Leelanau County

Senior Services

8527 E Government Center Dr. Ste. 106

Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Phone: (231) 256-8121 Fax: (231) 256-8129

www.leelanau.cc/seniorservices.asp

seniorinfo@co.leelanau.mi.us

Hours: 9:00 a.m.. - 5:00 p.m.

Monday - Friday

April Missias Director

Nancy Begeman Assistant Director

David Wurm Finance Clerk

Armanda Krantz Program Assistant

Chet Janik County Administrator

(231) 256-9711

County Commissioners

Tony Ansorge District #1 (Elmwood Township & a portion of the City of Traverse City)

(231) 941-1078

Debra Rushton District #2 (Bingham Township & a

portion of Elmwood Township) (231) 941-8286

William Bunek District #3 (Suttons Bay Township & a

portion of Bingham Township) (231) 256-7124

Ty Wessell

District #4 (Leelanau Township & a portion of Suttons Bay) (231) 432-0066

Patricia Soutas-Little District #5

(Leland & Centerville Townships)

(231) 218-8496

Carolyn (Peachy) Rentenbach District #6 (Cleveland, Empire &

Glen Arbor Townships) (231) 334-3728

Melinda Lautner

District #7 (Solon & Kasson Townships) (231) 947-2509

THE LEELANAU CONNECTION

Striving to celebrate and support seniors within our community

March / April 2019

April

Dear Friends,

I am beginning to get cabin fever and looking forward to spring. We have had so

many days this winter where we were stuck indoors peering out the windows at

the snow. So much time inside forced me to look at my belongings and ask myself

why I am holding onto so much stuff! I am ready to do some dreaded spring

cleaning and declutter my home. If you are like me you look around and wonder

where to begin. Nancy and Armanda recently shared with me Marie Kondo’s

book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering

and Organizing”. Her goal is to help organize people’s environments by having you

go through your things and determine if an item brings you joy. The items that no

longer bring you joy should be discarded. This approach seemed simple and a

good way to approach the decluttering process. I went through my closet and

held my clothes to see if they still brought me joy. I discovered that a great deal of

my clothes, although good basics or functional, did not bring me joy. I soon had a

mound of clothes I was ready to discard. I then carefully went through the discard

pile and determined where I would like to donate them to. I donated to a number

of non-profits, which in the end brought me a great deal of joy knowing someone

else may find joy in wearing them. I have continued this process going through my

books, household goods, and am working my way towards sentimental items.

I frequently hear many of you talk about the need to downsize your homes and

belongings as you prepare for a life change. Regardless of the size of change,

whether you are moving, making room for a hobby, rearranging your home to

accommodate a walker, or just decluttering, the joy rule seems perfect.

In this newsletter we will touch on letting go and organizing in various forms.

LCSS is enjoying working with Victoria Maggio a registered nurse with ShareCare

of Leelanau. She has been assisting us with in-home assessments for those seniors

who receive in-home services through LCSS.

As you prepare to downsize your life and begin to think about what you may need

to live life on your terms as you age, we can offer guidance on where to begin as

you look at your health and wellbeing.

I hope you will join us for coffee and conversation as we begin a new program

series, “Coffee Connections”. We will provide coffee, goodies and a

conversationalist who will share a story or two. Our first conversationalist will be

Leelanau County’s Administrator, Chet Janik. Chet will discuss Leelanau County

and what brings him joy.

Change can be stressful, so let’s surround ourselves with things, people and

experiences that bring us joy.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Warmly,

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Who We Are

Leelanau County Senior

Services provides a variety of

programs and services to

meet the growing needs of

seniors. We recognize that

all needs are different and

strive to take a holistic

approach to provide a range

of services and programs that

address the unique physical,

social, and emotional needs of

our seniors.

