DECEMBER 2020

THIS MONTH:

*HOLIDAY HAPPENING

*DINNER AT THE BACK

DOOR

*EARLY GROCERY

SHOPPING

*GRAB ‘N GO LUNCH

OUR MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Westborough Council on Aging is to promote social, recreational

and educational activities and provide advocacy and assistance to Westborough’s

Senior Citizens and their families.

CONTACT US Address 4 Rogers Road

Westborough, MA 01581

Hours of Operation Monday - Friday

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

(508) 366-3000

/Westborough Council on Aging

Greetings of the Season to All!

As I sit here writing this, it is cold out, but ten days ago it was very warm. We were doing better with the pandemic, now we’re not.

The year had barely started when we went into lockdown, and now 2020 is almost over. This has certainly been a year of challenges

and contradictions!

The Senior Center has continued throughout this year to be a source of information, support, resources and just an occasional con-

versation. We have tried our best to be available to assist you and your families so that you can stay safe and stay home. Sadly, we

have all lost family and friends this year and 2020 will either be a year to remember or try very hard to forget! I guess it’s like the glass

half full or half empty. But we have all learned how strong and creative we can be when faced with challenges whether it’s finding

toilet paper or keeping our minds occupied when facing long hours alone.

So, as we head into the unknown of 2021, let’s take stock of the lessons we have learned about ourselves and our community. You

are fortunate to live in Westborough as this is a caring and connected community. There are many people out there who are con-

cerned about our Seniors and how you are managing. There are wonderful Volunteers who have delivered meals, done grocery shop-

ping and driven to crucial medical appointments, mask on and hand sanitizer at the ready! There are community organizations who

have come up with fun things to do while being at home. We have sent hundreds of cards, made zillions of phone calls, delivered

lunches, dropped off flowers and sent pie. We have tried our best to stay connected to you and keep you connected to us. We miss

you! But hopefully, better days are ahead. Rest assured that when we can safely open again and have everyone back, it will be for a

very BIG party!!

My wish for this season is for you to stay well, stay safe, wear your mask and wash your hands. We are in this together and we are

here for you!! Have a happy holiday season!

Alma

COUNCIL INFORMATION

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OUR STAFF Alma E. DeManche Executive Director Kristen McHugh Office Coordinator Betty A. Rainville Volunteer Coordinator Mary Donna Corcoran Outreach Case Manager Mary Ellen Cibelli Outreach Aide Dennis Fenton Elder Outreach Project Tammy Wong Asian Outreach

Suzanne Burger, MSN, RN Staff Nurse Michael Swan Handyman Sharon Gravlin Homemaker Lorrie Moynihan Meal Site Manager Wayne Plude Custodian David Farrar Brad Huff Fred Conner Fran Sowa Mini-Bus Drivers

OUR BOARD Susan Abladian Chair (2023)

Phyllis Jaffee Vice-Chair (2021)

Linda Birch Corresponding Secretary (2022)

Nancy Fallon Treasurer (2023)

Daniel Pavolis Member (2023)

Oscar Najarian Member (2022)

Kathleen Metzger Member (2021)

Guido Lonardo Member (2021)

Jane Owens Member (2022) Nancy Gage Secretary to the COA

BayPath Elder Services (508) 573-7200

WRTA/PBSI (508) 752-9283

Westborough Housing Authority (508) 366-1225

Westborough Country Village (508) 366-9867

Police (Business) (508) 366-3060 Fire (Business) (508-366-3040 Town Clerk 508-366-3020 Selectman’s Office 508-366-3030

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

NEWS & UPDATES

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ASIAN OUTREACH - CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS 2020

OPEN TO ALL Seniors 亞裔外展 - 聖誕祝福

Happy Holidays to All! I am thankful for the opportunity to see some of the Seniors in our town during shopping and the Senior Center’s delivery activities. Thank you all for your bless-ings to the Senior Center and the staff. Christmas holiday is approaching, I would like to at-tach a few links of Christmas music and performance for our December program. I hope to

bring Peace and Joy, and a blessing to everyone. Wishing good health and an abundant new year in 2021.

祝大家節日快樂！ 我很高興有機會在購物和鮮花/桌面餡餅派送活動中見到我們鎮上的一些長

輩。謝謝大家對老年中心和全體員工的祝福。 聖誕節假期臨近，我想在12月的節目中附加一些

聖誕節音樂和表演的鏈接。 我希望給大家帶來和平與歡樂，並祝大家身體健康，並在2021年

有一個豐盛的新年。

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! 聖誕快樂，新年快樂！

ENJOY! 請享用！

O come, O come, Emmanuel - (Piano/Cello) (5:20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7ySn-Swwc

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Cannon (3:29) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cP26ndrmtg

The First Noel - Josh Groban ft. Faith Hill (4:32) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N6k3YXd7BQ

Silver Bells - Johnny Mathis (3:22) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbBqP40-qj0

White Christmas - Johnny Mathis (3:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4TsUZPHWlw

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time (3:44) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMhMekfIyos

Instrumental Christmas Music (1:03:44) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzYdneNrkzm2L6KAog7Jw2jWwaKPQFsnG

Christmas Music (London Symphony Orchestra) (51:46) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8aDQz07Bh4

The Nutcracker, San Francisco Balle (1:33:45)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQJKZuACygo

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SMOC FUEL ASSISTANCE HELP WITH THIS !!

