Generations – Oct. 2021

1

October 2021

EQ INE THERAPY offers many benefits Story by Lorie Skarpness Photos by Robin Fish

Jack Pine Stables in rural Akeley, Minn. is helping riders of all ages and abilities through a unique type of therapy built through interactions with horses.

Riders with the non-profit organization Jack Pine Stables include those with physical and emotional challenges as well as wounded warriors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). About half of the riders come from group homes.

Kris Oppegaard started the organization in 2000 and recently turned the reins over to Teri Gapinski when the Oppegaards sold their farm. At 77 years old, Oppegaard said it was time.

“Teri had been working with me for 12 years and wanted to continue the program,” she said.

“I still plan to be very involved as a volunteer and partner.”

Gapinski is Professional Association of Therapeutic Horse-

manship International (PATH) certified. She became involved in the program while working as a paraprofessional for students with disabilities in the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District.

“I’ve loved horses since I was a little girl,” she said. “What really got my heart involved was a student I worked with who was also a rider at the stables. I started going out once a week to volunteer and it grew from there.”

Emeline Cook of Akeley donated the 40-acre site for the new ranch. “It was an amazing gift,” Gapinski said. “I had never met her before. When we got our horses moved here in July of 2020 we had a picnic so people could come and see the new location. Emeline came. As we walked up the hill, she told me she prayed this would be a big success and we’d bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people.”

Angie Pewick rides Bandit around the riding school ring, assisted by volunteer Jessica Sharpnack. Riding "helps a lot with their balance, their core strength," Gapinski said of the school's clients.

"We work on memory. We really promote independent riding. Both Justin (Wubbles) and Angie are assisted most of the time, but we do try to get them to a place where they can ride independently."

Equine therapy Oppegaard is a PATH certified instructor.

Before starting the original Jack Pine Stables, she worked as a psychiatric and surgical nurse.

“We already had the land and the arena,” she said. “I was a member of the Cass County Mounted Posse and several posse members wanted to volunteer.”

She said the relationship between horses and riders is a partnership.

“Horses are very gentle creatures and mirror the rider’s mood,” she said.

Some riders have been coming for 12 years. “It has been fun to follow their progress and see the confidence they gain,” she said.

Equine therapy offers many physical benefits.

EQUINE THERAPY: Page 2

Inside this issue...

3 Hearing loss and falls 4 How to keep geraniums from year to year 5 Helping care staff get to know our loved one 6 Breakfast muffins 7 Rediscovering identity after years of caring for others 8 Replacing important documents

Oct o be r 2 02 1

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Left: Hayden Rettke, left, and Kris Oppegaard drive a one-horse cart pulled by Parfait, a 24-year-old Arabian horse, July 22 at Jack Pine Stables in rural Akeley.

Right: Justin Wubbles is grooms Misty, his 23-year old paint pony, before going for a ride. "When they're saddling horses, they're using their small motor skills," said longtime volunteer Teri Gapinski, a riding instructor who is taking over management of the school. "We always let them groom their horses ahead of time, because if they've had a bad day at work or whatever, when they get here, they get to kind of decompress by combing their horse. The horse gets to smell them, and then we have them tack their horses themselves."

EQUINE THERAPY

horses,” she said.

Since 2002, riders have participated in a Special From Page 1 Olympics horse show most summers at the “We’ve had quite a Spirit Horse Center in few people with cerebral Brainerd.

“The riders love the palsy,” Oppegaard said.

“Riding a horse is good competition,” she said. for them. The horse’s body is warmer than the On a mission person’s body. We often The ranch’s mission is have them ride without striving to empower peoa saddle because this ple with physical, mental warms their legs and or emotional challenges loosens them up. Lying and limitations through down on the horse relax- equine assisted services. es their arms. Sitting “Some riders have on the horse and mov- been very physically dising their body with the abled and have required horse is pretty close to a a lot of assistance,” walking movement. This Oppegaard said. “We’ve is good physical therapy had as many as five voland strengthens the core unteers helping one permuscles. son ride.”

