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A Note from the Director
It's hard to believe it is already November. This year the fall colors have been spectacular with lots of sunny days which helped a great deal towards enjoying some outside activities during this “eventful” year. I hope everyone one is well and looking forward to returning to the senior center when we are finally fully open. The Council on Aging continues to provide services with limited use of the building.
On Wednesdays and Fridays you can hear the sound of synchronized “tap” “tap” “tap” of Carolyn Calandro's tappers dancing outside on their plywood boards that they constructed for outside use.
On Thursdays, Eunice Agar and two of her art students have been noted sitting out on the picnic tables painting scenes of fall colors and the nearby Housatonic River.
Daily meal pickup continues outside the back kitchen door and has now become” the meeting “place. Familiar faces greet each other while checking out all the donated Big Y baked goods that are displayed outside in our picnic area.
David Rutein’s News and Views discussion group met for the summer in the picnic area under the oak trees to discuss current and historical events. The foot nurse began her services over the summer and continues to offer her clinic monthly. We continue to be open by appointment only until we can open safely.
We miss the seasonal parties, exercise classes and other social events, but I know at some point we will return to a full schedule and I will have so many ideas by then for some really fun times.
Please be safe and don't hesitate to call, we are here Monday through Friday.
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SHINE ~ Open Enrollment time:
October 15th -December 7th
Mark your calendars for Oct 15th to Dec 7th!! If you are new to Medicare, this is the time to make changes to your Medicare prescription plans or go from Original Medicare to an Advantage plan or vice versa. The Claire Teague Senior Center will be offering SHINE counseling by phone. If you have access to Medicare.gov, it will be very helpful for the counselors if you have had set up an account set up in advance. If you need assistance please be prepared to have a list of all of your prescriptions with the dosages, your Medicare card information and other insurances information available so we can better serve you.
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Retired Senior Volunteer Program based out of Pittsfield is offering many volunteer opportunities, such as:
· Drivers (high need in South County)
· Tree watchers/pruners
· Pittsfield rain garden angels
· Book sorters
· Ventfort Hall—Exhibit Monitor
· Hancock Shaker Village-Greeters and Garden Support
If interested, call 413-499-9345
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As of October 1st, the town of Great Barrington began managing Council on Aging Transportation. We have just taken delivery of two BRTA now GBCOA vans as of Friday October 30. In the interim, staff ( Polly-Director Claire Teague Senior Center, Joan Peters-Administrative assistant to the Director and Karen Smith-Senior Transport coordinator) have all completed the BRTA requirements to driving those vans.
If you were a rider of SBETC's service, please contact Claire Teague Senior Center at 528-1881, let us know your transportation needs & your contact information. Our files need to be updated with information so that we can provide service for your needs. We need 48 hour lead time in order to be able to accommodate your requests
The new transportation program will be servicing Great Barrington/Housatonic residents only and will be expanding over the coming months to other south county towns. Our goal to match the services that were offered
by SBETC and as time goes on to increase what we can offer.
Please bear with us as we have had to get this arranged in a very short period of time and are thrilled that we will be able to take care of our seniors and disabled residents transport needs.
We are actively seeking Part time drivers, please contact Joan at the Senior Center 528-1881 or email jpeters@townofgb.org for an application and requirements.
If you have any questions, please call 528-1881 between 9 and 4 M-F.
For winter closings and/or delays, please tune into WSBS.
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Avoid COVID-19 scams
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Have you gotten robocalls, text messages, or emails offering free face masks? Or maybe you've seen social media posts about free COVID-19 testing kits,
"cures," or protective equipment?
Unfortunately scammers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to try to steal your Medicare Number and personal information. If anyone reaches out to get your Medicare Number or personal information in exchange for something, you can bet it's a scam.
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Sincerely,
The Medicare Team |
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The Massachusetts Equipment Distribution Program (Mass EDP)
remains in operation under a limited capacity as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Home visits have been suspended as well as all outreach events until further notice. However, we have some exciting news to share that the Mass EDP team is working diligently in hopes to provide virtual outreach opportunities through the online platform WebEx in the near future. We will continue to update you on our progress as we move forward. As for now, we are still communicating with our clients by the 800 telephone number 1-800-300-5658 and email, and are processing applications as they are received. When possible we are drop shipping telephones to our clients to better assist them.
This process will remain in place until we are able to resume normal operations.
If you have questions or concerns, please call:
MassEDP Manager Grant Harrison at 508-821-7234
or email him at : grant.harrison@mass.gov
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Foot Nurse by appointment only ~
On Monday, November 9th
Be assured that steps have been taken to comply with state mandatory safety standards:
· Workers wear face coverings and social distancing in place
· Hand washing capabilities available and sanitizing high-touch areas
· Staff (Foot Nurse) have received training regarding social distancing and hygiene protocols
· Have established through cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
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Brown Bag for Elders
Due to Veteran's Day,
Pick up for Brown Bag is November 9th,
please call us 528-1881 to see what day pick up will be.
Pick up will be @ Claire Teague Senior Center
What is Brown Bag??
Food for Elders program provides a free bag of healthy groceries to eligible seniors once a month at local senior centers and community organizations. The food items are specifically selected to meet seniors’ special dietary requirements to help them stay healthy and active.
Where is it?
The Claire Teague Senior Center is a distribution site for the monthly Brown Bag.
917 Main Street in Great Barrington
How to receive it?
If you are interested in receiving a bag~
You can pick up an application at the senior center by calling 528-1881 or
Print the application off their website https://www.foodbankwma.org/get-help/brown-bag-food-for-elders/ and mail it to:
Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
PO Box 160
Hatfield, MA 01038
Call the food bank to request an application 413 247 9738. “The food that we distribute comes from a number of different sources, including the state government (MEFAP), the federal government (TEFAP), local farms, our own Food Bank farm, retail and wholesale food businesses, community organizations, and individual donations”.
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Senior (60 +) and Immunocompromised
Safe Shopping Hour:
1) Big Y 7:00- 8:00AM 7 Days a week
2) Price Chopper 6:00-7:00AM 7 days a week
3) Berkshire Co-Op Market 8:00-9:00AM 7 days a week
4) Guido’s Fresh Marketplace 9:00-10:00AM Mon. - Sat. Closed Sundays.
5) Shiro Asian Market 11:00AM-12:00PM Monday- Saturday. Closed Sundays
6) El Puento de Encuentro- Latin Market TBD
7) Gorham and Norton 8:00-9:00AM Monday- Saturday. Closed Sundays
8) Aberdale’s 1:30 - 2:30 pm daily
Pharmacy safe Shopping Hour(s):
1) Walgreen’s 8:00-9:00 AM Monday- Friday
9:00-10:00AM Saturday & Sunday
2) CVS 8:00-9:00 AM Monday- Friday
9:00-10:00 AM Saturday & Sunday
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THE DAILY LUNCH
Check out the November lunch menu HERE.
A $2 lunch donation is requested for guests 60 or over.
Call us at (413) 528-1881.
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