SENIOR NEWS

Services for Newtown seniors are sponsored by the Commission on Aging and are available at the Multi-Purpose Building on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. For more information about programs offered at the Senior Center call 270-4310.

For information on federal, state and community resources available to seniors, call 270-4330 or 270-4315.

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 60¢ 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 March April 21-25

*Due to a scheduling conflict, the MOTHER’S DAY TEA and BINGO has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 1, beginning at 1 pm. Please call and reserve a spot for this popular event.

*Newtown seniors are invited to MOHEGAN SUN CASINO on Wednesday, May 7. Cost is $21 per person and departure is at 8 pm. The trip fee includes bus transportation, $10 in food credit, and two $5 plays on the Big 6 Wheel or one $10 play on the Big 6 Wheel. Call the senior center soon to sign up; these trips usually fill up fast!

*Join us on Thursday, May 15, at 1 pm, for the third program in an ongoing educational series, “UNDERSTANDING THE MEDICARE MAZE.” This program is sponsored by Danbury Visiting Nurse Association in cooperation with Newtown Senior Center. Please call the senior center to sign up for this event.

*Another schedule change: BILL MICHAELS’S “SPRING FLING” at the senior center has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 28, at 1 pm. Please join us. Call to reserve a seat.

*Day trips coming up include a June 4 outing to NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND. Departure is 7 am, and cost is $77 per person. Upon arrival in Newport you will board the Newport Train for a 90-minute ride, during which a hot and cold buffet lunch will be served. The afternoon will include a tour of Newport Vineyard – which will include a complimentary bottle of wine – and browsing and shopping at The Brick Marketplace. Call the senior center for details and to sign up.

*A day trip to LONG ISLAND is planned for June 25. Departure for that trip is 6:45 am, and cost is $73. This adventure will include a ferry trip across Orient Point, Long Island, with the first stop at Pindar Vineyards for a tour. Next is a visit to Soundview Inn for lunch (roasted half chicken or seafood au gratin are the entrée choices), then a guided tour of East End Maritime Museum, and then free time to enjoy the village of Greenport. Call the senior center to sign up for this trip.

 

This Week’s Programs

*The senior center will be hosting a presentation with Daniel E. Wollman, MD, PhD, on Wednesday, April 23, at 1 pm. Dr Wollman, who is visiting from Southern New England Memory Disorders Center, will be here to discuss MEDICINE SAFETY.

Join us for a discussion about your own experiences and concerns using medication and also to voice questions and share ideas about how medication information can best be conveyed to you. We will discuss currently available strategies using pill dispensers and containers, medication lists, as well as other devices or techniques to improve safety. Call the senior center to sign up for this free, informative event.

*The TAX RELIEF PROGRAM for town and state will be held at the senior center on Tuesday, Tuesday, April 29, from 9 am to noon and 1 to 4 pm. This year’s income limits are $26,100 for a single person and $31,900 for a married couple. If you have any questions please call the Tax Assessor’s office at 270-4240.

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REMINDERS: NEW HORIZONS, a support group for widows and widowers, usually meets at the senior center on the first Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be on May 6 at 3 pm.

*THE AARP 55-ALIVE DRIVING COURSE is returning the weekend of May 12-13. You must attend both days in the session you sign up for in order to receive credit for the course. There is limited seating, as the course will be presented at the senior center this year. Call us to sign up.

*The RSVP volunteers continue to work on CHEMO CAPS for cancer patients and can still use donations of stretchy/poly material. If you have any material to spare, please visit the senior center to donate it.

*We can always use, year-round, donations of material and yarn.

*Our SEWING CLASS is currently working on chemo caps, totes for cancer patients, and trach bibs. If you are interested in helping with this project, please join us on Mondays at 1 pm.

*We are always updating the SENIOR CENTER’S BIRTHDAY LIST. Call 270-4310 so that we may wish you well on your next big day.

*NEED HELP WITH MEDICARE? A HICAP/CHOICES volunteer is here on Monday afternoons from 1 to 2 pm by appointment only. There is no charge for this service. Come in and talk to someone who can give you good answers, to help with problems and/or changes. Call the center to make an appointment. To talk to a CHOICES representative at any time, call 800-944-9422.

*Ann Piccini from Social Services is at the senior center each Wednesday to HELP WITH APPLICATIONS including CONNPACE, MEDICAL, TITLE 19, REDETERMINATIONS, etc. No appointment is necessary. Ann will be here each week from 10 am to noon.

*Booklets outlining DAY TRIPS FOR 2003 sponsored by the senior center, from week-long overseas excursions to day trips within the region, are now available. Stop by and pick one up. Please remember that all trips must be paid for with ten working days of when you sign up for a trip.

*Join us for an Ace In The Hole presentation, THE POLISH FESTIVAL, on Wednesday, April 30. Departure for this trip is 8:30 am, and cost is $67. Join us for the unforgettable Jan Lewan Show, dancing and singing all day, and a lunch including offerings of kielbasa and sauerkraut, chicken paprikas, pierogies and all the trimmings. This was a huge success last year, so we’re suggesting that anyone interested sign up quickly, before all the seats are accounted for.

Menu For Week of April 21-25

Reservations must be made three days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Salisbury steak W/ mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, rye bread, lemon pudding w/ topping;

Tuesday: Boneless teriyaki chicken, fried rice, Oriental vegetable medley, whole wheat bread, orange juice, pineapple tidbits;

Wednesday: Lasagna, fresh zucchini, tossed salad w/ Creamy Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, garlic bread, fresh fruit;

Thursday: Pot roast w/ gravy, mashed potatoes, French green beans, whole wheat bread, birthday cake;

Friday: French onion soup, unsalted crackers, lemon-pepper fish, wild rice, Fiesta corn, tartar sauce, dinner roll, peanut butter cookie.

Activities Schedule,

April 21-25

Monday: AM Pinochle, Bridge, art class; PM yoga, sewing (RSVP volunteers), HMO help (by appointment);

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

Wednesday: AM line dancing, Pinochle, Social Services help with applications;

Thursday: AM exercise, Pinochle, yoga; PM crafts, bowling (at Brookfield Lanes);

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

 Remember, you must call three days in advance to book a meal or a ride, 270-4310; the Senior Bus, 748-2511.