WHAT’S INSIDE Outreach News ...... ……….3 Programs………...………...... 4 Dessert Recipe ….….……….5 Menu ...... 7 Transportation...... 8 Schedule of Events ...... 8 Directors Message ...... 9 Cancelation Policy ……….10 Memorial Donations……..10
954 Main Street Agawam, MA 01001
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JUNE 2021 Facebook: @AgawamSeniors A DIGITAL 17TH SEASON FINISHES WITH GOZA (JOY) Website: www.agawam.ma.us The Agawam Cultural Council’s popular Applause Series – presented virtually for the entire seventeenth season due to the coronavirus pandemic, will conclude on June 4, 2021 with a program of exciting Latin music and dance EVENT HIGHLIGHT rhythms by GOZA (Spanish for joy). The concert, will be broadcast on the Summer is a time of fresh Town of Agawam’s public access channel (Agawam TV15) at 7:00 pm and fruits picked from the vine. streamed from the “Watch” button on www.agawammedia.tv for those Let’s kick off June with a residing outside of Agawam. This performance is also being shown on the fabulous recipe for Healthy Town of Southwick’s TV15 at 7pm and streamed from the Strawberry Bars. Naturally “Watch Channel 15” button on www.southwickma.org/ Sweet and Delicious. channel-15-public-access. Those who wish to watch on a Recipe on Page 5. smart device at a different time should email [email protected] for a link. Únase a nosotros para el grupo goza! Lewis & Arnold Experience...Results (413) 789-7588 • (413) 244-6295 [email protected] Agawam’s first funeral home est. 1955 LICENSED IN MA & CT Family owned and operated by Mason J. Soja, Director and President • Dignified professional service in a homelike atmosphere • Our team is dedicated to excellence in honoring life Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated • To better serve our families we have expanded and renovated Your Home Town Husband and Wife Team SERVING AGAWAM & NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES FOR 60 YEARS Linda Lewis Gary Arnold Serving Your Real Estate Needs for Over 35 Years 184 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001 • (413) 786-9483 Thank You For Your Trust - Linda Lewis & Gary Arnold Associate Partners
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NEWS FROM OUTREACH are always welcome such as available. The Alzheimer’s toothpaste, soap, shampoo, Association is available to answer BROWN BAG GROCERIES razors, etc. questions you may have and provide services to help ease your The next pick up Brown Bag FARMERS MARKET COUPONS troubles. Please contact: pick up will be June 17 Requests for Farmers’ Market between 1-3 in the afternoon. Coupons will begin June 1, 2021. Alzheimer’s Association Please pick up your bag in the Coupons are expected to arrive 264 Cottage Street back of the Senior Center. We mid-July. If you are interested in Springfield, MA 01104 will be happy to bring them to receiving a coupon booklet for your cars. If you have a canvas local farmers’ markets, please 413-787-1113 or plastic reusable tote bag call Lori at 413-726-2846. Please 800-272-3900 (24 hours a day) that you would prefer your bag keep in mind there are a limited www.alz.org to be put in, please let us number of books available. Sign The Alzheimer’s Association has know. If you know someone up for the coupons will be on a adopted purple as their signature who would be interested in the first come first basis. SNAP color representing the calm Brown Bag program, please recipients should also take stability of blue and the fiery have them call Lori at 726- advantage of the HIP program energy of red. Wear some purple 2846. (Healthy Incentive Program) in June in memory or support of There is a simple together with your coupons, you someone you know who has application process will be able to enjoy fresh fruits struggled with Alzheimer’s. to become eligible; and veggies all summer! Calls if you need help prior to June 1 will not be meeting your accepted and must call back! families needs for ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS groceries please contact Lori. June is National Alzheimer’s This program is for those over Awareness Month. Did you know 60; but we are able to connect Legislative Official Information that more than 1 in 9 people age you with other programs as 65 and older have Alzheimer’s? well. These bags contain shelf The percentage of people with Senator John Velis stable proteins as well as dairy Alzheimer’s increases with age: and fresh produce depending District Office Information 5.3% of people age 65 to 74, on seasonal availability. This 52 Court Street, Westfield 13.8% age 75 to 84 and 35% of program is absolutely free. people over 85! 413-572-3920 LORI’S CLOSET Alzheimer’s is the most common Lori’s Closet is now accepting cause of dementia, a general Representative Nicholas Boldyga gently used women’s and term for memory loss or decline in District Office Information men’s summer clothes. Socks other cognitive abilities that are 413-569-3137 ext 103 and undergarments will only be serious enough to cause accepted if they are in original problems in daily life. Recent packaging. For those that might figures show that 60 to 80% of Agawam Town Hall need some “new” items due to dementia cases are diagnosed as 413-786-0400 the change of seasons, please Alzheimer’s. call Lori at 413-726-2846 for If you are a caregiver to a spouse an appointment. In addition, or family member who is living personal needs items with Alzheimer’s, there is help