Our programs are designed

to support our senior’s lives:

Personal Care*

Respite Care*

Homemaker*

Medication Management*

Medical Transportation

Foot Care Vouchers

We also offer limited financial

assistance for seniors who

meet certain income and

asset guidelines:

Dental Assistance

Eye Glass Assistance

Hearing Aid Assistance

Heating/Utility Assistance

Legal Assistance

Unmet Needs Assistance

Project Fresh Coupons**

Promoting Safety:

Care Trak locator bracelet

Emergency 911 Cell Phone

PERS (Personal Emergency

Response System) File of Life

Medical Equipment Loan Closet

Social Activities:

Euchre

Bitesize Learning

Senior Expo

Coffee Connections

Lunch Bunch

* Income and asset tested through application and home evaluation process.

** Funded by USDA

Did you know?

If you stop getting thirsty, you need

to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated,

its thirst mechanism shuts off.

Drinking water after eating reduces

the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.

A Medicare/Medicaid Specialist with

the Area Agency on Aging’s

Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP)

will be available at the

Government Center to offer assistance with

Prescription Drug Programs

and to answer any

Medicare/Medicaid questions you may have.

Call LCSS at 256-8121

Appointments are required.

ESTATE PLANNING

Planning for your future with your family and loved ones can be

stressful. Leelanau County Senior Services is working with two

law firms to help with your estate planning.

The initial appointment is a free service to discuss your

individual needs and plans.

Call LCSS to schedule your appointment today.

(231) 256-8121

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4

Fire and Rescue

Non Emergency

Numbers:

Sheriff’s Office

256-8800

Cedar Fire and Rescue

228-5396

Elmwood Twp Fire

& Rescue

941-1647

Glen Lake Fire Dept. Station 1: Glen Arbor

334-3279

Station 2: Empire

326-5250

Grand Traverse Band

Fire/Rescue

534-7666

Leelanau Township Fire

386-5343

Leland Fire and Rescue

256-7760

Suttons Bay-Bingham

Fire/Rescue

271-6978

Munson

Bereavement

Support Group

Meets the second and

fourth Monday of each

month in the

Leelanau County

Government Center

at 11:00 a.m.

All are welcome to

attend, there is no

need to register.

MSU Extension in Leelanau County

is Welcoming New 4-H Volunteers

You are needed!

Share your experience and knowledge with young people to help youth

gain skills through a 4-H special interest (SPIN) club. If you are interested

in learning more about becoming a Leelanau County 4-H Volunteer, please

contact the 4-H Program Coordinator, Rosali Collier,

at (231) 256-9888 or collierr@msu.edu

Senior Transitions

Understanding the changes associated with aging

and ways to maintain independence

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Leelanau County Government Center

Connie Hintsala, The Alliance for Senior Housing

April Missias, Leelanau County Senior Services

Patsy Conklin, Registered Nurse and Caregiver

Cynthia McGarry, Brightstar Home Care Services

Reservations Appreciated Leelanau County Senior Services ShareCare of Leelanau, Inc

(231) 256-8121 (231) 256-0221

How to protect yourself from Identity Theft

WORKSHOPS@LELAND TOWNSHIP LIBRARY 203 E Cedar St, Leland

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Join Library Director Mark Morton as he discusses ways to protect yourself from identity

theft and other attempts to steal your personal information and your money.

Call The Leland Township Library today to sign up

(231) 256-9152

Rescheduled

Snow Day

Rescheduled

Snow Day

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Mid-Michigan Honor Flight

The Mid-Michigan Honor Flight, a non-profit organization,

is a regional hub of the Honor Flight Network.

This group will be transporting veterans this fall on a day

trip from Traverse City to Washington, D.C., to view the

National World War II Memorial, Arlington Cemetery

and several other memorials.

Each veteran must have a chaperone to

accompany them on the flight.

If you are a Veteran of WWII, Korean

Conflict, or know of a veteran who would

like to participate in this year’s annual flight,

please contact:

County Administrator Chet Janik

(231) 256-9711

cjanik@co.leelanau.mi.us

Back row: Sheriff Mike Borkovich, Patrick Panyard, Chet Janik

Front row: Charlie Miller, John Conder, Bayard Lawes, Jack Ryan

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Coffee Connections

Blending Coffee, Community and Conversation

Join us as we brew coffee and team up with members of our community in lighthearted

conversation in a casual atmosphere.

