Newsletter from the Paxton Council on Aging PAXTON SENIOR CONNECTION 17 West Street Paxton, MA 01612 Tel. 508-756-2833 Fax: 508-756-3762 [email protected]Volume 2018 Issue 2 February 2018 Inside...p.2: Urgent Care p.3: Valentine’s Lunch p.3: Low Vision Joan Jim Jan Heart Healthy F ebruary is not only Valentine’s Day but it is also Heart Month. The per- fect gift this Valentine’s is the gift of a healthy heart. Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.? Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. Out of this, 525,000 experienced a heart attack for the first time. Here are some major warning signs that, when recognized, can save your life: • Chest pain or discomfort • Shortness of breath • Upper body pain or discomfort in arms, back, neck • Nausea, lightheadedness or cold sweats (Call 911 if these symptoms are present) High blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking can also place you in the “high risk” category. There are several other medical conditions that can put you at risk. This in- cludes diabetes, obesity, poor diet, and inactivity. The good news? Heart disease is preventable by making lifestyle changes and managing medical conditions. Give yourself an early Valentine’s gift by coming to the Senior Center on Tuesday, February 13 at 11 am and have your blood pressure checked free of charge by Rhapsody Home Health professionals.
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Heart Healthy - Senior center · Newsletter from the Paxton Council on Aging PAXTON SENIOR CONNECTION 17 West Street Paxton, MA 01612 Tel. 508-756-2833 Fax: 508-756-3762 [email protected]
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Inside...p.2: Urgent Care p.3: Valentine’s Lunch p.3: Low Vision
Joan Jim Jan
Heart Healthy F
ebruary is not only Valentine’s Day but it is also Heart Month. The per-fect gift this Valentine’s is the gift of a healthy heart. Did you know that
heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.? Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. Out of this, 525,000 experienced a heart attack for the first time. Here are some major warning signs that, when recognized, can save your life:
• Chest pain or discomfort • Shortness of breath • Upper body pain or discomfort in arms, back, neck • Nausea, lightheadedness or cold sweats
(Call 911 if these symptoms are present)
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking can also place you in the “high risk” category. There are several other medical conditions that can put you at risk. This in-cludes diabetes, obesity, poor diet, and inactivity. The good news? Heart disease is preventable by making lifestyle changes and managing medical conditions. Give yourself an early Valentine’s gift by coming to the Senior Center on Tuesday, February 13 at 11 am and have your blood pressure checked free of charge by Rhapsody Home Health professionals.
2 Paxton Senior Connection FEBRUARY 2018
COUNCIL ON AGING BOARD
Officers Chairperson – Curtis Hammar Vice Chair – Alice Crowley Secretary – Joan Bedard Treasurer – Bob Callahan
Board Members
Barbara Braley, Gino Gangai, Jim Putnam, Natalie Siemen, Jean Wilde
Associates—Mark Ahearn, Paul Bergin, Howard Coleman, June Herron, Bob Lamotte
Van Drivers Pete Belsito, Jack Crowley, Frank LaFlash
Olde Schoolhouse Diner Dining Site Manager – Tina Bullock
Friends of the Council on Aging President – Dave Wheeler Vice President - Bill Cutroni Treasurer – Bob Wilby
Secretary – Melinda Johnson Associates - Dick Bedard, Judy Taylor
www.friendspaxtoncoa.org
Newsletter Editors - Curtis Hammar, Cindy Love
It shall be the mission of the Council on Aging to
evaluate, promote, and encourage new and existing services and activities which enhance the quality of life
for elders in the town of Paxton�
“Code Red” for Emergencies
Code Red is a town-wide emergency notification system set up to keep you safe in the event of an emergency. The system delivers emergency messages by phone. Messages regarding the safety or welfare of Paxton residents will be sent using the system. Don’t be left in the dark when an emergency arises. Sign up today by calling the COA office or visit townofpaxton.net.
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Prescription Advantage
The Prescription Advantage Plan is a state-sponsored drug plan that is available to Mass. residents 65 years and older, as well as individuals with disabilities who meet the income and employment guidelines. It pro-vides financial help to lower drug costs. If you have Medicare or any other prescription insurance, Prescription Advantage helps to fill the gaps in the coverage. For people not eli-gible for Medicare, Prescription Advantage provides primary coverage. For more infor-mation, call Prescription Advantage at 1-800-243-4636 or call the COA to meet with our SHINE counselor.
