Category: Programs & Services

When it comes to legal matters, there’s a whole set of terminology that may leave your head spinning. Picking apart the legalese may prove such a daunting task that we may even put off tending to important matters, which can be risky.

With so many details to take into consideration, it’s only natural to have questions. When it comes to Medicare, social security and veterans’ benefits; resident and patient rights; or income, estate and gift taxes; consultation with a qualified attorney, particularly an elder law specialist, may be advisable or even necessary.

The legal guidance that an attorney can provide helps ensure that you get the most out of your benefits and that your financial affairs continue to go smoothly in future years.

However, this type of legal advice can be expensive. The cost of the answers may exceed what you can realistically cover.

Accommodating for Free Legal Help

In cases like these, it’s important to know that relief is in sight. The Hawaii Online Pro Bono (HOP) is a nonprofit, web-based legal service hosted by the American Bar Association. HOP is an online version of a walk-in legal advice clinic where clients request advice and counsel about a specific legal issue from a volunteer attorney. The service is available to low- to moderate- income families and can be accessed by searching for “Hawaii Online Pro Bono” via web browser.

You must first answer a few questions that will determine whether or not you qualify: You must be an adult whose income and assets are low for your family size, you can’t already have access to a lawyer, your legal problem cannot be related to a criminal charge and you must not currently be incarcerated.

If you qualify, you can ask your legal question confidentially through the site. A volunteer attorney will email a response directly to you.

HOP helps to make legal advice more accessible, but before using this service, it is important to be aware of its limitations. They are laid out in detail in the online user agreement you must read before answering the first qualification question.

The main limitation — you can ask only three separate questions within a calendar year.

Questions involving criminal cases or charges cannot be answered through this service.

The service is meant only to provide answers to your legal questions; the volunteer lawyers cannot call or represent you in any way.

If further legal action is required for your situation, you will need to pursue your own attorney; however, the website includes a link that leads to contact information for other resources, including the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii and the American Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service for Hawaii.

 

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www.hawaii.freelegalanswers.org

The Social Security Administration (SSA) helps spread the word about the importance of kidney health and what you should do if you think you or a loved one has a kidney-related disability.

Kidney disease prevents kidneys from cleansing your blood to their full potential. Did you know that one out of three Americans is currently at high risk for developing kidney disease? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and most of them don’t even know it.

Ebie is a prime example. Ebie was an emergency room worker with an active life at work, home and in his community. He had no idea he’d developed a kidney condition until one day he felt ill while driving to work and had to call a coworker for help.

SSA’s “Faces and Facts of Disability” website features Ebie’s story. He says people who receive Social Security (SS) disability benefits “can provide for themselves better and have a high quality of life.” As Ebie explained, many people with kidney diseases can greatly improve their lives with SS benefits. Learn more about Ebie’s story at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.

If a kidney disease, such as end-stage renal disease (known as ESRD), requires chronic dialysis and prevents you from working, the SSA may be able to help. If you’re undergoing dialysis, have had a kidney transplant, have persistent low creatinine clearance levels or have persistent high serum creatinine levels, you may qualify for disability and/or Medicare benefits. You can find more information about eligibility based on kidney disease and the benefits available to you by reading SSA’s “Disability Benefits” and “Medicare” publications at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

Listed as one of SSA’s Compassionate Allowance conditions, kidney cancer is another disease that may qualify you for disability and Medicare benefits. The program assists those with severe medical conditions that meet SSA’s disability standards, allowing quick application processing and benefit payment. You can find more information about the Compassionate Allowance program by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

Drink plenty of water, go for checkups and if you think you may have a kidney disease, take action right away! As Ebie says, “quality of life is everything.”

 

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For questions, online applications or to make an appointment to visit a SSA
office, call from 7am–7pm, Mon–Fri:
1-800-772-1213 (toll free) | 1-800-325-0778 (TTY)
www.socialsecurity.gov

In your younger years, you may have been active in community affairs. But now you don’t get out so much. Maybe your caregiving duties keep you at home more. The good news is, you can still be involved in community affairs from the comfort of your own computer.