Our first Coffee Connections guest will be County Administrator, Chet Janik.

Chet immigrated to Cedar from Poland in 1961 at the age of 4. He started his

professional career at the age of 23 with Northwestern Michigan College and served as

Superintendent in Buckley and Charlevoix Public Schools.

He has been Leelanau County’s Administrator since 2012.

Chet will share stories on from his life adventures and inform us of current

events going on Leelanau County.

Wednesday, April 24th

10:30 a.m.

Community Meeting Room Lower level of the Government Center in Suttons Bay

In-home Consultations

LCSS has begun a collaborative relationship with ShareCare of Leelanau, Inc. for nursing

services. We are enjoying working with Victoria Maggio as she assists us with in-home

assessments for seniors who are currently receiving in-home services through LCSS.

Victoria is a registered nurse and has worked in multiple areas of nursing. In her recent

years she has worked in the Family Practice/Internal Medicine office for Dr. Siemer and

Dr. Lammy, and in cardiology for Traverse Heart and Vascular before coming to

ShareCare of Leelanau.

LCSS is an advocate for people living life on their terms as they age. LCSS offers a variety of programs and

support to assist seniors as they age. One of our greatest assets is information about various resources and

systems in place for seniors. We frequently receive calls from seniors or children of seniors who are looking for

guidance as they begin to make plans for those unexpected moments that arise in life. Some of the questions we

field are, “If I have a health emergency, who will care for me?” “Do you know someone I can hire for home

repairs?, or “Can someone come and meet with me about services in the area and what may be beneficial to me

now or in the future?.”

If you have questions or concerns regarding navigating your personal aging journey,

please contact LCSS at 256-8121 to schedule a consultation appointment with Victoria.

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 Estate Planning 5 6

7 8 Bereavement

Group 11am

9 10

11 12 13

14 15

16 17 MMAP

Counselor

18

Parkinson’s Support

Group

19

Office Closed

12:00

20

21 Easter

Sunday

22 Bereavement

Group 11am

23 Senior Transition

24

Coffee

Connections

25

26 27

28 29

30

Drop in Euchre

March 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5

6

7 Estate Planning

8

9

10Daylight

Savings Time

begins

11 Bereavement

Group 11am

12 13

MMAP

Counselor

14 Lunch @

Knot Just a Bar

15

16

17

Happy

St. Patrick's Day

18 19

20 First Day

of Spring

21

22

23

24

31

25 Bereavement

Group 11am

26

Drop in Euchre

27MMAP

Counselor 28 29 30

April 2019 Food Commodity or Surplus every 3rd

Tuesday of every month

For more information on surplus &

commodities: 1 (800) 632-7334

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Reminder: Some foods do not mix

well with medication.

Please remember to check

with your doctor or

pharmacist on what foods

to avoid while taking

certain medications.

Pan Seared Talipia Nancy recently attended “An Evening with Joe Muer” at Amical restaurant in Traverse City.

Joe was born into a family of “a-fish-ianodos”. His Grandfather opened an oyster bar in Detroit

the day before The Crash of Wall Street in 1929. For three generations Joe Muer’s Sea Food

restaurant grew and became internationally famous.

Today, a new highly acclaimed Joe Muer’s restaurant is at the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

Here is a recipe for simple and delicious fish that Joe teaches at his cooking classes and can also

be found in his “Joe Muer’s Simply Seafood” cookbook. Enjoy ~ Armanda

The Lunch Bunch

We strive to meet as a group for lunch at various restaurants in Leelanau County.

It’s a chance to meet up with old friends and make new ones.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

12:30 p.m. 5019 N. West Bayshore Drive. On the water in downtown Omena.