“But the biggest benOppegaard said one of efit of all is an increase the greatest satisfactions in self-esteem. At first, for her over the years has many of the riders are been seeing riders grow too scared to get on a in confidence. horse. So when they do, “We’ve had some ridit’s a really big deal. ers coming since we first As they progress, it’s a opened up,” she said. real feeling of pride and “In the beginning, they accomplishment.” were unable to ride at all, Equine therapy also and now two are excelprovides mental health lent riders. It’s a lot of benefits.”Horses are very fun to see that progresgiving and accepting,” sion.” she said. “Being around As a non-profit orgahorses is very calming. nization, Jack Pine StaThere’s an emotional bles depends on grants bond with the horse, a and donations. connection that enriches “We only charge our their lives.” riders $10 per hour,” she Riders have the same said. “The community horse each time they has been very supportive visit. Horses are selected through organizations, based on character traits. such as the American “We’ve had Arabs, quar- Legion and the Lions ter horses and Icelandic Club. Some of our money

comes from businesses, too.”

Enbridge recently donated $10,000 to the program. “We’ve used that money for fencing and improving the road coming into the new place,” Oppegaard said.

Supporting veterans

the Paul Bunyan State Forest with a stop for lunch. “It’s so beautiful up here in the fall,” she said.

The ride begins at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10 at Jack Pine Stables with ATV and OHV riders going first followed by horses. There is no fee, but donations to Jack Pine Stables are welcome. Riders need to bring their own horses. For more information, go to the Jack Pine Stables Facebook page Angie Pewick clips the reins to Bandit, a 24-year-old or call Gapinski at 218- Arabian, before going for a ride July 22 at Jack Pine 820-0662.

Donations Stables. may also be sent to Jack Pine Stables at 23940 291st Ave. Akeley, MN 56433.

Gapinski said this first season was just the start.

“I’m ready for whatever God has in store for us,” New Tr she said. ansitional Care Unit “My goal for the future is to raise funds to build an indoor arena and be Green Pine Acres Skilled Nursing Facility open nine months each Long Term Care & Short Term Stay Rehabilitation year, and also do more with veterans and stuWoodside Manor Assisted Living dents at risk. I also want Assisted Living with Services to find more volunteers.”

Green Pine Acres Adult Day Services Anyone who would like to visit Jack Pine Stables You can count on Greenwood Connections may contact Gapinski to to provide only the highest quality of care set up a tour.

The ranch participates in a Wounded Warriors Weekend every October.

Veterans and their families stay at Hiawatha Beach Resort and participate in a variety of fun activities in the area.

“We do an hour-long trail ride with between 60 and 70 people participating,” Oppegaard said.

“We use our own horses and other people we know bring their horses.

They have so much fun and are so appreciative.”

Jack Pine Stables also sponsors an event each fall to raise awareness about the struggles veterans face.

Gapinksi and her friend, DeLaine Wagner, developed the Ride 22 event three years ago.

“It’s a cause that’s near and dear to my heart,” she said. “These veterans are losing their lives to depression after Lorie Skarpness can be they come home. With reached at lskarpness@ everything happening parkrapidsenterprise.com right now in Afghanistan, it’s even harder because some of them are feeling that everyPainting thing they did over there Service was futile.”

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October 2021

Hearing loss and falls:

A BALANCING ACT

As we get older, hearing loss and balance often decline.

But we don’t often think about the two having an effect on each other. But it turns out they do. As we age, we are at an increased risk of falls due to hearing loss. We will look deeper into why hearing loss can cause falls.

When our hearing declines, it affects our balance. In a study done

by John Hopkins Medical Institutions in partnership with the National Institute on Aging, “…a 25-decibel hearing loss – equivalent to going from normal to mild hearing loss – triples your chance of falling.”

The risk increases by 140% for every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss.

But why? How can hearing loss cause a person to fall? It turns out, it’s all in the brain.

Hearing loss causes the brain to use more resources for hearing and interpreting sound and speech. So it takes more brain energy.

And while your mental capacities are focused on that, it reduces the mental resources available for balance.

According to Frank Lin, MD, Ph.D., Otologist for John Hopkins School of Medicine, “Gait and balance are things most people take for granted, but they are actually very cognitively demanding.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that one-third of Americans, age 65 and older, fall every year. Even if a

loss is vital to reducing the risk of falls for seniors and helping them live independently for a longer period.

Boomers on the Move

Connie Troska is a program developer with the Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging. This

BY CONNIE TROSKA Columnist person is not hurt, it can be terrifying.

This starts a cycle: If you move less, you become weaker. If you become weaker, you move less, and this cycle increases the risk of falls.

Also, hearing loss is linked to an increase in depression, and depression is linked to more falls, and those falls make the depression worse.

So, hearing loss can have an impact on our health.

However, hearing loss in the elderly often remains untreated. Also, many people with hearing aids may not wear them regularly. They may use them only when they go out or are doing something with other people. You may think, “Why do I need to wear them while I’m making my dinner or doing laundry?”

