~Submitted by Director Alison Cservenschi
Hello Everyone, As the cooler weather and darker nights draw in, the trees change to their fall foliage and the season brings in that cozy feeling, I hope this letter finds you ready to enjoy a lovely fall season together with us. We have a few changes ourselves at the COA this month and I am excited to share our news and updates. I would like to first introduce our new part time Program Coordinator, Lisa Mazerall, who took over from Hayley Williams. Lisa started at the end of August and is working through her orientation and training while getting to know all of you. Her schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 2:30 pm, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lisa has already made a great start getting to know our day to day routines and has already planned the new and exciting programs you see in this month’s newsletter! Please stop by and say ‘hello’ to Lisa if you are visiting. Lisa is open to hearing about any of your programming requests and suggestions.
We are also very pleased to welcome another round of social work interns into the Health and Human Services Department this fall. Our COA social worker, Danika, has provided wonderful introductions and photographs of our 2022 student group on her outreach page this month in the latest COA Connections Newsletter. Please say ‘hello’ and introduce yourselves to our new interns if you see them around the building. Both Danika and Chris Bang, Youth and Family Services Community Social Worker, provide the essential, required supervision and training together as Licensed Clinical Independent Social Workers. We are very lucky to have them both not only to train and educate the next generation of social workers as a team, but also to expand the possibilities and outreach of town social services with these students.
I am sure a number of you will be glad to know we have a brand-new replacement popcorn machine, thanks to the swift decision, effort, and funding of the Friends of the Council on Aging (FBCOA). Saturday movies just would not be the same without that freshly popped corn aroma, still warm and steaming, waiting for your visit! If you are thinking of visiting or coming back to the COA, consider a Saturday from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. We are open year-round and our Saturdays are especially helpful to connect with others over a long weekend. The upcoming complimentary movies are listed in the latest newsletter and are kindly funded by the FBCOA. The FBCOA held a fundraiser on October 6, at Flatbreads Pizza on Burlington Road in Bedford. A percentage of all sales from the night was donated to the FBCOA and I would like to thank the FBCOA and extend a special thank you to Flatbreads Pizza for all their fundraising efforts and collaboration.
From October 15 through December 7 open enrolment is available for your annual Medicare check-up. Ask for our SHINE counselors, available by appointment, if you are signing up for the first time, need to review or change plans, or have any questions about your medical care or cost of medicines – especially if they have changed recently and cost you more out of pocket each month. Appointments are available both in-person and over the phone and they fill up quickly. Please call us to make an appointment. More information on open enrollment can also be found at https://www.mass.gov/health-insurance-counseling.
In closing, thank you for your attendance, participation, volunteering, sharing, checking in at the kiosk to be ‘counted’ and helping to get us back to a somewhat, before Covid normal. I enjoy seeing the parking lot filling up again and look forward to adding new and engaging programs and possibilities this year for you.
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