The Senior Scene

Humana’s Medicare Advantage members are gaining access to behavioral health services in certain counties – including King, Pierce and Kitsap — through the company’s new association with MDLIVE, a telemedicine services and software provider.

Humana members who choose plans with this benefit can access clinicians through personal computers, telephone or mobile devices for a wide range of non-emergency mental and behavioral conditions, such as addiction, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, grief and loss, life changes, panic disorders, parenting issues, postpartum depression, relationship and marriage issues, and stress.

Virtual visits are scheduled appointments for a future date and time. Initial appointments will typically occur within five to 10 days from the time an appointment is first made or requested, according to Humana.

Humana will offer the virtual-visit benefit with a zero co-pay per visit on all of these plans and in the corresponding counties: Humana Gold Plus HMO in King, Kitsap, Pierce, Clark, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Skagit counties; HumanaChoice PPO in Clark, Cowlitz, Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Walla Walla, and Whatcom counties; and Humana Dual Eligible Special Needs in Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, and Thurston counties.

Texas-based Pegasus Senior Living has taken over operations of two newly renamed senior communities in Pierce County — The Rivers at Puyallup and Gig Harbor Court.

The Rivers, an independent-living and assisted-living community, formerly was Brookdale of Puyallup. The change, which took effect in December, comes with a continued commitment to flexible and personalized living experiences for residents, said sales manager Barbara Sykes.

Steve Wickline is executive director of The Rivers, which is at 123 Fourth Ave. NW., near the Washington State Fair and other attractions and services in downtown Puyallup.

In another change in December, Brookdale Gig Harbor became Gig Harbor Court. Located at 3213 45^th St. Ct. NW. in Gig Harbor, it offers independent and assisted living.

“Pegasus Senior Living is committed to fostering local connections and resources. We are pleased to keep all of our current staff, and we look forward to a seamless continuance of care,” said Gay Landry, Gig Harbor Court’s executive director. 

Five other Pegasus communities are in Washington in Bellingham, Kirkland, Marysville and Spokane. The company also has communities in nine other states — Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas.

Pegasus, with headquarters near Dallas, is headed by chief executive officer Steven Vick and president Chris Hollister.

MindMate, a company based in Santa Monica, Calif., is participating in the fight against Alzheimer’s. The company, founded in 2015 by Susanne Mitschke, Patrick Renner and Roger Arellano, provides an app aimed at supporting the cognitive function in Baby Boomers and seniors to help users stay themselves for as long as possible. The app contains physical exercises, games, nutritional advice and educational entertainment and aims to stave off the mental signs of aging, simply by allowing seniors to play on their phone, stimulating the brain.

The app is free to download and use and can be found in Apple’s App Store.

MindMate was inspired by the care experience of Arellano, who cared for seven years for his grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease.

Renner, the company’s chief operating officer, said it’s “never too late to adopt a healthy routine. With MindMate, we not only created an app, but a community that also brings users together with research and industry players that can make a lasting difference to how we manage these conditions in the years ahead.”

Want to save on your utility bills? Tacoma Power says it can help make homes more energy-efficient with rebates, seven-year zero-percent interest loans, or income-eligible grants. Information is available at 253-502-8363 and mytpu.org on current offers, which include:

• Ductless heat pumps: $500 rebate or $4,000 loan.
• Heat pump water heater: $500 rebate.
• Smart thermostats: $50 rebate.
• Duct sealing: $450 rebate.
• Insulation: Current rebates may cover the entire cost of insulation, which is $0.80/square foot.
• Windows: $10/square foot rebate or up to $23/square foot loan for single pane; $5/square foot rebate or up to $23/square foot loan for double pane metal.

Utility bill payment assistance programs are offered for income-eligible customers of Tacoma Power.  Information about the programs is available at mytpu.org/assistance,  253-502-8400 and cssolutions@cityoftacoma.org.