Talk on Medicare benefits held

Mon, 08/28/2017 - 2:30pm

Boothbay Region Health Care hosted a talk on Monday, Aug. 21 designed to help empower people to take charge of their own health.

Participants heard Hannah Tompkins, aging and disability resource specialist and SHIP counselor, describe some of the "Surprising Medicare Benefits You Probably Didn't Know You Had."

Topics discussed were free or low cost services under the Medicare umbrella including hearing and balance exams, mental health care, bone mass measurement, breast cancer screening, behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, chronic care management, colorectal cancer screening, therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity screening and counseling.

An emphasis throughout was on patient empowerment, giving people the tools and resources to navigate through the health care system to achieve optimal health.

The talk ended with information on helping seniors protect themselves from fraud by being "Scam Smart."

Attendees were given contact numbers of agencies to report potential medical, money transfer, and e-mail scams.