Because of the recent snowstorm, the Council on Aging has rescheduled several events:
An aerial view of The Groves showing the current facility (red outline) and the amended proposal for Phase II (blue outline) — click to enlarge.
By Alice Waugh
The Groves in Lincoln has asked the town for permission to build assisted living, memory care and skilled-nursing units in an effort to attract more residents to its age 62+ independent living facility just south of Route 2.
In 2007, the Planning Board and Town Meeting approved a plan for construction in two phases. The completed Phase 1 includes 100 congregate units, 30 rental units and 38 cottages. Originally, The Groves planned to build 28 more cottages after the first set was fully occupied.
However, nearly three years after opening, only 57 percent of those units are occupied, and “the community is struggling financially,” according to a February 5 letter to the Lincoln Planning Board. That letter was sent by John E. Dragat, senior vice president of development for Benchmark Senior Living, which was commissioned to “assess the project’s shortcomings,” and Toby B. Shea, chief financial officer of Masonic Health System of Massachusetts, co-owner of The Groves along with New England Deaconess Association–Abundant Life Communities, Inc., of Concord. The Wellesley-based Benchmark is the largest operator and developer of senior housing in Massachusetts.
A market study “confirmed [the] belief that the primary impediment to the success of the community is its lack of continuum of care,” the letter says. The 90 new units, if approved, would remedy this shortfall by providing assistance with activities of daily living, meals and social activities, as well as long-term and rehab care.
“The overall campus will operate as one integrated community, with many of the residents in Phase II emanating from the existing independent units, allowing the existing Groves residents the ability to age in place in a single continuing-care retirement community,” the letter says.
Residents will be asked to approve them amended plan by voting on Article 34 (page 73 of the warrant) at Town Meeting on March 23.
The Lincoln Squirrel will publish links to the obituaries of recently deceased Lincoln residents as we become aware of them. Please feel free to send other notices, links and reminiscences to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Here are links to obituaries compiled since September 2012, listed in chronological order by date of death.
Shirley Hubel (February 17, 2013) – Teacher of pottery and remedial reading
Elizabeth Peavey (January 10, 2013) – Past president of the Lincoln Garden Club
Michael Fusillo, M.D. (January 8, 2013) – Former member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Alfred Seville (December 9, 2012) – Engineer, small business consultant and avid skier
Nadia Gilman (November 1, 2012) – Former Lexington resident
Henry Flint (October 15, 2012) – Ran family farm in Lincoln
Winthrop Harrington Jr., M.D. (October 8, 2012) – Lincoln dentist for more than 45 years
Marcia Bebring (September 20, 2012) – Former administrative assistant to Lincoln school superintendent
Paul DeBaryshe, Ph.D. (September 15, 2012) – Environmental activist, academic researcher, technologist and entrepreneur
Edith Hinds (Oct. 30, 2012) – Middleboro resident, formerly of Lincoln
Norman Jacobs (December 26, 2012) – Had career in marketing and advertising
Margaret Koehler, R.N. (October 1, 2012) – Mother of seven and long-time communicant of St. Joseph’s Church
Max Mason (December 20, 2012) – Architect and artist
Patricia Page (December 10, 2012) – Former director of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Robert Pickett (October 13, 2012) – Worked in finance and investment
Tornadoes as seen by storm-chasers. (Photos courtesy Chris Curtis)
By Brett Wittenberg
The van barreled down I-44, its occupants’ excitement reaching a fever pitch. The chase that had started that morning in Oklahoma had traveled a serpentine route across much of Kansas, and by the time they crossed the Missouri border, the chasers had almost caught up with their prey—a giant tornado.
One of the “storm chasers” in the van was Concord resident Chris Curtis, who will give a talk about his experiences on Monday, February 25 at 12:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall.
On that day in May 2011, Curtis and his team could tell by radar that their prize was only a few blocks to their north, but in the limited visibility of the accompanying rainstorm, they had yet to actually see the Class EF5 multiple-vortex tornado. But the radar clearly showed a huge tornado with a cloud of swirling debris, and it looked like it had stopped on top of Joplin, Missouri.
