Let St. Joseph Hoag Health Guide You Through Open Enrollment

If you’re 65 or older, it’s almost time to take stock of your health care coverage needs. Medicare open enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, 2019, during this period, you’re able to make the following important decisions:

• You can change from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage or vice versa. With Original Medicare, the government pays directly for health care costs you incur, but your out-of-pocket costs can be costly.[CL1] With Medicare Advantage, you have the same level of coverage as Original Medicare as well as options such as vision care, hearing aids, routine dental care, prescription drug coverage, and fitness center membership (check the plan to confirm). However, you’ll need to see a doctor within a specific network.

• You may switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another or from one Medicare Part D plan (for prescription drugs) to another.

• If you didn’t enroll in a Medicare Part D plan when you became eligible for Medicare, you could do it during open enrollment. A late fee may apply.
Here are some tips on making smart decisions:

Know your options

When choosing a Medicare plan, consider annual deductible, prescription drug co-pays, out-of-pocket costs, and coverage options. Also review the plan’s customer ratings, both for convenience and satisfaction with the doctors and care provided.

Make sure your doctors are available

Even if you’re not planning on switching plans, doctors can change each year. Make sure your favorite St. Joseph Hoag Health providers are still available under your plan. If they aren’t and you want to access their care, you could end up with hefty out-of-network fees. You can find out who is in which plan by calling your doctor’s office.

Know that Medicare is not your employer’s health plan

Many people think that Medicare is similar to their old workplace insurance. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated at first, and if you don’t choose certain elements, such as Part D, you may incur a penalty if you want it later on.

The good news is you don’t have to make Medicare decisions on your own. St. Joseph Hoag Health, Orange County’s most trusted health care network, provides extensive resources and information about your Medicare options. You don’t even have to be a current patient to take advantage of our offerings:

• Seminar: Attend one of our conveniently located meetings throughout open enrollment where representatives from our partner health plans will discuss 2020 benefits. Find a complete schedule of meetings at sjhh.org/medicare.

• Phone: Speak with a trusted, independent licensed agent about your Medicare options. After Oct. 15, you’ll even be able to enroll in coverage right over the phone.

• 1:1 Meeting: Call (855) 670-1938 to schedule a personal appointment and a licensed agent will review plans with you and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

• Online: Compare our contracted health plans’ 2020 benefits online by visiting our website at sjhh.org/medicare.

All these options are at no cost to you and will help guide you in making the best Medicare choices for your 2020 coverage. To get started and to RSVP for our meetings, visit sjhh.org/medicare or call (855) 670-1938.

UC Irvine (UCI) is one of the Institutions selected by the National Institute of Health to lead the All of Us Research Program in California, and Dr. Hoda Anton-Culver is the Principal Investigator at UCI. This Research Program is a national effort that aims at engaging one million or more participants nationwide to change the future of health.

UC Irvine has been very successful in leading this effort in California. More than 194,000 people have already joined across the country.

Dr. Anton-Culver, what is the All of Us Research Program?

The All of Us Research Program is led by the National Institutes of Health and part of the larger Precision Medicine Initiative. The goal is to engage one million or more volunteers living in the U.S. to improve health outcomes, fuel the development of new treatments for disease, and catalyze a new era of evidence-based and more precise preventive care and medical treatment. The mission of All of Us is simple: we want to speed up health research and change the future of health towards individualized care. Participants will share different kinds of health information over time to help build one of the largest, most diverse biomedical resources of its kind. Researchers will be able to access the data for a wide range of studies on different health conditions.

What is precision medicine?

Precision medicine is health care that is based on each individual. It takes into account factors like where you live, what you do, and your family health history. At the moment, health care is often one-size-fits-all. But imagine a future where your health treatments are tailored to you. This is called precision medicine. We can help make that future possible.

Why is UCI so successful in conducting the All of Us Research Program?