In the first few months of 2017 alone, much has happened in the political arena. People who avoided politics before may now be keeping an eye out for changes being made or proposed that are hit close to home. Regardless of political stance, no one wants to be caught off guard.

Some of the legislation being debated is very relevant to senior citizen communities. One of the biggest issues is healthcare, which will affect affordability and availability of medical care.

With the Meals on Wheels program and many other services expecting to see reduced budgets — or in jeaopady of being cut altogether — it’s important to keep apprised of what’s going on.

Common Cause is a nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 1970 with over 700,000 members. On its website, you can find articles about recent legislation, advocacy campaigns and other areas of interest to you.

Of course, Common Cause is only one source out of many. The important issue is staying informed. It’s the first step to ensuring the happiness and well-being of ourselves and our loved ones continues into the future.

 

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www.commoncause.org

The executive director at the The Mediation Center of the Pacific shared important information about the nonprofit’s Kupuna Pono program in Generations Margazine’s June/July 2016 issue.

Every family eventually has disagreements regarding elder care and support. In short, Kupuna Pono is a program designed to help family members talk about difficult issues and develop plans to support elderly family members.

However, the center also offers a wide range of other mediation services that may be of value to elders, and their families and caregivers.

TYPES OF MEDIATION

CIVIL RIGHTS MEDIATION: The center receives referrals from the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission (HCRC) involving various types of workplace, housing and merchant discrimination complaints. Mediation is offered by HCRC as an alternative to the traditional investigative and litigation processes.

CONDOMINIUM MEDIATION: The center can mediate a broad range of issues arising between owners, board members, property managers, resident managers, vendors and others relating to condominium or homeowner associations.

CUSTODY MEDIATION: The least costly, less stressful approach to reaching agreements about where children will live and how time-sharing and co-parenting will work, is through mediation.

DIVORCE MEDIATION: At the center, impartial mediators help couples talk and negotiate agreements on all of the issues that are required to finalize their divorce.

EMPLOYMENT MEDIATION: From co-worker disputes to disagreements between supervisors and employees, mediation offers a confidential, safe forum to discuss the issues, gain perspective and work through differences.

LANDLORD/TENANT MEDIATION: With the assistance of a mediator, tenants and landlords can agree on payment plans, repairs and more. If the tenant is not able to keep up with the rent, mediation can help parties to agree on a move-out date, rather than going to court.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) encourages parents and schools to collaborate as a united support for each student. When differences arise, mediation provides parents and schools with the opportunity to work out solutions to meet the individual needs of the student.

No matter what type is required, mediation enables and empowers the parties involved to reach an agreement that they all can live with.

 

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THE MEDIATION CENTER OF THE PACIFIC
245 N. Kukui Street, Ste. 206, Honolulu HI 96817
808-521-6767 | mcp@mediatehawaii.org
www.mediatehawaii.org

It’s 7:30 a.m. and volunteers are already preparing for a day of fun classes, club activities and good conversation. The Lanakila Multi- Purpose Senior Center (LMPSC) is the place to be for active seniors.

LMPSC is filled with great energy, caring people, and active seniors, volunteers and staff.

It is amazing to learn about and be with so many accomplished people, 60 years and older, who still contribute so much to the quality of life on our island home.

Each day, there is wonderful history to learn, inspirational life stories to discover, hardships worth sharing that teach valuable life lessons, and people who truly care about Hawai‘i and continue to contribute to the character, charm, strength and diversity of our state.

Center members come from an array of careers fields: teachers, principals, business owners, engineers, architects, fashion designers, administrators for public and private organizations, nurses and others in the health field, visitor industry managers and employees, military personnel, law enforcement officers, attorneys, construction workers, legislators, artists, insurance and financial service providers, homemakers, mothers, fathers, grandpas and grandmas, and just good people.