As a federal Area Agency on

Aging, BayPath Elder Services

is required to complete a

community needs

assessment for the Executive

Office of Elder Affairs every

four years. The results of this

survey aids our

organization’s planning and

advocacy efforts for the

future. We need to hear

directly from older adults

who live within the fourteen

communities that we serve.

Let your voice count! Thank

you in advance for your

assistance!

https://www.surveymonkey

.com/r/BayPath2022

Beginning November 1, we will be taking applications for the SMOC Fuel

Assistance program for the upcoming heating season. Although the actual

application process will be different, the documentation for applying will be

the same. If you are a single person with maximum gross income of

$39,105 or less or a two person family with a maximum household income

of $51,137. you may be eligible for assistance. Documentation that you will

need for a new application includes the following:

*Current copy of photo ID for head of household

*Social Security cards for all members of the household or proof of

citizenship (birth certificates, passports or naturalization papers, green

cards)

*Current Income Documentation for everyone over 18

*Housing Documents– mortgage, real estate tax bill, homeowners

insurance, condo fee, current lease, tenant profile from the Housing

Authority, lease signed showing agreement if heat is included in the rent.

* Copy of current heating bill and electric bill (both sides)

Beginning November 1, we will be mailing out the complete application

packet. You will be responsible for filling it out and mailing or dropping it

off at SMOC in Framingham. If you require assistance with filling it out,

please let me know directly and we will work something out. I can also

review your work and we can make copies here for you. Please call and we

can set up a time to do this.

NEWS & UPDATES

DISPOSE OF YOUR MEDICATION PROPERLY

The CVS Store at 74 East Main Street now has a drop box for disposal of

old or unused over the counter and prescription medications. It is im-

portant that any kind of medication be disposed of properly and not

thrown in the trash or flushed

down the toilet. You can drop

medications off at CVS any time

during regular store hours.

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HOLIDAY HAPPENING! FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Please join us in the Parking Lot at the

Senior Center for some live holiday music, hot chocolate, a visit from a jolly old Elf and a

few SURPRISES!! You will need to stay in your car but will be able to enjoy the festivities from there!

Wear your favorite “sweater” Decorate your car

(However, if by December 11, Westborough’s numbers have gone up

and we are ‘red’, we will have to cancel this event)

DECEMBER 2020 CALENDAR

7

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1

12:00 WalMart

2

11-12 Grab ‘n Go

Lunch

3 4

7 8

12:00 Christmas Tree

Shoppe

9 10 11

1:30-3:00

HOLIDAY

HAPPENING

14 15

12:00 Northboro

Crossing

16

11-12 Grab ‘n Go

Lunch

17 18

21

1:00-3:00 p.m.

Dinner @ the Back

Door

22

9:00 Grocery

Shopping

23

24

No Mini-bus today

25

Christmas Day

28 29

12:00 Local

Shopping

30 31

COMMUNITY INFO

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THE WINTER PARKING

BAN FOR THE TOWN OF

WESTBOROUGH GOES

INTO EFFECT ON

NOVEMBER 1 TO APRIL 1.

NO VEHICLES MAY BE

PARKED ON A PUBLIC WAY

FOR MORE THAN ONE

HOUR FROM 11:00 P.M.

TO 7:00 A.M.

DEPRESSION SCREENING/AWARENESS

Free, confidential online mental health screenings are available now for

any resident age 18 and over through Westborough Youth and Family

Services. Screenings are available for depression, anxiety, substance

abuse and other issues by logging on to:

https://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/westboroughyfs

After completing the screening, you will be provided with a list of re-

sources to assist you in following up with mental health services.

Food Composting Information

Westborough threw out 2367 pounds of waste per household in 2018, 2 to 3x more than our neighbors. Composting is an easy way to reduce this number since the US Department of Environmental Protection estimates that 24% of waste is organic material that can be composted.

The Town of Westborough now offers composting at the Transfer Station for anyone who has a Transfer Station sticker. Recycle stickers continue to be free and these stickers allow residents to bring their recycling and food waste to the Transfer Station. Guidelines on what food waste can be handled at the Transfer Station can be found here . Waste can be brought in paper bags but please note that it cannot be brought in bio bags since the bio bags are not fully broken down by the company that is handling our food waste

For those who prefer a curbside option, the Town has also partnered with Black Earth Compost to offer curbside food waste collection services that will turn your food scraps back into dirt that can grow more food instead of being tossed as trash.

You'd be surprised how much of your waste you can actually compost with curbside collection. Unlike your back-yard pile, on a curbside program, you can include bones, pizza boxes, compostable takeout containers, meat, cheese, lobster shells, your dog's hair, and almost everything that was alive!

