Gaumer news flash

We received this news release on the PD alumni's own Tom Gaumer. Pretty impressive!


Thomas H. Gaumer of Olmsted Falls was one of 10 volunteers from around the country recognized by the U.S. Administration on Aging for his efforts to educate seniors about Medicare fraud and abuse.

The recognition came during the 2011 Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) National Conference held earlier this month in Washington, D.C.
Gaumer is a volunteer for ProSeniors which runs the SMP program in Ohio. Gaumer, a retired former editor and reporter for The Plain Dealer, has volunteered for the Ohio SMP project for more than three years. He was presented with a trophy by Cindy Padilla, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging during a luncheon at the conference whose theme was “Leading the Grassroots Fight Against Fraud.”
Gaumer, formerly of Berea, speaks to senior groups and others around Ohio about how to detect fraud in Medicare, which is estimated to cost this country $60 billion a year. He also helps train other volunteers how to detect and combat fraud.
ProSeniors, founded in 1975, is a non-profit organization that provides free legal and long-term care advice to older adults. Pro Seniors offers Ohio residents age 60 and older the advice and information they need to solve their legal and nursing home, adult care facility, and home health care problems. Pro Seniors is dedicated to helping older adults maintain their independence by empowering them, by protecting their interests, and by helping them access resources.
Among the services offered by ProSeniors is the Ohio SMP project which educates older Ohioans how to stay safe from Medicare fraud and identity theft.. Those interested in working with the Ohio SMP project should contact Jane Winkler, volunteer coordinator, at ProSeniors. The toll free number anywhere in Ohio is (800) 488-6070 and the Cincinnati number is (513) 345-4160.
The SMP program was established in 1997 under the Older Americans Act and is administered by the Administratoin on Aging AoA.
AoA’s volunteers work in their local communities educating Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries how to recognize and report suspected cases of deceptive health care practices, such as overbilling, overcharging or providing unnecessary or inappropriate services. This training also empowers beneficiaries to be better health care consumers. More than 4 million beneficiaries have been educated directly by SMP volunteers or staff since the program’s inception, while more than 25.3 million people have been reached during community education events.
Gaumer was one of 10 SMP volunteers nationally recognized for their work.