Lunch will be off the menu, limited seating,

please call LCSS to reserve your

spot - 256-8121

Tilapia Pan Seared

This is the easiest fish to prepare this way. It is fast and odorless. Select a pan sized to the amount of fish to cook.

There are many seasonings that can be used but this recipe is one of my favorites. Heat an equal mixture of light olive oil and

Smart Balance of ¼ inch in the pan which will not burn but gives a butter flavor. Lay out the filets on wax paper or saran

wrap to season with Old Bay and lemon pepper then lightly dust with cornstarch. Saute on medium heat covering the pan

with a splatter guard browning on both sides. Tilapia cooks fast so remove when just browned to hot plates. There are many

sauces to use with this fish but simply prepared is excellent.

Joe Muer’s Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce was originally served with fried fish but gradually became popular to use on many types of seafood. My

customers would spread it on crackers, bread, baked potatoes and even one man spread it on his sirloin steak. Sacrilegious!

The recipe has changed since my Grandmother made it for her husband, Joe, when he first started his restaurant in 1929.

The variations you can create will surprise you.

1 cup real mayonnaise

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 ½ tsp each of minced onion and dill pickle relish

1 tsp minced capers

The dill relish and capers must be well drained or pressed dry. Add 2 TBS of thick yogurt for a lighter style . Fresh or dry dill

is another good addition. Reference: Joe Muer’s Simply Seafood

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Scam Corner with Allison

Allison serves as a Basic Member of the

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff’s Office

Posse Reserve in a volunteer capacity.

Scam Alert

By: Allison Hubley

In this edition of the “Scam Alert”, we will address two topics that many of our readers find to be

very annoying--the problem of unwanted junk mail and unsolicited telephone calls.

How to reduce pesky junk mail

How can an individual opt-out of receiving such a voluminous amount of junk mail? This is something that many of us are

undoubtedly curious about. In an article written by Whitson Gordon for The New York Times titled “How to Cut Down

on Unwanted Junk Mail”, three strategies are discussed. These include: switch your magazines and bills to electronic

delivery, unsubscribe from catalogs, credit offers and other unsolicited mail and avoid mail intended for previous residents.

Let’s examine each of these strategies further.

First, Gordon recommends that you “consider what you actually need in hard copy form”. It is relatively easy to switch

your magazine subscriptions and bills to digital delivery. After doing this, you can go to the website and cancel the physical

delivery of your magazine or bill.

Second, Gordon discusses how catalogs and pre-approved credit card offers are the items that really clutter your mailbox.

The Data & Marketing Association offers a tool where you can remove your name and address from the lists of many com-

panies that regularly send you material. To access this tool, please visit DMAChoice.org.

Finally, with regard to mail intended for the previous residents of your place of residence, Gordon recommends, “Resist

the temptation to throw these mailings away. It won’t solve the problem, and in some cases it could even be illegal.

Instead, cross out all bar codes on the envelope (so it doesn’t get automatically sorted), write ‘Return to sender:

Recipient moved’ on the front and stick it back in the mailbox. This will send it back to the Post Office and hopefully back

to the original sender, so they won’t keep mailing stuff to your address”. As a last resort if this action does not

successfully solve the problem, Gordon adds that, “You can fill out a change of address form for the previous occupant

with “Left No Forwarding Address” in place of the new residence or file a complaint with the postmaster”.

Does the “Do Not Call” registry really work?

Our readers continue to report their frustration with robocalls that are regularly received. In an article entitled, “Those

annoying robocalls are about to get even worse”, Ethan Wolff-Mann writes that, “Modern technology has made the

annoying practice easy and cheap, and by the middle of the year, robocalls are expected to make up half of all calls that

occur in the U.S. Some companies are working on a plan to curtail robocalling, but it hasn’t appeared to help much yet. …

April 15— tax day—will most likely be the worst day of the entire year for robocalls”. In addition, Wolff- Mann informs

us that “Tuesdays are the worst, with 15% of all annoying calls, and Sunday had the least at 5%. While April is the worst

month for robocalls, December is the best”.

