watch and listen to the talking news every day at twelve noon and six hundred am on channel ninety six comcast xfinity and channel thirty verizon fios it can also be heard mondays and tuesdays at four hundred and thirty pm and wednesdays at one thousand two hundred and thirty pm on channel nine xfinity and channel twenty nine fios listen any time on the bmc podcast network on soundcloud and itunes just search for the belmont media podcast network now on to the talking news opioid use on the north shore by j petticos the state has never seen an epidemic quite like the opioid deaths and epidemic that hits everyone the rich poor middleclass jobless and well employed but there's hope recent statistics across the state show a ten drop in opiod deaths the second consecutive drop though the deathly opioid fentanyl use continues to rise according to dph fentanyl is a synthetic opiod that affects similar to heroin that works quick and results that leave you just as quickly and are often prescribed for severe pain fentanyl is known to be fifty to one hundred times more potent than morphine according to a recent dea national drug assessment massachusetts saw the second highest number of seizures and arrests three thousand nine hundred and eleven in two thousand and sixteen for drugs second only to ohio almost double massachusetts at seven thousand nine hundred and seventy one and just ahead of pennsylvania's two thousand three hundred and fifty five massachusetts also has the fourth highest overdose death rate by any state in the nation behind ohio connecticut and west virginia state deaths both estimated and confirmed totaled one thousand four hundred and seventy through september down from one thousand six hundred and thirty seven through the same period in two thousand and sixteen according to massachusetts department of public health the confirmed opiod death numbers across the state though slightly waning were still staggering with seven hundred and ten males two hundred and twenty two females falling victim sixty seven in the fifteen to twenty four year old category two hundred and eighty one in the twenty five to thirty four year old category twenty six in the thirty five to forty four range and two hundred and thirteen in the forty five to fifty four range but even in older citizens with one hundred and seventeen dying between the ages of fifty five to sixty four and twenty eight dying that were over the age of sixty five in the race category seven hundred and fifty three were white one hundred and four hispanic forty nine black and eight asian in the north shore's biggest cities the towns opioid deaths still are mostly trending up with no town data yet available for two thousand and seventeen in beverley there were seven deaths in two thousand and twelve spiking up to thirteen in two thousand and fifteen and eighteen in two thousand and sixteen in the fishing town of gloucester two deaths in two thousand and twelve gave way to six each through two thousand and thirteen and fourteen peaking at eleven in two thousand and fifteen before dropping to nine in two thousand and sixteen in historic salem the number continued to escalate from five and two thousand and twelve to seven in two thousand and thirteen and thirteen each in two thousand and fourteen two thousand and fifteen before rising to nineteen in two thousand and sixteen in nearby peabody the numbers are dropping slightly from a low of three in two thousand and twelve to twelve in two thousand and thirteen and fourteen in two thousand and fourteen before having eleven deaths in both two thousand and fifteen and two thousand and sixteen finally in amesbury a single death in two thousand and twelve has led to six in two thousand and fifteen and eight in two thousand and sixteen small towns and big cities the numbers vary greatly sara grinnell executive director of the healthy peabody collaborative part of the peabody police department said that it when it comes to the city of peabody a number of partnerships have formed to combat the opiod epidemic while also working to create a city everyone can be proud of the healthy peabody collaborative formed in march of two thousand and eight under a mayor michael j bonfanti and a collaboration between the mayor's office health department and police department as a focus of addressing substance abuse issues in the city of peabody working to reduce underage substance abuse while creating a healthier community and over the claire thank you bob part two grinnell noted that a three city grant with lynn in salem has gone a long way in providing resources for all three cities to work toward curbing the opioid crisis through education and prevention of use we've been to do a lot through the grant with all first responders now we equipped with narcan said grinnell and firefighters who are able to go out with outreach workers to people who have overdosed to help provide treatment resources to them and their families followup is key to many officials who will often worry about the people that are lost in between the cracks which may have overdosed and then revived only to relive a vicious cycle of drugs if people with resources don't step in to intervene grinnell said it's an all in atmosphere for all city departments as they work to change the trend of increasing opioid deaths although peabody saw a slight decrease in opioid deaths over the past few years after a high of fourteen in two thousand and fourteen work on the crisis continues for all departments grinnell said narcan thanks to the grant was also provided to a number of social service agencies as well strategic planning sessions are working on education in providing the