February 2009

Carbon Monoxide
Although the popularity of carbon monoxide (CO) alarms has been growing in recent years,  it cannot be assumed that everyone is familiar with the hazards of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home.  Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odor-less, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane oil, and methane) burn incompletely.  In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous carbon monoxide.    
Facts & Figures
● The dangers of CO exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim’s health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body's ability to use oxygen (i.e. emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be.
● A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.

NFPA Safety Tips
● Install CO alarms inside your home to provide early warning of carbon monoxide.
● CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sound, they all sound.
● Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height

Medicare Part D Limited Income Subsidy (LIS) Outreach Schedule

      The OEDA Area Agency on Aging will be conducting LIS screening and application sessions throughout Beaver, Cimarron, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Texas, Woods and Woodward counties  January thru March, 2009. Slated sessions are to be held according to the following schedule. 

LOCATION                                                                 DATE                                                  TIME

Boise City Senior Center/Nutrition Site               Wednesday, February 11, 2009                10:00-2:00
Beaver Senior Nutrition Site                                Wednesday, February 25, 2009                 10:00-12:00 
Beaver County Pioneer Memorial Library           Wednesday, February 25, 2009                 1:00-3:00
Woodward Senior Center/Nutrition Site               Wednesday, March 11, 2009                    10:00-2:00
Vici Senior Center/Nutrition Site                      Tuesday, March 17, 2009                         10:00-2:00
Laverne Senior Center/Nutrition Site                    Tuesday, March 19, 2009                         10:00-2:00
Leedy Senior Center/Nutrition Stie                       Tuesday, March 24, 2009                         10:30-1:30

Phone screenings may also be conducted by calling the Senior Info-Line @ 800-211-2116, the OEDA AAA office @ 580-625-4531 or 800-658-2844. 

Senior Info-Line
1-800-211-2116
call or visit us online @ www.oeda.org/aaa.htm

Grocery Tax Credit

  Two new bills introduced for the 2009 legislative session by a bipartisan pair of legislators would provide financial relief from the rising cost of groceries for families in Oklahoma who are struggling.
   HB 2204, sponsored by Rep. John Trebilcock (R-Broken Arrow), and SB 567, sponsored by Senator Andrew Rice (D-Oklahoma City), would help hard-pressed Oklahoma families by increasing Oklahoma’s Sales Tax Relief credit, an existing tax credit intended to offset the sales tax on groceries for low and moderate-income households. The credit is commonly referred to as the grocery tax credit.
   Oklahoma has among the nation’s highest rates of food insecurity. In spite of that, Oklahoma is one of only 16 states to levy a tax on groceries. Since low and moderate-income families spend a greater share of their income on groceries than do wealthier families, taxing groceries is considered regressive.  
     Some legislators, including Rep. Trebilcock have previously fought to fully repeal the sales tax on groceries. But this year, in the face of tough times, he is proposing a targeted way to help Oklahomans most in need.
     “Each year I have filed bills to repeal the grocery sales tax. However, given this year’s difficult budget situation, it is not practical to take that revenue source away from the state. Increasing the grocery tax credit is the best available way of providing for Oklahomans who need it most,” said Rep. John Trebilcock.
     Food prices have risen more than 6 % in the past year alone. This is at the same time that people are feeling the pinch of the national recession. “The current economic downturn has placed growing demands on food pantries and other social assistance providers. In a time when so many families are struggling, increasing the grocery tax credit is one thing we can do to help those in greatest need, “ said Sen. Andrew Rice.
     A growing coalition of organizations and individuals representing the faith community social service providers, seniors and others have joined together to promote a boost in the grocery tax credit.
     “We know this will be a tough budget year and there will be competing demands on scarce resources. But to the extent that targeted tax cuts are part of the discussions during the upcoming session, we fervently hope that increasing the amount of the grocery tax credit and raising eligibility will be a priority, “ said Matt Guillory, executive director of Oklahoma Policy Institute, a member of the coalition.