Unfortunately, many experts believe that the "Do Not Call" registry is not very effective. Nevertheless, it does not hurt

to regularly check the “Do Not Call” list to make sure that your telephone number is still registered. However, if you

continue to receive these annoying telephone calls, your best bet is to file a complaint with the FTC. In an article entitled,

“What’s up with the National Do Not Call Registry”?, Amy Hebert writes that, “Last year there were 7.1 million

complaints to the FTC at donotcall.gov, and the majority of people reported getting robocalls. The most reported topics

were calls about debt reduction, vacation and timeshares, and warranty plans. Each state has its own breakdown so you

can check out what is going on where you live, too”. If you wish to file a formal complaint, visit the FTC’s website at

www.ftc.gov/complaint.

What can you do?

The staff of Leelanau County Senior Services always encourage our readers to contact the office at (231) 256-8121 if you or

someone you know has been a victim of fraud. In order to remain proactive as a community, we can post any information

that you would like to share on our Facebook page; we will certainly maintain confidentiality if requested. Please remember

to stay alert at all times and monitor your surroundings at all times.

References:

Gordon, W. March 8, 2018. How to cut down on unwanted junk mail. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/08/smarter-living/how-to-cut-down- on-unwanted-junk-mail.html. Hebert, A. December 18, 2017. What’s up with the National Do Not Call Registry?

Retrieved from: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/12/whats-national-do-not-call-registry. Wolff-Mann, E. February 6, 2019. Those annoying robocalls are about to get even worse. AOL Online. Retrieved from:https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2019/02/06/those-annoying-robocalls-are-about-to- get-even-worse/23663396/.

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Community Events

DROP IN EUCHRE

Leelanau County

Senior Services

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

&

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

1:00 p.m. sharp!

$2.00 (for prize money)

pay at the door

Community Meeting Room

Lower level of the

Government Center

in Suttons Bay

COMMUNITY

MEALS

Dining Senior Style

Come have lunch with fellow

neighbors and friends.

Luncheon meal sites are

sponsored by the Northwest

Michigan Community Action

Agency and are held weekly

in Empire, Suttons Bay, and

Northport and once a month

in Elmwood Township.

Please call our office at

256-8121 for dates and

contact person information.

Suttons Bay

Community Potluck

The Suttons Bay Friendship

Community Center hosts a

once-a-month potluck

dinner. A main dish will be

provided, bring your own

table service and a dish to

pass. This free event takes

place every second

Tuesday of the month

between

6:00 p.m. and 8:00 pm

at the center. Call 271-4630 for more

information

Leelanau Parkinson’s Support Group

Do you or a loved one have Parkinson’s disease?

After taking a hiatus this past winter, the Leelanau Parkinson’s Support

group will be meeting again in April.

Hettie Molvang, retired nurse and educator, will be facilitating the

support group. Hettie is a board member of Parkinson’s Network

North and facilitates two support groups in Traverse City. She

continues to be a strong advocate for Parkinson’s disease at the local,

state and national level.

The group will be meeting April through September on the third

Thursday of each month, at 2:00 p.m., at the Government Center.

Thursday, April 18

2:00 p.m.

Government Center

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Save The Date Upcoming events:

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

BASA Senior Expo (Bay Area Senior Advocates)

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Grand Traverse County Civic Center

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Leelanau County Household Hazardous Waste

and Electronics Collection

Call (231) 256-9812 for an appointment

Thursday, May 30, 2019

34th Annual Parkinson’s Summer Forum

Hagerty Center in Traverse City

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

LCSS Senior Expo

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Suttons Bay High School

Watch our facebook page for more

updates and upcoming events.

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LEELANAU COUNTY SENIOR SERVICES

8527 E. Government Center Drive, Suite 106

Suttons Bay, MI 49682

THE LEELANAU CONNECTION

Striving to celebrate and support seniors within our community

Leelanau County Senior Services

www.leelanau.cc/seniorservices.asp