FEBRUARY 2008 HAPPENINGS AT CALLAHAN SENIOR CENTER

FRAMINGHAM,MA -- CALLAHAN CENTER HAPPENINGS FOR FEBRUARY 2008

Town of Framingham & Callahan Center Snowstorm Policy Notice - If the schools close due to snowstorms or other inclement weather days, there will be no activities at the Center. On these days, the Town of Framingham Staff will be available to you at the Center, unless the Town of Framingham declares an emergency closing.

Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center - Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, February 4, 11 & 25 at 10:00 am. Caregivers’ Support Group: Tuesday, February 12 at 10:30 am. Grandparent Support Group: Please call Center for date and time. Low Vision Group: No meetings in January and February. Massage Therapy: Thursday, February 7, by appt. only. Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, February 19 at 1:30 pm.
Podiatry: Thursday, February 14 from 12:30 pm to 4:15 pm, by appt. only. Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, February 4 at 1:00 pm.

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR FEBRUARY - Wednesdays, February 6, 13, 20 & 27 from 9:30—11am & 12—1 pm.

Monday, February 11, 2007 at 9:30 am - Framingham Garden Club will be at the Callahan Center to assist with creating a Valentine’s Day arrangement. Cost is $4.00 (Increase of $1.00 due to cost of floral materials.) Please stop by the Center to reserve a seat and pre-pay for your materials. Please bring your own scissors. Limited to the first 20 reservations.

FRIENDS OF CALLAHAN UPDATE - The next Friends’ general meeting and Valentine’s Day party will be on Monday, February 11, 2008 at 1:30 pm. Entertainment provided by “Mister Twister”, the balloon guy. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 to reserve a seat. Please bring in an anonymous Valentine card and you will receive one to bring home. Refreshments will be served. Come and bring a friend!

Coming in March!

Genealogy Revisited - New Members Welcome. Have you ever wondered about your ancestry? Starting in March, Suzanne Richardson will be here to help you investigate! The group will meet on Mondays from 1:00—3:00 pm in the Computer Room. Bring your questions!!

SPRING CLEANING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER ! Eleanor Brody will be here at the Callahan Center on Thursday, March 13th at 10:00 am to conduct a presentation on ways to help you “make mess and stress disappear”. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 to reserve a seat!

WATCH FOR DETAILS IN THE MARCH COURIER ON THE ST. PATRICK’S DAY
CELEBRATON AT CALLAHAN CENTER!

Framingham State College in Partnership with the Callahan Center Offers New Lifelong Learners’ Programs for 2008

“The Arts - "Italian Renaissance and Leonardo Da Vinci” with Jane Blair, Historian on
Tuesdays, February 5th and 19th at 10:00 am at Callahan Center - Cost: $14.00 pp
“Improve Your Memory” with Mary Driscoll on Tuesdays, February 26th, March 4th & March 11th at 10:00 am at Callahan Center - Cost: $14.00 pp
“Global Warming: The Heat is On!” with Dr. Gary Hylander, Historian on Tuesday, April 15th at 10:00 am at Callahan Center - Cost: $7.00 pp
“World Religions: Strange Stories in Various Religions” with Prof. Jason Giannetti, on Wednesdays, May 14th, 21st & 28th at 6:30 pm at Callahan Center - Cost: $21.00 pp
All payments must be received in advance of the program. No admittance without pre-payment. Please make your payment at the Callahan Center reception desk, or you may send your check, payable to the Friends of Callahan, Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA 01702. All of the above programs take place at the Callahan Center and are subsidized by the Friends of Callahan.

WRITING WORKSHOP - Professor Marc Widershien will be back to lead a Creative Writing Workshop and Storytelling Workshop this spring. Marc holds a Doctorate in Comparative literature from Boston University and has had a wide experience in publishing poetry, translations, book reviews, and articles. This workshop will cover how to focus your ideas through brainstorming, free writing and tape recorder; improve skills in language by using sensory details to sharpen the senses; the editing process: writing and rewriting; and remembered events: family history, culture, religion, your own lineage which has helped to shape you. This free workshop will be held Thursdays 3/6, 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 4/17, and 5/1 at 10:00 am. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 to sign up.

Art Instruction at Callahan - Kathleen Wirtanen, Art Instructor, will be teaching a 4-week drawing course at Callahan Center. Classes are geared for beginners, but all are welcome. Classes will take place at Callahan Center on Thursday mornings from 12:00 noon—1:30 pm in the Mary Parcher Room and will run for 4 weeks starting Thursday, March 20th, 2008. The cost will be $12.00 per person and must be pre-paid at time of registration and is non-refundable. Items you will need for class are: a kneaded eraser, Ebony drawing pencil by Sanford, or an #HB or #2 pencil, 11 x 14 or larger pad of white drawing paper. These supplies are available at A.C. Moore, Staples, Office Max or any Art Supply store. Online stores you could try are www.DickBlick.com or www.cheapjoes.com. If interested, please come in to register and pre-pay your class fee or you may send a check payable to the Friends of Callahan to the Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA 01702. Please note on your check, which class you are paying for.