Without hearing aids, people are less aware of their surroundings. They don’t notice people, pets or activities going on

around them. They can be easily startled.

And there is a decrease in spatial awareness.

Being able to gauge where the body is in relation to an object can be tricky. For example, by the time a person hears their dog, that dog may be right underneath their feet.

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of falling. First, talk to your doctor about having a hearing test done. Hearing loss can begin as early as 40 years old, so have a hearing test as soon as you are able gives you a baseline that can help you years down the road. Hearing aids can be expensive, so speak with your doctor about your options.

Use your hearing aids while you are home, even if no one else is there. They allow you to be more aware of your surroundings and reduce the risk of falls.

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A cataract forms when the clear crystalline lens of the eye becomes cloudy. The lens sits right behind the iris (the colored part of the eye) and helps us to focus.

When the lens gets cloudy, vision gets hazy and blurry. Cataracts are a natural part of the aging process, so everyone will eventually develop cataracts if they live long enough. They usually start to show up around age 50, and surgery is most common between 65 and 75 years old. Factors that increase a person’s risk for early cataract development include sunlight (UV) exposure, smoking, diabetes, steroid use, and trauma.

Cataracts usually develop gradually over many years, so patients are not always aware that their vision is getting worse.

Cataracts usually cause a person’s vision to become cloudy, blurry or filmy. They can cause a dimming of your vision, so that colors appear faded and you may need more light to read. They also can cause increased glare and halos at night, making night driving more difficult.

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In the past, the lens implant that is inserted into the eye in cataract surgery has been able to correct the majority of your nearsightedness or farsightedness, so patients are much less dependent on glasses following surgery. However, the traditional lens implants have not dealt with astigmatism or near vision, so many patients are still slightly blurry without glasses, and almost all need glasses for reading. This is no longer the case, with the advent of toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) and multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). With this new technology, patients have the chance to be even less dependent on glasses for distance and near following cataract surgery.

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MICHAEL VOSBURG / FORUM PHOTO EDITOR

Geraniums can be wintered indoors for planting next spring.

How to keep geraniums from year to year Growing Together

BY DON KINZLER Gardening Columnist Most gardeners are a bit thrifty by nature, growing their own vegetables or making more perennials by dividing existing plants.

But did you hear about the guy who was so cheap he bragged to his wife about saving a dollar by running home from work behind the bus instead of riding? His wife replied that he could have saved $15 if he had waited and ran behind a taxi.

One way for gardeners to save money is by bringing geraniums indoors for winter instead of letting them freeze. This isn’t meant to reduce the profits of our hardworking garden centers. Instead, if we save our own geraniums for next spring, we can spend that money on other plants, trees and shrubs.

There are two general ways to keep geraniums from year to year. You can bring the original plants indoors, or you can start new plants from cuttings.

Or a combination.

The original plants can be kept indoors by several methods. Some gardeners move their potted geraniums to a cool spot in the basement, where they remain partially dormant during winter with minimal watering, and are brought back into active growth in spring. A few gardeners follow the age-old practice of storing geraniums’ bare root in a root cellar-type atmosphere. Geraniums can also be kept actively growing in a sunny window.

The following is the method we’ve used for years, which is highly successful and lets you winter a number of plants in a fairly small area, either in

windows or under electric lights. ► Before they’re injured by fall frost, remove geraniums from outdoor planters or flower beds by gently digging or lifting the plants and shaking the soil from the roots. ► Instead of trying to overwinter geraniums with all their large summer growth, I prefer to cut each plant back to 3 inches above soil level. This removes most of the tops, leaving only stems and a few lower leaves. More plants fit in a limited space,

and they quickly sprout new healthy, compact growth. ► The goal is to produce compact, well-branched plants in 4- or 5-inch pots by next spring. ► Pot the pruned geraniums into individual 4- or 5-inch diameter pots using top-quality soil like Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, or a mix recommended by your local garden center.

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October 2021

Helping care staff get to know our loved one T

his is so important, and I have seen some very creative ways that families have done this over the years.

The main thing is to help staff know who this person is they are caring for.

I worked for over 15 years as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home and eight years as a social worker in a nursing home. I did admissions

Some of the ideas I have seen have been “This is My Life” books with pictures of the person from baby onward. It

BY LAUREL HED included their likes and LSW GCM, works for Security First, dislikes, activities they SBC Adult Care Management Services were involved in within the community, at and discharges, and I the person from the first church, favorite subjects learned through all those day of admission – not in school, the line of years just how important who the person was as a work they were involved it was to get to know young mother or father, in, etc.

