Applying for Medicare may seem really scary, but this week we hear from Shannon Hasenstein with Aging Best in Columbia. Her job is to help Missourians find the Medicare plan that is best for them.
She spoke about some of the challenges the seniors she works with face and about why she recommends contacting her or another MO SHIP counselor for assistance before Medicare Open Enrollment ends December 7th.
Just as a note, MO SHIP is currently a sponsor of KBIA.
Missouri Health Talks gathers Missourians’ stories of access to healthcare in their own words.
Shannon Hasenstein: When it comes to coverage of care, the biggest problem my seniors that I've been dealing with have – and especially the homebound – is transportation to those appointments.
You know, when it comes to, like, Cooper County and Howard County – the OATS bus only runs very limited.
It'll pick up at a general location and go to Columbia, like, one or two days a week, and so, you have to try and schedule those appointments in there.
Otherwise you're hoping there's a family they're hoping there's a family member or church member or a friend – somebody who can take them to their appointments.
Yeah, we have the telemedicine stuff now, but most of our seniors are what we call “technology challenged,” and they just, they may not have the internet, they don’t necessarily have computers or something that, you know.
They don't necessarily have access to the technology to be able to do those, or you get that they just get frustrated with how it works.
"The other thing I tell people is, you know, contacting us and asking for help – it's not a bad thing, you know, you've paid your taxes. Just think of it this way, this is your tax money coming back to you."Shannon Hasenstein
It’s, get a lot of satisfaction just from helping people. I've had a number of you know, clients – little old ladies – that, you know, end up in tears by the time we're done, because they're just so relieved and thankful and grateful that there's somebody out there helping look out for them versus taking advantage of them.
That's actually a big stress reliever is, you know, just seeing that relief, you know. You go into a client's house and they're very tense, they're very upset, they don't understand, they're very confused, and by the time you leave – they're relaxed.
They know they have an advocate in their corner. They know that, you know, they're being taken care of.
One of the biggest things I tell you is , “Don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help for something you don't understand,” because dealing with Medicare – it can be very confusing. It can be very frustrating.
We can clarify things and make it easier for you to understand.
The other thing I tell people is, you know, contacting us and asking for help – it's not a bad thing, you know, you've paid your taxes. Just think of it this way, this is your tax money coming back to you.
So, you've already paid for us, you know, you're not paying us for anything. You've already paid us by paying your taxes or by serving your country or whatever it was that they did.
We like to always say, you know, “You're not asking for something you don't deserve. Don't be afraid to reach out.”
Especially with us at Aging Best, because we're all about making sure that our seniors are able to live a healthy, safe, independent life in wherever they choose to live – whether it's in their home one of their kids homes or independent or assisted living, you know we're there to help you live your best life.
