happy new inside! - somervillema.gov · happy new year the new year is ... cross street center...

City of Somerville January, 2018

Council on Aging

167 Holland Street, Somerville, MA 02144 617-625-6600, ext. 2300

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The New Year is often a time to reflect and think about where we could improve. We resolve to do things like lose weight, find love, and save money. But once the New Year has come and gone, sadly, only 8% of us successfully accomplish what we set out to do. It wasn’t always like that. There’s actually a very long, compelling history behind how we started making resolutions in the first place, and it looked a lot different at first. And as these resolutions evolved, our motivation to maintain them also shifted, eventually resulting in the aforementioned dismal success rate. According to the History Channel,

New Year’s resolutions date back roughly 4,000 years, to when the Babylonians who commemorated the New Year in March. But it was also a time for the Babylonians to make certain promises. Things like settling debts and returning anything that wasn’t theirs to its proper owner. Maintaining these resolutions, they believed, came with karmic retribution, in that kept promises would be rewarded with good fortune in the following year. The Romans are said to be the first to create the concept of January 1and designate it the first day of the year, beginning around 46 B.C. Each December, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion measures the most popular resolutions for the coming year. Starting with the top resolutions for 2017, they worked backwards to see how these resolutions have evolved -- or not -- over the past five years.

Holland Street Center

Ralph & Jenny Center

Cross Street Center

Inside!

Page 2 - Mayor’s Message Page 3 - Mindfulness in the Elderly Build a Healthier You Newsletter Recipe Book Page 4 - Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Page 5 - Calendar Page 6 - Drive, Dine and Delight De-cluttering in the New Year Page 7 Looking Back 2017 Page 8 Spotlight on the Kiwanis

Contacts & Information

•••••••••• Executive Director Cindy L. Hickey Staff Connie Lorenti ▪ Administrative Assistant Natasha Naim ▪ LCSW, Social Worker Ashley Speliotis ▪ LICSW Social Worker Amanda Horrigan • Intern Social Worker Chris Kowaleski ▪ Health and Wellness Coordinator Delphine Van Roosebeke ▪ Nutritionist Debby Higgins ▪ Outreach Coordinator Maureen Bastardi ▪ Program Coordinator Josephine Raczkowski ▪ Administrative Assistant Kim Moss ▪ Ralph and Jenny Director Judy Calvey ▪ Holland Street Director Board Suzanne Rinfret ▪ Chair Roseanne Bent ▪ Vice Chair Cheryl Horan ▪ Liaison to the Director Louis Favreau Eddie Abate Marie Linscott Rose Earle Linda Cohen Cross Street Center 165 Broadway ▪ 617-625-6600, ext. 2335 Fax: 617-625-1414 Monday & Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Holland Street Center 167 Holland Street ▪ 617-625-6600, ext. 2300 Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Ralph & Jenny Center 9 New Washington Street ▪ 617-666-5223 Fax: 617-666-5223 Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. MAIN OFFICE 167 Holland Street ▪ 617-625-6600, ext. 2300 Fax: 617-625-0688 TTY: 866-808-4851 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

A Message

From Our

Mayor Dear Friends,

Welcome to a brand new year! I hope you are as excited as I am to see what’s in store for 2018. Here in Somerville, we’re as busy as ever working to make Somerville a great place to live, work, play and raise a family.

In my Inaugural Address on January 1, I recapped all that we have done, together, over the last 15 years. I also laid the groundwork for some important new policies and goals that my administra on will work toward in the next two years, and I look forward to working with each of you to achieve them. To hear more, you can view the speech and the event in its en rety on City TV, as well as at www.somervillema.gov.

In the mean me, I offer my best wishes for a healthy and happy 2018!

Mayor Joe Curtatone

• Council on Aging • January 2018


MINDFULNESS IN THE ELDERLY

Mindfulness, or mindfulness meditation, is a type of meditation in which distracting thoughts and feelings are acknowledged and observed as they occur in the moment. This helps to create a separation from these thoughts and allow us to gain insight and awareness away from them. Recent studies have suggested that there are wide ranging benefits to mindfulness meditation. A few of these benefits are listed below:

Improved Longevity: Studies have found that meditation can lead to an increase in quality of life for those who participate.

Reduced Hospitalizations: Seniors who practice meditation have significantly less hospitalizations. Meditation has also been linked to a lower dependency on medications.