I found online words the real person coming who their friends and family knew before their that could be put up on to our facility. the walls saying things We would only know illness.

The Family Circle

like “flower gardens, singing, dancing, reading, puzzles, family, animals, babies” – the things that the person was interested in during their life. These words could be helpful in starting a conversation.

I made a type of plaque for my mother-in-law introducing her: her full name, children’s names, her favorite things in life,

etc. and hung it right above the head of her bed so staff would see who they were caring for.

Knowing these things is so helpful for the staff in all respects, but especially if the resident has any type of dementia. Connecting with people in areas that they remember helps with behaviors, loneliness, boredom and sadness.

and grown in a sunny window or under lights.

with North Dakota State University Extension for Cass County. Readers can reach him at donald.kinzler@ndsu. edu.

GERANIUMS From Page 4

I use 4-inch diameter plastic pots that I’ve recycled. ► Locate the plants in a window with direct sunshine. South windows are best, followed by east and west. ► If a sunny window is lacking, geraniums grow very well under fluorescent or LED lights, with automatic timers set for 16 hours on and 8 hours off. We grow ours in a corner of the basement under shop-type fluorescent fixtures containing one warm and one cool tube, although we’ll soon be transitioning to LEDs. Locate plants so the lights are within an inch or 2 of the geranium tops. ► Fertilize once a month with a water-soluble fertilizer. ► Allow the geranium soil to dry out very well between waterings. If a finger inserted to the first joint feels any moisture at the fingertip, don’t water. If in doubt, wait a day and then check again. If in question, err on the dry side. ► Continue to grow the plants during winter as you would other houseplants.

About March 1, pinch back any winter growth that became spindly, and remove blossoms and flower buds. Begin water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks. The geraniums will branch beautifully and will be in prime conditions for planting outdoors in

MICHAEL VOSBURG / FORUM PHOTO EDITOR

Top: Geraniums can be rooted from cuttings in September.

Left: Geraniums can be cut back, repotted and grown indoors until next spring.

May. The second method for preserving geraniums is by taking cuttings around September, which is great for starting new plants to replenish any that are old and woody. Here is the method we use. ► From the fresh, outer tips of geranium stems, break off cuttings about 3 inches long and trim off all lower leaves with only the top two or three remaining. ► Root the cuttings in moistened potting mix in recycled cell

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packs, with the lower inch or 2 planted in the mix. ► Water after planting the cuttings, but water sparingly after that to prevent rot. ► Outdoors in a sheltered location in filtered sunlight is ideal.

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► Cuttings will root in about two weeks.

When the soil cube is well-filled with roots upon careful examination, the plants are ready to pot into 4-inch diameter pots

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Back to BASICS Breakfast muffins can be a nutritious grab-and-go food

SARAH NASELLO / THE FORUM

Sarah's Cinnamon Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffins are the perfect grab-and-go food for busy backto-school mornings.

pe, which I grease with either butter or cooking spray. You could instead line each cup with paper liners, like the kind used

BY SARAH & TONY NASELLO for cupcakes, but I prefer Columnist the golden-brown crust that results from using a greased tin.

The batter takes less der crumb. The texture dient as it helps to prois further enhanced by mote a sense of fullness than 10 minutes to make the slight crunch of the and energy to get you and will appear somewhat curdled once the wheat bran flakes and through your morning.

When it comes to egg and other liquid the chewy raisins that are peppered throughout molasses, you will find ingredients are incorpoa variety of choices, rated. Don’t fret — this each muffin.

You can find wheat including light, dark, is completely normal.

The dry ingredients bran in the specialty robust, unsulphured and flour or gluten-free sec- blackstrap. I prefer to use are combined separately tions of many local gro- unsulphured molasses in and then added to the cery stores (I found mine most of my baking, and mixture to pull everyat the Cash Wise store my brand of choice is thing together. For best on 52nd Avenue in south Grandma’s Original. It’s results, I add the dry Fargo), as well as at spe- lighter in color and pro- ingredients all at once cialty nutrition stores. duces a mellower flavor and mix the batter on low speed just until they The rich fiber content than other varieties.

I use a standard 12-cup are incorporated. makes wheat bran a Each muffin cup popular breakfast ingre- muffin tin for this recishould be filled about three-quarters full of batter. I use a large ice cream scoop to ensure consistency in size, but two spoons will also do the trick. The muffins go into the oven at 400 degrees and bake until they are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, which only takes about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on SARAH NASELLO / THE FORUM your oven.

