Charlotte-area health calendar

Medicare enrollment

The annual Medicare enrollment period started Oct. 15 and lasts until Dec. 7. Insurance officials urge Medicare recipients to evaluate their choices every year during this period when changes are allowed in medical plans and prescription drug coverage for 2016.

Help is available from the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) by phone or in person in all North Carolina counties. For help, call 855-408-1212 or visit www.ncshiip.com.

Go to www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan to compare current coverage with other options available in your area. A “Medicare & You” handbook should have been mailed to all Medicare recipients in September. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) 24-hours a day to find out more about your coverage options.

Through SHIIP, the Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte offers free counseling by volunteers trained by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Contact: Shepherd’s Center, 3115 Providence Road, 704 365 1995.

Grief at the holidays

LaTonya Summers, executive director of LifeSkills Counseling & Consulting Group, will give a free brownbag talk from noon to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 29 about “Facing Grief Before the Holidays.” The event is at the LifeSkills office, 8401 Medical Plaza Drive, Suite 355. Participants may bring lunch. Register: http://bit.ly/1LnZXFE.

Karen Garloch

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Charlotte-area health calendar."