resources needed for prevention said grinnell it's been an extremely difficult to get ahead of this but we are doing as much as we can when asked about the decrease of opioid deaths in the town and overall the state grinnell pointed to the increase in narcan availability and work to educate people to the dangers of opioid pose even after just one use our goal is to see less people using drugs in the first place while providing others with access to treatment and recovery options said grinnell our goal is for nobody to use drugs and that would be ideal but we're here to provide support for people suffering as well as their families while the focus can sometimes be solely on the person taking the drugs grinnell said there's a number of organizations that help provide support and education to the family members left behind to cope with a loved one they can't control or even reason with at times one such organization is learn to cope with a chapter in salem a nonprofit support network that offers education resources peer support and hope for parents and family members coping with a loved one addicted to opiates or other drugs founded by joann peterson in two thousand and four a woman whose siblings and son suffered from addiction according to its website is an organization that has grown to include over ten thousand members and has become a nationally recognized model for peer support and prevention designed to offer families and the support education resources and hope that the founder's family would have benefited from and now here's max thank you claire retirement spending by joanna katurah as you reach different phases of retirement you'll have important decisions to make reevaluate your withdrawals before retirement you made a budget to decide which retirement savings options were best for you now that you've retired and have transitioned to spending you should reevaluate a safe withdrawal rate from your retirement accounts a safe withdrawal rate is the percentage of money you can withdraw each year to ensure your money will last for the rest of your life financial planners commonly recommend four as a safe withdrawal rate if you need your nest egg to last more than thirty years downsizing your house moving somewhere with a lower cost of living can help you save on property taxes maintenance costs and mortgage payments profits from selling your home can be invested and become a late game savings option retirees who want greater flexibility may choose to start renting reasons not to downsize staying in your home can make sense if you paid off your mortgage and expect to pay little on taxes or repairs plan to use a reverse mortgage to fund your retirement or want to pass the home onto your children move to a retirement community with great activities and amenities retirement community might be a perfect environment for you to stay active and meet new friends retirees who want to age in place at home may find that safety modifications and inhome care can be cost prohibitive it's easier to move while you're still in good health and less of a burden to your children get your estate in order a will should always be part of your retirement plan but there are additional documents to consider power of attorney designates a person you trust to make financial and health decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated living will spells out exact wishes for medical treatment in the event of certain scenarios trust gives you greater control to specify who will inherit your assets and ensures a quicker transition there are many types of trusts a dynasty trust would allow you to transfer wealth to children and grandchildren while minimizing transfer taxes change your medicare as your healthcare needs increased you'll want to consider switching from your original medicare plan to a medicare advantage plan medicare advantage plans have a cap on your outofpocket expenses of six thousand seven hundred or lower once you reach that limit you'll pay nothing for the rest of the year original medicare plans have no limit so costs can easily rise to tens of thousands of dollars arrange longterm care as you reach your 80's and 90's you might need the level of care provided in an assisted living or longterm care facility ensure that your needs are best met by researching and visiting facilities before you need care if you move to an independent living community while still in good health you may be able to transition to an associated assisted living facility over to you bob thank you max after id theft member praises experience service a aaa northeast member in rhode island recently received some unwelcome news someone was using her name to file online loan applications with several banks in the midwest after asking herself how such a thing could happen she faced the question identity theft victims know all too well what do i do now experian was there with the answer as a aaa member she had the advantage of free identity theft protection plan from experience simply by signing up experian landed her alluded her to the phony applications by email and within an hour a fraud resolution specialist was on the phone talking her through the next steps like contacting the police and credit bureaus i was a nervous wreck she said but experian put me at ease all aaa members need to know about this service it's called protectmyid essential members who sign up get identity protection services from experian including daily or credit report monitoring suspicious activity alerts resolution support and more programs like protectmyid and preventive measures like shredding old bills are good practices to keep personal information secure as one