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What is an urgent care center? It’s a walk-in clinic focused on non-emergencies. These clinics provide easy access to quality health care for times when your primary care physi-cian’s office is closed. Professionals at these locations treat injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to use a hospital’s Emergency Room. Some examples of why you would go to an Ur-gent Care Center include:
Several Urgent Care centers are located in our area. Remember 1 always call 911 for any medical problem that appears to be life-threatening.
FEBRUARY 2018 Paxton Senior Connection 3
March Preview (Full details in next month’s Newsletter)
March
16 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
21 Breakfast by Paxton Fire Dept.
Valentine’s Day Lunch
Brighten your day and join us for our annual Valentine’s Social and Lunch
Tuesday, February 13 at Noon Tina and the Diner crew will serve a heart-warming full-course
lunch. It’s a great day to spend time with good friends. All are welcome! Generously sponsored by the Friends of the COA Reservations required (by Feb. 8): Call 508-756-2833 Don’ forget / Blood pressure clinic at 11 am (free)
Lions Low Vision
Presentation Paxton Lions Club, along with the COA will unveil a new pro-gram to help anyone coping with low vision and vision loss typically caused by Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Reti-nopathy or Cataracts. John Reimer, Lions regional chairperson, will present details on the Low Vision Reha-bilitation Network on Thursday, February 22 at 11 am.
You can learn about how this initiative can help you by attending this informative pro-gram. Lunch (option) follows. Please call to reserve
(508-756-2833).
Chair Massage Warm up those winter-weary muscles with a fif-teen minute chair massage! Joanne Ethier, LMT, will offer massage on Tuesday, February 27 from 12:30 to 1:45 pm. Joanne has been an educator for 36 years and a Massage Therapist since 2005. Donation is $10 per session. Treat yourself to the healing gift of positive touch! Call to reserve a time: 508-756-2833.
Schoolhouse Memories We’re still receiving interesting memories of at-tending school at the White Building. If you have recollections of your times here please give Cindy a few words. We’ll run down memory lane with a story in a future Newsletter.
GAME TIME? Any interest in playing Pitch? It’s a great card game for all ...and if we can get a group togeth-er we’ll launch it soon. Please call Cindy if you would like to be part of it: (508-756-2833).
“Pals” Program We’ll soon start a new program connect-ing our seniors with fourth graders at Paxton Center School. It’s an opportunity to have fun and build a friendship. Seniors will have a fourth grade “Pal” who will contact and interview them over the next few months. At the end, the stu-dents will present their finished “biographies” of participating seniors at a special event.
The program starts the end of March and ends in June. We need over 50 participants, so if you’re interested (men and women), call Cindy at the COA (508-756-2833).
4 Paxton Senior Connection FEBUARY 2018
(Call the COA office to check on winter cancella�ons)��
coastal loca�ons this Fall. Hear representa�ves of AAA
Vaca�ons and the Travel Staff of AAA Northeast/
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pastries before the presenta�on. Info:
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Escape the cold for the warmth of our monthly Café on Wednesday, February 7 from 9 to Noon. We’ll feature a tasty selection of various pastries, plus Jackie’s well-known chili, cornbread and fruit salad for eat-in or take-out. It’s all generously sponsored by the LaFlash family. Drop in!
Book Club Never missing a beat (or a word), our Book Club considers The Known World by Edward P. Jones, this month at 11 am on Monday, Febru-ary 12. Coffee is served at 10:30 am. New readers welcome!
Mens Club An informative program on changes in policing, is on tap with guest presenter Det. Jason Silvestri of the Paxton Police Dept. on Tuesday, February 20. We’ll start at 9:30 am with coffee and snacks and then,following the 10 am program, have time to raise any questions about safety in town.
Presorted
Standard
Postage
PAID
Permit #3
Holden, MA.
Paxton Council on Aging
17 West St
Paxton, MA 01612
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Lunch at the Schoolhouse Diner
FEBRUARY MENU (Subject to change)
Bread, milk and dessert included. Suggested donation: $2.50. TO RESERVE: Please call 2 days in advance (508)756-2833.
Newsletter published in part through a grant from the Mass. Executive Office of Elder Affairs