HomeMy Public PortalAboutFebruary 2014 Watertown Senior NewsWatertown Senior News
COUNCIL ON AGING BOARD
Patricia Gold, Chairperson
Watertown Council on Aging/Senior Center
COA/SENIOR ENTER
Carol Airasian
31 Marshall St.
STAFF
Caryl Leslie Fox, Director
Dorothy Jean Brown
Watertown, MA 02472
Kathleen Wolf
Michael Donham
Laura Gold
Burt Greenburg
617-972-6490
Deborah A. Dunn
Mary Keenan
Alfredo Bartolozzi
www.watertown-ma.gov
Joseph Cavallaro
Genevieve C. Martin
Will
FEBRUARY 2014
Wadden
Alice Waddenn
FEBRUARY 2014
"Greenland -A Journey Into The Land of Ice"
PAGE
Greenland is the world's largest island and least densely populated place on earth. With over three-
quarters of the land covered by ice, the population is limited to a handful of habitable places along the
coast. World traveler and photojournalist, Barry Pell recently visited this Danish colony. Traveling by boat,
plane and helicopter (there are no roads), he photographed the stunning beauty of the ice floes, glaciers
and icebergs.
In this program, he will discuss the island's history
and culture, as well as how global warming is chang-
ing the landscape and impacting the lives of its peo-
ple who depend on fishing and hunting for their sur-
vival.
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 26
WHERE: Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall St.
Please sign up for this program by calling the Senior
Center at 617-972-6490
Inside this issue:
Taking Control of Your Future: HOUSING OPTIONS and
February Movies 2 TRUSTS FOR SENIORS
Book Club
3
A seminar presented by Attorney Dale J. Tamburro.
Computer Classes
3
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. February 19, 2014
SHINE Program
3
WHERE: Watertown senior Center, 31 Marshall St.
Food Choices for
3
Attorney Tamburro, will cover the following major topics during this session:
Heartburn & IBS
0 Revocable Trusts VS Irrevocable Trusts
Circuit Breaker
4
0 Irrevocable Trust to Protect from Nursing Home and other Creditors
• Staying Home Benefits and Disadvantages Issues
Medical Update
6
Mortgage Options: Home Equity, Reverse Mortgages others
Be the 1st to Know
6
• Homestead Reverse Mortgages in some detail
Knitting Group
6
' Downsizing in General
• Renting, Children move in with you
BC Legal
6
• Assisted Living Facilities or Continued Care Communities basics
CALENDAR
7
0 Special options if you own a multi -family
LIHEAP Fuel Assis-
• Creative Asset Protection if you want to move in with someone else
tance Program
8
Please call the Watertown Senior Center at 617-972-6490 to register.
AARP TaxAide
8
PAGE 2 WATERTOWN SENIOR NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
rebruary Mcvie Matinee
Relax and enjoy a movie in our comfortable lounge Thursday afternoons at
1:00 p. m. This month, enjoy Oscar winning movies of past years.
2/6-MY FAIR LADY (1964) Out-
side Covent Garden on a rainy
evening in 1912, disheveled cock-
ney flower girl Eliza
Doolittle (Audrey
Hepburn) meets
linguistic expert
lkHenry Higgins (Rex
"IHAMM Harrison) who tells
MY ur his companion
Colonel Pickering
(Wilfred Hyde-
�T White) that, within
six months, he could transform Eli-
za into a proper lady, simply by
teaching her proper English. The
movie won Best Picture, Best Di-
rector, Best Actor for Harrison, and
five other Oscars, and remains
one of the all-time best movie mu-
sicals.
2/13-ON THE WATERFRONT
(1954) Mob -connected union boss
Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb)
rules the waterfront with an iron
fist. The police know that he's
been responsible for a number of
murders, but witnesses play deaf
and dumb. Washed-up boxer Ter-
ry Malloy (Marlon Brando) has had
an errand -boy job
' I I because of the
influence of his
brother Charley, a
crooked union
lawyer (Rod Stei-
ger). Witnessing
one of Friendly's
rub -outs, Terry is
willing to keep his
mouth shut until he meets the
dead dockworker's sister, Edie
(Eva Marie Saint). The movie fea-
tures Brando's famous "I coulda
been a contendah" speech and
won Oscars for Best Picture, Best
Director, Best Adapted Screenplay,
Best Actor for Brando, and Best
Supporting Actress for Saint.
2/20-ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE
ANYMORE (1974) Alice Hyatt
(Ellen Burstyn), a resigned South-
west housewife, takes advantage of
her trucker husband's sudden
death to hit the road with her bratty
son Tommy (Alfred Lutter) and pur-
sue her childhood dream of a sing-
ing career. She finds a job as a
lounge singer, but after a horrific
encounter with an
abusive new beau
. •z Gut +r+}rxa-
wa i�,�P6` (Harvey Keitel), she
. . ■x t INt'.
flees and winds up
taking a waitress job
at Mel's Diner, run
by gruff cook Mel
(Vic Tayback). With
her career on hold,
Alice soon finds
strength and self-worth through her
friendship with the other waitresses,
saucy Flo (Diane Ladd) and spacy
Vera (Valerie Curtin). When sensi-
tive rancher David (Kris Kristoffer-
son) starts courting her, Alice won-
ders if she wants to abandon her
goals for domesticity again. The
role won Burstyn the Oscar for Best
Actress.
