of Part D: Dissecting Medicare’s Drug Program 

Medicare’s open enrollment period is October 15 through December 7. Unless you pay close attention, you may be overspending on prescription drugs by hundreds of dollars a year through Medicare prescription drug programs. Every year, insurers change their formularies, copays, and premiums, yet half of Medicare recipients pass up the chance to review their plans during the fall open enrollment period.

Steve Mass will show you how to use the Medicare plan finder to determine which plan is most cost effective for your basket of drugs. He will also demystify the
different phases of drug prices, including the dreaded donut hole. Further, Steve will show you how you may be able to save money with drug coupons and discuss what newly passed federal legislation will mean for drug pricing.

Steve Maas, a Rockville, Md., native, who spent his career as a journalist and retired in 2007 as an editor
at The Boston Globe. Since then he has been a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, with a sideline helping people write their memoirs. For the last five years, he has volunteered for SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), a federal-state partnership that offers counseling on Medicare and Medicaid. If you have been following the news about the Inflation Reduction Act, you may have read his article in the Washington Post entitled “A dizzying tour of Medicare’s drug-pricing labyrinth” in August.

Mail Fraud Prevention

The U.S. Postal Service® backs its products and services with the protection of its own federal law enforcement organization — the U.S. Postal Inspection Service®. They are the primary law enforcement, crime prevention, and security arm, and provide the investigative and security resources. Their mission is to support and protect the Postal Service and its employees infrastructure, and customers; enforce the laws that defend the nation’s mail system from illegal or dangerous use; and ensure public trust in the mail. Every year, mail fraud schemes are directed at consumers of all ages. While anyone under the right circumstances can fall for a phony offer or promotion, some groups, like retirees, are more impacted than others when they unknowingly participate in scams.

Postal Inspectors arrest people who take things out of your mailbox and the fraudsters who put things in your mailbox. They’ve found that educating the consumer about scams is the best way to prevent people from becoming a victim. This presentation will focus on the tactics con artists employ, and what you as a consumer can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. Common fraud schemes will be discussed including lottery schemes, romance scams, and grandparent scams.

Nichole Rodriguez has been a U.S. Postal Inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service since 2012. Inspector Rodriguez began her career as a Postal Inspector in the Boston Division, Rochester, NY Field Office where her investigations focused on mail theft, identity theft, and workplace violence.

In 2016, Inspector Rodriguez transferred to the Washington Division and is currently assigned to the mail fraud team that focuses on federal consumer fraud investigations. Inspector Rodriguez recently was part of a prosecution team which received guilty verdicts in a jury trial for two individuals who ran a $93 million lottery fraud scheme.

Mindfulness, Health & Wellbeing - How to Savor Life

In this presentation, Nurse Practitioner Dr. Harpreet Gujral will explain the relationship of chronic stress and health, teach a variety of integrative health strategies to enhance diet, movement and relationships to enhance wellbeing. Participants will be able to understand the relationship of stress and health, and learn various strategies to help lower inflammation and optimize wellbeing.

Harpreet Gujral D.N.P., F.N.P.-B.C., is both a clinician and health care leader who brings over three decades of experience in various clinical areas. Dr. Gujral is a nurse practitioner at Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine where she works closely with Dr. Gary Kaplan. She worked closely with patients of all ages including those with complex conditions, to provide integrative approaches for symptom management and to optimize health and wellbeing.

Dr. Gujral has a strong passion for functional medicine and integrative approaches. She is passionate about empowering others to build resilience and wellbeing using strategies like aromatherapy, ayurvedic principles, self-compassion, mindbody medicine, qigong, and gratitude practice. Dr. Gujral received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree with a focus on the integrative health and healing track at the University of Minnesota under the mentorship of a renowned global integrative health leader. Additionally, she successfully completed the Integrative Nurse Coach certificate program in 2012 and is a mindfulness meditation teacher. Dr. Gujral received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing in New Delhi, India, and her master’s degree from George Mason University.

Music, Medicine & Health

The Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine provides and supports research and multidisciplinary outpatient and inpatient care for individuals with neurodegenerative diseases and other illnesses. Leveraging Johns Hopkins Medicine’s world-class expertise and excellence in research and clinical care, the center harnesses the tools of science to bring music and medicine together for the benefit of patients, health care workers and musicians. A multidisciplinary team involves physicians, nurses, music therapists, and physical/occupational/ speech therapists. Find out how our brains work when we listen to music, learn how music can be a therapeutic tool, and discover how to engage music in your daily life.

Kyurim Kang, Ph.D., M.T.-B.C., N.M.T., is currently a postdoctoral research fellow and a neurologic music therapist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine. She obtained her doctorate in music and Health Science/Collaborative Program in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto. Dr. Kang’s research goal is to bridge the gap between scientific evidence-based music research using brain imaging and music therapy clinical practices. She has also been working as a neurologic music therapist in the U.S., and South Korea with various clinical populations.

Register for the SSA Conference - Aging on Your Terms: Saturday • October 22 • 12 noon to 5:30 p.m. • Free Zoom Webinar