BrooklineCAN Blog

The Brookline Senior Center will be partnering with the Norfolk County RSVP program and the West Roxbury VA in order to encourage Brookline residents to work as ” Ambassador ” volunteers at the VA beginning this fall.

Ambassadors are most needed on Tuesdays for up to four-hour shifts.  Duties include: information desk, patient escort, delivery of items to patient rooms and possible other duties as requested.  Transportation costs from Brookline Senior Center and return will be reimbursed up to $40 per month by the RSVP program. Training will be provided as well as a meal voucher for those volunteering for four hours on a single day. All volunteers must fill out an application and receive a medical screening.  Ambulatory volunteers preferred but not required.

We hope to encourage a few Brookline Volunteers to travel together to the facility .  This should be both a good social opportunity and rewarding volunteer opportunity for Brookline residents. Please let Deidre Waxman know if you are interested and we will schedule an informational meeting at the Brookline Senior Center with a Volunteer Coordinator from the West Roxbury VA. dwaxman@brooklinema.gov Deidre at:617-730-2767.

We encourage you to participate in a survey being conducted on behalf of the Brookline Parks and Recreation Commission. The Commission is setting long-term directions for both development of Brookline parks and the programming offered by the Brookline Recreation Department. It is important that the voices of older residents be heard! Brookline’s parks need more than playgrounds for toddlers and athletic fields for teenagers. What should the Commission be doing to serve the growing numbers of older adults? Some of you will receive a questionnaire in the mail. If so, please fill it out and send it in.  Anyone can participate in the online version. Here is the link to the on-line version: https://Brooklinesurvey.org/open

Stephen Collins will offer a six-week seminar examining some of the short stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804‐1864). He was part of what was considered The American Renaissance of the 1850’s which ushered in the work of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. Four of his short stories: “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil,” “The Birthmark,” and “Wakefield”  will be examined. The first class will be a biographical sketch of the man
and his times.

Classes will meet on Fridays, November 15‐December 20 from 1‐2 pm at the Brookline Senior Center.  Cost of class is $35. Space is limited, but we do require a minimum of 10 participants in order to offer this course.  Please call 617‐730‐2777 to register.

As a result of BrooklineCAN advocacy, Beacon Street pedestrians of all ages are enjoying new benches in a dozen locations. The benches were installed late in the summer by the Department of Public Works. Most of the new benches are outside of the commercial areas. (In the past, Beacon Street had benches only within the commercial areas.)  A major purpose is to support pedestrians as they walk along the street. We thank DPW Commissioner Andrew Pappastergion for inviting BrooklineCAN to recommend locations for benches, finding financing for the project, and assuring that the benches were ordered and installed.  Photos of the benches can be found on the BrooklineCAN website: http://www.brooklinecan.org/livable_community.html#beacon_benches

Come to a public hearing on current and proposed programs for property tax relief for Brookline senior homeowners. It will be held on Wednesday, October 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on the sixth floor of Brookline Town Hall, 333 Washington Street. Parking on site. Tell the town’s chief assessor and Brookline’s Committee on Elderly Tax Relief what you think about the need for property tax assistance to Brookline seniors; ask questions and comment on current and proposed programs. Your opinions are wanted!

The Brookline Senior Center, 93 Winchester Street, is holding its 4th fantastic Party of the Century on Tuesday, October 15, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. Residents of Brookline and surrounding communities, who are 99 years old or older will be honored.

Agnes Rogers, longtime champion of the Brookline Senior Center, and whose 100th birthday is October 15, will be celebrated. The Bo Winiker Band will provide music for dancing, while guests enjoy treats from New Paris Bakery, a Brookline tradition since 1919.

The event is presented by BrooklineCAN, Brookline Council on Aging, Center Communities of Brookline, and Goddard House Assisted Living. For more information and to register as an honoree, contact Julie Washburn at jwashburn@brooklinema.gov or call  617-730-2770.

Support the Brookline Senior Center at what we know will be an enjoyable evening on Wednesday October 23.  The Eighteenth Annual Autumn Benefit will feature delicious food, music by the Winikers, raffles, and a chance to meet with your neighbors and Town officials. This year the Senior Center is honoring State Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, Majority Leader and advocate for older adults. Tickets are $100 and $65 for seniors. To register call 617-730-2777.  Contact Ruthann Dobek 617-730-2756, rdobek@brooklinema.gov for more information.

Recently the Brookline Commission on Disability and Brookline Age-Friendly TV produced a TV show called “How to Guide a Person with Vision Loss”. Many sighted guides will reach for a blind person’s arm when trying to help. The right way is to let the blind person hold the guide’s elbow. Lead, don’t push. The program demonstrates ways to deal with common situations, and to navigate stairs, doors, and narrow spaces. It is intended for elementary schools but can be used by anyone. One of the guides is a sixth grader. When available the show will be posted on the BrooklineCAN web site.

We regret to inform you that the Katherine S. Newman presentation “Retirement Insecurity in the Age of Inequality,” originally scheduled for Thursday, October 17, will be postponed until the spring due to unforeseen circumstances.  Please watch the newsletter for additional updates in the spring.

Drop-In Program – You don’t need to go to the North End to play Bocce! Join the second season right here in Brookline! Transportation to the Golf Course location will be provided from the Brookline Senior Center. Drop in fee is $5 for either location.

Tuesdays at Robert T. Lynch Municipal Golf Course 4:00 – 6:00 pm 9/3-10/8 , Wednesdays at Winthrop Square/Minot Rose Garden  1:00 -3:00 pm 9/4-10/9