Looking Ahead 1998 |
|
|
Volunteers Needed to Help Deliver Meals in Elderly Housing
If you live in elderly housing and can spare one hour out of your day once a week, we need your help. Why? Simply put, more people need home-delivered meals than there are hands to deliver them. It will help the meal program tremendously to have tenants deliver meals in their own buildings. Of the 105 meals delivered daily in Melrose, 72 of them are delivered to residents in elderly housing! That's 11 meals at Cefalos, 5 at Cochrane, 12 at Fuller, 12 at Levi Gould, 14 at McCarthy and 18 at Julian Steele. Soon Rhonda Johnson, Director of Volunteers at MVES, will speak at a Tenant or Resident Council meeting in your building. Go to the meeting and find out how you can help. We know there will be times when you aren't up to helping, so replacements will be built into the system. Your help will be greatly appreciated and recognized. If you have any questions prior to the meeting, call Jack Beckley at 665-4304. Free Tax Assistance Tax assistance is available at the Milano Senior Center on West Foster Street. This service, called Tax-Aide, provides counselors trained by the IRS. Administered through the AARP Foundation in cooperation with the IRS, the service is available on Monday afternoons from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. until April 13, 1998. Help is for disabled persons and those over age 60 with moderate incomes. You will need to bring this year's tax package, your current information, and last year's return. Plan to come in early and get your taxes out of the way. You may call 665-4304 for an appointment or you may just drop into the Milano Center on a first- come, first-serve basis -- after the appointments. St. Patrick's Day Celebration You're invited to our St. Patrick's Day Celebration on Tuesday, March 17, at 12 noon. There'll be a corned beef and cabbage dinner or, for those on salt restricted diets, roast beef. After lunch, volunteers Fred Rosseland and Lewis Hines will provide musical entertainment. Mr. Hines has a beautiful tenor voice. He will be accompanied by Mr. Rosseland on the piano. Ticket Information - Tickets for lunch ($1.50 suggested donation) must be purchased by Tues., March 10. Tickets must be picked up in person (no phone reservations) at the Milano Center and are limited to 2 tickets per person. Tickets are not necessary for the entertainment which starts at 1 p.m. All are welcome. Heritage of the Future Register now for Dorothy O'Connor's next Humanities discussion group series entitled "Heritage of the Future." The series begins on Friday, April 3, at 10 a.m. There is no charge for this class. However, please sign-up by calling 662-6886. Long Term Care Insurance On Fri., March 27, at 1 p.m., Scott MacDonald, representing New York Life Insurance, will give a seminar on long term care insurance. Though still a fairly new concept, long term care insurance has undergone many changes since its introduction. Now, long term care insurance policies can even be purchased to cover just care received at home with no nursing home coverage at all. However, typical policies usually continue to combine some home and nursing home coverage. The public is cordially invited to attend this free program held at the Milano Senior Center. Ride Free in COA Van The Council offers residents age 60 and over free transportation within Melrose. The van runs Mon.-Fri., from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Medical appointments may be booked up to three months in advance. Non-medical related rides, such as for shopping, to visit a friend, bank, etc., may be booked after Thursday, 12 noon, for the following week. However, if you wake up and decide you want to go shopping, call us and we'll try to fit you in. Call us at 665-4304. Notable Speakers A group of residents has been meeting about starting a speaker series for intellectual stimulation. Participants are leaning towards having a monthly speaker with a follow-up meeting the next week to revisit the topic and allow for further discussion. If you have ideas about speakers or topics, give us a call at 662-6886. SHINE Program Confused about health insurance? SHINE volunteer Mary Sullivan can help on Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-12 noon, in the COA office in City Hall. SHINE (Serving Health Information Needs of Elders) is a program of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Call 665-4304 for an appointment or just stop in. Senior Dining Program Tasty noontime meals are served each weekday at 12 noon at the Milano Senior Center. Daily entrees are listed in the calendar on page six. The lunch program is run in cooperation with Mystic Valley Elder Services. To reserve a meal call 662-6886 from 10-11:45 a.m. at least a day before you plan to attend. A $1.50 donation is requested for the meal. Rides are available by calling 665-4304. REGULAR EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES HEALTH PROGRAMS ADULT WELLNESS CLINIC Thursday, March. 12, 1998 at 1:30 p.m. MelroseVisiting Nurses provide free health checks including blood pressures, weights, and more. Appointments are necessary and can be made by calling 662-6886. PODIATRY Friday, March 20, 1998, Dr. Robert J. Connolly, D.P.M. provides foot care & consultations at moderate cost ($20). Appointments (662-6886) are required and can be made on or after the 1st of the month. Melrose residents receive first preference. CLUB MEETINGS & EVENTS March 2 - Community Associates at Highland Congregational Church. 