JUNE ’21
VIRTUAL SUPPORT TUESDAY TINGO BINGO IS BACK IN ACTION Support Group Tuesdays at 2pm As we continue to There will be three games played and prizes are being provided by Tania Spear evaluate the situation of Silver Linings Home Care. Assistant Director, Kristina Lynch will be your we are living with and Tingo caller. For more information or to express interest please contact us to how to provide the arrange a date and time to pick up your Bingo cards. We are so happy to bring back this super fun activity to all who wish to participate. If you already have services you need received a set of cards with instructions how to play, please note we have through our center; we changed some of the software we use to call in; trying to make this as want you to know that accessible and easy for everyone as possible. You can visually follow along on we are having Channel 12. conversations about whether we can offer support groups in a SHUFFLEBOARD RETURNS virtual sense. Tuesday Mornings 9:30am-Noon If you have attended one of our support We are excited to be offering Shuffleboard once again at St. Johns Field. groups in the past; Caroline Bassette and her crew are there every Tuesday morning from 9:30- Grief, Caregiver and/ 12:00. Shuffleboard will run rain or shine as we have a covered area. or Cancer support, and would be Feel free to bring your own equipment or borrow interested in a virtual ours. Lawn chairs are also handy. We are so version (online or over excited to be back out in the fresh air and the phone) please enjoying our time together. All are welcome to contact us! You can join. Please help us respect social distancing call us or email us at and mask requirements. Shuffleboard will run [email protected] until Tuesday, August 31, 2021. We hope you to let us know. can join us.
JUNE STRAWBERRY BARS: 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats gluten free if needed ’21 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or substitute all-purpose flour or 1:1 baking flour to make gluten free 1/3 cup light brown sugar COVID UPDATES 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger Information To help keep you 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt informed, you can sign 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (or substitute melted coconut oil to up to get an “e-blast make vegan/dairy free) from us. When you 2 cups small-diced strawberries about 10 ounces, divided sign up to receive our “e-blast” you will 1 teaspoon cornstarch receive the most 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1/2 small lemon recent information 1 tablespoon granulated sugar divided that we have to share For the Vanilla Glaze (optional but delicious, especially if you prefer a directly to your e-mail. sweeter bar):
If you would like to 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted sign up to receive this 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract information and not 1 tablespoon milk any kind you like wait for the monthly newsletter; consider Instructions signing up by going to: 1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line https://tinyurl.com/ an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs AgawamEBlast two sides like handles. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Sign up to get lunch Pour in the melted butter and stir until it forms clumps and the dry menus: ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble https://tinyurl.com/ mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the AgawamLunches prepared pan. 3. Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch For a complete list of evenly over the top, then sprinkle on the lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon of cleveland.com’s “50 Most the granulated sugar. Scatter on the remaining berries, then the remaining I m p o r t a n t A f r i c a n 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. American music artists of You will have some fruit showing through. all time” article 4. Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crumb referenced on page 12 topping smells toasty and looks golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to please follow this link: cool completely (you can speed this process along in the refrigerator). 5. While the bars cool, prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, briskly whisk https://tinyurl.com/ together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Feel free to top50Musicians add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired. Using the parchment- paper handles, lift the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and serve.