May slow down mental illnesses: Meditation protects the brain against anxiety and stress which are two major contributors to the progression of Alzheimers.

Improved mood: Walking meditation can be effective when trying to reduce depression and improving functional fitness as well as blood flow in the brain.

Assist caregivers: Caregivers who engage in a brief, daily meditation activity can help counteract the effects of stress associated with taking care of an elder with dementia.

How can you be mindful?

It turns out we all practice mindfulness without thinking about it from time to time. Mindfulness most often requires a commitment of about 15-30 minutes each day for formal practice. If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as 5 or 10

minutes. You can try sitting in a quiet place and encourage your mind to stop wandering and become more focused on observing your breathing, relaxing the body, and accepting thoughts and feelings. If and when your attention wanders, try your best to return back to the present moment.

Overall, there is strong evidence to suggest that practicing mindfulness can improve people’s emotional and physical well-being. It is being used to help ease stress, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, as well as improving concentration. We encourage you to consider how mindfulness might be helpful in your own life!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• BUILD A HEALTHIER

YOU THIS YEAR! If you haven’t thought about it yet, now is a good time to start a New Year’s resolution. The Somerville Council on Aging has many programs that can help you be more healthy, active and social in the New Year. Our theme this year for Health and Wellness is “Build a healthier you” and we are trying hard to keep you as healthy as possible and provide many programs to help keep you moving and healthy! From Fit-4-Life, to Yoga and Tai Chi classes, we have a program to help you stay strong and mobile through the New Year. For questions on any of our health and wellness program and class, contact Chris at 617-625-6600, ext. 2300.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

NEWSLETTER RECIPE BOOK!

If you haven’t noticed, the monthly newsletter has contained a recipe page for your enjoyment that can be cut out and saved as a recipe book. Each month there will be a new recipe for you to enjoy. Have a recipe that you would love to share with everyone else, please feel free to submit a recipe to be reviewed by our nutritionist and feature in an upcoming newsletter for everyone to enjoy. For more information and to learn how to submit a recipe, call Chris at 617-625-6600, ext. 2300.


BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP Recipe by Joe Beckmann

“The tricks to this soup are the ginger, the immersion blender, and the fresh nutmeg. And the magic end of taste is to grate fresh nutmeg on each cup you serve.” – Joe Beckmann

Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1-2 hours depending on how the squash is prepared Servings: 6 people (or 1 person for the whole week) INGREDIENTS

2 good sized butternut squash, peeled, and cut into 1 to 2 inch sized chunks 2 medium (sweet) onions, peeled, coarsely chopped Half-pound of bacon 1 pack of chicken or vegetable stock (15.2 fl.oz) Water or more broth to thin the soup Milk, cream or coconut cream to your liking About 4 tablespoons of grated ginger or ground ginger powder A pinch of nutmeg powder or fresh grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Cut the bacon into small pieces and sauté gently.

2. Remove the bacon and reserve it as garnish for the soup. Add the chopped onions, cook and stir until onions are translucent.

3. Add the squash chunks, broth and grated (or ground) ginger to onion mixture, stir and cook slowly for about 2 hours. In case you do not like peeling and cutting butternut squash in chunks, cut the squash in halve and place them upside-down on an oven tray filled with a bottom of water. Set the oven to 350 degrees. After 1h, the butternut squash will be soft and the meat can be scooped from the skin.

4. Time to puree the soup. Use an immersion blender and add milk or cream to get to the desired thickness.

5. Serve with some bacon garnish and add some ground or fresh grated nutmeg on each cup you serve.


MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

1

New Year’s Day All Centers Closed

2

Men’s Group

3

Fit-4-Life

4

Blood Pressure Screening Holland

5

Lunch & Bingo Holland

8

Breakfast at Culinary

9

Low Vision Group

10

Bowling at Flatbreads

11

Blood Pressure Screening

Cross Street

12

Fit-4-Life

15

Martin Luther Kind Jr. Day

All Centers Closed

16

Guitarist Dan Shugrue

17

LGBTQ Lunch

18

Blood Pressure Screening

R&J

19

Book Club

22

Veterans Group

23

Afternoon at the Movies

24

Nutrition Class

25

Brown Bag Program

26

New Year Super Bingo

29

Bring a Friend Monday

Cross Street

30

Golden Gals

31

Fit-4-Life

Notice: Trips must be purchased at the time of reservation. Trips are non-refundable. Trip Policy and our Standards of Independence are posted at all centers. All participants are required to have an Emergency Contact Information Form filled out prior to the trip or activity. Some trips are funded through grants and are for Somerville residents only! Parking for overnight trips is allowed at the Ralph & Jenny Center only. To sign up for Council on Aging events or classes, please call 617-625-6600, ext. 2300. Somerville residents shall receive registration priority on all trips. Non-residents may request to be placed on a waiting list and if openings exist on a trip, non-residents may be able to register. Proof of residency may be required. In all cases, participants are not considered enrolled in a class or event list until deposit payment in full is rendered.

