Here is the list of February activities sponsored by the Council on Aging.
Do less, accomplish more, feel better!
February 3 at 10 a.m.
We’re all overwhelmed with information about what we should be doing that’s good for us. Simplify to be more productive with a six-week group led by Pam Mizrahi. The group will explore how to determine what you can do to do less while accomplishing more to make you happier and healthier physically, mentally, and spiritually. This free group will meet on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m. beginning on Feb. 3 at Bemis Hall. You will benefit from this group whether you were in the fall group or not.
Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
February 4 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare, and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters with her that she may be able to help with.
Put a little spring in your step
February 5 at 2:30 p.m.
It’ll be Bye Bye Blues when the Lincoln Trad Jazz Jammers septet bring their instruments upstairs to Bemis Hall on Thursday February 5 at 2:30 p.m. Celebrate the easy living of Gershwin’s Summertime in the depths of the February snow. Maybe Somebody Stole Your Gal or Bill Bailey left you alone and won’t come home and you’re in a nostalgic mood, more suited to The Birth of the Blues or Fats Waller’s Blue Turning Grey Over You? Well Doctor Jazz will be here to fix it for you. Lady Be Good ring your bells? Yes Sir That’s My Baby? Come on down and join the regulars at these monthly shindigs.
Elder services basics: getting started with in-home and other care
February 6 at 1 p.m.
The moment when you realize that you or a loved one needs in-home care can be daunting. How do you decide what services you need? How do you know who provides them and how do you choose among agencies? What help is available for caregivers? For the answers to these and other questions, come to Bemis Hall on Friday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. Carolyn Bottum from the COA will go over the process of getting going with in-home services, from evaluating needs, to arranging and monitoring services, to making sure that services keep up as needs change, as well as where caregivers can turn for help. All are welcome, even if you don’t currently need in-home services.
Lincoln Academy with Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis: Alexander the Great from conqueror to deity
February 9 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Feb. 9 at 12:30 to hear Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis discuss “Alexander the Great, from Conqueror to Deity.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion.
Rediscover the Harvard Art Museums
February 12 at 9:15 a.m.
Admire art treasures from ancient sculptures to contemporary paintings at the newly renovated Harvard Art Museums on Thursday, Feb. 12. Renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano has designed a stunning five-story light-filled glass expansion rising up from the Renaissance courtyard of the old Fogg building This now showcases the combined collections of the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler Museums. The current special exhibition displays Mark Rothko paintings. Meet at the comfortable minibus at the Donelan’s lot at 9:15 a.m., departing promptly at 9:30 a.m. for the museums, which open at 10. You’ll be exploring on our own, or by using themed digital guides that are available there for use on your own smartphone or tablet. Around noon, the bus will depart for lunch together at your own cost (bring cash) at a nearby restaurant. The trip will return to Lincoln by 3 p.m. This trip is handicapped accessible, but you must be able to climb onto the bus, manage short flights of stairs and walk short distances. Some wheelchairs are available at the museums for visitors’ use. The group will be limited to 30. Payment is non-refundable, unless you find a replacement. This trip will be partially subsidized by the Hurff Fund. To register, send a check for $15 per person by February 5 made out to FLCOA Trips to Ginny O’Brien, 4 Linway Rd. Please include your email address and phone number in the envelope with your check. Questions? Call Ginny at 781-259-1291 or email her at vobrien39@yahoo.com.
Throw off winter doldrums at Pierce House
February 13 at 11 a.m.
What better time than Valentine’s Day and mid-winter to warm the cockles of your heart and throw off the winter doldrums! Join Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio on Friday, Feb. 13 at 11 a.m. at the Pierce House, which will provide an intimate and cozy setting to share heart wisdom, lore and meditation that focuses on healing and opening the heart. Delicious home-made soup, bread, and Valentine’s treats will be served. If you are so inclined, bring a favorite poem or song to share to pluck the heart strings and invoke Cupid. May the great thaw begin! Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. A donation is requested to cover the cost of the food. You will be done in time to attend the 1 p.m. program at Bemis Hall.
Coffee with the town and schools about Annual Town Meeting
February 13 at 1 p.m.
Get a sneak preview of Annual Town Meeting! You’re invited to share coffee and conversation with Town Administrator Tim Higgins, Selectman Renel Fredriksen, School Superintendent Becky McFall, and School Committee Chair Jennifer Glass on Friday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. at Bemis Hall. You’ll hear about the budget and other issues that are on the agenda for the Annual Town Meeting and you will have a chance to ask questions and give ideas. This is your opportunity to become informed about and discuss issues of importance to the town in an informal setting. Bring your questions and concerns.
Senior dining
Lincolnites 60 and older are invited to enjoy a gourmet meal with new friends and old at 11:30 on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at St. Anne’s Church. They have new diners often—please come and brighten your winter by giving the luncheon a try! They need you! Please reserve by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 at least a week ahead even if you have previously attended. The cost of each meal is $5. Caregivers are welcome to come with those for whom they are caring. Let the COA know if you need transportation or a seating partner. The lunch is co-sponsored by the COA, the Friends of the COA, Minuteman Senior Services, and St. Anne’s. And the volunteer serving staff consists of your Lincoln friends and neighbors.