The Black Earth service currently costs $99 for six months and once we get to 300 Westborough families, the price will be lowered to $69. At sign-up, you will be required to purchase a starter kit. This is currently $34 and and in-cludes a 13 gallon curbside bin and two sizes of compostable liners.

Sign up for Black Earth composting services at https://blackearthcompost.com/residential-curbside-compost-pickup/

A REMINDER FROM THE DPW

Please do not rake or blow leaves or shovel snow into the roadways! The

Town does not pick up leaves and when the roads are blocked, it makes it

more difficult for plows and other emergency vehicles to respond. Leaves

can be taken to the dump if you have a dump or recycling sticker.

9

AND THERE’S MORE!

AVOID HOLIDAY SCAMS!

It’s that time of year when the scammers crawl out

from under their rocks and try very hard to part you

from your money!! Stay alert! It may sound like a sad

story; we’re helping orphans, or lost dogs or home-

less goldfish, but keep in mind, that unless YOU

CALLED THEM, no reputable charity will call you at

6:30 p.m. and give you a sad story and ask for your

bank account or credit card number! No real charity

will ask you to “pay” them with WalMart or Target

gift cards. You all have your favorite charities that

you have supported for years and they appreciate

that by sending their requests to you by USPS, at

which point, you write a check or send them your

credit card number to make a one time charge.

That’s how it is legally done. Please don’t fall victim

to these phone scammers, no matter how sad their

story is or how much you want to help. If you find

that you are being harassed after hanging up or say-

ing no, please call the Westborough Police and they

will help.

DINNER @ THE BACK DOOR

We are very pleased at the response to this pro-

gram and will keep it going throughout the winter

months, weather permitting. This month, we’ll be

serving the dinner that we would normally have at

our annual Holiday Party, salad, roast beef, mashed

potatoes, green beans, and dessert, on Monday,

December 21. Tickets are $7.00 and reservations

absolutely must be made and paid for by noon on

December 17. Meals can be picked up, at the back

door, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. You do not

need to leave your car! Pull up and someone will get

your tickets and bring your meals to the car.

Dinners in January and February will be moved up a

week due to the federal holidays. January’s meal

will be on Monday, January 11, and will be meatloaf

and the meal in February will be on Monday, Febru-

ary 8, and will be stuffed shells and meatballs. More

information to come!

GRAB’N GO LUNCH

Wednesday, December 2–

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Wednesday, December 16-

Turkey Club Sandwich

All lunches are served with chips, a bottle of water

and dessert. Cost for lunch is $3.00 and reserva-

tions must be made by the Monday afternoon be-

fore. Lunches can be picked up at the back door of

the Senior Center between 11:00 a.m. and noon.

GROCERY SHOPPING DURING CHRISTMAS

WEEK WILL BE ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22.

WE WILL GO TO STOP AND SHOP AND

ROCHE BROS.

ODDS AND ENDS

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A NEW WAY TO GET AROUND WESTBOROUGH

A new service is available in Westborough for local transportation. Service hours for VIA are Monday through

Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. To create an account to use the VIA service download the Via app from

the App Store or Google Play Store and follow the simple signup steps. If you don’t have a smart phone, you

can call 508-388-6620. Enter your pick up and drop off addresses and choose the ride option that works for

you. Check the app and walk a short distance to your pick up spot. Tjis service pairs riders traveling along

the same routes and matches riders with the best vehicles for that shared journey. There is one wheelchair

accessible vehicle. They will service the greater Westborough area as well as the Southborough and

Westborough MBTA stations. After the initial period, rides will be $2.00 and rides to and from the MBTA

train stations will be $1.00. Rides can be booked from anywhere in the service zone and a drop off address

anywhere in that zone. Vehicles have limited capacity to ensure social distancing.

If you have more questions, you can email : support-Worcester@ridewithvia.com or call 508-388-6620

A big THANK YOU to the Westborough Fire Department and the Westborough Police Depart-

ment for their assistance on our Shredding Day in November. They were able to collect lots of

old medications and sharps that were disposed of properly after the event. Thanks, also, to

Fran Sowa for keeping the traffic moving and E.L.Harvey for having the mobile shredding truck

on site until everyone was taken care of!

If you need assistance or information regarding the current COVID-19 situation you can call

the Westborough COVID HOTLINE at 508-871-5111 or go on line at

COVIDinfo@town.westborough.ma.us

The Senior Center, and all Town Offices, will

be closed on Friday, December 25, and Fri-

day, January 1, 2021 for the Christmas and

New Year Holiday. There will be no mini-bus

or Volunteer transportation and no home

delivered meals.

SENIOR SCENE Westborough Council on Aging 4 Rogers Road

Westborough, MA 01581

(508) 366-3000

Indicia

goes here

PLEASE NOTE

Every effort is made during the writing and production of

our newsletter to assure the accuracy of the information

in it. There are times when we inadvertently leave

something out or make an error or the information has

changed after we have already gone to print. Please

always feel free to contact the Senior Center if you have

any questions regarding a program or event.

Happy Holidays