At 91 Volunteer Helps Others |
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 At
an age when many senior citizens need all the help they can get,
Jeannette Massey was still providing valuable help of her own.
Massey,
91, has been an insurance counselor for the Senior Health Insurance
Program (SHIP), which offers counseling, claim assistance, information
on long-term care, prescription drug assistance, and Medicare for
people with disabilities at Alton Memorial Hospital's OASIS
office since the office opened in May 1989. She volunteered at the
hospital for almost 25 years until her last day April 1. Jeannette is
moving to Paducah, Ky., to live near her daughter.
"I think
I've been volunteering here almost as long as I was a teacher," said
Massey, who indeed taught elementary school in the Wood River-Hartford
School District for 27 years. "Before that, I did work for State Farm
during World War II, although I had never worked directly with health
insurance until I started doing this."
As a SHIP counselor,
Massey helped seniors understand their Medicare bills and other
insurance issues. She was named the SHIP Volunteer of the Year for
southern Illinois in 1998. The local SHIP office was also named the
Office of the Year by the Illinois Department of Insurance in 2001.
Irene McLaughlin, AMH volunteer coordinator, said Jeannette finished with 15,928 volunteer hours.
"She
was here faithfully on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays helping senior
citizens to get insurance companies to pay for things they said they
wouldn't," McLaughlin said. "She averaged as much as 75 hours per
month."
Some people are so dedicated to their jobs they're
accused of sleeping at the office. Although a volunteer, Massey did
exactly that on one occasion – although there were extenuating
circumstances.
"Her home didn't have any power after one of
the storms," McLaughlin said. "So Jeannette got permission to come to
the hospital and stayed overnight in the OASIS office."
Carolyn Trammel of OASIS said Massey got involved with SHIP to help others.
"Jeannette
saw seniors worrying about bills and finances at a time when their
health or the health of a loved one was in jeopardy," Trammel said.
"She wanted to help ease their emotional load."
Massey said
she got involved as a volunteer to stay active in a social setting
after she retired and because she didn't want to sit at home alone. She
has two children, three grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren –
most of whom live in Alaska.
"I get a lot of thank you
notes, gifts, and cookies from people who are so grateful for the
help," she said. "The reward I received was the smile on their faces
when they tell me I've taken a burden off their shoulders. That's my
pay."
In addition to counseling and claim assistance, the
SHIP office provides information on long-term care, prescription drug
assistance, and Medicare for people with disabilities.
DAVE WHALEY
For The Telegraph
Editor’s Note:
Each
state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). To locate
the SHIP agency in your state, go to the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services website: www.cms.gov/Partnerships/10_SHIPS.asp.
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