Lanakila’s 1,500 members focus on keeping healthy and mentally alert through tai chi, Sahm Bo Dahn, yoga, Zumba, hula, taisho koto, singing, enka, mah jong, line dancing, karate, tap dancing, cultural dances, sewing, quilt making, arts and crafts, ‘ukulele, walking, gardening, community excursions, public performances, and by being with friends and talking story.

Center members are independent. They enjoy team and group activities, too. They plan and coordinate events and activities that promote lifelong learning, and bring joy to others through community service, music, song and dance. They look out for one another.

The Lanakila Senior Center is comfortable, friendly and caring.

I love being part of this special place.

 

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LANAKILA MULTI PURPOSE SENIOR CENTER
1640 Lanakila Ave., Honolulu HI 96817
808-847-1322 | www.catholiccharitieshawaii.org/about/locations/lanakila-senior-center

ALU LIKE Inc.’s Ke Ola Pono No Na¯ Ku¯ puna Program (KOPP) provides nutrition and support services to Native Hawaiians aged 60 and older at 12 program sites statewide plus home delivered meals to those not able to get to a site. Aging is never easy, especially when you have to go through it alone, as many of our ku¯ puna do, watching their spouses, relatives or friends pass away— mourning over these losses and never really recovering. Ku¯ puna greatly appreciate the KOPP program. Some of them identify it as one of the factors that has given them a reason to live and thrive. They come to learn about health and nutrition while creating bonds with new friends.

One significant aspect of the KOPP program is to promote and instill Hawaiian cultural traditions. Many ku¯ puna lived through an era when the Hawaiian culture was shamed. Some cultural traditions and oral history disappeared over time. With the rejuvenation of the Hawaiian language and culture, KOPP has been able to help revive this integral part of their lives by providing cultural activities such as hula, dance and cultural expertise through talented ku¯ puna, and community practitioners who give of their time.

During the past year, KOPP has become involved in two win-win community partnerships that have allowed ku¯ puna to share their talents and give back to the community. At the same time, these partnerships have given community groups a chance to give back to ku¯puna.

Rayce Bento, KOPP’s Big Island manager, worked with Linda Nako, a sales representative for Castle Resorts Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, to provide ku¯puna an opportunity to share cultural activities. Hotel guests meet ku¯ puna in the hotel lobby where they learn hula, ‘ukulele, fresh flower lei making, la‘i or ti-leaf lei making, floral hair pin making, and coconut and lauhala weaving, plus many other culturally related arts and crafts that guests are able to take home.

They get a first-hand experience of the aloha spirit as no one else can provide but our lovely and gracious ku¯puna. Our ku¯puna enjoy sharing their expertise with the guests of the resort and appreciate what the resort is able to do in giving back to them and supporting ALU LIKE. Mahalo to Linda Nako and Hilo Hawaiian Hotel!

ALU LIKE staff Shirley Simbre- Medeiros and John Mahi worked with Nalani Brun from the County of Kaua‘i Office of Economic Development, Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, to initiate a project for ku¯puna to greet passengers from all over the world with music, dance and lei as they disembark from cruise ships in Nawiliwili Harbor. Ku¯ puna are having a blast showing who they are and are full of the aloha spirit and Hawaiian culture. We all truly appreciate Kaua‘i County’s effort to give back to ku¯ puna!

 

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ALU LIKE INC.
Let Us Work Together, Natives of Hawai‘i
808-535-6700 | www.alulike.org

We are honored to perpetuate our mission to ko¯kua Native
Hawaiians who are committed to achieving their potential
for themselves, their families and communities.

Mahalo to ALU LIKE’s Ke Ola Pono No Na¯ Ku¯puna program
staff for contributing to this article:

Sarah Chandler, O‘ahu Program Specialist III
Rayce Bento, Hawai‘i Island Program Manager I
Shirley Simbre-Medeiros, Kaua‘i Program Specialist III
John Mahi, Kaua‘i Program Specialist III
Elizabeth Meahl, Director