[Read more…] about Storm-chaser to share experiences in Feb. 25 talk
Do you need help paying your winter fuel bill? Call the Lincoln Council on Aging, which can help you apply for funds from the Massachusetts Fuel Assistance Program.
The program provides a cash benefit, payable to an authorized fuel provider, for both home owners and renters with eligible incomes. How much you receive depends on your household income, how many people you have in your household, and your heating costs.
Regardless of age, residents must apply for Fuel Assistance Program aid through the Council on Aging (COA), whose staff will help with filling out forms. To apply, call Pam Alberts at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment. The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council will review the application to determine whether you are eligible.
Even if you’re not sure whether you qualify for the Fuel Assistance Program, “give us a call anyway, because even if you’re not eligible, there are other programs that we may be able to hook you up with,” said Carolyn Bottum, director of the COA. These other state programs offer heating system repairs, discount utility rates, and Citizens Energy heat assistance, and weatherization services.
Lincoln assistance also available
For other types of unforeseen financial emergencies, the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund and the Small Necessities Project can help. The Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund, which is funded entirely by donations, provides assistance of up to $500 per lifetime for Lincoln residents in situations when that amount will allow someone to stay in our community.
The Small Necessities Project can provide immediate help if a resident has no food in the house, needs emergency medication, needs a night or two of lodging due to a fire or flood, or has a similar problem. This Project is funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and donations.
For more information or to ask for assistance from any of these programs,call Pam Alberts at the COA at 781-259-8811.
The 2013 Lincoln Winter Carnival kicks off Friday, February 1 with community bingo and a concert by the U.S. Air Force band of LIberty Jazz Ensemble. Other events that weekend include:
Click here for the full schedule.
Blogs are a great way to share your news, thoughts, ideas, writings, photos, artwork, and more—and blogging is easier than you might think. The Lincoln Council on Aging invites you this Friday to come hear Alice Waugh, editor/reporter/publisher of the Lincoln Squirrel, explain how you can easily start your own blog for free—whether it’s just a page of text or featuring pictures, videos and links. Even if you’re not sure whether blogging is for you, come on down and see what it’s all about!
When: Friday, January 16 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Bemis Hall
Lincolnites had a great time socializing and enjoying the music of Weston’s Ancient Mariners at the annual First Day celebration hosted by the Pierce House Committee on the afternoon of January 1, 2013. Harold McAleer took photos and created this slide show on YouTube — see how many people you can recognize…
Here’s a video of the band doing “Flat Foot“…
Harold also stepped up to the mike to sing “Million-Dollar Baby” and “It Had to Be You.” Go to his YouTube channel to browse his full collection.
By Alice Waugh
The vast majority of people with a terminal medical condition want to die peacefully at home rather than in a hospital, but many seniors don’t know that Medicare will cover hospice care with no out-of-pocket expenses, a hospice representative said at a Council on Aging talk.
Erin Sanford, a patient transition representative from AseraCare Hospice, explained what hospice offers and how Medicare covers it while also dispelling some misconceptions at the November 16 session in Bemis Hall.
The word hospice is related to hospitality, or “providing a place of shelter for weary travelers,” Sanford said. The first hospice was founded in 1967 in London by Dame Cicely Saunders, who felt that end-of life care should provide pain relief, preserve the patient’s dignity, and help the patent and family with the psychological and spiritual pain of death. Medicare added a hospice benefit in 1983. Medicaid, MassHealth and most private insurance plans also have a hospice benefit.
[Read more…] about CoA speaker explains what hospice is—and isn’t
Sandeep Das
The Birches School and Lincoln Nursery School are hosting a concert featuring tabla master Sandeep Das from Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m. A children’s singalong led by music teachers Mark Weltner and Abby Zocher will follow Sandeep Das’ performance. Families are invited to a pizza party after the concert at the Birches School (14 Bedford Road, Stone Church across from Bemis Hall).
Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for children, $30 for families and $10 for seniors. Please pay online at www.birchesschool.org or with cash or check at the door. For more information, call Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis at 781-728-5438.