Once they are done, A variety of bold flavors complement the mellow, nutty tone of the wheat bran, I remove the muffins including raisins, molasses and cinnamon, while the sour cream is added to ensure each muffin has great texture. from the pan and roll Chock-full of flavor and fiber, these Cinnamon Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffins are the perfect grab-and-go food to help ease you and your kids into the morning school routine.

Quick and easy to make, these muffins are a wonderful blend of contrasting flavors: mellow wheat bran and vanilla are enhanced with the richness of cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins and molasses. But however great the flavor may be, a muffin is nothing without equally great texture, and this recipe achieves a perfect balance of each.

A cup of sour cream is incorporated into the batter, which provides the additional fat content needed to produce an ultra-moist and ten-

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the top of each one in cinnamon sugar before placing them on a wire rack to cool. Stored in an airtight container, the muffins will stay fresh for about three to four days at room temperature, and even longer if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap. They also freeze well for several months.

These Cinnamon Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffins are a busy-morning lifesaver in my family, and I hope you enjoy them.

Have a great school year, and don’t forget to eat your breakfast!

Cinnamon Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffins 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup wheat bran 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 1 large or extra-large egg, lightly beaten 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup raisins (optional) Optional topping: Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon Additional add-ins: ½ cup chopped nuts, dried fruits or chocolate chips Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use butter or cooking spray to grease a 12-cup muffin pan or fill each cup with a paper liner; set aside.

MUFFINS: Page 7

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October 2021

Widow trying to rediscover identity after years of caring for others D

ear Carol: After seven years of living with early-onset Alzheimer’s, my 59-year-old husband passed away. Before and during the early years of his diagnosis, I was also caring for his parents who both had dementia. I’ll be honest and say that it was never a happy marriage. He was controlling and jealous so my feelings of having no identity other than wife, mother and caregiver are longstanding.

I have a good relationship with my children, but they are grown and don’t live nearby so not even being an involved mom and grandma keeps me occupied. Our friends were mainly my husband’s friends, so who am I now? I don’t know. I work online and I’m happy enough with that, but the job doesn’t provide me with any personal interaction or identity. What do I say when people ask about my current interests? “I wish I knew” isn’t a good response. — SK.

Minding Our Elders

BY CAROL BRADLEY BURSACK Columnist

enjoyed being a part of a couple, they no longer know how to live with the identity of a single person. This adjustment can be made harder when, like you, the friends were all joint or mostly that of the deceased spouse.

There are countless opportunities to volunteer with caregiver groups if you want to stay involved in that area. From what you said here, though, I’d suggest considering other options, at least for the Dear SK: Caregiving, especially dementia care- time being.

Sometimes, these identity feelings can be overgiving, can be nearly all-consuming, so feelings of being at loose ends when those responsibilities end come simply by trying out different activities are not unusual. For someone who lived in a mar- through religious organizations or those that repriage that didn’t allow for a separate identity, those resent other interests. Do you enjoy art? Local art organizations can often use volunteers to promote feelings can be compounded.

Sometimes even in happy marriages, people can shows, help people with tours, usher at perforrealize after the loss of their spouse that while they mances or raise funds.

MUFFINS From Page 6

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat bran, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined; set aside.

In a large bowl, use a stand or hand-held mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the egg and beat on medium speed until well-combined, about 30 seconds. The mixture will appear somewhat curdled until the dry ingredients are added.

Add the sour cream, molasses and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the raisins on low speed for 10 seconds, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.

Add the dry ingredients and stir on low speed until just combined. The batter will appear thick and lumpy, similar to old-fashioned peanut butter.

Use a scoop or 2 spoons to fill each muffin cup about ¾ full of batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of crumbs and the top springs back when touched, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack.

For an extra flourish, let the muffins cool for a minute or 2, just until cool enough to handle, then roll the top of each muffin in cinnamon sugar. Place the muffins back on the rack to cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

To store These muffins will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days, and even longer if individually wrapped in plastic. They can also be frozen in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container for several months.

“Home with the Lost Italian” is a weekly column written by Sarah Nasello featuring recipes by her husband, Tony Nasello.

The couple owned Sarello’s in Moorhead and lives in Fargo with their son, Giovanni.

Readers can reach them at sarahnasello@gmail.com.

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3:16”

If that doesn’t interest you, you could consider joining an organization that collects school supplies for kids. Or one that concentrates on food drives.

Or one that tutors young children. Much depends on whether you enjoy being with people physically or if you prefer behind-the-scenes work. You can research your own community for nonprofits and see what opportunities interest you.

