In July 2023, the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging once again began providing Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas. SHICK counseling was previously provided by the AAA until 2014. One familiar face with SHICK counseling in Johnson County is Kay Voorhees.

Kay became a SHICK volunteer in 2012 after she and her husband started talking about retirement and using Medicare. After deciding Medicare “was the most confusing program ever created,” she became aware of an opportunity to be trained and become a volunteer to help others understand Medicare.

When asked what her favorite thing is about being a SHICK volunteer, Kay stated, “Decisions can make a lifetime difference in the individual’s financial well-being – not to mention their health care – and they may be different for each individual. I suppose, more than anything, I enjoy seeing people, whether in a group setting or an individual one on- one setting, come to understand the choices available to them.”

Kay knows the work she does as a SHICK volunteer helps Johnson County residents.

“Annual open enrollment provides an opportunity to help people review their drug plans, filter out the media’s overwhelming advertising and make changes that may benefit them for the coming year,” she said. “Throughout the year there are many opportunities to help people with finding resources for drug assistance and/or health - care-related appeals.”

Johnson County is proud to have SHICK volunteers like Kay Voorhees.