A Message From The Executive Director - Breandán G. Magee

Well it’s that time of year again as summer begins to heat up and the temperature soars. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the success of our seniors program this year as we wind it down for a summer break. The exciting line up of guest speakers and senior’s meetings will begin again in the Fall. So watch this space!

 

Immigration has been in the news again this month with the President’s announcement last week that he will end the deportation of the children of immigrants who came here illegally with their parents. We welcome this executive order that provides legal status to the thousands of undocumented young people already here in the USA and who feel and act as American as those of us born here. It was a humane approach to a complicated and divisive issue and one that goes some way to fixing a broken immigration system.

 

This year also saw the Irish community galvanize across the USA to push for an E3 Irish Visa Bill. We at Chicago Irish Immigrant Support along with the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform and national Irish groups were at the forefront of this bill, which unfortunately at this point has not garnered enough Republican support to make it past the finish line. The Irish community nationwide came together in ways not seen in decades to promote this bill as it was and still is our best shot.   We will continue to work hard to ensure that a bill passes that will allow for future flow of Irish immigrants.

 

Chicago has also been witness to the annual influx of summer Irish J1 students in recent weeks. This year has broken all records in terms of numbers arriving, with over 2300 already in the city. Last year we saw 1500 students in Chicago with those numbers being treble what we had seen in previous years. The large numbers arriving have led to some issues in finding accommodation and employment as one would expect. If you know of anyone in Ireland planning on coming to Chicago on a J1 visa tell them to make sure that they at least have accommodation arranged prior to their arrival.

 

We hope that you have a safe summer and enjoy the fireworks this July 4 holiday.



A Message From The Director of Social Services - Paul Dowling

See you in September

June brought to a close another great season of senior group programming both at the Irish American Heritage Center and Gaelic Park. Throughout the last year we have played host to a wide variety of guest speakers and expert presenters on a wide range of interesting topics. These have included historical and cultural performances, healthcare and medicine, and our excursions to Lake Michigan and the Morton Arboretum. We will be back in September to begin another action packed year of senior group meetings. We plan to kick of the next seson of senior group meetings at IAHC on Thursday 13th September, and at Gaelic park on Wednesday, 19th September. Stay tuned for further details.

 

Cuts to State Budget impacts Seniors

On Thursday, June 14th Governor Pat Quinn signed a series of bills designed to address Illinois’ fiscal deficits. Included, was a $1.6 billion Medicaid spending cut which translates to a significant loss of services for the states almost 2.7 million Medicare patients. This new legislation will remove thousands from coverage and eliminate extras such as chiropractic and dental care. Illinois’ actions are in keeping with a broader trend of Medicaid cuts across the country as many states battle to balance their ledgers.

 

These rollbacks in service provision will have a profound impact on the older adults of Illinois. Efforts to reduce state spending have led to the complete illumination of the Illinois Cares Rx program. This program offered assistance to eligible seniors to pay their Medicare Part D premiums as well as help with the cost of their prescription drugs. Illinois Care Rx – for which 244,943 low income seniors qualified– officially ceased to be on July 1st. The elimination of the property tax grant allotted to qualifying seniors under the Circuit Breaker Program also took effect on this date.

 

For those who had been eligible for assistance with Medicare Part D premiums and prescription drug costs, it is very important that you contact you Medicare Part D prescription drug plan to find out what your premium and prescription drug costs will be beginning July 1, 2012.

 

For questions about your Illinois Cares Rx drug coverage, contact the Health Benefits Hotline at 1-800-226-0768 (TTY 877-204-1012); Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 (TTY 888-206-1327)

For Medicare counseling, contact the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) at 1-800-548-9034 (TTY 217-524-4872)

 

KEEPING YOUR COOL—STAYING SAFE IN THE SUMMER HEAT

It’ shaping up to be a long hot summer and extreme hot weather can pose serious health risks- especially to seniors. Here are some practical tips and advice on staying safe when temperatures begin to soar. And remember to check in on the older members of our community to see if you can lend a hand!


  • Avoid going out into the heat, especially in the hours around mid-day.
  • If you do go outside, wear loose, light colored clothing and wear a hat with a brim.
  • Drink plenty of water---at least eight glasses a day.
  • Get into an air-conditioned space or a cooler part of the house, like a basement.
  • Keep shades drawn and blinds closed to block the sun.
  • Take cool baths or showers; use cool towels and washcloths to cool the skin.
  • Slow down, avoid or minimize physical exertion.