Summer 2017 Healthy Moves Top Five Tips for Aging Better Aging is a natural process. Although, you cannot stop the clock, you can make the process smoother. Here are five tips to help you age better: 1. Maintain your heart health: Keeping your heart healthy and strong is important to your overall health. Here are a few ways to maintain a healthy heart: a. Exercise 30 minutes a day. b. Eat a healthy, balanced diet of low-fat foods, foods low in salt, and lots of fruits and vegetables. c. Take steps to manage your stress or learn new ways to reduce stress levels. 2. Maintain your balance: Good balance is important to help you get around safely and carry out daily activities. To prevent falls, make sure you get enough Vitamin D and calcium to maintain strong bones. 3. Maintain your memory: Keeping your memory sharp by staying mentally active through social activity, brain activities like puzzles or by learning a new skill or instrument. 4. Maintain medication safety: Keep track of the medicines you take daily and use them safely. Mixing some medicines can cause serious issues. It is important to make sure you know how to take your medicines correctly. 5. Maintain healthy sleep habits: The idea that you need less sleep as you age is a myth. It is important to get enough rest so that you can feel your best. According to the National Sleep Foundation, it is suggested that you get 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Source: National Sleep Foundation, AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Summer News 2017 1 GA_17_SpringSumNEWSLTR_06272017
Safe Rays Spring and summer bring beautiful, blooming flowers and hot temperatures. It is important to take the necessary steps to stay safe. Dress in loose-fitting, light-colored clothing and wear a hat to protect your face and neck. Try to stay in air-conditioned spaces to maintain a safe body temperature. Here are a few precautions to take in the warmer temperatures. Look out for the following danger signs. Avoid dehydration by staying hydrated with fluids. You may be dehydrated if you feel weak, have a headache, muscle cramps, feel dizzy or confused. Avoid heat exhaustion by wearing loose-fitting clothing and avoiding hot spots, like the inside of parked vehicles. You may have heat exhaustion if you experience heavy sweating or no sweating, tiredness, paleness, cold or clammy skin, nausea or vomiting. Avoid heat stroke by protecting yourself against sunburn and taking it easy through the hottest parts of the day. If you experience symptoms of heat stroke, you may require emergency treatment. You may be experiencing a heat stroke if you have a body temperature of 103 degrees or higher, red, hot, or dry skin, a fast pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting or confusion. Silver & Fit Silver & Fit is the fitness program provided at no cost to you as a member. You can receive a basic fitness membership at participating gyms. The gyms offer fitness classes for all levels of exercise. What You Need to Know About Zika Warmer weather brings out insects and pests. Insects like the mosquitos that carry the Zika virus. The Zika virus is spread mostly through mosquito bites. The mosquitos that typically carry this virus bite in the daytime and at night. According to the CDC, here are some tips you need to know about Zika: Many areas throughout the United States have the type of mosquitoes that can spread the virus There is currently no way to prevent or treat Zika The best way to protect yourself is to prevent mosquito bites. You can protect yourself by: Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants Wearing insect repellent Stay indoors in places with air conditioning The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes. If you experience any of these symptoms, please see your doctor to discuss your concerns. Source: Centers for Disease Control Summer News 2017 2
Healthy Eating After 50 Making smart food choices is a great thing to do no matter how old you are! Your body changes through your 60 s, 70 s, 80 s and beyond. Food provides nutrients you need as you age. We have answers to the common questions asked about how to choose foods for better health at each state of life. How Much Should I Eat? How much you eat depends on how active you are. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you gain weight. Calories are a way to count how much energy is in food. The energy you get from food helps you do the things you need to do each day. Try to choose foods that have a lot of the nutrients you need, but not many calories. Do Older Adults Need to Drink Water? With age, you may lose some of your sense of thirst. Drink plenty of liquids like water, milk, or broth. Don t wait until you feel thirsty. Try to add liquids throughout the day. You could try soup for a snack, or drink a glass of water before exercising or working in the yard. Don t forget to take sips of water, milk, or juice during a meal. Can I Afford to Eat Right? If your budget is limited, it might take some planning to be able to pay for the foods you should eat. Here are some suggestions: Buy only the foods you need a shopping list will help with that. Buy only as much food as you will use. Choose foods with plain (generic) labels or store brands they often cost less than name brands. Plan your meals around food that is on sale. Divide leftovers into small servings, label and date, and freeze to use within a few months. Source: National Institute on Aging Should I Cut Back on Salt? The usual way people get sodium is by eating salt. The body needs sodium, but too much can make blood pressure go up in some people. Many fresh foods contain some sodium, especially those