Minutes
Council On Aging · from the Town's website · 4 pages · 35 KB
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MEETING MINUTES WINTHROP COUNCIL ON AGING Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024 Time: 10:30 AM Location: Robert A. DeLeo Senior Center 35 Harvard Street, Winthrop, MA 02152 Present: Matt Rodes, Director, Council on Aging Kaylee Burgess, Asst. Director/Outreach Coordinator, Council on Aging Kathy Driscoll Cynthia Huff Heather Martin Mary Vitale Absent: Alice Haskell, Chair Linda Cronin Call to order at 10:32 AM by Matt Rodes, Director, Winthrop Council on Aging I. Approval of Minutes A Motion to approve the Minutes of the November 14, 2024 meeting was made by Cynthia Huff and seconded by Heather Martin. Minutes were approved. II. Announcements There were no new announcements presented. III. Director ’ s Comments A. Matt Rodes introduced the Council to Kaylee Burgess, our new Assistant Director/Outreach Coordinator. Kaylee is a very welcome addition to the staff! B. Heather Martin reported that the Line Dancing group is hoping to attract new members, and there was a discussion as to how we could get the word out on this. C. Matt Rodes reported that the Holiday Party held at the Elks on December 8 was a very big success. We sold 115 tickets for this event, and there were also a few members of the Elks in attendance. The entertainment by The Three of Us was very good, but there was a discussion on how we might be able to have the volume for musical entertainment lower for future events so that attendees are able to converse more easily. It was agreed by all that having the meal served to the tables rather than a buffet line was great, and Matt will talk to Rose Kaye about this for future events. D. Matt Rodes reported that Rose Kaye continues to hold the monthly Charlie Card Workshop. She has assisted 35 people with this to date since the program ’ s inception. Matt reported that a representative from the MBTA Mobility Center will be at the Senior Center on January 21, 2025 to provide information on accessibility, Senior Passes, Passes for the vision impaired, etc. Matt indicated that Charlie Cards can now be renewed, with a much more simplified process. The Charlie Card Workshop will continue to be a monthly program. E. Matt Rodes reported that the CLEAR Team ’ s Lunch and Learn session held on December 10 went very well, and they will be holding monthly sessions beginning next year. F. Matt Rodes reported that he had heard from Greg McClay, the Director of the Winthrop Library. Greg McClay would like to attend another Coffee and Conversation session and provide follow-up on the streaming service, Kanopy, which is offered free with a library card. Matt indicated that Judie VanKooiman had also invited Meredith Hurley, the Public Health Director, to attend a future Coffee and Conversation session. G. Matt Rodes reported that Rose Kaye has many events planned for 2025. There will be a Valentine ’ s Day Pizza Party in February, with the entertainment being Howie Connolly. There will be a St. Patrick ’ s Day party in March, with the entertainment being Roger Tincknell. Matt indicated we are waiting to hear from the Cultural Council regarding Grant money to pay for Roger Tincknell. Matt indicated he expects the Cultural Council will approve all four of the Grants we have applied for. There will also be a Mother ’ s Day Ice Cream Party in May, with the entertainment being The Singing Grandpops. H. Matt Rodes reported that National Grid will be holding an Energy Exposition at the Senior Center on January 22, 2025, from 10AM to 2PM. Attendees will be able to obtain information on energy options, fuel assistance, SNAP benefits, etc. This event is open to the public. I. Matt Rodes reported that we are hoping to have the RMV conduct a Senior Safe Driving Workshop next year, including discussing ways to talk to family members and friends who may no longer be in a safe position to drive. J. Matt Rodes reported that the Winthrop Police in conjunction with the Suffolk County DA ’ s Office Fraud Prevention Team will be holding a Fraud Prevention Seminar at the Senior Center on Tuesday, December 17, at 1:00 PM. They had held a presentation last year as well, and all agreed it was an excellent and very informational seminar. K. Matt Rodes reported that Capic representatives will be at the Senior Center on Thursday, December 19, and anyone interested in speaking to them may sign up at the Front Desk. A Nutritionist from Mystic Valley Elder Services will also be at the Senior Center that day during the in-house dining lunch to discuss healthy eating. We are hoping to have