2/27- HARRY AND TONTO (1974)
Harry, (Art Carney) a 70-plus Man-
hattan widower who loses his tiny
apartment to the wrecking ball. Ac-
companied by his pet, an aged cat
named Tonto, Harry sets out on an
odyssey to Los Angeles. During his
journey, he finds a kindred spirit in
a youthful hitchhiker (Melanie May-
ron), who eventually finds happi-
ness with Harry's grandson
(Joshua Mostel).
Harry makes
stops at the
homes of his
A: L 4"+ grown children
(Philip Bruns, El-
len Burstyn, and
Larry Hagman),
. but each visit is
more disappointing than the last;
he also touches base with an old
flame (Geraldine Fitzgerald), who
has slipped into senility. By the
time he arrives in L.A., Harry has
become dispirited by his desultory
visits with friends and family, but
he eventually realizes that each
new day can be a beginning rather
than an end. Carney won the Os-
car for Best Actor.
3/6-ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949)
Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) is
a model politician -- until he's cor-
rupted by the very system he tries
to reform. Based
a
`�AIi 6'S� on the cautionary
Pulitzer Prize-
, . winning novel,
the film was nom-
inated for seven
Academy
.^ Awards. It won
rr► Oscars for Best
Picture, as well as Best Actor and
Best Supporting Actress awards
for stars Crawford and Mercedes
McCambridge (later the voice of
the possessed Regan in The Exor-
cist). Stark's character is based on
Louisiana governor Huey Long.
FEBRUARY 2014 WATERTOWN SENIOR NEWS PAGE 3
THE SENIOR CENTER BOOK CLUB
Meets at the Watertown Senior Center, 31
Marshall St.
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 19
to discuss WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch
Here's a brief synopsis: The book is a com-
ing -of -age story about a child (Astrid) who is
separated from her mother (Ingrid) and
placed in a series of foster homes. When
Astrid's mother, a beautiful, headstrong po-
et, murders a former
lover and is imprisoned
for life, Astrid becomes
one of the thousands of
foster children in Los
Angeles. As she navi-
gates this new reality,
Astrid finds strength in
her unshakable certain-
ty of her own worth
and her unfettered
sense of the absurd.
14e
Ready.hMassachusetts
Prepare for emergencies before they
happen by making your own
EMERGENCY KIT CHECK LIST!
3 days of nonperishable/non-cook
food, water, medications per person
Flashlights, extra batteries, hearing
aid batteries battery operated radio
First aid kit, cash, cell phone &
charger
ID & medical cards, family/friends
✓ contact info, toothbrush/toothpaste,
blankets and warm clothing
Pet supplies if you need them
Build
A Kit
Get Involved
The SHINE PROGRAM
(Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) is a free service
funded by the Executive Of-
fice of Elder Affairs to help
you find your best health in-
surance and prescription drug
coverage options. The SHINE
volunteer is at the Watertown
Senior Center, 31 Marshall
St. Tuesday morning by ap-
pointment. Call 617-972-6490
to make an appointment.
BEGINNERS COMPUTER CLASSES
Sign up for beginners -level computer classes at
the Senior Center. Classes meet once a week
for an hour, for four weeks. The groups are
small, and the pacing is designed for seniors
with little or no computer experience. The
course fee is $25.00, and pre -registration is
required. Call 617-972-6490 to register or for
more info.
Healthy Food Choices
for Heartburn and IBS
Come to an engaging workshop to learn how better food choices can heal your
digestive tract.
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 5
WHERE: Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall St.
If you suffer from Heartburn and/or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), you're not
alone. Heartburn affects 60 million and IBS affects up to 50 million people in
the US.
This is the second workshop by Norman Robillard, Ph.D., the founder of Di-
gestive Health Institute and author of Fast Tract Digestion book series follow-
ing the "Digestive Health and You" workshop in January. He will go in-depth on
each digestive health issue and provide healthy food choices to treat and pre-
vent heartburn and IBS without drugs or antibiotics. Michael R. Eades, M.D.,
co-author of New York Times Best Seller, Protein Power, endorses his dietary
approach.
General digestive health questions are welcome at
the end of the workshop.
Please sign up by calling the Senior Center at 617
-972-6490 so that we have enough materials avail-
able for all.
PAGE 4 WATERTOWN SENIOR NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
r -----------------------------------------------------
How to Obtain the Senior tircult Breaker` Tax Credit
I I
jIf you're a Massachusetts property over and are age 65+, you'd probabli welcome a break on your property taxes. j
Dream on, you say?
Actually, such an option exists and, if you're eligible, it's yours for the tatting. According to the MA Department of
Rev-&nue, same M,000 residents 65 and Tar in the state are eligiblete receive the tax credit.
