On the eve of Mary Bethel's departure as AARP Associate State Director, several of the key legislators she has helped train over the past decade asked her to answer some questions regarding her advocacy work. Questions and answers are reprinted here. 1. YEARS OF SERVICE/BACKGROUND I was Associate State Director for Advocacy for AARP for nine and a half years. [...]
When Mary Bethel received a state award in May for excellence and outstanding service in the field of aging from the NC Association on Aging, older adults from Murphy to Manteo joined in the applause. As AARP’s Assistant State Director for Advocacy, Mary led AARP’s considerable efforts to gain recognition for the increasing population of older adults in North Carolina [...]
Did you know that if you are under age 65 and have a disability you may be eligible for Medicare? If you have questions about this or your health insurance options, SHIIP can help. SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, is a division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance that provides free, unbiased counseling about Medicare, not just [...]
Are you at a point in your life where you are asking, “What’s next?” You have finished one chapter, and you have yet to write the next one. Many seniors face these transitions at midlife, but they can happen to anyone at any stage. It’s a time of great potential, defining a whole new phase of life. It˙s called Life [...]
How Should I Prepare for Medicare? More than 120,000 North Carolinians will turn 65 this year. Turning 65 is a lot like turning 16. When you turned 16, you didn’t automatically get your driver’s license; instead you had to take an exam and prove that you were a safe driver. There was a specific order and procedure for getting your [...]
SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, for many years has built a reputation for providing reliable, unbiased information about Medicare. Housed in the North Carolina Department of Insurance, SHIIP provides free counseling to Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers by phone and in person in all 100 counties of the state. But no organization can do this kind of work [...]
Did you know that North Carolina has more than 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries? And all those beneficiaries are served by more than 1,000 volunteers and coordinators from SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program. That equates to almost 1,500 beneficiaries for every SHIIP volunteer. Housed within the North Carolina Department of Insurance, SHIIP was established in 1986 to help educate [...]
By Mary Bethel, Associate State Director for Advocacy, AARP North Carolina Caregiving — it impacts almost all of us or will impact us in the future. According to the Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregiving, there are only four kinds of people in the world: • those who have been caregivers • those who are currently caregivers • those who will [...]
In the world of internet, e-mail, phone calls, blogs and the postal service, Medicare beneficiaries are bombarded with advertisements about free medical services, free equipment and more. Other times, Medicare beneficiaries receive frightening post cards that lead them to believe they will lose their benefits if they don’t respond and provide personal information. Beware of products that seem too good [...]
SHIIP Coordinating Sites in the Triangle Please ask for “SHIIP help” ALAMANCE: John Kernodle Senior Center(336-222-5135) CHATHAM: Chatham County Council on Aging(919-542-4512) DURHAM: Senior Pharmassist, Inc.(919-688-4772) FRANKLIN: Franklinton Senior Center(919-494-5611) GRANVILLE: Senior Center(919-693-1930) HARNETT: RSVP(910-893-7579) JOHNSTON: Johnston County Cooperative Extension(919-989-5380) LEE: The Enrichment Center(919-776-0501) MOORE: Moore County Senior Enrichment Center(910-215-0900) ORANGE: Seymour Senior Center(919-968-2070) PERSON: Person County Senior Center(336-599-7484) VANCE: [...]
