Staying Warm This Winter

For Your Information from Allegheny Power about possible assistance for staying warm this winter...

LIHEAP opens today for Cash grants only. To apply, have consumers call their local County Assistance Office to request and application. Gross monthly household income must be below the federal poverty guidelines at 150%, or less than $1,353 for a one person household.

Also, the Dollar Energy Fund grant program is open now for customers of regulated utilities who have received a Termination Notice or their service is OFF. Their monthly income must be less than 200% of the FPG, and they must have paid at least $150 on their respective accts in the past 90 days. Customers over age 62 must have paid at least $100 during this time period.

Heating customers cannot apply for LIHEAP Crisis grants until January 4, 2010.

Special note for Allegheny Power customers who are enrolled in our (CAP) LIPURP program. If they are all electric customers (rate code 108), they must apply for and receive LIHEAP grants to remain in the program. For those customers who were removed from LIPURP for not getting a LIHEAP grant this past winter, they must apply and receive a Cash grant in order to be reinstated in LIPURP.

K J Collamer, MSW
CARES Representative
Allegheny Power

724-523-1022 Office
724-244-3409 Cell phone
724-830-7853 Fax
1-800-207-1250 Toll Free – Leave a message.

Please be informed that the Crisis Program does not officially open until January 4, 2010 as stated in the Fiscal Year 2010 Liheap Final State Plan. However, people whose heat source is terminated (shut off’s only) can apply for an “exceptional payment” at the Allegheny County Central Liheap Office located in the State Office Building, 300 Liberty Avenue, Room 111, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222. Anyone seeking assistance with Crisis Weatherization which is officially open will be referred directly to the Weatherization agency that provides the service needed.

Provided by Karen L. Randolph

Here are some articles that may be of interest to you from the UNC Institute on Aging Information Center:

Public_Library_Strategies_For_the_Over_50s: everything is new again - or is it?
by Joseph Mylee

Retaining_Intellectual_Capital: Retired Faculty and Academic Libraries.
by Karen Hartman

Here is an updated list of the Medicare Counseling/Enrollment events for November and December 2009 that the Allegheny County APPRISE Program is producing in partnership with various community organizations.

APPRISE staff/volunteers will provide direct, in-person, one-on-one counseling on:

• Medicare Health Plan comparisons and enrollment to assist attendees in making accurate
  choices for effective health care coverage
• Enrollment for various medical and prescription drug assistance programs such as:
  Medicaid; LIS/Extra Help (a federal prescription drug benefit program which significantlyreduces the cost of prescription medications for eligible individuals); PACE and PACENET (a Pennsylvania prescription medication program, which will also drastically reduce the cost that patients are forced to pay for medications); additional programs under the Pennsylvania Prescription Assistance Program (P-PAP).
• Counselors will also be available to assist individuals in obtaining dental care and eye care
  within their local communities.
• Pharmacists will be available for prescription medication counseling: providing effective strategies for managing medications, providing information specific to individuals’ personal drug requirements, reviewing possible lower-cost alternatives for expensive medications on an individual’s formulary, and explaining techniques for taking medications to produce more effective results.

These are the newly scheduled events:
11/06/09 2pm to 4pm
Crafton Towers
1215 Foster Ave
Crafton 15205
Registration/Info: 412-921-5056

11/11/09 10am to Noon
Nobel Towers
2440 Baldwick Road
Pittsburgh 15205
Registration/Info: 412-922-5537

11/13/09 2pm to 4pm
Lloyd McBride Court
2440 Baldwick Road
Millvale 15209
Registration/Info: 412-822-5341

11/20/09 1:00pm to 4pm
Sharpsburg Towers Senior Apts
601 Main Street
Sharpsburg 15215
Registration/Info: 412-784-0867

11/24/09 2pm to 4pm
Ebenezer Towers Senior Apts
420 Dinwiddie Street
Pittsburgh 15219
Registration/Info: 412-400-3142

12/02/09 11am to 1pm
Canterbury Senior Apts
310 Fisk Street
Lawrenceville 15201
Registration/Info: 412-627-9083

12/11/09 1pm to 4pm
Beechtree Commons Senior Apts
6460 Leechburg Road
Verona 15147
Registration/Info: 412-583-9300

These are the ones already listed:
11/10/09 10am to 3pm
Alle-Kiski Medical Center
1301 Carlisle Street
Natrona Hts. 15065

11/12/09 10am to 2pm
St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church
2365 McAleer Road
Sewickley 15143

11/17/09 10am to 2pm
6th Mt. Zion Baptist Church
6556 Shetland Street
Pittsburgh (East Liberty)15206

11/18/09 10am to 3pm
Riverview Manor
1500 Letort Street
Pittsburgh (Brighton)15212

11/19/09 10am to 2pm
Rankin Christian Center
230 3rd Ave
Rankin 15104

12/01/09 10am to 3pm
Jefferson Regional Medical Center
565 Coal Valley Road
Jefferson Hills 15236

12/03/09 12noon to 4pm
Benedictine Center
4530 Perrysville Ave.
Pittsburgh (North Hills) 15229

More H1N1 Information

As we enter the fall and winter months the threat of the H1N1 virus may become a reality for some. In the past few weeks information has been posted about how to protect yourself and others from contracting the virus.

Here is some new links to material concerning the H1N1 virus from our neighbors at UPMC which provides information not just on the swine flu but also the seasonal flu and how to get reimbursement for vaccinations.

UPMC_Health_Plan_H1N1_Virus_Information

At the bottom of the site there is also a direct link to the PA_Department_of_Health for more information.

Senior Training and Employment

This program of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services may be of interest to some of your libraries.

The Senior Training and Employment Program (STEP) has been a successful program for several decades - for both older workers who are forced into early retirement without financial supports and for nonprofits struggling to meet increasing needs with reduced funding. But in today’s depressed economy, STEP is invaluable. Non-profit organizations interested in becoming a host agency should call 412-350-6875 or 412-350-6809.

For more information see the Senior Training and Employment Program (STEP) flyer.

H1N1 Virus Information

Do you have questions about the H1N1 (swine) flu?

The PA Dept of Health has a website where you can get answers and learn about how to help control the spread of H1N1 flu.

Located at www.H1N1inPA.com, the site provides the latest news about the virus such as:

What are the symptoms of the disease?

How should you care for sick family members?

When will the vaccine become available and how it will be distributed?

For other questions about H1N1, call the Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH
(1-877-724-3258).

Have a healthy autumn season!

7 Steps to Make Computers More Accessible for the Elderly

Check out this link for information on changing different aspects of your computers operation to better suit the elderly.

Click Here For More Information