high in protein. However, most unprocessed fruits and vegetables do not have much sodium. Salt is added to many canned and prepared foods. People tend to eat more salt than they need. If you are 51 or older, about two thirds of a teaspoon of table salt 1,500 milligrams (mg) sodium is all you need each day. That includes all the sodium in your food and drink, not just the salt you add. Pharmacy Benefits: Did you know that Peach State Health Plan Medicare Advantage offers members up to $25 to spend every month on heath supplies and over-the-counter (OTC) items? It s another way that Peach State Health Plan takes care of our Georgia Medicare Members. Here are a few items you can get: Pain Relievers Antacids Anti-Diarrheals Anti-Fungals Anti-Hemorrhoidals Cough Medicines Cold Medicines Allergy Medicine Eye Care First Aid Creams and Ointments First Aid Supplies Laxatives Toothpaste Toothbrushes Poligrip Waxed Dental Floss Sun Block Bar Soap Bug Repellant Smoking Cessation Gum Vitamins and Minerals. *Note: This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits may change on January 1 of each year. This program is available to HMO 003 Members and HMO 002 Members. Summer News 2017 3
How to contact your health plan (HMO and HMO SNP) Peach State Health Plan Medicare Advantage Member Service Hours Website Transportation Vision Dental DME and/or Diabetic supplies Hearing 24-hour nurse advice line Call our Member Services: From October 1 February 14, 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. From February 15 September 30, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please call Member Services: 1-877-725-7748 HMO Member Services: 1-844-890-2326 TTY: 711 Call 2 days before medical appointment to schedule pick-up TTY: 711, for assistance in locating a participating provider TTY: 711, for assistance in locating a participating provider TTY: 711 for assistance TTY: 711 for assistance Please call 1-866-389-7690, option 7, TTY: 711 Please mail or call any questions or concerns to: Peach State Health Plan Advantage 1100 Circle 75 Parkway Suite 1100 Atlanta, GA 30339 Peach State Health Plan is contracted with Medicare for HMO and HMO SNP plans, and with the Georgia Medicaid program. Enrollment in Peach State Health Plan depends on contract renewal. We Protect Your Private Information We are serious about your privacy. Your personal health details are called protected health information. We have procedures in place to keep them safe. We also follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and practice state privacy laws. 2017 Peach State Health Plan Advantage. All rights reserved. Summer News 2017 4
Peach State Health Plan complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Peach State Health Plan does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Peach State Health Plan: Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as qualified sign language interpreters and written information in other formats (large print, accessible electronic formats, other formats). Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as qualified interpreters and information written in other languages. If you need these services, contact Peach State Health Plan at 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711). If you believe that Peach State Health Plan has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex, you can file a grievance by calling the number above and telling them you need help filing a grievance; Peach State Health Plan s Member Services is available to help you. You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/ portal/lobby.jsf or by mail or phone at: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, DC 20201, 1-800 368 1019, (TDD: 1-800 537 7697). Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html. English: ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call Spanish: ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al Vietnamese: CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số Korean: 주의 : 한국어를사용하시는경우, 언어지원서비스를무료로이용하실수있습니다. 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711). 번으로전화해주십시오. Chinese: 注意 : 如果您使用繁體中文, 您可以免費獲得語言援助服務 請致電 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711). Gujarati: Summer News 2017 5
French: ATTENTION: Si vous parlez français, des services d aide linguistique vous sont proposés gratuitement. Appelez le Amharic: ማስታወሻ: የሚናገሩት ቋንቋ ኣማርኛ ከሆነ የትርጉም እርዳታ ድርጅቶች በነጻ ሊያግዝዎት ተዘጋጀተዋል ወደ ሚከተለው ቁጥር ይደውሉ 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (መስማት ለተሳናቸው: 711). Hindi: ध य न द : यद आप ब लत ह त आपक ल ए म फ त म भ ष सह यत स व ए उपलब ध ह 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711) पर क ल कर French Creole: ATANSYON: Si w pale Kreyòl Ayisyen, gen sèvis èd pou lang ki disponib gratis pou ou. Rele Russian: ВНИМАНИЕ: Если вы говорите на русском языке, то вам доступны бесплатные услуги перевода. Звоните Arabic: ةمظنم) 1-844-890-2326 مقرب لصتا.اناجم كل ةحاتم ةيوغللا ةدعاسملا تامدخ نإف ةيبرعلا ةغللا ثدحتت تنك اذإ :هيبنت (HMO ةحصلا ىلع ظافحلا ةمظنمل ةعباتلا ةصاخلا تاجايتحالا يوذ ططخ 1-877-725-7748 HMO)) ةحصلا ىلع ظافحلا.(711 :مكبلاو مصلا فتاه مقر) SNP) Portugués: ATENÇÃO: Se fala português, encontram-se disponíveis serviços linguísticos, grátis. Ligue para Farsi: -1-844 اب.دشاب یم مهارف امش یارب ناگیار تروصب ینابز تالیهست دینک یم وگتفگ یسراف نابز هب رگا :هجوت.دیریگب سامت 711) (TTY: (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) 890-2326 German: ACHTUNG: Wenn Sie Deutsch sprechen, stehen Ihnen kostenlos sprachliche Hilfsdienstleistungen zur Verfügung. Rufnummer: Japanese: 注意事項 : 日本語を話される場合 無料の言語支援をご利用いただけます 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711) まで お電話にてご連絡ください Summer News 2017 6