Better Living for Seniors - April/May 2012

Here's a glimpse at the April/May 2012 edition of the Bugle newsletter

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF BLS

As always there are so many interesting things going on in BLS. We have nearly sold out of the CD's that were put together by Janis Hagerdon. If you haven't purchased your copy yet, don't delay. This was a great way to raise money for The Area Agency on Aging. The organization that is responsible for starting BLS. You can get your copy by contacting Janis Hagerdon.

We had a great turn out at the New Member Reception. I love to see our organization continue to grow and support each other and our community efforts.

As I always I want to remind you of the importance of getting involved in a committee. The committees have various tasks which you can learn more about in the Bugle or from committee members themselves. It is in these committees where you really get the one on one time with other members. This is truly
where relationships in BLS are developed.

Sincerely,

Stacy Geier
BLS President

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BUGLE SPONSOR -

Easy Living Home Care:
Helping You Make Clients’ Lives Easier

EasyLiving, Inc. is proud to continue our support of BLS and work together with
members in efforts to better the lives of seniors in our community.

EasyLiving operates a mission-driven home care model, formed from our many years advocating for seniors locally. We pride ourselves on our community partnerships and professional relationships, in the knowledge that by working together we can all be more successful. We create solutions that help our community partners, from transition support services for new assisted living
residents to accountability solutions for professional guardians.

We also offer the latest eldercare resources on our website and social media channels and encourage you to join our communities to be part of the conversation.

For more about how we can help you and a free copy of “Getting Help with Long-Term Care: Resources & Payment Options”, visit our special BLS page at easylivingfl.com or call us at 727-448-0900

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Special June 14th Event

The BLS Professional Development committee is putting on a 1/2 day Social Media event; to learn more click here: June 14th Event Registration

A preview of the event will be at the consortium on May 11, 2012

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February Consortium Re-cap

Singing Talent Of BLS Members Highlights February Consortium

By: Dale W. Hutchings

It was the perfect venue in keeping with the theme: the Palladium Theatre in St. Petersburg. It was the perfect way to kick-off a fundraising endeavor for the Area Agency On Aging. It had the perfect talent, a group of musically gifted BLS members, who through their individual singing performances entertained the
huge crowd of fellow members. In doing so, they helped to educate everyone in the room in just how special a new CD, "From Us To You" -- the brainchild of Janis Hagerdon -- will be. It will obvious be a wonderful fundraising tool in helping to support the AAA, as it faces ongoing financial challenges during these difficult economic times. You can read details on Janis's $10 music CD project and learn who exactly among your fellow members offered their talents on this recording by reading the February 2012 edition of The Bugle - the last printed edition of this publication. With this April issue, the publication is being made
available to you online.

Hats off to the Public Speaking & Networking Committee (formerly the PAN Committee) for making the February Consortium truly special and without a doubt a huge success. After all, between the entertainment and the food served at this consortium, you would be hard pressed to find a member who didn't think he or she got their $5 worth for their donated price of admission at the door.

Of course, like all consortiums, some business was included between performances and time was allowed for this event's Bugle sponsor to speak. For the February 2012 Bugle, that sponsor was Arcadia Home Care & Staffing, represented by Tina Costa. If you ever wanted to know how special BLS is to many members, Tina began her talk by sharing her own early personal experiences with the organization, singling out particular people for helping her with comforting support as new member. This was followed by a short video on Arcadia Home Care & Staffing. In terms of committee reports, the most significant news was perhaps the introduction of a new committee -- the Planned Giving & Development Committee. This will be chaired by Shelly Ballard, who has stepped down from her long run as the editor of the Bugle to take on
this new challenge.

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Member Spotlight

Meet Matt Parri, a Largo native who currently works for Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. Matt lives in Tampa with his wife, Carrie, and their son Jett, who was born August 12, 2011.

Although Matt is a new member of BLS joining in October 2011, his last name and his family's history is no stranger to many of our members. Most of us know his brother Dan Parri, a local Attorney who has been an active member since 2006. I learned that Matt's dad, Raymond Parri, was in fact the first president of
BLS. He, along with other members, came up with the concept of the committees. Finally, he was part of the group that came up with the name for the "Bugle" History for the name: "Because it was like you're letting the word out". Heck his mom even did the setup for the first few Bugles.