Learn to hand sew: a workshop for all ages
February 20 at 10 a.m.
Life is easier if you know how to sew on a button, repair a simple seam, do an easy hem, and other hand-sewing projects. Come to an intergenerational hand sewing workshop with Barbara Straus on Friday, Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. Barbara will show you the basics of hand sewing and answer your questions. Residents of any age are welcome! You may buy a basic sewing kit from Barbara for $6 or get a list of suggested supplies from the COA. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 and also let them know if you would like a sewing kit.
Justice course: private property and consenting adults
February 20 at 1 p.m.
“This land is my land.” The right to private property—how far does it go? Justice and consenting adults. The relationship between consent and justice. These are some of the issues which will be considered and discussed in the fourth installment of the Justice course, which will be held at Bemis Hall on Friday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. Michael Sandel’s “Justice” course at Harvard is reputed to be its most popular course. Experience it when Steven Perlmutter, a Lincoln attorney, shows a video of a one-hour lecture from the course about the above issues and facilitates a discussion. The course is about what is justice, or the right thing to do, drawing upon the great philosophers and contemporary issues. Perlmutter will encourage the exchange of a wide range of ideas about the “justice” issues raised in the lecture and will seek to ask thought-provoking questions that will spark a spirited discussion.
Lincoln Academy with Packy and Judith Lawler: Some favorite Romanesque churches in France
February 23 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Feb. 23 at 12:30 to hear Packy and Judith Lawler discuss “Some Favorite Romanesque Churches in France.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion.
Join the job search group and make an action plan
February 27 at 10 a.m.
Join Tee Provost of Operation ABLE when she continues her series on successfully finding a job on Friday, Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall. Tee will focus on deciding between job options, setting goals, evaluating resources and obstacles to achieving goals, and developing an action plan with clear, obtainable steps. This is a great chance to not only get tips for your job search, but also to get to know others who are also looking and share experiences and ideas. This program will be of benefit even if you have not come to previous sessions.
Traveling alone or in a small group
February 27 at 1 p.m.
Even if you’re single, you can form small groups of friends and still get the same discounts and benefits as couples and larger groups. Find out tips on booking cruises and other trips, sometimes without having to pay the extra cost of having a room to yourself, traveling with friends or other companions, forming travel groups and more when travel advisor and accredited cruise counselor Peggy Dawson comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. Bring your questions and concerns.
Get free income tax preparation help
Volunteers certified under the AARP TaxAide program will prepare your federal and Massachusetts personal income tax returns or answer your tax questions. This free service can answer most of the tax issues faced by low and middle income taxpayers, with special attention to those over age 60. Call the COA office at 781-259-8811 to schedule a confidential appointment and get a list of documents you will need to bring.
Take charge of your wellness with the new Aging Mastery program
Be better than ever in time for summer! Forge your own path to better physical and emotional health, financial well-being, and life enrichment through actionable goals, small but impactful life changes, peer support, and rewards! Lincoln seniors are invited to join others from Weston and Wayland at the Weston COA in this free 12-week program meeting on Wednesday mornings from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. beginning March 11. Sessions will cover fitness, nutrition, sleep, financial well being, relationships, advance planning, benefits of helping others and civic engagement and will include a healthy continental breakfast bar followed by a presentation by an expert and discussion. Please sign up now as space is limited. Supported by the National Council on Aging, the Massachusetts Councils on Aging, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.
Save the date—”Shrek” at the Wheelock Theater with grandfriends and grandchildren
Bring your grandkids and/or grandfriends, or come by yourself, to see the delightful Broadway hit musical Shrek at the Wheelock Theater in Boston on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. More information will be available in the coming weeks.
Gentle yoga just right for you
Yoga has been shown to help with flexibility, strength, relaxation, blood pressure, your immune system, and more. Would you like to try yoga but are concerned it may be too rigorous for you? Try our Gentle Yoga class with experienced instructor Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio! The class will be held on seven Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning on February 4 at a cost of $70 for the course. You may do the class on the floor or in a chair and the instructor will help you adapt the poses to your special needs. You may try one class free! This class is appropriate whether you have taken previous yoga classes or not. This class is subsidized by the MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs.
Are you eligible for the Massachusetts Circuit Breaker tax credit?
For the tax year 2014, the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit gives a state tax credit of up to $1,050 for owners or renters 65 years or older who meet income and property value guidelines and who pay more than 10 percent of their income for real estate taxes (renters may count 25% of their rent as real estate taxes). To qualify, an owner or renter’s income cannot exceed $56,000 for an individual; $70,000 for head of household; or $84,000 for taxpayers filing a joint return. A home’s assessed value cannot exceed $691,000. You may apply for the credit, and possibly receive a check, even if you do not owe state tax. To receive the credit, just complete Schedule CB and submit it with your state tax return. For help, call the COA at 781-259-8811 to make an appointment with an AARP TaxAide volunteers.