financial crimes investigator stated i recommend having all the protection you can said detective paul beckett of the cranston rhode island police department he didn't handle this member's case but he's dealt with many like it and they're becoming more frequent the number of identity fraud victims reaching all time high in two thousand and seventeen according to the two thousand and eighteen identity fraud study by javelin strategy in research thieves stole one hundred and sixty eight billion from one hundred and sixty seven million victims beckett said that paying bills online has dramatically increased opportunities for hackers to swipe debit or credit card numbers also a large scale data breaches have compromised millions of social security numbers and other personal information credit card skimmers at atm's and stolen purses and wallets remain real threats and over to claire thank you bob school committee candidates by there are three candidates running for the two threeyear belmont school committee seats newcomers tara donner and jill norton and incumbent susan burgess cox susan burgess cox is thirty years in belmont occupation attorney hearing officer for the masshealth board of hearings her education bachelor's from hobart and william smith colleges jewish justice from the catholic university of america certificate in law and public policy from the catholic university of america town service school committee member since april two thousand and fifteen secretary of belmont school committee member of belmont capital budget committee member of belmont special education advisory council secretary of senior center building committee member belmont disability access commission her family husband michael children maggie and matthew seven other troop leader brownie troop secretary for winberg pta room parent for windbrook member of butler pta member of wellington pta here is tara donner she is seventeen years in belmont occupation english teacher winchester public schools her education is a bachelor's of wesley college master's of education lesley university town service town meeting members since two thousand and seven family wife abby two daughters at wellington elementary ages six and nine other volunteer for curriculum development in steering committee for english curriculum the acceptance and inclusion committee chairperson for several years and the emergency incident management team at mccall middle school in winchester sort of town meeting number in milton where she grew up elected student representative to the school committee and melton for two terms when she was in high school playing softball gardening backyard chicken and beekeeping children's religious education teacher at first church belmont here's jill norton sixteen years in belmont her occupation director of education policy for abt associates her education bachelor's in elementary education from michigan state montessori early childhood certificate from the montessori institute new england masses of education policy management from harvard graduate school of education her town service wellington elementary room parent pto third grade enrichment coordinated her family husband reed two children noah eight and ben three other vestry at the board of vestry in the board of directors member at trinity church in copley square boston volunteer and youth leader el hogar ministries tegucigalpa honduras avid walden pond swimmer and cargo biker and now over to max thanks claire senior living options evolve by susan kreimer senior living facilities have come a long way from the nursing homes of yesteryear from meatless meals to relaxing rocking chairs bountiful barbecues and bonfires there are many amenities and unique offerings to take into consideration in choosing a place to live for yourself or a loved one but first it's important to ponder what are my care needs and who can meet those needs said rachel reeves spokeswoman for the national center for assisted living an advocacy organization based in washington dc and if an illness develops or progresses can you still help care for me what does that look like as i need more assistance taking a tour of a facility is the best way to get a feel for its surroundings reeves said ask to visit during meal times and test the food talk with residents participate in some activities and evaluate if the employees are attentive and friendly if you do this before a crisis strikes you won't be compelled to make a decision quickly and under pressure even better go and stay there for a few days said john pinos professor of gerontology policy and planning and director of the national resource center on supportive housing and home modification at the university of southern california in los angeles try it out it's probably a good investment some senior living communities rent guest rooms if that's not an option look into nearby hotels think about the amount of interaction you want with other residents i would try to understand what my preferences are overall whether you want to live in a totally senior complex or environment where you what you value most privacy versus sociability pinos said and contemplate whether an urban or suburban or rural setting and sceneries suit you most prices vary but average about three thousand one hundred monthly per person in an independent living situation four thousand eight hundred in assisted living and six thousand four hundred in memory care according to stephen goland a gerontologist and professor in the geography department at the university of florida in gainesville well medicare and medicaid typically don't cover these expenses longterm care insurance may help subsidize the costs although