Matt shared with me that at an early age he learned compassion for the elderly watching his dad and how he interacted with his clients. He always made sure their legal needs were met and took the time to visit his clients to brighten their day.

Matt attended Marshall University; he received a degree in Sports Management and Marketing. His Master's is in Adult and Technological Education. He recently received his Assisted Living Facility Administrator Certification. Matt is eager to start his career path with the elderly and meet the members of BLS. When
asked what committee Matt could see himself getting most involved in he stated "The Senior Resource Committee." His short term career path goal is to start using his talents and certifications working for a senior community. He would like to see BLS have more late afternoon events so he can attend more. I am sure we will be seeing and hearing much more of Matt Parri in the coming months. His passion for making a difference in our senior community stood out in our visit together.

Welcome to the BLS family Matt!

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DEDUCTIBILITY OF MEDICAL EXPENSES

Don't Forget to Deduct Medical Expenses
By: Richard ("Rick") I. Kantner, Jr., Esq.
The Kantner Law Firm, PL

Well April 15th has come and gone, you’ve filed your taxes (hopefully) and think you’re all done until next year. That’s a common mistake many people make, now is the time to start thinking about improving your tax situation for next year’ s filing.

An often-overlooked aspect of dealing with our elderly clients, patients, and even our own family members is the tax deductibility of medical costs incurred. Though a tax deduction does not provide additional or new sources of income to pay for eldercare, the tax savings realized could stretch the dollars and make
the difference between being able to pay for home-based healthcare services or assisted living.

If you itemize deductions on Form 1040, Schedule A, you may be able to deduct expenses paid during the year for medical and dental care, for yourself, a spouse, and any dependents. This is very important to remember at tax time and could mean substantial tax savings. In order to qualify, your total medical expenses for the year must exceed 7.5% (10% beginning December 31, 2012) of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income (AGI).

Example: Your AGI is $40,000, 7.5% of which is $3,000.
You paid medical expenses of $2,500. You cannot deduct any of your medical expenses because they are not more than 7.5% of your AGI.

Medical care expenses include those more obvious things such as out-of-pocket costs for diagnosis, treatments, and other medical remedies, however, don’t forget that it can also include the insurance premiums paid for policies that cover medical care such as Medicare Part B and D, or for a qualified long-term care insurance policy.

If the taxpayer is also claiming a separate person as a dependent, the taxpayer can add their medical and dental expenses to his or her own to add up to the 7.5% requirement for deductibility. I commonly find situations where the adult child or children of the care recipient have been financially assisting a parent or
parents with medical costs. To be able to claim another person’s medical expenses on a tax return, the taxpayer must pay over half of the person’s financial support, and be related to that person or lived with that person for a full calendar year. Where more than one person has assisted with the costs of medical care, only one person may claim the deduction and it should be based upon an agreement among the parties providing the financial support.

In order to qualify as a dependent, the person’s gross income for the year must be less than $3,650, however certain income sources are exempt from this total such as Social Security and Supplemental Security Income.

What is a "Medical and Dental Expense"? Medical and dental expenses can include a wide array of different types of procedures, medicines, and care providers. IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses, available at www.IRS.gov, provides a list of allowable medical and dental expenses. Some, but not all, of the expenses permitted are as follows:

Payments of fees to doctors, dentists, surgeons, chiropractors, and psychologists
Payments for transportation to receive medical care such as taxi, bus, ambulance, and even personal vehicle out-of-pocket costs such as for oil and gas, or the amount of the standard IRS mileage rate
Premiums paid for health insurance and qualified long-term care insurance policies (limitations apply)
Medical equipment to include crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, contact Lenses and glasses, oxygen equipment, and even modifications to the home for handrails, grab bars, and wheelchair ramps
Personal care items such as disposable diapers
Entrance fees for assisted living facilities, including continuing care facilities (they should be able to provide you with a breakdown of what portion of fees are attributable to medical costs)

You cannot deduct over-the-counter medicine, toiletries, cosmetics, vitamins, or funeral and burial expenses, or prescription medicine costs that were reimbursed.

There are many other expenses that may be allowable that are not included in this article, therefore you should personally review the IRS guidelines as provided in Publication 502, or speak to your tax return preparer.