1:00 Program on crime prevention by an Officer from the Andover State Police. March 4 - Go-Go Seniors -1:30 p.m., at Memorial Hall - Program - Mel Simon relating old time radio programs. March 13 - AARP Chapter 1124 - Highlands Congregational Church, 1:30 p.m. meeting. Joanne Remy, Atty. from Canton, Women's Issues Specialist. Skit by members/Women's History. March 31 - Senior Citizens Club Bingo, 1 p.m. Milano Senior Center - 50˘ per card. Melrose Veterans' Club Fridays, 9:00 a.m. GAR Room, Memorial Hall. New members welcome May 4 - Melrose Arts & Crafts day trip to Quilt Museum. Lunch & visit to Crafts & Treasure Shop. $36. TRIP INFORMATION Minibus to Shopping Malls - Call 665-4304 to reserve seats on the bus. March 2 Leaves Cefalo Memorial Complex to Square One Mall at 10 a.m.-returns 1 p.m. March 9 Leaves Julian Steele & McCarthy Houses to Meadow Glen Mall at 10 a.m.-returns at 1 p.m. March 16 Leaves City Hall to Meadow Glen Mall at 10 a.m. - returns at 1 p.m. AARP Chapter 1124 March 25 - 27 - Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, on the Boardwalk. 3 days for $109 - $30 back. 200 Club - Mar. 11 - Lincoln Park, $6 pp, $5 food credit, $1 scratch ticket, racing program and video slot machines. Mar. 17 - St. Patrick's at Christine's, W. Dennis, MA. Irish Comedy with "Shamrocks & Shenanigans!!" Apr. 16 - Hu Ke Lau Restaurant, Chicopee, MA - Luncheon & Hawaiian Show. $39 Sept., 1998 - Branson Missouri - 5 days, $919, pp/double. PLAN NOW! SILVER SINGLES - Mar. 18 - Irish Bash - "A Taste of Ireland" - Lantana's in Randolph. $45 Mar. 24-27 - "Spring in Pennsylvania" 4 days, $299 pp/double. Apr. 16-23 - Steamboating on the Mississippi Queen - 7 day cruise leaving from New Orleans. $1,489 Apr. 20 - Pat Boone - Show & lunch, Swansea. $49.95 GO-GO SENIORS - Mar. 18, 1998 - Irish Bash Lunch & entertainment at Lantana's Restaurant. $48 Apr. 15 - Vermont Feast at Putney Inn, Harlow's Sugar House, Basketville, N. River Winery, etc. $42 May 13 - Cliff House, Ogunquit, ME. Lunch at Nubble Lighthouse, etc. $38 May 24 - Fuller Gardens - Lunch at Lake Shore Farms and other stops. $39 SENIOR CITIZENS' CLUB OF MELROSE - Bus Tours Mar. 26 - Moheghan Sun Casino - Transportation & $15 bonus coupon. $15 pp. Apr. 30 - "Pat Boone" Musical spectacular at Venus DeMilo, Swansea. $49.95 pp. May 12-20 - Casablanca, Morocco, N. Africa. $975.00 pp/double. June 24 - Jul. 10 - "Europe Tour" France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany & Holland. $1,845 pp/double. Melrose Mirror's Feature Story Each month Melrose residents write non-fictional stories in the Melrose Mirror, an electronic publication on the Internet. If you are on-line, take a look at it. Our featured story this month is Natalie Thomson's "Token Travelogue." It appears on page one and is short, humorous and includes a nifty cartoon. It can be read at: http://silverstringer.media.mit.edu/ss/html/ Cut Your Risk of Falling The Milano Senior Center now offers two Tai Chi classes. Studies have shown that Tai Chi can improve balance and cut the risk of falling nearly in half. It works, just ask class participants. Don't take our word for it, check with your doctor first. After he/she confirms that Tai Chi is good for you, call the Center (662-6886) to see when the next series of lessons begins. Spell "Thank You!" Many thanks to Katie Joyce, Virginia Hanley and Barbara Sullivan for representing the Council on Aging at this year's Spelling Bee. The Spelling Bee was held at the end of February after the newsletter was sent out for printing so we can't tell you how they did. However, how they did doesn't really matter because it was for a good cause. Money raised helps "The Bridge: A School/Community Partnership" which oversees volunteering in the Melrose Public Schools. Storm Cancellation Policy When storms force the cancellation of Melrose Public Schools: · The Milano Senior Center will be closed for the morning. It may reopen for afternoon programs. Call 665-4304 to be sure. · If MVES keeps the meal sites open in other cities and towns, the lunch program will operate at the Milano Center. Call 324-7442, ext. 300, after 7:30 a.m. to check on the lunch program. · The Minibus will not run the entire day. · The COA office in City Hall will be open unless City Hall closes. PACE for Arthritis Sufferers For years people with arthritis were told not to exercise because it would damage their joints. Today, doctors and therapists know better. The Arthritis Foundation's PACE (People with Arthritis Can Exercise) program has helped thousands of people with arthritis to increase joint flexibility and range of motion. Susan DeColaines, an instructor trained and certified by the Arthritis Foundation, will teach a six-week PACE class at the Milano Center. It will start on Fri., March 27, from 1-2 p.m. The cost for the series $15. To register, call 662-6886. Don't assume that your arthritis is so bad that you can't benefit from the program. Even if you can't get out of a chair, PACE can help! Alzheimer Caregiver Support Group Affiliated with the National Alzheimer Association, the group is led by Valerie McLernon, a nurse in the MWH's Memory Assessment Clinic. The group offers information, presentations and support for those caring for people with memory loss (Alzheimer-related or not). Meetings are held at the Milano Center from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the last Monday of the month. This month's meeting will be on Mon., March 30. For more information call Valerie at the Memory Assessment Program at 979-3755. Minor Home Repair Program All residents age 60 and over are welcome to use this program. Repair program hourly rates are $20 for the handyman, $35 for the electrician and $45 for the plumbers. Sliding fee users, of course, pay significantly less. To be eligible for the sliding fee, an individual's annual income must be $17,787 or less and $25,169 or less for a couple. This program is supported by a grant from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and also funds from the Community Associates of Melrose though your donations and purchases at their Main Street Thrift Shop. Beginners' Bridge Instruction Beginners' Bridge Instruction, taught by Millie Ring, will start on Monday, April 20. The cost is $40 for 8 sessions. Call 662-6886 to register.
|