Tips for Downsizing Make a “yes or no” pile. Don’t be afraid to sell things you do not Many people will face, whether prepared to or not, a day when need. You will be amazed how freeing it is to “clear out”! downsizing is a must. This may come from the loss of a spouse, the When it comes time for the move, there are many local companies inability to maintain a large home, financial restraints, medical that cater to senior moves. changes or just to be closer to family. This can be emotionally and Once the process is finished and you are comfortable in your new physically overwhelming, but we want o offer you some tips to help home, you can enjoy a more stress free life with time to spend with make this process a bit easier. family and friends without the worries that come with maintaining a Give yourself plenty of time. You cannot be expected to sort large home. through a lifetime of memories in one weekend. One month is a more realistic time frame. Take it one room at a time. This will give you a chance to give a I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR….ICE CREAM! couple of minutes with each item to reminisce. Keep in mind that Friday, June 25 from 1:30-3:30pm we will have a drive through ice garages, attics and basements will be the most difficult as they cream cone give away. We are partnering have become a “catch-all” over the years. These are also rooms with Heritage Woods who is providing the that you are not likely to have if you are moving to a smaller delicious treat. Drive by the lower entrance apartment, senior housing or a condo. If you haven’t used of the Senior Center between 1:30-3:30 pm anything in these rooms in the past year, you probably don’t need for your cool and sweet treat. This is on a them. first come first serve basis. We cannot wait Try to eliminate duplicates. How many kitchen gadgets, holiday to see you there. A huge thank you Heritage decorations and sets of blankets/sheets will you actually need if Woods for making this possible. Summer is you are moving to a smaller place? here. Let’s Enjoy!
Retirement Living 50 Cardinal Dr. | Agawam, MA Made Simple 413-786-9688 quailrunestates.com Walk-Ins Quail Run Estates Welcome Serving Agawam Seniors with FREE Hearing Clinics since 2002 Independent Retirement Living Join us for a COMPLIMENTARY meal any day!
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Our nutrition program is 1 2 3 4 partially funded by Grant from Chicken Parmigiana over Ziti Philly Cheese Steak Grinder Pork Chop with Onion Sauce Pasta Fagioli Soup EOEA and the Federal Homemade Tomato Sauce Peppers and Onions Mashed Potatoes Seafood Salad Sandwich Administration of Community Peas Tomato Salad Applesauce Cucumber Dill Salad Living. Menu subject change. Fresh Fruit Baked Good Sliced Pears Pudding 7 8 9 10 11 Sweet & Sour Meatballs Cheeseburger on a Roll Chicken Marsala Garden Salad with Chicken, Loaded Vegetable Pizza Over Rice Topped w/ Onions & Peppers Mashed Potatoes Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Cheese, Cranberries, Onions Green Beans Pasta Salad Broccoli Three Bean Salad Applesauce & Cinnamon Cantaloupe Baked Good Mixed Fruit Pudding
14 15 16 17 18 Salisbury Steak Chicken Pot Pie Macaroni & Cheese Baked Fish in a Father’s Day Mashed Potatoes Puff Pastry Stewed Tomatoes Mediterranean Sauce Delicious Meatloaf Corn Caesar Salad Corn Bread Rice Pilaf, Buttered Spinach Gravy, Mashed Potatoes Apples Pudding Jello Pineapple Glazed Carrots, Cake
21 22 23 24 25 Ravioli with Meat Sauce Chicken Cordon Bleu Roast Turkey Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche Chicken Breast with a Spinach Cranberry Salad Roasted Potatoes Homemade Gravy, Stuffing Hash Brown Tarragon Sauce Banana Broccoli Cranberry Sauce, Peas Cucumber Dill Salad Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Baked Good Fruit Cocktail Pudding Carrots, Peaches 28 29 30 Grab-N-Go Meals of Wheels Cheeseburger Casserole BBQ Chicken Spaghetti & Meatballs Suggested Donation$2/meal Suggested Donation $3/meal Spring Salad Potato Salad Homemade Sauce $10 a week $15 a week or $60 a month Strawberry Cup Confetti Corn Tossed Salad Grab-N-Go pick up 11-11:45 * = Higher Sodium Meal CHANNEL 12 PROGRAMING Zoom Programs: TRANSPORTATION Monday Cancer House of Hope offers a Variety 9:00 AM Exercise with Dr. Gorman of online programs. Call them at We here at the Agawam Senior Center are still 10:00 AM Exercise with Jules 733-1858 for more information and offering rides. Please call if you need a ride to Tuesday appointments, shopping or other needs. zoom invites. 10:00 AM Exercise with Jules For those of you who need to get out of the house, but do not wish to engage with others Tingo Bingo 2:00-3:00pm (call for instructions) Virtual Yoga with Niti—Tuesday 5pm & please consider calling us about the Wednesday Thursdays at 11am call for zoom invite 9:00 AM Exercise with Dr. Gorman opportunity to go for a “Sunday” Drive. These Cooking in the House-explore different are rides during regular business hours. 10:00 AM Exercise with Jules recipes' - Tuesdays at 5. Call for zoom Thursday invite. We will pick you up at your house, take you for a short drive around scenic parts of town or 10:00 AM Exercise with Jules Virtual Woman’s & Men’s Support Groups. into some scenic views in the area and return Friday Call CHH for meeting schedules. you to your house without having to leave the 9:00 AM Exercise with Dr. Gorman Art Therapy - Third Saturday of the month bus. The goal of this is to help you get some 10:00 AM Exercise with Jules 10:00am-Noon.—Call CHH for Zoom Invite socially distant out of the house time, and be All programs on channel 12 will also be Walking Group Meets Wednesday able to stay safe. available for viewing on demand by visiting : Evenings. Our transportation staff ensure that proper https://agawamvod.cablecast.tv Social Distance & please wear a mask social distancing and cleaning protocols are followed to mitigate the risk to you as well as Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Routes and Distances Vary them. channel 12 “Senior Living.”
