VA benefits what you need to know

Ghost towns

Roosevelt Lake bridge

I went to Queen Valley for a consultation and decided to take the long way home.  Phoenix is 74 miles west of Queen Valley and Superior, Miami/Globe are 13 miles East of Queen Valley coming back to Phoenix the long way is going by Roosevelt Lake onto the Bee Line Hwy back via Fountain Hills, Scottsdale then home.

It is so sad to see these small towns turn to Ghost Towns. Most of the buildings are empty waiting for someone to fill them up. The  town of Globe was founded as a mining town in 1876 because of ample water and its attractive location for distribution of mining products. The city was incorporated twice prior to its present incorporation in 1907. It has been said Globe got named from a globe shaped piece of pure silver found nearby. Globe and Miami, which have been important copper mining centers for more than a century, are colorful communities about four miles apart in east-central Arizona.

I highly recommend the drive as you get away from the hustle and bustle of a large city to a quaint community.  Stopped at several antique stores along the way and had lunch a  locally owned restaurant.  When you get to the Roosevelt bridge you can take a non-paved road back to Apache Junction (Mesa).  The road does have lots of curves and the road is sometimes very narrow.  I would not recommend doing it in a car use a truck or 4- wheel drive vehicle.

I truly enjoyed the day and am blessed to live in this beautiful State of Arizona.

Freedom Plaza a Brookdale community

My mother always said, "if you cannot say something nice about someone do not say anything at all".  Usually, I would follow her advice however, after today's experience I think it is only fair to let everyone know about our embarrassing and offensive treatment we received today.

My associate from the funeral home and I were invited to attend a luncheon and tour at Freedom Plaza at 13373 N. Plaza del Rio Blvd Peoria, AZ.  She had RSVP to the invitation upon receipt and we were looking forward to attending.  We find making good contacts to give referrals to our families is important. We were greeted in a friendly manner by everyone as we arrived except when we got to the sign-in table.  We were asked our names and out of the side here comes this lady (Debbie Hirsh) stating our names were not on the list.  My associate stated she had called and RSVP, had the invitation in her hand and Debbie stated, "I don't know why a funeral home would even get an invitation, either way the space is full and there is no room for you".  She said she had tried to call several times to say there was no room (?). Then said, "you can sit in the lobby and wait to see if we can find two chairs for you" and she is looking at us like we had a bad smell or something.  Do you think this made us feel good?  

At this point  we were ready to walk out.  My associate and I thought that if this is the way we were being treated then there was nothing here for us.  I would seriously not consider referring anyone to them if this is the way Debbie treats people. 

We both are in the business of serving our families, taking care to see to their wishes.  We appreciate the trust families place in us and our purpose is to give thoughtful service and if, in doing so, we have helped make things easier for those they love, our aim has been accomplished.  Clearly Debbie Hirsch did not get that memo.

In this day and age getting good results, providing customer service and going above and beyond says something about an establishment.  I guess Freedom Plaza/Brookdale communities does not need anyone in 

their corner cheering them on.  IF, you are looking for home look elsewhere.  I will not recommend them.

Did You Know... 

Puzzles of any sort engage your brain and activate memory and association functions. Brain teasers, logic puzzles and math puzzles are not bounded by time or culture, and people have been using them to stay sharp for centuries, according to Dr. Marcel Danesi, author of "The Puzzle Instinct."

Challenge yourself with puzzles: If you're better with words than numbers, start solving Sudoku puzzles; if you're better with numbers than words, pick up a crossword puzzle. Bring the puzzles along with you to your doctor appointments or anytime you will have a few minutes to spare. In the evening, put together a jigsaw puzzle as you watch TV. You might also try three-dimensional puzzles that require you to add a spatial dimension to your brain repertoire.

Open enrollment for Medicare plans

It’s almost time to make sure the Medicare plan you have will be the best plan for you next year.
Whether you have Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage or a Part D prescription drug plan, you have one opportunity each year to make any changes you want. This opportunity is Medicare’s annual open enrollment period.

Open enrollment begins on October 15 and ends on December 7. Any changes you make will take effect Jan. 1, 2013.

Medicare plan benefits and your needs can change on an annual basis, so use the open enrollment period to compare your options and get the right fit.

During this past year, have you: Changed the medications you take? Been diagnosed with a new medical condition? Any of those changes could mean your current Medicare plan no longer meets your needs.
Medicare plans also change. The costs of your plan can go up or down, and prescription drugs can be added or dropped from the list of drugs (the formulary) included in your plan. Some Medicare plans change the benefits they offer or stop offering coverage in a particular location.

Because of such changes, you should check your current Medicare plan and, if necessary, switch to another one that better supports your needs.

Be sure to contact your insurance agent to discuss what may be best for you.

Day of the Dead Celebration

YWCA Health & Wellnes Fair

Friday, October 26 from 9 AM - 12 PM at 8561 N 61st Ave in Glendale AZ 85302.

Vendors will be there to provide information to the public.  Heritage Funeral Chapel and Valley of the Sun Medicaid Planning will be there to answer your questions.