I think we are successful for a number of reasons. Our research team strongly believes in the importance of this research program as an unprecedented opportunity to change the future of health for our people, our community and our society. We created an amazing network of local healthcare providers, clinic staff members, and collaborators who are enthusiastically helping to promote the mission of the program in different ways. Our staff members are very well trained and mostly bilingual to overcome participants’ language barriers and cultural differences, and the positive experience of our participants is of paramount priority. We work together as a team to accomplish this important mission.

Why should someone consider joining All of Us?

People join for many reasons: to learn more about their health, to help improve the health of their communities and future generations, to help researchers find the best ways for people to stay healthy, and to help researchers one day create better tests and treatments. The longer a person stays involved with All of Us, the more they can learn about themselves and help speed up health research and medical breakthroughs.

Can anyone join?

Yes, all eligible adults, 18 years old or older can join.

What does participation involve?

People can create an account by visiting JoinAllofUs.org and provide their consent to get started. Then they’ll be asked to share their electronic health record and complete surveys. They can do all of this from their computer, tablet, or smartphone, or at one of our locations listed below. They will come to our clinics to have their physical measurements taken and to provide blood and urine sample. At completion of these steps, they will receive a $25 gift card. The All of Us Program will last for at least 10 years. We hope that participants will stay involved over time, responding to questionnaires and participating in other activities as they become available.
What do people need to do to participate at UCI?

The All of Us Research Program is important in Orange County because of the diversity of our population in this area, which includes Asians, Hispanics and other diverse populations including low socioeconomic people who are in general underrepresented in biomedical research.

They can contact us by phone (949 824-0282) or email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to schedule an appointment with us at one of the following locations: UCI Clinics in Irvine (Gottschalk Plaza Clinic or Gavin Herbert Eye Institute), UCI Medical Center in Orange, UCI Family Medicine in Santa Ana and Anaheim, Westminster Medical Center, and the Florence Sylvester Memorial Senior Center in Laguna Woods. They can also self-schedule the appointment at allofus.health.uci.edu.

What will you do to protect participant’s privacy?

We will take great care to protect participants’ information. Here are a few of the steps we will take: a) Information we have about participants will be stored on protected computers. We will limit and keep track of who sees the information; b) we will remove names and other direct identifiers (like your Social Security number) from the participants’ information and replace them with a code; c) Researchers must promise not to try to find out who the participants are. d) We will tell the participant if there is a risk to privacy because of a data breach. e) The All of Us Research Program has Certificates of Confidentiality from the U.S. government. This will help us fight legal demands (such as a court order) to give out information that could identify the participant.

Why is All of Us Research important for Orange County?

The All of Us Research Program is important in Orange County because of the diversity of our population in this area, which includes Asians, Hispanics and other diverse populations including low socioeconomic people who are in general underrepresented in biomedical research. This helps to know more about their health and their risk factors for developing diseases. If we want to do meaningful research for the entire country and not just certain subsets of communities, we’re going to need broad participation. We are particularly interested in groups that are currently underrepresented in biomedical research. As leaders of this research program it is our responsibility to make sure that “all of us” have the opportunity to participate in the program and make a difference. Therefore, we will do our best to engage our community, earn people’s trust and give them the opportunity to participate in this research program.

Where can someone learn more about the All of Us Research Program?

Our staff members will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Please call us at (949) 824-0282. You can also visit allofus.health.uci.edu to learn more about the program.

Quality, In-Home Care & Specialists in Serving People Living with Parkinson’s Disease

There are a number of frustrating things about a disease which presents itself differently in each of its patients. The first, quite obviously, is that the disease is present at all.

Next, perhaps, is that each conversation is marked by a tangle of personal history: for each individual has a background that informs how the disease will inhabit their lives and attempt to inhibit their futures. Lori Renaud, R.N., is no stranger to these frustrations, particularly when it comes to Parkinson’s Disease.

