Senior services for Newtown seniors are available at the Multi-Purpose Building on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. The Senior Center is under the auspices of The Commission on Aging. The center is run by the Senior Services Director, Marilyn Place. For more information about programs offered at the Senior Center call 270-4310.

You may drop in at the Senior Center on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook weekdays between 10 am and 4 pm. A hot meal is served at noon for which you must reserve three days in advance.

Newtown has daily door-to-door mini-bus service Monday through Friday. Buses also run all day from the senior center to Sand Hill Plaza. On Fridays, the bus alternates between rides to Danbury Fair Mall and Berkshire Plaza in Danbury (to Wal*Mart Route 6). Cost is 65¢ each way for the Sand Hill Plaza trip, 75¢ each way for out of town. Call 748-2511 TWO DAYS IN ADVANCE to book a ride and get the out-of-town Friday schedule.

This Week’s Programs

*We will have a special MEDICAL SPEAKER on Tuesday, November 15, at 1 pm.

Dr Pail Fitch, from Newtown Family Medicine, will offer an informational seminar on dementia – what it is and the behaviors associated with it. Learn more about this affliction; if not for yourself, maybe for a friend of loved one.

*DON SALVATORE will be at the senior center on Thursday, November 18, at 1 pm. Join us for some SING-ALONG fun AND FOOT-STOMPING MUSIC.

 

News For Week of

November 14-18

*Dawn Macary, from the Western CT Area Agency on Aging, will be at the senior center on Tuesday, November 29, to offer a presentation on how to pick the best MEDICARE PART D PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN from the 44 options now available. Her program will begin at 1 pm.

Enrollment has begun for the new Medicare plans, and closes on May 15, 2006. Ms Macary will offer questions on how much it will cost, whether you need to enroll, assistance for those with lower incomes, and how the new plan works with ConnPACE, veterans’ benefits, employee group coverage, Medigap plans, Medicaid, and more.

There will be some time for individual assistance following the presentation. Space is limited. Stop in or call the senior center to register.

*Join us for THANKSGIVING BINGO on Wednesday, November 23, at 1 pm. Try your luck for some of our great Thanksgiving prizes!

*LARRY AYCE will return with one of his popular performances of old-time favorites on Wednesday, November 30, at 1 pm. Bring a friend and enjoy an afternoon of familiar music. Call the senior center for a reservation.

*The senior center’s ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY will be held at The Fireside Inn this year on Thursday, December 8, from 10 am until 3 pm.

There will be a gourmet buffet, a Christmas raffle, music by The Country Gentlemen, and visits from Santa and Mrs Claus.

Cost is $25 per person, and reservations are needed. Stop by the senior center to sign up.

*Ace in the Hole invites Newtown seniors to participate in NEW YEAR’S AT NOON, one of the hottest New Year’s parties around.

This pre-New Year’s Eve day trip will take place on Friday, December 30, with departure at 9 am. Enjoy great food, drinks (including a champagne toast to celebrate the new year and one hour open bar), entertainment and party favors. New Year’s at Noon stars the comic and ventriloquist John Pizzi.

*IDENTITY THEFT AND THE DECEASED: The CT Cooperative Extension System and The Identity Resource Center, Inc., have produced a fact sheet about preventing the theft of a deceased one’s identity. Identity Theft and the Deceased: Prevention and Victim Tips, Fact Sheet #117, contains credit report request forms and identity theft affidavit forms.

To receive a copy visit www.IdtheftCenter.org or call 858-693-7935.

This is also a good way to check your own credit report and to see whether any new accounts have been activated in your name. To order a free report call 877-322-8228.

*Finally this week, please have your FILE OF LIFE CARDS filled out with all pertinent and updated information. New cards can be picked up at the senior center.

The File of Life Card contains important information about yourself and/or your spouse. The cards are kept in a plastic case that should be stored in your refrigerator. In instances where there is an emergency, these cards can be instrumental to Emergency Medical Technicians and police officers in helping to expedite matters.

*****************

REMINDERS: ConnPace/MEDICARE PART D: If you do not understand the letters from Social Security pertaining to changes in Medicare Part D, call 270-4330 for help.

If you need help with your prescriptions and your income is less than $21,400 (single person) or $28,900 (couple), you should apply for ConnPace. You will still sign up for Medicare Part D and if you qualify for ConnPace, you will not pay the $37 monthly premium.

*Municipal Agent ANN PICCINI VISITS the senior center on Thursday mornings from 10 until noon to help with Conn Pace, medical information and Title 19 issues you may be having. Call ahead or just stop in to talk with someone who can help you figure your way through these sometimes confusing subjects.

If you can’t catch up with Ann during one of her visits at the senior center, try reaching her at her office at 3 Main Street (below the police department), Monday through Friday. Call her there at 270-4330.

*Also on Thursdays, Newtown’s seniors are invited to stop by between 2 and 3 pm to have their pictures taken and to fill out pertinent information that will be stored in the glovebox of your car, all of which is part of the new NEWTOWN YELLOW DOT PROGRAM.

This is a Triad Project that will help save lives. The project consists of an information card and a yellow dot sticker that is affixed to your car window. In the event of an emergency, first responders can identify the vehicle as being part of the Yellow Dot Program and will look for the information in an envelope inside your car, saving time and supplying life saving information.

Menu For Week of

November 14-18

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday, November 14: Homestyle meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, wheat dinner roll, pineapple juice, apricot halves;

Tuesday, November 15: Butter-crumb fish, tartar sauce, brown rice pilaf, broccoli-cauliflower mix, rye bread, pistachio pudding with topping;

Wednesday: Cheese baked ziti with turkey sausage, Parmesan cheese, tossed garden salad with Italian dressing, Italian bread, seasonal fresh fruit;

Thursday: Turkey with stuffing and gravy, fresh sweet potato, green peas and onions, dinner roll, apple cider, birthday cake;

Friday: Homemade chicken noodle soup, unsalted crackers, grilled chicken sandwich on hard roll with lettuce and tomato, ranch dressing, three-bean salad, chocolate chip cookie.

Also, for planning ahead—

Monday, November 21: Cajun pork loin, Louisiana rice, diced carrots, oatmeal bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Tuesday, November 22: Italian wedding soup, unsalted crackers, Quiche Lorraine, broiled tomato half, French bread, seasonal fresh fruit.

Activities Schedule,

 November 14-18

Monday: AM Bridge, hatha yoga, exercise; PM chorus group, computer class;

Tuesday: AM country-western line dancing; PM computer class, bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), computer class, medical speaker;

Wednesday: AM exercise; PM Bingo;

Thursday: AM hatha yoga class, Municipal Agent visits, mah jongg lessons; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), TRIAD/Yellow Dot photos taken; sing-along with Don Salvatore;

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, quilting; PM.

Remember, you must call at least one day in advance to book a meal or a ride, 270-4310; the Senior Bus, 748-2511.