January 2018

All of us at the Somerville Council on Aging would like to wish you a

Safe, Happy & Healthy New Year!


DRIVING SAFETY FOR OLDER ADULTS!

Reserve your spot for a jammed packed day at The Holland Street Center on February 27Th. The morning will begin at 10am with a panel of guest speakers talking about how we can stay safe behind the wheel as we age. Guest speakers will include Michelle Ellicks from the Community Outreach Department of The Registry of Motor Vehicles. She will be speaking about The Driving Decision and signs that a person may be unsafe to drive while providing advice for family, friends and providers. We will also hear from Somerville Police Officer Maryanne Manfra who will help us understand updated street signage and the rules of the road for cars, bikes and pedestrians. As Officer Manfra says, “As we age it’s important to keep our driving skills intact, and more importantly, to understand and know the new road signage and makers.”

Following our guest speakers we will enjoy a delicious lunch. Sign up by calling 617-625-6600, extension 2300.

DE-CLUTTERING IN THE NEW YEAR!

When people think of de-cluttering, they often think about spring cleaning. While spring may be around the corner, a resolution that some people have is to have a cleaner house. Here are some great tips to have a cleaner and leaner home.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

If you find it hard to get motivate to clean, try only cleaning for only ten minutes a day. Set a kitchen timer for only ten minutes and focus on only one thing to clean. You will be surprised about what you will get done in a short amount of time.

Curtail Junk Mail

Junk mail can get out of hand fast. With credit card offers and advertisements mixed in with bills and holiday cards, our mail can grow into a mountain in no time. Set up a shredder or recycling bin near the door and sort the mail before the stack hits the counter table. Make sure to shred mail with personal information such as your social security number or bank information.

Don’t Need it? Don’t Keep it!

Whether we mean to or not, we end up with a lot of stuff! Now is the time to really sort things out. Spares and just-in-case items may be great, but with extra stuff comes a need for extra space. If you love something, says Marie Kondo author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, keep it, but if it doesn’t spark joy, get rid of it. This may sound easy to do, but it takes time and practice to master.

Have trouble with clutter. Natasha Naim will be having another Beginners’ de-cluttering group in spring 2018. Please call 617-625-6600, ext. 2300 if you have any questions or would like to RSVP for the kick-off. This program is only open to Somerville older adults, 60 years and older.

Growing old is mandatory

Growing up is optional

~ Author Unknown ~


LOOKING BACK 2017

Kentucky Derby

Multicultural Fair at Cross

Street

Health & Wellness

Fair

Adventure Club Hiking at

Middlesex Fells Reservation

Celebrating 50 years of marriage or more!

Children of the World

Preschool

Escapees at Wickedescapes

City of Somerville

Council on Aging

167 Holland Street Somerville, MA 02144 617‐625‐6600 ext. 2300 www.somervillema.gov/departments/ health‐and‐human‐services/council‐aging

www.facebook.com/SomervilleCOA

SPOTLIGHT ON THE KIWANIS

The Kiwanis Club of Somerville was organized on March 16, 1925, and chartered on May 21, 1925. The Club has been active in the City of Somerville for 88 years!

The name Kiwanis stems from a North American Indian phrase, which, like many aboriginal terms, had a variety of meanings, including; “We have a good time,” “We make a noise,” or “We trade.”

The Kiwanis have six main objectives including “To give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than the material values of life.” And “To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.”

The Somerville Council on Aging wants to “Spotlight” the Kiwanis not only for hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for 100 Somerville seniors every year - providing a delicious Thanksgiving dinner,

entertainment and gifts but also for all their good work they do for seniors, children and the City of Somerville all year round.

happy new inside! - somervillema.gov · happy new year the new year is ... cross street center...

Documents