October - December 2018

www.servingourseniors.org 9 800-564-1856 419-624-1856 Unfortunately, traditional Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care. Medicaid does pay for dental care, but to qualify an individual cannot make more than $766 per month. Danny Blankenship was suffering with tooth pain and he couldn’t eat. His two front teeth were broken and loose, but he could not afford to see a dentist. He called Serving Our Seniors for help and learned about the Dental Repayment Program. Through this program, Danny was treated by a dentist who pulled his two front teeth and relieved his pain. Danny is Dental Program Gives Danny a Reason to Smile one of several Erie County residents who have been helped by the Dental Repayment Program. Each month, these individuals make a monthly payment to Serving Our Seniors to repay the cost of their dental care. No interest is charged. The payment is an amount that is affordable to the individual. Repayments are deposited into the Serving Our Seniors Dental Repayment Program and used to help the next senior citizen afford dental care. For more information on the Dental Program, call a Senior Advocate Assistant at Serving Our Seniors at 419-624-1856. Reno Sullivan was ready to celebrate when he received his new dentures. He has been living without dentures for over a year. A friend told him about Serving Our Seniors denture program. So he called our office to inquire. “I couldn’t bite or chew. I love fried chicken, but I couldn’t bite into it or chew it. It was too painful. I ate soft food, like french fries and bologna sandwiches.” The other gift he received was being able to smile. “When I didn’t have teeth I would look down or put my hand up to my mouth when I would talk. I was trying to hide that I didn’t have any teeth. I’m so glad I can smile,” he said. The denture program isn’t free. The client has to pay what he or she can afford toward the cost of the dentures. Thanks to grants from the Sam S. & Rose Stein Foundation, The Zonta Club of the Sandusky Area, Maureen O’Hara and her $5,000.00 “match her donation” challenge and the donors who contributed $2,605.00 as a match, Serving Our Seniors was able to help 11 Erie County men and women, age 60+, receive dentures between October 2017 and July 31, 2018. Six others are in the process of being fitted for dentures. The Gift of Being Able to Chew and Smile