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	LEGAL AID FOR VETERANS Are you a veteran, or family member of a veteran, who needs to appeal a state or federal benefits decision? The Massachusetts Bar Association can help. Each Monday, call 617-338-0572 between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., to be matched with a volunteer attorney for FREE. This program is offered as a public service of the MBA and U.S. Trust. Get Ready for the Analog to Digital Television Conversion At midnight on February 17, 2009, broadcast stations will be required to stop broadcasting in analog format. Digital TV will replace the analog system. There are several ways to prepare for this: buy a new TV with a built-in ATSC tuner; buy a digital-to-analog converter box; or subscribe to a cable TV or satellite TV service. VCRs and DVD players are also subject to the effects of the analog cut-off date. Coupons are available to help curb the cost impact for analog TV owners. The coupons are available from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. All households that own a TV using analog reception are eligible. Households may request two $40 coupons toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes by calling 888-DTV-2009 (888-388-2009) or on-line at www.DTV2009.gov. The coupons, which will look like plastic gift cards, will arrive via U.S. mail and will be redeemable through local electronic stores. return to the top HELP THE CHILDREN HEAR The Foxboro Rotary Club is collecting used and old hearing aids which will provide credit towards purchasing reconditioned hearing aids for children around the world. The hearing aids do not need to be in working order to receive credit. Hearing is vital for the normal learning process and full integration into a productive society. Your donations can really improve the quality of life for these children. We have a drop box for the hearing aids at the senior center in the “Coffee Connection.” If you have questions or need more information, call Joan Gagnon at 508-339-7671. return to the top GATRA Sign-UP at Senior Center GATRA Dial-A-Ride is door-to-door service within a 15-mile radius of Foxboro. All vehicles are handicap accessible. Anyone over 60 is eligible. Individuals under 60 with a disability are also eligible. There is a suggested donation of $1.25 - $5.00 per ride, depending on your destination. Service will be provided Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. but may be subject to availability. Applications and more information are available at the senior center, or by calling GATRA directly at 508-823-8828 ext. 275 or 800-698-7676. GATRA also provides long distance transportation. Call the COA for details. HESSCO’s website, www.hessco.org, also includes a link to the application … return to the top OPERATION REASSURANCE The Operation Reassurance program is a free service for Foxboro residents. Participants check in each day Monday through Friday via telephone to ensure that they are O.K. This program is wonderful for people who live alone, those confined to their home due to illness, or anyone living with a disabled spouse, relative or companion. Call the senior center at 508-543-1252 for more information. return to the top BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORS AVAILABLE The Foxborough Council on Aging would like to give special thanks to Mark Jago of Microlife for his donation of blood pressure monitors. The Public Health Nurse has verified that these monitors are 100% accurate, so they’re a wonderful addition to the senior center! Seniors now have the ability to stop by the senior center anytime to check their blood pressure, as well as having it checked regularly by the Public Health Nurse, who’s at the senior center twice a month. return to the top EVALUATION OF THE OLDER DRIVER Sturdy Memorial Hospital is offering an Older Driver Evaluation, administered by a Licensed Occupational Therapist. This evaluation assesses basic physical and behavioral functions, visual, perceptual and cognitive abilities, and memory skills necessary for safe driving. The evaluation does not include any driving or simulated driving. The results, shared with the patient, family and physician, can be helpful in deciding what intervention, if any, may be indicated. With an order from the physician, most insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for the evaluation. Call Sturdy Hospital at 508-236-7380 for more information. return to the top GLUCOSE CONTROL METERS AVAILABLE The C.O.A. wishes to acknowledge a gift donation of 6 glucose control meters, valued at $80.00 each given by lifelong Foxboro resident, Jonathan Mott, a diabetic of 27 years. He was proprietor of “Mott the Florist”. To those who are in need of this important device to control your diabetes, please contact us at 508-543-1252. return to the top VETERANS TAX RELIEF This bill was passed unanimously by the State House and Senate and signed into law by then Governor Romney. It provides various tax exemptions to disabled veterans. The measure raises current property exemptions that range from $250 to $950 per year for veterans to a high range of between $400 and $1500. It also allows local cities/towns to suspend local real estate taxes of active duty National Guardsmen and reservists until 180 days after they return home. Passage of this bill will help honor our service men and women who are defending our country. This legislation is funded as of July 1, 2007. Please contact your local Veterans’ Agent for further information. return to the top ELDER-E-LERT Seniors and their families with access to the internet can now “send a message” to their elected officials with just a click of the mouse. E-Lert was designed to allow seniors to craft their own unique message on important issues like the cost of medicines, the need for home care