CALLAHAN HAPPENINGS - MAY 2008

Welcome to our new Podiatrists, Dr. Phillip Lukoff and Dr. Douglas John! We will now have a podiatrist here at the Center twice a month to accommodate all those who would like to utilize their services. A simple toe nail cut will cost $20.00 and anything more than that will be billed to Medicare by their respective offices. We were very fortunate to find two replacements for Dr. Gallagher who were willing to give of their time as he did to assist the senior community with this valuable service. Many thanks to all three doctors!

Medicare Covers Cancer Screenings - Taking advantage of Medicare’s Preventive Services is one of the smartest things you can do to stay healthy. Did you know that screenings for cervical, vaginal, and breast cancers can help women stay healthy? For those enrolled in part B, Medicare covers screening Pap tests and screening pelvic exams every 24 months for all women and once every 12 months for women at high risk. In addition, Medicare covers screening mammograms under part B for all women age 40 or older once every 12 months. These screenings can help detect cancer early, when treatment works best. All women are at risk for these cancers. To help your risk level, be sure you don’t smoke. Did you know that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S.? The good news is that, if you have part B, Medicare covers the two most common tests to detect prostate cancer. The screening Prostate Specific Antigen blood test (PSA test) measures the amount of PSA enzyme in the blood, a marker for prostate cancer. The other test is the Digital Rectal Examination (DRE). Medicare covers one PSA test every year and one DRE test every year for men with Medicare age 50 or older. You can remember the services you received and the tests you need each year by visiting the MyMedicare.gov web tool. You can see a description of your covered preventive services, the last date that service was performed, and the next date you are eligible for that service. If you don’t have a computer, ask a family member or loved one if they do. Or, use your local library or senior center to log onto MyMedicare.gov to review this information. If you need help with any aspect of your health insurance, SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) offers free counseling at your local Senior Center. Call your Center and ask for a SHINE appointment. You can reach a SHINE volunteer by phone at 1-800-AGE-INFO (1-800-243-4636). Once you get the SHINE answering machine, leave your name and number. A volunteer counselor will call you back, as soon as possible.

Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center - Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, May 5, 12 & 19 at 10:00 am. Center closed on Monday, May 26 for the Memorial Day holiday. Caregivers’ Support Group: Tuesday, May 13 at 10:30 am. Diabetes Support Group: Tuesday, May 27 at 10:00 am. Grandparent Support Group: Please call Center for date and time. Low Vision Group: Friday, May 16 at 1:00 pm. Massage Therapy: Thursday, May 1, by appt. only. Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, May 20 at 1:30 pm. Podiatry: Thu., May 8 with Dr. John 12:30 - 4:30 pm and Wed., May 28 with Dr. Lukoff from 1:00 - 4:30 pm, by appt. only. Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, May 5 at 1:00 pm.

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR MAY - Wednesdays, May 7, 14, 21 & 28 from 9:30—11am & 12—1 pm. Please note: Last Wednesday of the month blood pressure clinic hours are from 9-11:30 am & 12-12:30 pm.

The Framingham Board of Health Presents - FREE SKIN CANCER SCREENING

Monday, May 19, 2008 from 5:00 pm—8:00 pm in Room 221 at the Memorial Building (Town Hall) This first time screening is for Framingham residents and town employees at ‘increased risk of developing skin cancer’’. Space is limited! Please call the Framingham Board of Health at 508-532-5470 to make an appointment.

Are you ready to get outdoors and have fun ?? Dust off those golf clubs and join the

Callahan Golf Group on Wednesdays at 9:30 am (Just as soon as it warms up!) at Stoneybrook Golf Course, 70 Valley Road, Southborough, MA. For start date and more information, please call Rosalie Cotton at 508-877-0681.

Lawn Chair Drill Team - Dick Bonvini is looking for volunteers for his lawn chair drill team for the Flag Day and Fourth of July parades. It has been very successful in the past and is also a fun thing to do. It involves being able to walk one mile. If anyone has the old aluminum light-weight lawn chairs and would like to donate them to be used in the parades, we could use them. Call Dick Bonvini at 508-877-2824.

WANTED: MAH JONGG PLAYERS - We are looking for Mah Jongg players, Thursdays at 11:30 am until 2:00 pm. If interested, please stop by the Center on Thursdays to play or call the Callahan Center and leave your name and number and someone from the Mah Jongg group will contact you.

FRIENDS OF CALLAHAN UPDATE - The next Friends’ general meeting will be on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 1:30 pm. Entertainment provided by the “Senior Class - A Barber Shop Quartet”. Refreshments will be served. Come enjoy and bring a friend!

