Your chance to SHINE
By Margie Ware
There is a theory that time seems to move faster the older you get. I can confirm that this is true because it seems to me as if we just finished training new SHINE (Serving Health Information Needs of Elders) volunteers. But believe it or not, it’s time to open the classroom doors again and urge you to consider becoming a SHINE volunteer. The attendance at our recent pre-retirement seminars indicates many people are turning 65 and are looking for good information. If you’re one of those new retirees and want a way to assist your former colleagues, there’s no better way than being trained in health insurance counseling.
Elder Services SHINE Program’s annual training program for new volunteers begins September 17. Classes meet twice a week for five weeks and then we hold a graduation event on November 12. The classes are five hours per day and are full of information on Medicare, supplemental “Medigap” insurance, prescription drug coverage and public benefit programs.
Once you take the course and become a certified SHINE Counselor, we can almost guarantee your popularity. With someone turning 60 in this country once every seven seconds, the need for individuals who are qualified to explain the ins and outs of Medicare is expanding exponentially. You’ll be a valuable resource to your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. You will be an important part of the Berkshire community as you assist elders in understanding the rights and responsibilities of Medicare beneficiaries.
You’ll also make lots of new friends. We presently have over 30 qualified SHINE counselors who are interesting, fun, and great company at our monthly meetings. You’ll get to see new places like your local senior center or perhaps you’ll visit homebound elders who cannot get to a counseling center. You may be working here at 66 Wendell Avenue helping to answer the phones when the staff is out at meetings and conferences.
If you are curious, a good listener, interested in how the “system” works and willing to put some effort into understanding a subject that is always changing, we hope you will attend our orientation session for new SHINE volunteers on Thursday, August 20 at 1 p.m. where we’ll go into further details about what the program involves and you can ask all the questions you can think of. For additional information, call Margie Ware at 499-0524 or 1-800-544-5242. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Margie Ware is Elder Services Regional SHINE Coordinator.