Many longtime caregivers benefit from at least short-term counseling to help reconfigure their lives, and this would be my suggestion for you, as well. My reasoning is that you’ve had so many years of not being able to expand your personal interests that some help climbing out of the rut could be an eye-opener. Once you’ve begun to work with a professional and you feel ready, this person could help you explore interesting activities that will help you discover who you are beyond being a caregiver.

Wishing you the best, SK. You aren’t the first to ask this and you won’t be the last.

Carol Bradley Bursack is a veteran caregiver and an established columnist. She is also a blogger, and the author of “Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories.” Bradley Bursack hosts a website supporting caregivers and elders at www. mindingourelders.com. She can be reached through the contact form on her website.

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How to replace important documents that are lost

ear Savvy Senior, Can you tell me what I need to do to replace a variety of important documents? Our house burned down a few months ago, and we lost everything including our home property deed, car titles, old tax returns, Social Security, Medicare and COVID vaccine cards, birth certificates, marriage license and passports. ~ Stressed Seniors Dear Stressed, I’m very sorry for your loss, but you’ll be relieved to know that replacing important documents that are destroyed, lost or stolen is pretty easy once you know where to turn.

Here are the replacement resources for each document you mentioned.

Birth certificates: If you were born in the United States, contact the vital records office in the state where you were born (see CDC.gov/ nchs/w2w/index.htm for contact information).

This office will give you specific instructions on what you need to do to order a certified copy and what it will cost you – usually between $10 and $30.

Car titles: Most states offer replacements through a local department of motor vehicles office. You’ll need to complete a replacement title application form and pay the application fee, which varies by state. You’ll also need to show ID and proof that

start with your tax pre- 800-829-3676 and ask You can search for the parer, who usually keeps them to mail you a copy. nearest authorized facilcopies of your returns The cost is $43 for each ity at iafdb.travel.state. gov. The fee is $145. on file. You can also get return requested.

Passports: You can copies of federal returns directly from the Inter- apply for a replacement Send your senior questions to nal Revenue Service. passport at a Passport Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, You’ll need to fill out Application Acceptance Norman, OK 73070 or visit and mail in IRS form Facility. Many post offic- SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is nearby Social Securi- 4506. To download this es, public libraries and a contributor to the NBC Today ty office along with a form IRS.gov/pub/irs- local government offices show and author of “The Savvy number of evidence doc- pdf/f4506.pdf or call serve as such facilities. Senior” book. uments that are listed on this form. For more information or to locate the Social Security office that serves your area, call 800-772-1213 or see SSA.gov/locator.

Medicare cards: If you are enrolled in original Medicare, you can replace a lost or damaged Medicare card by calling Medicare at 800633-4227, or by logging into your MyMedicare.gov account. If, however, you get Medicare health or drug benefits from a Medicare Advantage Plan, such as an HMO, PPO, or PDP, you’ll need to call your plan to get your card replaced.

COVID-19 vaccination card: Your first step is to go back to your vaccination site and see if they’ll give you a replacement.

Bring an ID and try to recall the date you were vaccinated. If that’s not Check out our website: www.dfl.org/local-units/hubbard-county-dfl/ feasible, contact your state health department immunization informaFollow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubbardcountydfl/ tion system (see CDC. gov/vaccines/programs/ iis/contacts-locate-records.html) where you should be able to print out a replacement sheet.

Tax returns: To get Prepared and Paid for by Hubbard County DFL, PO Box 814, Park Rapids, MN 56470 copies of old tax returns

The Savvy Senior

BY JIM MILLER Columnist you own the car, such as your vehicle registration or your license-plate number and VIN (vehicle identification number).

To get an application, go to DMV.org, pick your state, and print it or fill it out on the site.

Property deed: To access your house deed, contact your county clerk’s office, where deeds are usually recorded – you may be charged a small fee to get a copy.

Marriage certificate: Contact the vital records office of the state you were married in to order a copy (see CDC.gov/ nchs/w2w/index.htm).

You’ll need to provide full names for you and your spouse, the date of your wedding, and the city or town where the wedding was performed.

Fees range from $10 to $30.

Social Security cards: In most states (except in Alabama, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and West Virginia), you can request a replacement Social Security card online for free at SSA.gov/myaccount.

If you live in a state that the online service is not available, you’ll need to fill out form SS-5 (see SSA.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf to print a copy) and take it in or mail it to your

Protecting Medicare and Social Security for you and your grandchildren