Pauline Fortier of Lewiston was honored at the June 24 annual meeting of SeniorsPlus with the presentation of the 2024 Margaret Ross Award. Fortier was honored for 10 years of volunteerism at SeniorsPlus. Her focus at SeniorsPlus has been assisting clients to understand Medicare better and what is best for their individual situation. The award, presented annually, recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the agency and the larger community. SeniorsPlus is the designated Area Agency on Aging focusing on Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford counties.
In total, Fortier has volunteered almost 600 hours at SeniorsPlus. As a certified Medicare counselor, Fortier educates Medicare clients and their families about Medicare insurance options and benefits. Being a Medicare counselor involves knowing federal and state insurance laws, insurance coverages, enrollment periods and completing data entry. This volunteer role also involves taking a state certification test and recertifying every two years.
In addition, Fortier assists with follow-up with clients of the Medicare Savings Program that enables individuals to get their medications at greatly reduced copays and may also qualify clients for enrollment into specialized plans that offer extra benefits like groceries, utility payments, transportation and over the counter supplies.
“As a nonprofit, SeniorsPlus provides free, unbiased Medicare counseling – we are not trying to sell the client anything. Trust between the client and the counselor is critical and Pauline is not only a strong client advocate, but a friendly, thoughtful one,” said Betsy Sawyer-Manter, President and CEO of SeniorsPlus. “We are grateful for Pauline’s dedication and expertise.”
Photo: Pauline Fortier is the recipient of the 2024 Margaret Ross Award for volunteerism at SeniorsPlus, Western Maine’s designated Area Agency on Aging.