The State of Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources announced on March 27th that free local fresh produce would again be available to eligible seniors enrolled in the Maine Senior FarmShare Program. Eligible seniors will be able to receive $50 of fresh produce during the season (June-November) from local participating farms. To qualify, a participant must be a Maine resident, at least 60 years old, and have a household income of not more than 185% of the federal poverty income limits. Seniors can call the Area Agency on Aging at 877-353-3771 or click on the Maine Senior FarmShare website to find participating farms and pick up locations. Any questions on enrollment or for more information, contact Julie Waller, Program Manager, Maine Senior FarmShare Program at 207-287-7526 or email at julie.a.waller@maine.gov. Local pick up locations are the Kingfield Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays and the Farmington Farmer’s Market on Fridays during the season.

On March 19, 2012, Lori Parham, State Director for AARP Maine appeared on WABI TV5 in Bangor to announce the kick off of “You’ve Earned a Say“, a national conversation to ensure that all seniors have a say in the future of Social Security and Medicare. This call to action will provide the media to make senior voices heard in Washington. Visit the AARP earnedasay.org website to make your voices heard or call 1-866-554-5380 for more information.

The Senior Citizens League’s principal purpose is to educate the public and to work to ensure that the retirees of today and tomorrow receive the Social Security and Medicare benefits they and their employers have been paying for during all their employment years. Have a voice in protecting Social Security now and in the future by clicking on The Senior Citizens League link above to access their website and then click on to the Social Security Impact Survey On Your 2012 Annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to submit your concerns and how the rising cost of living impacts your retirement.

Western Maine Community Action in cooperation with the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging wants to encourage people who may be providing care for adults age 60 and older, including spouses, relatives or friends, to complete an online caregiver survey. Data from the completed surveys will assist the state in assessing and planning for the needs of older adults in Maine and to better understand the support and service needs of caregivers. The link to the survey is; https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MaineCaregiverSurvey. If assistance is needed in completing the survey, please contact Jessica L. Maurer, Esq. the Executive Director for the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging at 207-592-9972 or via email at; jmaurer@maine4a.org.

SeniorsPlus Education Center at 8 Falcon Rd. in Lewiston explained the basics of Medicare benefits and application timeframes to Boomers and others interested who may be new to Medicare on January 18th. On January 25th SeniorsPlus Education Center offered an ”Informed Aging” presentation to help Boomers look 5 years to 15 years ahead and make informed choices and decisions for home care services and understand the long term care system. Click on the link for more information and future classes of interest.

Warning from Maine Attorney General William Schneider about automated phone calls from companies claiming to want to help you lower credit card interest rates, and ask for your credit and debit card numbers, then use that personal information to hack into and clean out your accounts. The A.G. is advising Mainers who get these robo-calls to hang up and contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (207) 626-8849. AARP reports that in the over 50′s population, only 20% use cellphones as their primary calling devices, making the home telephone a prime target for robo-calling.

Maine’s Office of Securities is also encouraging seniors and caregivers to report possible financial or investment exploitation of elders in Maine. Financial scams victimize 1 out of every 5 people over the age of 65. Don’t let it happen to you. In Maine, call toll free 1-877-624-8551 or click on the link for more information. With W-2 forms and other tax documents containing personal information and Social Security numbers being mailed out during January each year, Identity Thieves are active so we all need to be vigilant.

If you need help this winter to keep your home warm don’t miss the opportunity to sign up for fuel assistance, being offered through Western Maine Community Action Program of E. Wilton, in partnership with Healthy Community Coalition, which is part of the Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington. Call the WMCA office in E. Wilton at 645-3764 or toll free at 1-800-645-9636 to apply.

Franklin County residents who qualify for Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can also call WMCA to request emergency crisis intervention funds (ECIP) which may help residents get through until more assistance becomes available.

The Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund is also prepared to help any household in Franklin County in need of fuel assistance. This is a ministry of the Franklin Area Ecumenical Ministry (FAEM). Every family that calls can receive one 50-gallon delivery of oil, kerosene or propane, once per heating season, subject to available funding. Please call WMCA at 645-3764, Ext. 5523 and leave a message with your name and phone number and request for ECU HEAT delivery. Tania Gage from WMCA will call you back. For more information on FAEM/ECU HEAT click on thecommunityconnector.org  website and tab down in Categories to Fuel Assistance then click on the ministry’s title.

Citizens Energy Program in Boston is a special fuel assistance program also known as 1-877-JOE-4-OIL. This is another option for fuel oil and kerosene assistance in the Northeast separate from LIHEAP and ECU HEAT programs. Call 1-877-563-4645 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.during weekdays only to request a one-time 100 gallons delivery of oil or kerosene only. Propane is not available through this program. Click on the Citizens Energency Program link to view their website for more information and availability in Western ME. Calls to JOE-4-OIL have been overwhelming, but as of January 2012, Citizens Energy Corporation urged people to keep calling the 1-877-563-4645 number until they make contact, but to be paitient and persistent, as the telephone lines are extremely busy. Calling that number is the only way to apply.

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Early detection is still the best way to fight breast cancer. The Healthy Community of Greater Franklin County hosted a number of breast cancer awareness events throughout the Western Maine region. Breast health education, mammogram scheduling assistance and how to obtain free mammograms are some of the services offered through the Healthy Community Coalition. For more information call Jennifer McCormack, RN, at HCC office, 779-2926 or toll free at 1-800-525-3136. Women without insurance who do not meet the income threshold to qualify for a free mammogram through the Maine Breast Cancer and Cervical Health Program, may qualify through another funding source. Call Jennifer McCormack for more information.

Want answers to health and medical questions about any prescription drugs, over the counter medications and vitamins, or access to a medical dictionary to explain medical terms, symptoms and medication side effects? Click on webmd.com or rxlist.com to browse their Pill Identifier databases, to confirm the pills you are taking, match the pills prescribed by your doctor and provided to you by the pharmacists.

Facts about prescription drugs and seniors – one third of seniors (65 and older) have no prescription drug coverage – prescription drug spending by seniors in 2010 was estimated to be $113.6 billion – low-income seniors spend 40% of their income on prescription drugs – seniors make up 13% of the nation’s population, but consume 34% of all prescriptions despensed and pay 42% of the nation’s bill for prescription drugs. (Source: Heinz Family Philanthropies)

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention wants to remind and encourage everyone to get an annual flu vaccine. Inoculations are available in shots or a nasal spray. Visit the Maine CDC website for more information on how to protect yourself and loved ones and keep up to date with public health information and services available in Maine.