OMBUDSMAN NEWS
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!!!!!!!
     According to statistics 65% of all long term care residents NEVER have a visitor. 50% have no living relatives.  Needless to say some of them are lonely, bored, or just feel as if they have been forgotten.
     A change needs to take place and we need you, they need you.  You can make a difference in someone’s life, make someone smile, give someone a reason to enjoy getting up in the morning. And just think of the new friends you could make and the stories you could hear and share with your own family. 
     Will you consider adding to someone’s lifespan by sharing your time, your smiles, and your heart? By attending an Ombudsman Workshop you can learn how to do this and much more. 
     The training is for anyone who may have questions or concerns about facilities where friends or family may live. Ombudsman volunteers visit residents weekly, listen to their concerns, and give support and encouragement. Ombudsmen have to have good listening skills.
     Workshop topics include: The Ombudsman Program, Residents Rights, Abuse, Prevention and Identification, Federal and State Laws and regulations, how to choose a nursing facility and so much more.

THIS  WORKSHOP IS FREE WITH NO OBLIGATION.

   For more information on becoming a volunteer and changing someone’s life, please contact:

Mistina M. Mulanax
Area Agency on Aging
LTC Ombudsman Supervisor
1-800-658-2844

GIS DEPARTMENT
From the Newly Minted OEDA GIS Department:
     Hello friends as the sole operator of OEDA GIS I would like to welcome all to access this department’s new webpage at www.oeda.org/gis.htm: where currently big things are beginning to happen. OEDA’s long time involvement in the Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Capital Improvement Planning (CIP) program has given this department a wealth of public works data for several of our municipalities and are now in the process of being turned into genuine geospatial utility maps, capable of being viewed, saved and printed out online from the OEDA website. As of right now there are currently 4 towns of full display, but within the next year it is this department’s goal to have all of OEDA’s geospatial data fully online. These maps are being displayed upon the newly released 2008 aerial photographs and are easy to be opened and saved to your computers as they have been published in .jpeg format. It is my mission as OEDA’s resident Geographer to fulfill all of your geographic inquires and tasks and as this website and department continues to grow I hope that you find both to be of use.

Robert B. Heider
CIP/GIS Planner

Is It Really Alzheimer’s?
     As you get older, it’s common to start forgetting things—where you put your car keys, the time of that appointment, or the title of the movie you saw last night. For about 5 million Americans, though, such cognitive decline goes beyond the merely irritation. They have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia –the medical term for any decline in ability to think, remember, and reason. And with more of us living longer, Alzheimer’s and other dementias are on the rise.
     Researchers have developed new tests that make it easier to detect Alzheimer’s . That opens the door to earlier treatment and lifestyle adjustments that make life easier for patients and families. There are even drugs that can slow the disease’s progress, though, sadly, none of them work all that well. Alzheimer’s drugs offer only limited benefits.
     Only a doctor, working with sophisticated diagnostic tools, can tell for sure whether forgetfulness signals absentmindedness or something worse. This list can help you decide whether to see a doctor’s opinion. 

POWER OF 50

 Walking 50 Miles A Month. Just half an hour of walking each day at a brisk pace of 3.5 mph will help you accomplish these seven things within a matter of months:
1. GET FIT- Aerobic capacity: 19% increase, physical function: 25% increase, Risk of disability: 41% decrease
2. SAVE ON ANNUAL MEDICAL BILLS– Normal-weight retiree: $3,300, Overweight retiree: $2,500, Entire country: $1.4 trillion
3. IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH– Heart disease: 32% lower risk, Stroke: 33% lower risk, Type 2 diabetes: 71% lower risk
4. FIGHT CANCER—Breast: 18% lower risk, Colon: 31% lower risk, All forms: 33% higher survival rate
5. LOSE WEIGHT– Each walk: 150 calories, Monthly: 1.3 pounds, Annually: 15.6 pounds
6. ACCELERATE RECOVERY—Depression: 47% reduction of symptoms, Skin wounds: shorten healing by 10 days
7. BATTLE DEGENERATIVE DISEASE—Alzheimer’s: 40% lower risk, Arthritis: 46% lower risk, Osteoporosis: 0% loss of bone density
 January/February 2009 AARP Bulletin Vol. 50 No. 1

  Here’s one way to save money on gas: Join the AAA and have them tow you wherever you want to go  

Chairman: Carl Laverty z Executive Director:  Mike Bostic
The preparation of this newsletter was financed in part through grants from Oklahoma Department of Commerce; State Department of Agriculture; Workforce Investment Act; Area Agency of Aging; Member Government Dues
February 15, 2009 Volume 35, Number 2

Equal Opportunity Employer/Programs
Auxiliary aides and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities 

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This page was last updated
 11/20/2009