Council on Aging, November 2, 2017
HOLDEN COUNCIL ON AGING
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Conference Room – Senior Center
Present: Susan Sullivan, Faye Ellis, Maureen Locke, Eric Johansen, Rick Mansfield,
Rebecca Tornblom, Jim Robinson, Louise Charbonneau, Maureen Buffone.
The Meeting was called to order by Sue Sullivan at 8:00 a.m.
It was decided to hold off approval of the October minutes until the next meeting.
F.H.C.O.A. REPORT
Faye reported the account balances as follows:
Commerce Bank $15,613.36
Leominster Credit Union (furnishings acct.) $2,850.22
Leominster Credit Union C.D. $24,206.46
LCU Trip Account $6,606.70
Faye reported that the Friends Fair have received over One Thousand ($1,000.00) Dollars in donations from merchants.
The Friends will be meeting again on Monday, November 6th at 1:00 p.m.
HELP AT H.O.M.E. REPORT - Jim Robinson
Jim submitted two (2) reports. The first report is for the end of the fiscal year. It is the information that they use when submitting their annual report. Total donations received for the period ending June 30, 2017 amounted to $17,519.77. The total amount disbursed during that time period was $10,659.67, which averages $333.11 for 32 disbursements. The lower cost of oil has caused lower requests, as well as a bigger variety of assistance that is available.
The second report submitted by Jim was through August 2017. One (1) donation and two (2) disbursements were made.
There were no updates for September.
Flyers and envelopes were included in the last light bills. It is a very efficient way to get information out. The town sign and the Facebook page are being used mostly to let people know it is available. Jim expressed his appreciation for the work that is done here at the senior center and by the Council on Aging.
Jim also reported that the Chairman of the Help at H.O.M.E. Committee has moved to Canada. Her work on the committee was greatly appreciated. The chairman position for Help at H.O.M.E. remains open.
BOARD OF ELDER SERVICES REPORT - Richard Mansfield
Rick Mansfield offered an informative report from Elder Services and their annual meeting last month. Senator Harriett Chandler was the keynote speaker.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT - Louise Charbonneau
NOVEMBER EVENTS
Wednesday, November 1 … 1:00 p.m. … Ghosts … Margaret Watson will present the most famous historical English and American Ghosts, reviewing details of their lives as human beings, their unfortunate ends, and their appearances as spirits. Included are Queen Katherine Howard, wife of Henry VIII, and Abraham Lincoln among others. Free and open to all.
Friday, November 3 … 9:00-2:00 … Fuel Assistance Sign Ups for New Applicants … For those who qualify, the Worcester Community Action Council will be accepting NEW applications. Appointments are REQUIRED and can be made by calling the Worcester Community Action Council at 508-754-1176.
Saturday, November 4 … 9:00-2:00 … Best of Friends Fair.
Wednesday, November 8 … 11:00 a.m. … Medicare Update … The annual Medicare Open Enrollment (October 14-December 7) is the ONLY chance you have to CHANGE your coverage for next year. State-certified SHINE Counselors are knowledgeable in your specific plan’s changes, as well as other options you may have. Make your SHINE appointment early. There will be time for questions and answers after the presentation.
Wednesday, November 8 … 12:00 Noon … Veterans Luncheon and Musical Program … Join us for our Veterans’ Lunch when we will be offering pasta, sausage and meatballs, cheese, salad and apple pie and ice cream. After lunch we will present a patriotic musical program for everyone’s enjoyment. Reservations are REQUIRED and must be made prior to noon on Monday, November 6 by calling Sue at 508-210-5578 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Cost of the luncheon is $2.50 - veterans will be our guests.
Friday, November 10 … Senior Center Closed in Observance of Veterans Day.
Wednesday, November 15 … 1:00 p.m. … Early Corsets and the Corset Factory … Join us for this lively illustrated program about a thriving corset factory right here in Worcester. The free program is sponsored by the Holden Women's Club and is open to all.
Thursday, November 16 … Book Discussion Group … 10:00 a.m. … Our Book Discussion Group will be reading The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware.
Monday, November 20 … 1:00 p.m. … Scams … Robin Putnam from the Massachusetts Department of Consumer Affairs will present a talk on the latest scams. With the holidays approaching, there are more and more scams coming up with the goal of separating you from your money. This program is free and open to all.
Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 … The Senior Center will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
MCOA CONFERENCE
Louise and Maureen attended the MCOA Conference on October 18-20 in Danvers. This year’s conference was an improvement over the last few we’ve attended. This was a new venue which was very nice. Some of the workshops we attended were: Respect: Bullying Amongst Seniors; It’s Time for a Public Guardian for Massachusetts; Medicare, Health Insurance & Protecting your Assets; and Balance for Life Exercise Program – A Follow-Up to Matter of Balance.
JUST A REMINDER …
... to turn your clocks back 1 hour on Sunday, November 5th.
NUMBERS FROM OCTOBER
Public Power Lunch – 117 plus our staff, DPW staff and Light Dept.
Flu Shots – 32
Potato Bar and Pumpkin Decorating Contest - 75
SENIOR CENTER CHRISTMAS PARTY
Our Annual Senior Center Christmas Party will be held on Wednesday, December 13 at noon at Val’s Restaurant. We will enjoy a delicious luncheon buffet of Fresh Garden Salad, Rolls and Butter, Chicken Marsala, Baked Haddock, Beef Stir Fry, Rice Pilaf, Butternut Squash, Ice Cream Sundaes, coffee or tea. A cash bar will be available for those who would like to partake. Also, we will all be treated to a visit from the jolly old elf himself! Tickets for this meal have been reduced by $5.00/person via a grant from the Holden Senior Center Fund at the Worcester Foundation. We sincerely thank the Sjostedt Family for their generosity.
CAPITAL BUDGET
Louise has started working on the capital budget. A replacement for the van will be necessary in the near future. It currently has 80,000 miles. We may be looking for some funding for that from the Friends. We are responsible for one (1) van. Oriol, the Friends and the town funded the purchase of the current van. The WRTA van usually gets 100,000 miles, but it is more rugged than the town van. We will be looking for something closer to the WRTA van. There are a couple of places in the state that sells them. The focus is on handicapped vehicles. Rick volunteered to help this process along with Eric Johnansen, if need be.
The ceiling in the dining room is leaking during heavy rains and will need to be addressed, as well. Louise is waiting to hear back from Gary Kaczmarek.
On behalf of the staff, we wish you all a very happy and bountiful Thanksgiving.
OLD BUSINESS
None.
NEW BUSINESS
None.
CITIZENS ADDRESS
None.
ADJOURNMENT
It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 a.m.
Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. (This is the second Thursday in December.)
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Buffone