1. food and drink

Spring 2013
In this issue:
Top Chefs Announced
Options Counseling
ElderCare Crisis
Summer Events Calendar
One of a Kind Treasures
CVAA Forced to Evaluate Services
By Sarah Lemnah, Director of Communications and Development
By Sarah Lemnah
If you walk into Paul St. Gelais’ home in
Milton, you will find a one of a kind collection.
Lining the walls, hanging from the ceiling
and sorted on the couch are 174 handmade
mandolins. Each one with its own unique story
and history. Each one built by St. Gelais. Some
of them use old baking pans or holiday tins or
photos from a calendar but each one is designed
to bring its own unique sound to life.
Some are made from scratch from spare parts
and others are rescued mandolins. St. Gelais, a
lifelong music fan admits “I can’t stand to see
them like that after how much music they have
made. I need to fix them.” St. Gelais proudly
shows me how he uses a tennis racket for the
frame, then adds discarded items like tins and
cake pans and even a box. “Most of these are just
a bunch of cans I pick up. I can visualize the day I
made every one of them.”
St. Gelais’ hobby has taken on a life of its own
where neighbors bring over items to get a one of
a kind instrument, which is also a one of a kind
piece of art. A longtime fiddler but only a recent
mandolin player, St. Gelais strums a few bars
to show me how each one has its own sound. It
takes about 2 ½ days for junk to become magic.
Recent federal budget cuts and the increasingly
complex needs of a burgeoning senior population
have forced CVAA to evaluate its services and
determine how best to support seniors and their
caregivers.
“Every organization needs to periodically step
back from what someone called the tyranny of
the moment to look at where they have been and
where they want to go, “explains John Barbour,
CVAA Executive Director. “We get so caught up
in what has to happen today that we don't pay
enough attention to where we want to go. We
are in that process now - revisiting our mission
statement and thinking about how we can
improve the quality of life for seniors.”
CVAA program directors have been hard at
work cutting costs and finding new ways to meet
the increasing needs with limited resources.
CVAA’s Meals on Wheels program has eliminated
bagged suppers. “We had to make a strategic
decision in order to continue to provide this
vital service to seniors who are totally dependent
upon home-delivered meals,” stated Mary West,
CVAA Assistant Nutrition Director. “We were
delivering two meals to some seniors with little
or no other supports. We chose to eliminate these
second meals to all our clients across the board.
Consequently, every eligible senior receives some
support, but not necessarily all the support they
continued on page 12
76 Pearl Street Suite 201 Essex Junction VT 05452
Though some friends jokingly call him the
junk man, he admits, “I am a junk picker. Music
can come out of anything. I have had a lot of
fun with it.” One piece is made out of an old box.
You can play it with the box closed or open the
box to have two separate mandolins. The three
variations have three different sounds. When
he sees a cake pan or a chafing dish, he thinks,
“by golly, I can convert that over.” Converting is
something St. Gelais does well.
“There are not many instruments like this,”
St. Gelais notes. “It’s a lot of work to make them.”
However it obviously is a labor of love. His big
wish is to have a place where people could enjoy
his instruments. "I wish I had a place to teach
kids how to build them and learn how to play. If
you let them build their own, they will take better
care of it. I would like all 174 of them to be played
together.”
However, St. Gelais is running out of space to
store and display his creations. Every inch of his
place is filled with his custom instruments. He
readily admits, he "hates to sell them” but sell he
must if he wants space to continue creating new
instruments. If anyone is interested in learning
how to purchase these one of a kind instruments,
contact [email protected].
For St. Gelais, music has always been a big part
of his life and now he is designing instruments
that will inspire new people to learn how to make
music. His advice for new musicians, “Just play.
The only way you can learn is to keep playing.”
With a twinkle in his eye and a mandolin in his
hand, he plucks away at the strings and plays on.
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 248
BURLINGTON, VT
CVAA Voice Editor: Sarah Lemnah
Typesetting and Layout: CVAA
The CVAA Voice is published as a newsletter
of CVAA (Champlain Valley Agency on
Aging). CVAA is a non-profit organization
serving seniors in Addison, Chittenden,
Franklin, and Grand Isle counties in Vermont.
CVAA Voice
76 Pearl Street Suite 201
Essex Junction VT 05452
802 865 0360
Savings for Diabetics
Get Your Three Squares
by Patricia Selsky, SHIP Coordinator
by Greta Jefferis, FSO Specialist
Great news for Medicare beneficiaries, the
American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, resulted
in a decrease in prices for diabetic supplies at
local pharmacies for beneficiaries with original
Medicare. The retail pharmacy pricing will match
mail-order pricing for select diabetic supplies.
The cost reduction should result in
approximately 14% savings to beneficiaries
purchasing diabetic supplies. On July 1st, pricing
may reduce even further when a new National
Mail-Order Competitive Bid pricing goes into
effect.
As long as your retail pharmacy accepts
assignment for Medicare, then you should save
a few dollars when purchasing your diabetic
supplies this year. Anyone with questions about
how a private plan pays, please consult your
specific plan directly by calling the customer
service number on the back of your health
insurance card.
Using your
3SquaresVT money
to buy healthy fresh
fruits and vegetables is even easier as the weather
turns warmer. Your 3SquaresVT benefit can
be used at many of the local farmers' markets
around the state. At the market, you use your
card to receive tokens to purchase your food at
the different vendors. You can even buy seeds and
plants to grow your own healthy food!