more talks like this next year. L. Matt Rodes reported that the Senior Center will be closing at noon on Tuesday, December 24, and will be open during the regular hours on Thursday and Friday, December 26 and December 27. We will be closing at 2:00 PM on New Year ’ s Eve, Tuesday, December 31, and will be open during the regular hours on Thursday and Friday, January 2 and January 3. Matt indicated there will be no yoga classes during that time period, and there may be some other activity changes during this time period due to the holidays. Matt also indicated that on any days that schools are canceled due to inclement weather, etc., all Senior Center activities will also be canceled. The Senior Center building will be open for any visitors, but opening time may be delayed until sufficient plowing has been done by the Town. M. Matt Rodes reported that the Travel Committee is still working on trips for next year. Best of Times will be at the Center on January 8, 2025 to meet with all interested seniors to discuss trips we are offering through them. They will also discuss “ We Travel ” , their new online payment option. A session with Cheryl Tobey of All Around New England is planned as well. N. Regarding van ridership, Matt Rodes reported that there were 190 rides in November, with 124 of these being in Winthrop. He reported that there has been a definite increase in ridership this year, with there being 790 more trips than last year. Matt indicated that the van may need to go off the road at some point for some standard maintenance work that needs to be done soon. He indicated he is trying to find a place where all repairs can be done at the same time instead of having to go to different repair shops for different jobs. He is checking to see where Greater Lynn Social Services takes their vehicles for repair work. Also regarding the van, Matt reported we are looking into putting the van on the road on Fridays in addition to the current Monday through Thursday. He indicated that both of our drivers are willing to do this, and he is hoping to start this perhaps in February or March of 2025. O. Matt Rodes also reported that he is hoping to start up van trips once again for next year as we had done for a while previously. He indicated that we might be able to have trips to a movie theater, etc. in addition to other places of interest. P. Matt Rodes reported that we had had a heating malfunction in the big activities room which has since been repaired by Rich Cifuni. Q. Matt Rodes reported that the Seaside Tappers are very happy to now have their classes at the Senior Center and that they have added new members to their group. R. Matt Rodes reported that we are still trying to get the parklet removed from our parking lot. S. Matt Rodes reported that we are hoping to increase some of our volunteer groups and post a list of volunteer opportunities on the Senior Center website. T. Matt Rodes reported that we are still hoping to start up a new Spanish class, and he will be contacting a person he knows with respect to finding a possible teacher for the class. U. Matt Rodes reported that Monday afternoon Game Day is very popular and draws a large group of people. He reported that there are two gentlemen who play Cribbage on Game Day who would like to have more people join their group. V. Matt Rodes reported that he would like to start having a monthly breakfast served at the Senior Center, and he knows someone who might be interested in preparing the meal. W. Matt Rodes reported that he has ordered a coffee cart for the lobby area of the Senior Center where people will be able to get themselves a cup of coffee while visiting the Center. X. Matt Rodes reported he would still be interested in adding new activities to our schedule. Kaylee Burgess suggested a book club. Kathy Driscoll indicated some women she knows had expressed interest in a knitting/crocheting group. Matt indicated that we would work on these. Y. Matt Rodes reported that he is still working on having CPR training at the Senior Center. He is waiting to hear further from the Health Department on this. He indicated that he would like to have a training session for the staff first and then training for the public. IV. Adjournment There being no further business, a Motion to Adjourn was made by Cynthia Huff and seconded by Mary Vitale. The meeting was adjourned at 11:13 AM. Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2025. Respectfully Submitted Kathy Driscoll, Secretary, Winthrop Council on Aging Adopted by the Board at the meeting of January 9, 2025 ___________________________________ Alice Haskell, Chair Winthrop Council on Aging