With symptoms like muscle rigidity, tremors, and changes in speech, for people suffering from Parkinson’s, it can be easy to feel as though easy living has come to an end. But Lori and her team at Acti-Kare refuse to give up. April marks the beginning of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, engaging the global Parkinson’s community to raise the antenna on a disease which impacts an estimated 7 to 10 million worldwide. Local events, social media pushes, walking and running events all hope to foster understanding and encourage those who are affected by the disease to share their stories.

Providing oversight, check-ins, in-home care, and exercise programs tailored to her clients’ individual needs, Lori incorporates “a healthy well balanced diet, a safe at-home environment, companionship, and the chance to maintain and improve socialization.” Most afflictions impacting the elderly force them behind the doors of their homes: and what were once cherished creature comforts become cramped, confined spaces. Lori’s team of professional caregivers are there to swing open the doors once more.

An industry leader in providing highly qualified, compassionate, and trustworthy caregivers, Acti-Kare is dedicated to in-home care, and Lori Renaud, R.N., is at the helm in South Orange County, steering her team towards excellence. Especially when it comes to senior care. Acti-Kare offers affordable in-home care - both hourly and live-in services - including transportation, meal preparation, personal care services, companionship from professionals who are screened, bonded and insured.

The knowledge that your loved ones are in careful hands is priceless, and the understanding that those hands are leading your loved ones to a safer, more independent lifestyle in their advanced years is immeasurable.

“I began Acti-Kare in April of 2015. Working in healthcare provided me with the opportunity to recognize the value and benefit of high-quality in-home care,” says Lori. “Too many seniors only have a life of existence, leading to isolation and depression.” Indeed, for those struggling with even minor memory or recovery issues, like a friend’s mother after she broke her hip, life becomes smaller and smaller. Until the house you raised your children in can start to feel more like a trap than a triumph.

Caregiving through memory loss, Alzheimer’s - offering both long-term care and hospice, Acti-Kare is committed to providing outstanding service. “Our caregivers go to the client’s residence, and we are daily achieving my goal of providing seniors the opportunity to have a life with meaning, and a more active, social, and independent lifestyle in a safe environment,” says Lori.

As a Registered Nurse, Lori takes each initial consultation herself, developing an individualized plan of care for every client, and checking back in regularly to provide personalized health assessments. The Acti-Vate Program takes customized care one step further, challenging the norm of an age-induced fatigue, and balancing mind, body and spirit to improve the wellbeing of clients holistically. The knowledge that your loved ones are in careful hands is priceless, and the understanding that those hands are leading your loved ones to a safer, more independent lifestyle in their advanced years is immeasurable.

“I can now sleep at night, knowing my mother is safe,” says Mary, a client from Laguna Beach. “Not only does my mother now have a constant companion, her laundry is taken care of, mail sorted - but if she wants to go out and run errands or meet a friend, her transportation is arranged.” Clients can still do their own grocery shopping; but if they’d rather not bother with the task of preparing and cleaning up afterwards, or perhaps are dealing with a restricted diet, “Acti-Kare caregivers can prepare meals that maintain a healthy diet, as well as monitor their daily nutritional needs to insure sufficient nutrition.” Unfortunately, a great many seniors fail to meet those demands, leading to frustration, and often, a heightened risk of illness.

“I educate the public on disease management and prevention,” says Lori. “But sometimes it takes the presence of a competent, compassionate caregiver to ensure that corners aren’t being cut on health in some of the most important years of your life.” Treating every client as if they were a family member of their own, Lori’s team is confident that their suite of senior care solutions will surpass your expectations for care - without committing to a long-term contract or minimum hour block of service.

A unique disease calls for a unique approach, and Lori’s team at Acti-Kare certainly aren’t strangers to the challenges that lie before them. Lori’s main frustration isn’t the tremors that come with Parkinson’s, or the lack of awareness surrounding diseases like it, but the cost to living facing people diagnosed with debilitating disease. “I want to keep people living independently: but mostly, just to keep people truly alive.”

Connect with Lori directly by calling (949) 397-6069 or visit www.actikare.com/southorangecounty