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Bellingham COA Announces October News & Events

Sep 30, 2014 09:35AM ● By Pamela Johnson

Upcoming Events

  • Holiday Craft Fair: Mark your calendar for the COA’s annual Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 1, 9 am—3 pm, at the Bellingham senior center, 40 Blackstone Street. Browse this year’s array of gift options by local artists and craftspeople, including jewelry, assorted crafts,  unique Christmas gifts, hand knitted & crocheted items, honey products,  handbags & totes, stocking stuffers, embroidery items, candles, greeting cards, country accessories, homemade baked goods, jams, jellies, spice rubs, refreshments and more; take a chance to win a prize. Music will be provided by radio personality Polka Paul. New and gently used items continue to be accepted. Donations of baked goods are still needed and can be dropped off on Friday, Oct. 31, or early Saturday. To volunteer to help out at the fair or to arrange a ride, call 508-966-0398.
  • Triad Program—Please join Joseph J. Canavan, Director of the Triad Division of the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 11 am, and learn more about this great program, sponsored by the Sheriff’s office on the first Thursday of each month in the senior center dining room. Topics include the File of Life, Lifeline, R U OK? phone reassurance,  the latest scams and how to protect yourself from them, the Yellow Dot ID, and the senior ID card. Plase call to let us know you will attend.
  • Home Safety Inspection Program—This free program is designed in conjunction with the hazard house program taught earlier this year. Firefighters will go into senior citizens’ homes and perform safety inspections. The result will be a check-list of all the hazards to look for with recommendations, if needed, to make the home safer. The visit should last only 30—40 minutes and will be very informative. Inspections will be held on two dates: Oct. 25 and Nov. 15, 9 am—2 pm. To sign up for either date, call the senior center, 508-966-0398. For more information, contact Safety Coordinator Brad Kwatcher at the fire department, 508-966-1112.
  • Elder Service Group Happenings—Reminder: Our next event, the turkey luncheon that will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 7, is waiting list only. Members pay $5; all others $8. Prizes will be awarded and a complimentary dessert for all guests will be served after the meeting. Save the date of NOV. 4 for our roast pork lunch. Sign up now so that you don’t miss out. The ESG thanks the following donors:  Whole Foods Market, Olive Maloney, and Oakland Grove Health Center.
  • A Presentation of Masterpiece Replication Art—Come one, come all, for a free art show presented by James Hand, formerly of the Framingham Artist Guild. Displayed and discussed will be a portfolio of replicated masterpieces, in oils on canvas, including renderings of the paintings of impressionist Auguste Renoir, and works after John Singer Sargent, Norman Rockwell and others. The works are freshly painted, not artificially aged. Thus, they are presented as they were originally by the artists.Hosted by the Bellingham senior center, the show will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, 3-4:30 pm; light refreshments will be served.
  • Halloween Dinner Dance—Join us for an afternoon of dancing, great music, delicious food, and fun people at the Medway VFW, 123 Holliston St., on Monday, Oct. 20, at 11:30 am. A sit-down pot roast dinner is planned starting at noon; it will include soup, salad, pasta & sauce, rolls & butter, potato, vegetable and dessert for $17/pp. Music will be provided by DJ Dave Valerio for couples dancing and line-dancing with Mary Lennon; prize drawings will be held, and a cash bar will be available. Wearing Halloween costume, colors, and outfits is strongly encouraged. All area residents are welcome to sign up at the senior center or by calling 508-966-0398 (no refund if cancelled after Oct 17). 
  • The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease—Tuesday, Oct. 7, 9:30—11 am. Alzheimer’s Disease is not a normal part of aging. This program provides information on that topic and related dementias, the benefits of early detection, causes and risk factors, treatment and services offered by the Alzheimer’s Association, at the Bellingham senior center. Call 1-800-272-3900 to sign up in advance.
  • Men’s Coffee Group by Tom Donnelly—We are a group (now 16 members strong) that meets for about an hour every Wednesday, at 10 am, for coffee, discussion, storytelling, and occasionally a joke or two. We meet without an agenda unless we have invited a guest speaker. This meeting affords some members an opportunity to get out of the house and converse with men of similar likes and dislikes. Some of the issues that have come up are health, family, and military history. A few of us have created a military history CD through the efforts of local writer/personal historian Marjorie Turner Hollman and the ABMI Cable 8 studio in Bellingham. Those CDs will be forwarded to the Veteran’s Administration National Archives in Washington, D.C., and will also be available to anyone  that may want to watch them by logging on to the VA’s website. We range in age from 50 to 92 with our eldest member having a birthday this past June. Five are married; some have lost their spouse. A simple poll taken shows that we have interest in the following: bowling, golf, gardening, animals, and photography (digital or film). Our preferred music runs the gamut from pop, jazz, country, folk, classical, semi-classical, with big-band being the most popular. Current events, life history, and world history are top subjects of interest except for where we will go to lunch that day. Sometimes that can end up in a half-hour discussion. We attempt to keep our discussions light, avoid criticism or debate, and welcome others to visit and join us.
  • Bellingham Council on Aging News—The next COA meeting is on Tuesday, Oct.14, at 1 pm. Come and learn more about services and programs available here. Refreshments are served and an attendance prize is awarded. September was Senior Center Month. To celebrate, we had a lively discussion about how our center came about, what it was like originally to be on the corner of Maple St. and Hartford Ave., and the move here. Those in attendance really enjoyed listening to the speakers: Muriel Simmons, Marguerite Boucher, Kay DeTore, Gordon Curtis, and Dariel Ford. We have grown so much; it is amazing to all of those who were there in the early years to see what the senior center has become.
  • C.H.O.R.E. Services—This program provides minor repairs to your home by Eric Milot, an honest, reliable, experienced handyman, at a modest or no cost to you, depending on your gross income. You are asked to pay for the materials needed and a small stipend that will enable the program to continue and be available for others. For more information call Sheila or Lisa at 508-966-0398. Priority is given to low-income households and repairs that address safety and health concerns.
  • In-Home Companion Caregiver Program—This program is designed to provide a regular break (respite) for unpaid caregivers of elders, age 60 and older, in Franklin and Bellingham. This in-home service is provided by a trained companion after the care recipient has been determined to be eligible for it. Socialization and stimulation for the care recipient, through an activities plan developed for that individual, based on his or her interests and abilities are provided. This program is made available through a generous grant from the MetroWest Health Foundation.