meals are often included senior living facilities have evolved to give residents more control over their food choices and activities residents don't just eat in the dining room anymore some housing communities have set up kiosks or mini grocery stores where you can buy food and snacks to bring into your room goland says whether you're allowed to drink alcoholic beverages in the facilities public areas and in your private quarters or not at all maybe a factor to weigh before signing on the dotted line he said also whenever possible selecting a facility near a family member would be ideal not only is management likely to be more responsive to your needs it helps to call for emotional support and to request something you may need delivered it's always useful to have a gatekeeper a proponent and advocate on your side goland said back to you bob thank you max preplanning a funeral to spend down and medicaid by correspondent to jeffrey d wagner before a person runs out of money the unit individual comes in or the family comes in and we set up a prepaid irrevocable trust in that person's name it is allowed by medicaid and that way the funeral money is set aside and protected for the family there is a few things medicaid does not allow in the funeral bill including flowers and after meal after funeral meal expenses but pretty much everything else is covered he said that everything else includes vaults burial plots cremation and cremation urns embalming transportation of the body and other services offered by the funeral director and staff medicaid allows the family to set up another funeral account at a local bank for up to one thousand five hundred as an addition to the trust that money helps out with inflation in cemetery money or engraving the stones other directors also note that preplanning allows the future deceased family member to have their wishes carried out it also relieves some of the last minute stress and possible disagreements over what that individual would have wanted and now over my colleague claire thank you bob greek easter traditions come to life at agora by juliana k savarese hundreds of candles decorated with different themes for children celebrating greek easter april 8th are being made by the hands of marlboro resident dave metallidis metallidis owns whispers of spring and agora seven cushing ave belmont agora is the greek word for market which is what the business originally was when it started by metallidis wife deli as a greek grocery store in brighton since opening eight years ago the business has grown so much metallidis who is practicing lawyer has been working fulltime to create the products they sell for greek orthodox events greek easter is one of their busiest times of year artificial flowers stuffed animals princess figurines superhero toys ribbons and soccer balls or some of the ornaments metallidis uses to decorate the candles the candles are traditionally given by godparents to their godchildren to bring to church for the midnight service on april 7th called anastasi which means risen when greek orthodox churches reenact the resurrection of christ many children also bring them to church for the agape service meaning love on easter sunday the candles are lit and children supervised by their parents raise the candles up and down as they sing the traditional anastasi hymn christos anesti which means christ is risen every godparent wants to have something special for their godchild so we have to do a lot of custom work and we have to have a big selection he said the candles range in price for twenty to thirty he said avengers superheroes are very popular for the boys this year as our patriots theme decorations he uses flowers to decorate candles for older girls or simpler nautical and cross decorations for older boys when it's not the easter season agora sells everything else customers need for greek christenings and weddings such as christening gowns and suits favors witness pins wedding crowns wedding trays icons and lodger candles now here's max thank you claire international film festival to be held in belmont nine films from the world's top international film festivals will premiere at belmont world films 17th annual international film series which runs march 19th through may 14th at the studio cinema three hundred and seventy six trapelo road belmont most films will screen at seven hundred and thirty pm mondays with an exception of opening night on march 18th all films will be followed by discussions led by experts speakers and occasionally cultural performances the opening and closing night films are proceeded by dinner receptions featuring culturally relevant cuisine at the theater this year series bound by beliefs features films that show how difficult it is to implement change in the face of long held societal or community beliefs all but one film is either a north american east coast or new england premiere and several others are also their countries submission to the academy awards best foreign language film category as in the last several years a third of the films are directed by women we don't have to look much farther than the hollywood sexual harassment scandal to understand how long it takes or how hard it is to change the status quo said belmont world film executive director ellen gitelman the characters in each of the nine films are not always successful in standing up to their society's belief and even when they are it is often an uphill battle here's bob again along with my colleagues claire and max we thank you for listening to the talking news and we hope you've enjoyed the show we will return next week for another edition of local news happenings around belmont