AARP Bulletin - December 2011

Your Health ; In the News

$15,080 Annual income for a full-time employee working at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

Medicare Premiums Lower Than Expected

The standard Medicare Part B premium for 2012 will be $99.90 a month—the result of a lower-than-expected increase of $3.50 a month for most beneficiaries. ; Despite fears that next year’s premium increase could eat up the 3. 6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in Social Security checks in 2012, only a small fraction of beneficiaries will have that problem, officials said. “The typical retired worker will have nearly $40 more per month in their pockets next year,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen

Sebelius. ; The annual deductible for Part B, which covers doctors’ visits and outpatient services, will drop from $162 to $140. ; Over the past two years, about 75 percent of beneficiaries have paid monthly Part B premiums of $96.40—the same as they paid in 2009—because there was no Social Security COLA in 2010 and 2011 and therefore by law their premiums were frozen. So anyone who paid $96.40 a month this year will pay $3.50 a month more next year. ; But certain groups of beneficiaries paid monthly premiums of $110.50 in 2010 and $115.40 in 2011. They will see lower premiums in 2012. Those now paying $110.50 will save $10.60 a month, and those paying $115.40 will save $15.50. In addition, people who must pay the high-er-income premiums will also see a drop ranging from $21.60 to $49.40 a month, according to income level. —Patricia Barry

; The Poll Political Campaigns

; How long do you think a political campaign should last?

; Do you think the following would improve the campaign process?

(yes responses)

Ages 18-49 50-plus

Less than 6 months

50 60%

6 months to a year

40 35%

More than a year

8 3%

Ventriloquism is making its way into nurs- ing homes, assisted living and adult day
care to connect with Alzheimer’s patients.
; “They’ll talk openly” to the character, says
Wilma Swartz, 60, a ventriloquist in Glen-
dale, Ariz. “They’ll tell their whole life story.”
Months later, when she returns, the patients
don’t remember who Swartz is but “they’ll
say ‘hi’ to the character and pick up where
they left off.” ; Ventriloquism is a way to
engage Alzheimer’s patients, says Donna Co-
hen, an expert on aging and mental health at
the University of South Florida. “The experi-
ence relies on attention, im-
mediate memory and imagi-
nation.” ; In Conway, S.C.,
Deborah Hudson’s charac-
ters, Dewey Dinkles and Friends, approach
Alzheimer’s patients gently by asking how
they’re feeling. Some will respond by touch-
ing or kissing the characters while delighting
in their “second childhood,” says Hudson,