CAMERON SCHOOL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - On Wednesday, May 7th at 11:00 am, the Cameron Middle School Chamber Orchestra will perform at the Callahan Center under the direction of Christine Dupuis. This premier group of musicians/students will entertain us with the “big band” sound of yesteryear. We look forward to sharing our intergenerational friendship with the students. Please join us for this concert and pizza lunch by placing your reservation with the front desk, or calling 508-532-5980, extension 4979 before May 5th. Seating is limited to the first seventy-five (75) people and a $2.00 donation is requested.

National Senior Week - 2008

Monday May 12, 2008 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm : “A Day of Beauty” - Haircuts and manicures (free of charge) are provided by the students of the Cosmetology Department at Keefe Technical High School. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 for a hair or manicure appointment. Please plan to leave a gratuity for the student.

Monday May 12, 2008 at 1:30 pm: Friends of Callahan General Meeting with entertainment by the group “Senior Class - A Barber Shop Quartet”.

Tuesday May 13, 2008: “Volunteer Recognition Entertainment and Luncheon” at Keefe Technical High School. Entertainment provided by Roy Michaels in the auditorium at 10:30 am, followed by Luncheon at 11:30 am in the Eastside Dining Room. (This program is by invitation only and you are required to attend the entertainment in order to receive your lunch ticket.)

Thursday May 15, 2008: “Callahan Open House” from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. If you have never been to the Callahan Center, please join us for a tour and refreshments.

Friday May 16, 2008: “The Jewels of Framingham” event at 11:30 am. This event honors our elder seniors 90 years of age and over. Entertainment will be provided by Roy Michaels and is sponsored by the Middlesex Savings Bank of Framingham.

“Shifting Gears” Presentation at Callahan Center Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 - 10:00 am

The MA Registry of Motor Vehicles will be at the Callahan Center conducting a free, hour-long presentation entitled, “Shifting Gears”. The goal of the program is to educate and encourage the elder driver to be the best driver possible by assessing one’s driving ability, utilizing driving tips that are recommended in the program, modifying one’s driving and/or in extreme situations surrendering one’s license. The program focuses on issues that pertain to the elder drivers - how age affects one’s driving ability and what are the frequent causes of collisions for elder drivers. The program includes a checklist of 15 warning signs of unsafe driving. The checklist helps drivers assess their driving skills. The program also addresses in a sensitive manner the difficult subject of surrendering one’s license. It emphasizes the benefits of not driving a vehicle, suggests ways to preserve one’s independence, and reminds the elder driver that he/she will receive a free Mass. I.D., should he/she decide to surrender his/her license. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 no later than Friday, May 16th to sign up for this presentation.

Framingham State College in Partnership with the Callahan Center Offers New Lifelong Learners’ Programs for 2008

Event: “World Religions: Strange Stories in Various Religions”

Instructor: Jason Giannetti, Professor Date: Wednesdays, May 14th, 21st & 28th

Time: 6:30 pm Cost: $21.00 pp

Description:

Professor Jason Giannetti will examine legends, narratives, and dialogues in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. These stories are often used for educational techniques-exemplifying meanings of the religion and sometimes the stories display unorthodox and idiosyncratic aspects of the religion. Prof. Giannetti received his B.A, degree from Binghamtom University, a Master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a Master’s Near Eastern & Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. He has a Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School. Prof. Giannetti teaches at Regis College in Weston, MA.

Payment must be received in advance of the program. No admittance without pre-payment. Please make your payment at the Callahan Center reception desk, or you may send your check, payable to the Friends of Callahan, Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA 01702. The above program takes place at the Callahan Center and are subsidized by the Friends of Callahan.

Heritage Gallery - You will find fabulous, unique and beautiful gifts for Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008. Lace handkerchiefs—fine quality costume jewelry, unusual knick-knacks and more! Open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 2:15 pm.

Coming in June! Thursday, June 5^th at 10 am at Callahan Center Professor Marc Widershien presents “New England in Words and Music” - In 2001 he created a program called “New England in Words and Music” - from the Victrola era to the present. Professor Marc Widershien loves to tell stories and give background to the music he performs. His work is participatory, often inviting his audiences to tell their stories and request favorite music. This performance will consist of Marc playing the violin and internationally renowned composer, conductor and pianist, Herman Weiss, playing piano. Marc Widershien began his studies of the violin in 1955. He was a student of Sarah and Linwood Scriven at the Boston Music School, and a scholarship student at Eastman School of Music, as a violin major. He has performed as soloist, chamber player, and orchestra member with the Columbus Symphony, The Richmond Symphony, Boston Civic Symphony and others. Please call the Callahan Center to sign up for this program at (508) 532-5980.