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 the new Wal*Mart store on 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.

News For Week of

November 15-19

*Pat’s back!

Starting Monday, November 15, at 10:30 am, join us as we welcome Pat Babbage back following a two-year absence. Pat will be teaching exercise classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings – just in time for the holidays!

*FLORAL ARRANGING: Join Mary Ann Imhoff each Tuesday at 1 pm for floral arranging sessions. Call the senior center for details or to sign up.

*DIABETES CLINIC: For millions of Americans, diabetes is a misunderstood and often mistreated disease. A nutritional clinic, “Eat Healthy, Be Healthy with Diabetes,” will be presented at the senior center on Thursday, December 2.

The Western CT Area Agency on Aging, in conjunction with Health Net and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, will offer the free program. Each participant will receive a free glucometer. Call the senior center to register; 270-4310.

*Mark your calendar: Believe it or not plans are already well underway for this year’s Newtown SENIOR CENTER HOLIDAY PARTY.

This year’s party will be Thursday, December 9, from 11 am until 3 pm, at The Fireside Inn. Join us for live music and entertainment, gourmet buffet, and a raffle.

Tickets are $22 per person. Call the senior center to sign up.

 

This Week’s Programs

*The next FLU SHOT CLINIC at the senior center will be on Tuesday, November 16, from 10 am until noon. Consent forms should be picked up at the senior center and returned here on the day of the clinic.

*The next BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS will be at the senior center on Thursday, November 18, from noon until 1 pm.

*A CRIME PREVENTION PRESENTATION will be offered at the senior center on November 18, at 1 pm.

Speakers will include Officer Amity Robinson, M.H. McCarthy, and S.A.L.T. Council members. Stop by and become an informed senior citizen with the latest crime prevention information. This will be a TRIAD program presentation.

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

REMINDERS: Lynn Flanders has begun teaching COUNTRY-WESTERN LINE DANCING on Thursday afternoons beginning at 1:30. Cost for each class is $1. Lynn has a unique style and she’s full of energy – come join the fun!

*ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Newtown Social Services has begun accepting heating applications for deliverable fuels for oil, propane and kerosene. Assistance is for deliveries continues through March 31, 2005.

Applications for YankeeGas and CL&P will be taken starting January 1, 2005.

Contact Municipal Agent Ann Piccini at 270-4330 for more information.

*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 you 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). 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, and it’s the first project of its kind in our state. 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. The project is a partnership between the community’s senior citizens, People’s Bank and Newtown Police Department.

Menu For Week of

November 15-19

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Buttercrumb fish, tartar sauce, mashed potatoes, diced carrots, cranberry juice, oatmeal bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Tuesday: Swedish meatballs, noodles, green beans, multi-grain dinner roll, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Wednesday: Chicken gumbo, unsalted crackers, chef salad with ham, turkey, cheese and French dressing, Portuguese roll, apricots;

Thursday: Garlic baked chicken with herb stuffing and gravy, broccoli-cauliflower mix, cranberry sauce, whole wheat bread, birthday cake;

Friday: Baked fresh ham with gravy, scalloped potatoes, peas and onions, rye bread, fresh fruit.

Activities Schedule,

November 15-19

Monday: AM Bridge, hatha yoga class, exercise; PM Bingo, art class;

Tuesday: AM Pinochle, exercise; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), floral arranging;

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, line dancing, senior fitness tests, exercise;

Thursday: AM Pinochle, hatha yoga class, Municipal Agent visits; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), TRIAD/Yellow Dot photos taken;

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, sewing, quilting; PM beginner’s mah jongg, knitting.

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