Is 60 Elderly?
It is for Free Tax Help
We can debate if 60 is elderly, but don’t let that keep you from getting free help. We’re all about programs that save money, even those that sound a bit insulting.
That’s how we’re looking at the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program that offers free tax and related pension and retirement help for folks 60 and older.
Another program, the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), provides assistance to people who generally earn $57,000 or less, have disabilities or have limited English-speaking abilities.
The VITA/TCE sites are staffed by IRS-trained volunteers, many sponsored by local agencies. Find out where to go and what to bring by calling 800-906-9887 or visit irs.gov.
As an aside, AARP runs most of the region’s TCE sites for low- to moderate-income people through the AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide program. Learn more by calling 888-227-7669 or go to aarp.org and click the Tax Aide Locator link.
Dark Park,
Bright Skies
Some of the darkest skies in Ohio are at Geauga County’s Observatory Park, making it a terrific place to do wintertime stargazing.
The 1,100-acre park is an International Dark Sky Park, the only one in Ohio and one of about 100 worldwide. The Geauga Park District not only protects the park’s skies from light pollution, it also runs sky viewing programs there throughout the year.
Grab a coat and a pair of warm boots and see what’s up at Observatory Park. Even better, sign up for a park district program at geaugaparkdistrict.org.
For those of you keeping track, January’s Full Wolf Moon is the 17th. The Full Snow Moon is February 16.
Wheel-Ready
Roadies
Ohio’s newly launched older driver campaign is twofold: to keep us behind the wheel as long as it’s safe and to get us off the road when it isn’t.
Older adults are among the safest drivers around — just watch teenagers pull out of a high school parking lot and you’ll know what we mean. But the older we get, the more likely we are to be injured or killed in a crash, says Gov. Mike DeWine.
Our reflexes, hearing and eyesight tend to worsen as we age, and that hikes our risk of getting into an accident. The state’s new website — transportation.ohio.gov/olderdrivers — has tips to keep older drivers behind the wheel, plus ways to get around when it’s time to hang up your keys.
And Speaking of Age…
Quit Picking on Us
The pandemic has put a spotlight on ageism, and we don’t like what we see.
COVID-19 hit older adults particularly hard, especially before vaccinations were available. A common response to a COVID-19 death or serious complication is, “They were old.” But what’s old? 50? 70? 100?
Greater Cleveland Volunteers has recognized that lumping older adults together as having the same skills and frailties is a byproduct of the pandemic. The group is championing the cause against ageism by reaffirming its commitment to advocate for and to support older adults in Northeast Ohio. One way they’re doing that is by reminding people what ageism looks like.
Their examples include:
- Birthday parties with black balloons and “Over The Hill” slogans
- Anti-aging products
- Saying, “You look good for your age,” or “You’re young at heart”
- Having a “senior moment”
- Doctors, servers and others who speak to a younger companion when the older one is present
- Using patronizing language (sweetie, dear, honey) or name-calling (geezer, gramps)
- Lying about your age to seem younger
- Assuming young people are computer gurus and older adults are technology-inept
- Blaming the “silver tsunami” as a reason for economic and social challenges
Greater Cleveland Volunteers, which recruits older adults as volunteers, says it will continue to fight the denigration, generalization and discrimination against older people. Check its website for updates and resources at greaterclevelandvolunteers.org.
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
Do You Qualify?
The federal government reimburses funeral expenses up to $9,000 for those who died of COVID-19.
If that’s news to you, you’re not alone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid over $1.6 billion to more than 247,000 people to assist with COVID-19-related funeral costs for deaths occurring on or after January 20, 2020, according to a government press release.
In Ohio, 14,080 individuals have applied for funeral assistance. FEMA has paid $57,534,910 to 8,884 of those applicants since the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program started. Cuyahoga County residents submitted 1,835 requests. So far, 1,210 have been approved, totaling $7.9 million in reimbursements. Families received an average of $6,578.26.
Covered expenses include funeral services, caskets, cremation, the use of funeral home staff or equipment, officiant services and transfer of remains.
Apply by calling the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 844-684-6333 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Learn more on the FEMA website and search under COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.