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE June has come quickly and is passing even faster. I continue to be in communication with my colleagues in the surrounding communities regarding their operational scale up. This is the term we are using to describe the return to services and programs. Here in Agawam we have started by bringing back our volunteers who— by the time you are reading this are hopefully on-site and working as hard as ever to help get us ready for your next level of scaling up. I want to prepare you for what you may expect upon your return to the senior center. We have made some permanent structural improvements to the senior center: 1) We have expanded the lower reception area by building out a wall to encompass the safe and provide a locking door for the evening when the office is closed. A) We also enclosed this entire area with a beautiful and professional glass wall helping to professisonalize the space and make it more COVID friendly—as well as having better security in the long-term. 2) We created a half-wall upstairs outside of our offices where the photocopier is in order to create a more clear boundary between staff and public space. 3) We have relocated Larry and our Transportation Office to the lower level to make it easier to reach him. 4) SHINE and our volunteer office has been relocated upstairs to make coordination with Lori and our Outreach program more effective for you and to give you more privacy and space for these meetings. We also have been working hard to freshen up our space—our dining room, card room, garden room, computer lab, and seminar hall have all received a fresh coat of paint and in some cases a whole new look. We cannot wait for you to see and to welcome you back into a building that looks as fresh and new as it did 11 years ago when it first opened! Temporary alterations will also be in place for the period of time while we re-acclimate to our new environment. Plexiglass barriers are in place wherever there may be regular interaction with the public. Staff will monitor each program space as it is being utilized to ensure that social distancing and other guidelines are in place and being followed. We will require that you register and sign-in to ALL programs in order for us to ensure that we can aide in any contact-tracing that may (hopefully not) be necessary. We have setup stanchions and other guidance/barriers throughout the building to assist with traffic flow. I want to thank Building Maintenance for all their work to help get this building prepared for you when the time comes. Please stay patient as we assess when and how to start bringing limited programming back to the building. If you see someone from the building maintenance team be sure to give them a huge thank you for their hard work and dedication!
GET FIT ON CHANNEL 12
Looking for easy, manageable exercise classes to improve your health? Welcome to 'Improved Health for Seniors'! My name is Jules. I started this program to help seniors become more active, both physically and mentally. I have a Personal Training background and work as a Recreation Therapist with seniors of all abilities; from those with varying stages of dementia to those who still live independently. I see patients being discharged from the hospital and not knowing where to turn for exercise. I wanted to share the knowledge I have gained working in both fields with the goal of improving the lives of seniors. These classes can be viewed on your television seven days a week at 10 AM on channel 12.