and other public policy issues. Here is how it works: Go to http://www.masshomecare.org . Click on the “E-Lert” picture on the right side of the screen. Follow the easy 4 -step process for sending an email. We have a sign up at the senior center for anyone interested in being notified by phone of “Legislative Alerts”. Call us if you would like to add your name to the list. return to the top The Foxboro Food Pantry is in urgent need of large paper bags and canned goods. For your convenience, your donations can be dropped off at the senior center Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. or Friday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Next time you are shopping ask for a few extra bags to give to the pantry. return to top TRANS-MEDCARE ’04 Foxfield Taxi Corporation is pleased to announce that it has received funding from HESSCO Elder Services to provide wheel-chair transportation relief to caregivers supporting elders, 60 years of age and older. This service is not limited to medical transportation. Caregivers can call and speak to Paula Savill for additional information and to set up appointments at 508-543-2828 ext. 11. return to top VETERANS ADMINISTRATION TO FILL PRIVATE PRESCRIPTIONS The VA will fill prescriptions from private physicians for disabled veterans only. All other veterans must see a VA doctor to have their prescriptions filled at the VA location. The price for prescriptions at the VA is $7 for a 30-day supply of medicine. For further information, please check with your local VA office. return to top PRESCRIPTION DISCOUNT If you are a member of AAA, you can present your card at most pharmacies for a discount of 10 – 20 % on your prescriptions depending on the medication. return to top ARE YOU GETTING ALL OF YOUR BENEFITS? Do you know which benefits you should be receiving? The Benefits Checkup from the National Council on the Aging supplies a good deal of information. It issues a report on various programs, mostly federal, for which you might be eligible. Although it collects personal information, it does not ask your name or other identifying data. The NCOA says it has a database of more than 1,000 programs. You can print a personalized report with agency names and phone numbers. Check it out at: www.benefitscheckup.org return to top PUBLIC SERVICE WARNING Beware of the latest scam in which an individual calls and identifies himself as an AT&T service technician who is conducting a test on telephone lines. He states that to complete the test you should touch 9,0, and # then hang up.DO NOT DO THIS! By pushing that sequence you allow an individual full access to your telephone line, which enables him to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. This can also happen with UCB Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Verizon and GTE. DO NOT PRESS 90# FOR ANYONE. return to top

	S.H.I.N.E With all the changes and cuts in medical coverage, as well as changes in Medicare, we all need to have someone to help us understand what has happened. We have a SHINE (serving health insurance needs of elders) counselor. Judy Murphy of HESSCO (Health and Social Services Consortium), covering Norfolk County is usually at the senior center on the first Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. This is your chance to get answers to your insurance and Medicare questions. Please give us a call so that we can set you up with an appointment to talk to Judy. return to top
	NATIONAL “DO NOT CALL” REGISTRY The National Do Not Call Registry is open for business. New telemarketing laws allow consumers to reduce (but not eliminate) the number of unwanted telemarketing calls they receive by signing up on the Do Not Call Registry. It also bars telemarketers from sending unsolicited faxes, and from using devices that disable caller ID displays, forbids calls before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., and requires telemarketers to immediately identify themselves. The law requires new disclosures from telemarketers about exactly who is selling the goods or services marketed and detailed information about the terms of the purchase. The enforcement provision of the law allows consumers to sue telemarketers who violate the law. Massachusetts will share the numbers on its existing state list with the national registry. As a result, Massachusetts consumers who have already signed up for the state list do not need to re-register to have the protections of both federal and state law. You may register at www.donotcall.gov or at 1-888-382-1222. return to top
	FRIENDLY VISITOR SERVICES Our Friendly Visitor program is a free service for Foxboro seniors. We have recently expanded and now have a number of volunteers who visit seniors in our community. They have been trained to offer assistance with such things as errands, write out checks, or just offer a nice visit. If you or someone you know might be interested, please call the senior center at 543-1252. Also, if you are interested in volunteering, call the center for more information. return to top ELDER HELP-LINE Massachusetts’s elders and their families now can access the Commonwealth’s premier one-stop connection to state and local programs and services on nights and weekends. Thanks to federal action, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs’ toll-free telephone line, 1-800-AGE INFO (1-800-243-4636) or TDD/TTY 1-800-872-0166 for people with hearing disabilities, is now available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by Elder Affairs and Mass. Home Care, 1-800-AGE-INFO offers up-to-date information on prescription drug assistance, health insurance, care giving, transportation and other consumer issues. It also provides callers with a direct link to their nearest Home Care and Protective Services agency. The telephone line joins a companion web site, www.800ageinfo.com, in