Painting Instruction at Callahan - Kathleen Wirtanen, Art Instructor, is coming back to the Callahan Center for an 8-week painting course. Classes are geared for beginners, but all are welcome. Classes will take place at Callahan Center on Thursday mornings from 9:30 am—11:30 am in the Multi-Purpose Room and will run for 8 weeks starting Thursday, March 20th, 2008. The cost is $48.00 per person and must be pre-paid at time of registration and is non-refundable. Supplies needed for this course will be discussed at the first class on March 20th and you will be given a list of the supplies that are appropriate for this course. If interested, please come in to register and pre-pay your class fee or you may send a check payable to the Friends of Callahan to the Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA 01702. Please note on your check, which class you are paying for.

Would you like to volunteer to teach a computer class to a group of seniors? If you have some free time and would like to volunteer to teach some classes in the Callahan Computer Learning Center, please call Robert Kyriakakis, Computer Center Coordinator, to set up an interview. Robert can be reached at 508-532-5980, ext. 4118 or by email at rkyriakakis@yahoo.com.

AARP Tax Assistance Program at Callahan Center - AARP will provide a qualified volunteer to assist with preparing income taxes, free of charge for seniors who need this service. You must schedule an appointment in order to see a Tax Counselor. You are required by the IRS to bring the following: income tax returns from last year 1099’s and other relevant tax documents income and asset documents, Social Security Card (a must), and 2 forms of identification (one photo ID and another form of identification). A checklist with the items you will need to bring to your appointment and Tax Intake Form for you to fill out will be mailed to you when you make your appointment. Please bring these items with you for your appointment. Appointments: Please call the Center for an appointment at 508-532-5980. Appointments may be limited this year, and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Did you miss the Part D Open Enrollment? Enrollment for the Medicare Part D prescription drug plans ended December 31, 2007. Fortunately, Massachusetts residents can still join a Medicare Part D plan by enrolling in Prescription Advantage, the state’s pharmacy assistance program. Medicare allows Prescription Advantage members to join a Medicare plan without having to wait until next November. If your annual income is less than $51,050 for a single person and $68,450 for a married couple, you are eligible to join Prescription Advantage. If you are concerned about added cost, you will be happy to know that there is no charge for Prescription Advantage for members with an annual income less than $30,630 for a single person and $41,070 for a married couple. And, depending on your income and the Medicare prescription drug plan you choose, Prescription Advantage may help pay all or part of your Medicare prescription drug plan’s monthly premium, deductible and drug co-payments. There is no reason not to have coverage for your prescription drugs. Call Prescription Advantage today for an application form. You can reach Prescription Advantage Customer Service toll-free at 1-800-AGE-INFO (1-800-243-4636) or TTY for the deaf and hard of hearing at 1-877-610-0241. There is also help available from the SHINE program. Call your center and ask for a SHINE appointment. Specially trained SHINE volunteers offer free, confidential counseling to seniors and anyone on Medicare, covering all aspects of health insurance. You can also reach a SHINE counselor by telephone. Call 1-800-AGE-INFO. Once you get the SHINE answering machine, leave your name and number. A volunteer will call you back, as soon as possible. If you are interested in becoming a SHINE volunteer counselor, contact Dorene Nemeth at (508) 532-5980, ext 4109.

Getting Ready for the Conversion from Analog to Digital Television - The MA Department of Telecommunications and Cable has issued a notice regarding the upcoming conversion from analog to digital television. Elder consumers are a large audience that may be affected by this change. At midnight on February 17, 2009, full power broadcast stations will be required to stop broadcasting in analog format. Digital TV will replace the analog system. There are several ways to prepare for this: • Buy a new TV that has a built-in ATSC tuner. • Buy a Digital-to-Analog Converter Box. • Subscribe to a Cable TV or Satellite TV service. Since VCRs and DVD players also have built-in analog NTSC tuners, they are also subject to the effects of the analog cut-off date. To help curb the cost impact for analog TV owners, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce developed a converter box program to allow analog TV owners to request coupons towards the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter box. The coupons will be available from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. All households that own a TV using over-the-air analog reception are eligible. Coupons, which will look like plastic gift cards, will be redeemable through local electronic stores. Households may request two $40 coupons toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes beginning by calling 888-DTV-2009, (1-888-388-2009) or on-line at www.DTV2009.gov, which also provides answers to frequently asked questions. Coupons will be forwarded via U.S. mail. (Source: MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs)

HERITAGE GALLERY at Callahan Center has fabulous, unique and beautiful gifts for your Valentine!



For information about services for seniors, including reverse mortgages, in home care, and other helpful services, see http://www.framingham.com/info/senior_services/index.htm.