CENTER STAFF LUNCH CANCELATION/”NO-SHOW” POLICY
MICHAEL SQUINDO When you are not able to pick up or receive a meal that you have pre- Executive Director viously registered for it is important that you notify the Council on Ag- P: 413-726-2835 ing staff as soon as possible; we understand that emergencies come E: [email protected] up that we cannot plan for. Many times people have said they didn’t feel like getting the meal or forgot that they registered. KRISTINA LYNCH Assistant Director In order to ensure that we prevent the waste of food, staff time, and do not turn people away who otherwise could have used a meal that P: 413-726-2836 was reserved we have implemented the following cancelation policy. E: [email protected] Cancelations must be received whenever possible by 4pm on the LORI ARSENAULT business day preceding the meal requested. In the event of an emer- Outreach Coordinator gency we ask that you follow up with us at the earliest time that is P: 413-726-2846 possible and convenient for you to let us know that you are ok. E: [email protected] If no notice is provided prior to a “no-show” your meal reservations will LARRY GONYEA be put on hold immediately and until 48 hours after you have contact- Transportation Coordinator ed us to request that you resume. In some cases you may be able to P: 413-726-2839 resume meal service the following day. E: [email protected] If the absence was due to an emergency, please let us know and we MARIA MARTINS can resume your meals at the earliest opportunity that is both prac- Head Cook tical and available to do so. We also can transition you onto home P: 413-726-2844 delivered meals if need be while you recover. E: [email protected] We have spent time making courtesy calls to those of you who do not LYNN KACZMAN show up; however it is your responsibility to remember when you have Principle Clerk registered for meals and to cancel when necessary. We will do our P: 413-821-0604 part to ensure we have the proper amount of meals. The highlight of E: [email protected] our day is seeing you all; please help us not to look forward to that by MARCIA TANGREDI not having to turn people away who could have used the meal you Greeter (M-W) didn’t need/want! P: 413-821-0604 TRISH BROWN Greeter (W-F) DONATIONS P: 413-821-0604 SHINE Counselors In Memory of J. Emile Cote’ P: 413-726-2838 Richard Treganowan E: [email protected] William & Becky Washburn In Memory of Helen Papadopoulos William & Becky Wahsburn In Memory of Carmella Lepore Teresa Santaniello and Carmine Keane
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication, online, or during programs held in collaboration with the Agawam Council on Aging are for information purposes only, and do not necessarily represent the views, or opinions of the Town of Agawam, the Council on Aging, or their staff; and should not be construed as an endorsement for any person, party, view, or opinion. Safe Harbor - Agawam! Scheduled Opening June 2020 Expect the personal service you deserve..... Adult Day Care • Spacious Suites Alzheimer's & Other Dementia's Care Counseling Services • Therapies • Skilled Nursing Where Quality Meets Compassion Home Health Aid Services Contact us! 413.426.4481 \ We Cannot Wait to Serve You! Housekeeping Meal Preparation Companionship • Errands Personal Care Respite • RN Evaluations Blood Pressure Checks 413-363-2575 SilverLiningsHomeCare.com
Ad info. 1-800-477-4574 • Publication Support 1-800-888-4574 • www.lpicommunities.com Agawam Council on Aging, Agawam, MA 06-5051 VACCINE UPTAKE IN AGAWAM AMONG OLDER ADULTS
If you are interested in signing up to receive our weekly updates about the vaccine uptake in Agawam among our older adults please go to the following link:
https://tinyurl.com/AgawamVaccine
The state publishes updated vaccine data by municipality every week on Thursdays. The data is based on the information from the prior Tuesday. By subscribing to the information listed above we will send you a chart like the one above for each week that we have updated information!
AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH
June is African American Music Appreciation Month! Let’s immerse ourselves this month in music from some of our favorite black musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters. According to nationaldaycalendar.com, President Jimmy Carter made June “Black Music Month” on June 7, 1979, now known as African American Music Appreciation-Month. Follow the link below to navigate to the National Museum of African American History and Culture website. https://tinyurl.com/AfricanAmericanSmithsonian
Here is a short list of inspirational artists to look into which were pulled from a cleveland.com article: 1) Miles Davis—iconic Jazz musician, also adapted music and performed in rock, funk and hip-hop. 2) James Brown—R&B, hip-hop, dance music, and known for origins in funk music. 3) Jimi Hendrix—known for his incredible guitar skills, his style of music inspired hard rock, heavy metal, grunge and hip-hop. 4) Louis Armstrong—Responsible for the sounds of modern jazz. “It was Armstrong’s charisma as a performer, technical skill and knack for melody that would make jazz the solo driven genre, including improvisation, that it would become” cleveland.com article. 5) Aretha Franklin—Known as the “Queen of Soul”, Franklin combined her knowledge of gospel and R&B into a chart topper genre for years to come. Serving as a blueprint for female pop singers during the late 20th century 6) Duke Ellington—”One of the greatest bandleaders and composers in...classical, blues, gospel, swing, and pop music.” This is not by any stretch an exhaustive list, but perhaps can offer a chance to spark an interest for you to do your own research into some of the African-American musicians who have shaped our musical history!
DONATE TO THE “FRIENDS OF AGAWAM SENIOR CENTER”
Your tax deductible gift/donation to the "Friends" will help to improve programs; and support the purchase of equipment and supplies for the Senior Center. Your support is appreciated! Donation from: ______Address: ______(Circle one) Contribution in Memory / Honor of: ______Send acknowledgement to: ______Donation amount $ ______Please make your check payable to: Friends of the Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001-3128