Mashpee Senior Center – December 11, 2020 | Columns

Have you signed up for our e-mails but are not getting them? Be sure to check your junk e-mail folder. Our e-mails communicate up-to-date news you can use, activity information, volunteer communication, reminders, and more. If you use e-mail and want to be included on our e-mail list, contact us at [email protected] or call Mashpee Senior Center at 508-539-1440.

Virtual Aerobics For The Brain—Join us Monday, December 14, as well as the first and third Mondays of each month, from 11 AM to noon. Our virtual Aerobics for the Brain sessions provide a group to help keep your mind sharp and focused. Have fun, socialize and be challenged. These are one-hour Zoom sessions in which folks participate in myriad activities such as problem solving, observing patterns, math equations and other games.

Virtual Gingerbread House Decorating Party & Contest—Wednesday, December 16, 1 to 2 PM. Join us via Zoom as we have lots of fun decorating our own gingerbread houses. Kits will be picked up by appointment outside the senior center prior to the event. Send us a picture of your completed gingerbread house by Monday, December 21, and you may just be one of the lucky winners. Space is limited for this event and registration is required. Mashpee seniors only. One gingerbread house kit per Mashpee senior household can be reserved by calling the center at 508-539-1440. The kit must be picked up by the registered participant, who must remain in their vehicle with a mask on.

Virtual Mashpee Senior Center Book Club—Monday, December 28, 2 to 3 PM. It was so great to see everyone and meet some new folks last month. Because many did not have an opportunity to finish the book, the following agreement was made for the next virtual session:

• Those who want to finish “The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz” by Erik Larson, can do so.

• Those who prefer to read something else are welcome to read anything relating to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

If you are interested in participating in any of these events, please call Mashpee Senior Center at 508-539-1440 to register.

What is a Memory Café? A Memory Café is a welcoming and safe place for people with changes in thinking and memory loss—and their care partners—to come together. These cafés are a place to talk with others who understand what you are going through, to leave behind limitations and instead enjoy each other’s company.

We will be meeting Wednesday, December 16—and the third Wednesday of each month—from 10 to 11:30 AM. We will be meeting through Zoom! Don’t feel comfortable with technology? Not to worry: we will help you manage the process.

Please note that we do ask attendees to bring their care partners to join in the fun! We will learn to relax, travel the world, sing along and make music. Each session will offer a new activity.

To register and for more information, contact Darlene Perkins, part-time outreach coordinator, at 508-539-1440.

The Mashpee Senior Center has volunteers who are happy to make phone calls to Mashpee older adults who want to talk or need a social connection while Mashpee trying to remain safe at home during the pandemic.

If you would be interested in a having a volunteer call you to chat, please contact Lori Nelson, outreach coordinator, at 508-539-1440 to find out more about this no-cost service.

Cape Cod Healthcare offers support groups for caregivers of persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A Caregiver/Care Recipient Virtual Support Group will meet December 16; the group meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. The group provides an opportunity for caregivers to share their experiences in a confidential, supportive environment and receive information and guidance regarding care planning strategies. To register or for more information, call 774-552-6080 or e-mail [email protected].

Veterans Services officers in the commonwealth help veterans learn about, apply for and—in some cases—receive benefits. If you are a veteran or a spouse of a veteran, please contact them at 508-778-8740 for assistance and information.

Call Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center at 508-778-1590 to sign up for the food pantry for qualified veterans and their families; it is open every Thursday. During COVID-19 it is being conducted on a drive-up basis at 247 Stevens Street, Hyannis, behind the VA Community Clinic. You must join the no-cost Veterans Food Pantry, so please call prior to your visit to ensure of your veteran qualification and eligibility. For emergencies, you may call anytime. This program, for veterans and their families only, has existed and served Cape veterans every Thursday for more than 30 years, providing tens of thousands of meals to Cape Cod veterans in need. It is funded by the Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center and the Hyannis Veterans of Foreign Wars. Homebound veterans and dependents may call to make other arrangements to receive food. After becoming a member of the food pantry, a family is allowed two visits per month.

You are invited to take an online survey about older adult and caregiver community needs.

Every three years the Elder Services Of Cape Cod & the Islands agency has a Community Needs Assessment which involves surveys and focus groups. Older adults, caregivers, underserved populations, minorities, and professionals in the field of aging will each have their own focus group where they can provide comments regarding needs of older adults and caregivers. The Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties local assessment and plan become part of the statewide area plan. The area plan for the local community and the state plan will be submitted to the Administration for Community Living.

If you or someone you know needs help with paying rent or their mortgage, please contact Housing Assistance Corporation today. Call 508-771-5400 or e-mail [email protected].