providing around-the-clock information and assistance on elder care issues to consumers. return to top CHANGES IN MEDICAID (MASSHEALTH) RECOVERY RULES Effective July 1, 2003, the state expanded its ability to recover the cost of medical care from the estates of decedents who had Medicaid coverage. The state can now seek to recover costs from real and personal property, and any other assets the decedent owned immediately prior to his or her death. The changes are significant for married spouses. Now, the state is allowed to place a lien on the home if the Medicaid recipient still owned a legal interest in the home immediately before death. The new changes also allow the state to recover costs from interests the Medicaid recipient had in joint bank accounts, living trusts, life insurance proceeds, rights of survivorship, beneficiary designations, and other arrangements immediately prior to their death. Individuals or couples who developed an estate plan in anticipation of Medicaid eligibility should seek legal advice due to these changes. A bill has been filed in the Legislature to repeal the changes. For further information, please call South Middlesex Legal Services at 1 800-696-1501 or contact your private attorney. return to top TRIAD SAFETY OFFER TRIAD is a national organization committed to reducing crime against seniors and improving their quality of life. Based on a survey of Foxboro seniors, one of the top five concerns was “strangers at the door”. To help in this area, Foxboro TRIAD will furnish and install at no cost, a door viewer (peephole) for any senior needing one. This will allow the “stranger” to be seen before opening the door. Seniors requesting the viewer must be the owners of the property. TRIAD has installed 28 this past year. For details call the senior center at 508-543-1252 return to top HOMESTEAD ACT PROTECTIONS TO INCREASE The Homestead Act protects property from collection actions that might otherwise force the sale of a home to pay an outstanding debt. On July 28, 2004, Chapter 218 of the Acts of 2004 was approved by the State Legislature and the Governor. This new law increases the amount of Homestead Act protection that the owner of a home which is used as their primary residence can claim from $300,000.00 to $500,000.00 effective November 1, 2004. For those persons who already have filed a declaration of homestead prior to the effective date of the new law, they will receive the increased protection once the effective date comes and do not have to file a homestead declaration. If, however, they incur a debt prior to the effective date of the increase, they will only be protected at the old rate by their existing homestead. return to top Meals on Wheels HESSCO Elder Services is putting out an urgent appeal for Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers within our community. Drivers spend approximately one hour a week from 11 a.m. to 12 noon delivering hot meals to frail, homebound senior citizens. You can choose the one-day of the week that works best for you. The need for volunteer drivers within our community is enormous. If you are interested in helping, please contact Beverly Carothers, Director of Volunteer Services at 781-784-4944, ext. 204 or 800-462-5221, ext. 204. return to top URGENT MESSAGE FOR COMMUNITY SPOUSES Unanimously overriding Gov. Romney’s veto, the legislature has restored important protections for lower-income community spouses of nursing home residents. MassHealth will cover the cost of a nursing home resident once his countable assets have been spent down to $2,000 and his community spouse’s countable assets have been spent down to their resource allowance. Under the new law effective July 1, the community spouse may keep all of the couple’s countable assets up to $99,540. The old rule only allowed the community spouse to keep ½ of that. It is important for spouses of nursing home residents to know the new rule so they will not unnecessarily spend down more of their savings than is now necessary with the rule change. For more information, call the social worker at your spouse’s nursing home, or call Noreen Sherys, the Community Social Worker at 508-543-1252. return to top VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We are looking for some volunteers to visit seniors in their homes. If you enjoy being with others and can commit one to two hours a week, please consider being a Friendly Visitor. For more information about how to become involved in this worthwhile activity please call the Senior Center at 508-543-1252. return to the top BUDGET STRETCHER With fuel costs skyrocketing, prescription insurance coverage dwindling, many seniors are having trouble making ends meet. If you find yourself in this situation, consider the food pantry as a way to stretch your dollars. Home delivery is available at the end of the month for seniors who are unable to get to the food pantry.Call the food pantry number at 508.543.5235 or please call the community social worker, Noreen Sherys, at 508-543-1252 for more information. return to top CIRCUIT BREAKER TAX CREDIT The Circuit Breaker Tax Credit offers special credits for eligible seniors. This program is for Massachusetts residents age 65 or older who are within the income range and have real estate or rental expenses that meet the program guidelines. If your property tax payments, and 50% of your water/sewer bills, exceed 10% of your income, you may be able to receive a credit up to $900. Renters can also receive a credit of up to $820 if 25% of their annual rent exceeds 10% of their annual income. Even if you do not owe any income tax, YOU MUST FILE A MASSACHUSETTS STATE INCOME TAX FORM to receive this credit. You will receive the credit in the form of a refund check. Official information packets for 2007 Massachusetts state income tax returns will include Circuit Breaker schedules, and are available in local libraries and post offices. Be sure to file by April 15 th! return to the top CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Are you caring for an elder? Do you feel stressed and overwhelmed with responsibilities? Are you feeling pulled in many directions? Do you wonder what community resources may be available? You can relax, renew, and revitalize at a new caregiver support group offered through HESSCO Elder Services and the Sharon Council on Aging. This is a 6-session, bi-weekly series facilitated by licensed social workers. The group will meet on alternate Tuesdays from January through March 2008 at the Sharon Adult Center on Community Center Drive. Free parking is available. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. For detailed information and to register, please call Susan Edinger, LICSW, Sharon Council on Aging at 781-784-8000 or Michelle Wyman, LSW, HESSCO Elder Services at 781-784-4944. Funding may be available if care for your loved one is needed in order to attend. return to the top DRIVERS NEEDED The FISH volunteers would really appreciate additional volunteer drivers to help them out with driving once a month. FISH of Foxboro is a free and confidential service, consisting of a group of volunteer drivers who will take seniors to doctor appointments within an 11-mile radius of Foxboro. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or would like additional information, please call Bea O'Hara at 508-543-8549. return to the top FOOD STAMPS / BAY STATE CAP PROGRAM Bay State CAP is a simplified and fast way for SSI recipients to get basic food stamp benefits without going through the long application process. Your entitlement to food stamps is based upon the information you provided to the Social Security Administration local office. If you meet the criteria, you will receive Bay State CAP benefits for 36 months at a time. You will be entitled to more food stamp benefits under the Bay State CAP program than the regular food stamp program. Depending on your income and shelter costs, you may receive a minimum of $38 and a maximum of $149 per month in food stamp benefits. If you have question about the new Bay State CAP program, contact South Middlesex Legal Services at 800-696-1501 or the DTA Food Stamp Hotline at 866-950-FOOD. Our Community Social Worker, Noreen Sherys, is also available to help you with this and other programs. Call her at 508-543-1252. return to the top BANKRUPTCY ABUSE PREVENTION / CONSUMER PROTECTION President Bush signed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 into law earlier this year. The law makes major changes to the prior bankruptcy laws by making it more difficult for individuals to have their debts discharged through bankruptcy. Highlights of the new law include: Mandatory credit counseling prior to filing for bankruptcy; Completion of a financial management course after filing but prior to receiving a discharge of their debts; Increase from 6 to 8 years in the time that you must wait to file another bankruptcy if you have filed one before; “Means” and “Median Income” tests to determine if a bankruptcy should be allowed to proceed or should be dismissed; New limits on the use of the Homestead exemption (effective now); Limitations on the discharge ability of debts incurred in the purchase of luxury goods and use of cash advances; and Decrease in the amount of assets allowed to be kept by a debtor. If you are interested in filing for bankruptcy or have questions about the new bankruptcy law, contact South Middlesex Legal Services at 800-696-1501. return to the top AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION If you need a ride to the airport, check out PCI Shuttle Service. They are located at 10 Central Street, Foxboro. They have regular trips to Logan and Green airports. The senior rate is $14.00 one way, and $24.00 round trip. Door to door service is available for an additional nominal fee. Call 1-888-515-5512 for the schedule and for reservations. return to the top GRIEF SUPPORT PROGRAMS Community VNA, 10 Emory Street, Attleboro offers the following programs. Pre-registration is required. Contact Denise Boissoneault, Bereavement Coordinator, at 1-508-222-0118 ext. 1373. Adult Grief Education Series … this 6-week series will offer a learning and supportive experience to begin the journey towards healing … Ongoing Support … a monthly drop-in support group, with an informal format in which those who are grieving may share experiences, support, and suggestions for coping on the journey through grief … meets the first Monday of each month, 7:00-8:30 p.m. return to the top SAND FOR SENIORS The Foxboro Jaycees will be delivering sand and salt to Foxboro seniors once again this year. If you are interested in taking advantage of this free service, please call Mark at 508-543-3634.. Provide your name, address, telephone number, and your preference for sand or salt, and if you will need a bucket. return to the top MEDICATION AND SAFETY VISITS VNA Care Network and hospice is offering medication and safety visits in the homes of chronically ill, frail seniors. A nurse will visit the senior at home to evaluate their prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal remedies for interactions and related safety concerns. The nurse will also assess the risk of falling and make recommendations for reducing the chance of a fall. This is a free service and is open to residents of Canton, Dedham, Foxboro, Medfield, Millis, Norfolk, Norwood, Plainville, Sharon, Walpole, Westwood, and Wrentham. For more information about medication and safety visits, contact Maureen Sendrowski, RN, MPH, at msendrowski@vnacarenetwork.org or 888-663-3688, ext. 5603 OR call Noreen Sherys at the senior center at 509-543-1252.

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