Evening Programs for Night Owls (Ending Oct. 28)

  • Strategies to Help Secure Your Future—You can find trendy news almost anywhere but it is difficult to use this information to make informed decisions and create a plan for your retirement. Attend all five sessions of “Retirement: Strategies to Help Secure Your Future” at the senior center on Tuesday evenings, 6—7:30 pm, beginning with those on Oct. 7 and 14. Whether you plan to retire 20 years from now or have just recently retired, the information you learn in these helpful classes can deliver rewards throughout your lifetime. All attendees will receive a handy reference binder packed with reliable and trusted material. If your objective is to build a nest egg, protect your assets or preserve your lifestyle throughout retirement, this course helps you plan your future with confidence. Presenter is Gerald Loftin, J.D., CFP®, AIF®, of Proficient Wealth Counselors, LLC.
  • Cooking for One—Tuesday, Oct. 14, 5—6:30 pm. Free, limited to 10 people; sign up by calling 508-966-0398. The instructor and foods are provided by Whole Foods Market Bellingham. Dawn Berthelette teaches participants how to use seasonal vegetables and fruits in unique combinations.
  •  Genealogy Workshops—Tuesdays, Oct. 7 and 21, 6:30—8 pm, with Toni Picariello. Free. Start a new hobby; research your family history at your own pace. Come to one or all of these classes.
  • Yoga—Tuesdays in October, 5:30—7 pm, with Susan Winters. $5 per class; mats available. (Susan also teaches Chair Yoga and Basic Mat Yoga Tuesday mornings; $3 per one-hour class.)
  • Save the Date: Saturday, Nov. 8, 2—3:30 pm. Project Apollo Show—Men onto the Moon and Home Again. Come for a free show presented by James Hand, formerly of The MIT/Instrumentation Laboratory and its offshoot, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. Hand was a developer/tester/integrator, with many colleagues, of the guidance and navigation systems for Project Apollo. A slide presentation and an extensive set of memorabilia will be shown.
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