W3 called the Circuit Breaker, and according to according to the state Department of Revenue, in 2012, more than
86,000 I`Aas5achusetts taxpayers. daimed refunds averaging $774 for atot d of nearly° , 67 million in refunds under
the program. The Circuit Breaker refund ads the way an electrical circuit breaker -would work, but here it prevents
property taxes from exceeding an older person's income and abiIity to pay taxes.
Eligibility requirements change from r ear to year. For 2013 tax returns, total income for single people cannot exceed
$55:000 ($69.DOD for a head of householdor SB2, DOD for a married couuple). For homeowners, the assessed 7;alue of
their primary residence cannot be more than $700,0M.
jEligible property oNners can daim a credit equJ to the amount by which their prope- hi tax payments, induding }grater j
and s1-Nor charges, exceed 10 percent of their yearly income. Renters -can claim a credit if 25 percent of the rent they
pad is more than 10 percent of their annual ino&me. What's more, eligible taxpayers can file for tlhe credit up to three
years retroact iry ely, .
I I
----------------------------------------------------�
PAGE 6 WATERTOWN SENIOR NEWS FEBRUARY 2014 1
COUNCIL ON AGING BOARD
The COA Board meets at the Watertown
Senior Center, 31 Marshall St. at 5:30 p.m.,
Wednesday February 12, 2014.
ENERGYAND BALANCE WITH TAI CHI
Anyone, regardless of age or physical ability, can
practice Tai Chi. Older adults find it especially ap-
pealing because the movements are low impact and
put minimal stress on muscles and joints.
Although Tai Chi's best docu-
mented health effect is its ability
to improve balance, it can also
reduce stress, increase flexibility,
improve strength and increase
energy.
WHEN: Fridays at 12:30 pm
WHERE: Watertown Senior Center
31 Marshall St
COST: Drop -in fee of $5.00/class
DO YOU KNIT OR CROCHET?
The Knitting Group makes items for veterans,
seniors, infants, and others in need.
This month they meet:
WHEN: 1:00 pm Wednesday, February 19
WHERE: Watertown Senior Center
31 Marshall St.
The group always needs of yarn! Please bring
donations to the Senior Center. Thanks!
NEED LEGAL ADVICE?
The Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau
provides community outreach services at the
Senior Center through the Elder Law Services
Project.
Legal advice is available byEl
appointment:
WHEN: 10 am - noon
Friday, February 21
Call the Senior Center at 617-972-6490 to
make an appointment.
Ed
MEBIVell
UPDATE
Medical screenings listed
below are all held on
Thursday mornings
Febrmary 131 Roatime Fool Care by podiatrist, Dr. David
Alperin order of sign -in starting at ffs00 a.m. The cost
for this service is $25,00 payable to Dr, Alper, insur-
ance is not accepted.
Febraary 27 Blood Pressare by Linda Mick/ay, R.IV. from
Care Group Home Care in order of sign -in starting at 9.30
a.m. There is no charge for this service but donations to the
Senior Center are appreciated.
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW!
Have the Watertown Senior News emailed
to your home computer every month by going
to the Town website: www.watertown-ma.gov
and signing up on the `Notify Me' list.
Follow the link on the left side of the home page,
scroll down to Watertown Senior News
and check it off! Or call the Senior Center at
617-972-6490 with your email address
& we'll add it for you!
Many Thanks....
To the Watertown Commission on Disability.! Thanks to a generous grant
from the commission, the Senior Center was able to have automatic door
openers installed on the front entry doors.
The Senior Center
will be closed
Monday, February 17
in observance of
Presidents Day
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FEBRUARY 2014 WATERTOWN SENIOR NEWS PAGE 8
INCOME TAX PREPARATION
ASSISTANCE
Volunteers, trained at an IRS certi-
fied program sponsored by AARP
provide tax assistance at the Sen-
ior Center by appointment. The vol-
unteers are not able to prepare re-
turns that include income from rent-
al property, trusts, partnerships or
businesses.
LOW INCOME FUEL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP)
The Low -Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a
Federal Program that operates between November 1st and April 30th
to provide home heating assistance to residents who are at or below
60% of the state median income level. Eligibility is based on house-
hold size and the gross annual income of every household member,
18 years of age or older. Household income cannot exceed 60% of
estimated State Median Income (see 2013/14 chart below.)
Household of one- $32,065 Household of two - $41,932
Household of three - $51,797 Household of four - $61,664
One hour appointments will be Watertown seniors (first-time applicants) may apply at the Senior Cen-
scheduled beginning February 1. ter by calling 617-972-6490 to make an appointment. Individuals un-
Call the Senior Center at 617-972- der age 60 may contact Community Teamwork, Inc. Fuel Assistance
6490 to make an appointment. at 978-459-6161 or toll free at 1-877-451-1082.
Please note: Utility companies may not shut off service to house -
While there is no fee for this ser- holds where all residents are 65 years or older without written approv-
ter are greatly appreciated.
preciated.
vice, donations the Senior Cen- al from the Dept. of Public Utilities. Inform your utility company if all
residents of your household are over age 65.
i
�NE� _ tiadssa V
WATERTOWN COUNCIL ON AGING
SENIOR CENTER
31 MARSHALL ST.
WATERTOWN, MA 02472