Wondering if you qualify for 3SquaresVT?
Many people qualify for the 3SquaresVT
program. If you live alone, you can have a gross
monthly income of up to $1,722 and a couple can
make up to $2,333 and not have your resources
count. Most participants can own a car, their
home, and have money in the bank and still
be qualified. If over 65, your benefits will be
deposited directly into your bank account and
can be used as cash.
Participating in the 3SquaresVT program
can help you afford to buy more fresh fruits
and vegetables. It is a way to put more healthy
food on the table, stretch your food budget and
free up additional money to put towards other
bills. Having better food available can keep
you healthier and even help prevent medical
problems like diabetes and obesity. Another
great benefit of this program is that you are
helping Vermont as you buy your groceries,
bringing in over 12 million dollars a year to the
state. By being a part of this program, you are not
taking away benefits from any other family. This
is a benefit that you are entitled to and everyone
that qualifies will be granted the benefit.
There are special rules for seniors and people
with disabilities who can use over-the-counter
medications, prescription costs, and healthcare
premiums towards a medical deduction to
increase your benefits.
To find out if you might qualify, to request
an application, or to get help filling out the
paperwork, call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800642-5119. We have specialists who can even
come to your home!
senior helpline
1 800 642 5119
Statement of Non-discrimination
Att CVAA, our rules for acceptance and
participation in programs are the same for
everyone, without regard to race, color,
national origin, age, sex, disability, or sexual
orientation. Certain programs operated
by CVAA are intended by state or federal
regulation to benefit people of certain ages,
incomes, or other characteristics.
Where
here such limitations apply, CVAA treats
all eligible individuals equally. CVAA does
not discriminate on the basis of disability in
any of its programs, activities, services, or
employment opportunities. We have a number
of accommodations that are readily available
to ensure equal access and opportunity. If you
need, or know of someone who might benefit
from an accommodation, please contact us.
Medicare
Classes
Learn how
to navigate
through the
Medicare
system by
attending
informational
sessions at
CVAA.
Registration is required and
space is limited. To find out dates
and times and to register, call
1-800-642-5119 or
(802) 865-0360
For
or information, physical and alternative
access, as well as getting the CVAA Voice,
contact John Barbour at 802 865 0360 or
1 800 642 5119.
CVAA is a United Way Agency.
Member FDIC
2
senior helpline 1 800 642 5119
Typical is not Typical in Case Management
by Sarah Lemnah
Why join a Tai Chi program?
Most importantly, because it's fun!
by Mary West, Assistant Nutrition Director
What is a typical day for a CVAA Case
Manager/Options Counselor? I rode along with
Melissa Southwick, a CVAA Case Manager in
St. Albans, to find out. What I found is that
there is no typical day. “The caseloads keep
growing, the types of cases are more difficult and
challenging,” according to Southwick. “Many
seniors are still working. They are part of the
sandwich generation taking care of their kids and
parents. There are a lot of issues around housing
and financial issues.” For many of the seniors
Southwick works with, the first contact she has
is after a crisis. “They want to deal with the crisis
but after that we want to figure out how you got
here so it doesn’t happen again.”
Many of the crises today are financial.
People are being evicted from their homes and
everything is more expensive. “Public benefits
have not kept up with the cost of living," stated
Southwick. As a result, there are more multigeneration families living together. Increasingly,
seniors are dealing with more stress. There is an
even greater need for Elder Care Clinicians who
work with seniors facing depression or dealing
with ongoing mental health needs.
On this day, our first visit was with a couple
to help them with their 3SquaresVT (formerly
food stamp) application. Married for 60 years,
this couple has had to deal with lots of health
issues, from heart attacks to strokes that forced
the husband to retire 24 years ago. Though
dealing with some serious health issues, Joseph
waved us in with a smile and nod and welcomed
us with a “come on in and have a seat." One of
their 22 grandchildren was visiting for the day
and enjoying a new sunroom built by their son.
Soon a garden will be installed allowing Joseph to
enjoy one of his favorite pastimes. This gracious
couple was appreciative for Melissa’s assistance
with their 3SquaresVT application.
Melissa Southwick calling on behalf of a client.
Our next visit was a totally different mood.
Southwick’s client was on her deathbed and her
daughter and primary caregiver was preparing
for the worst. She lamented there had been very
little response from her mom and that she could
not even tempt her with her favorite turkey meal.
Her mom’s cat would not leave her side, sensing
something was about to happen. Her hospital
bed filled the living room, leaving little room for
anything else as her home health nurse attempted
to make her comfortable. These are the tough
days for a case manger. Southwick confides, “I’m
good with boundaries, but you see some clients
every month for years. I sometimes see these
people more than anyone. When clients die, it
can be devastating.”
In addition to helping seniors with financial
issues, Southwick arranges for care services and,
unfortunately, deals with her fair share of family
issues including reporting abuse to APS (Adult
Protective Services). “I hate that someone is out
there abusing seniors. I love seniors. They have
amazing stories if you take five minutes to listen
to them and they are so grateful.”
Melissa Southwick helps her client write a will.
Tai
Chi for
Arthritis is
an evidencebased
exercise
program
proven to
improve
balance, flexibility and strength. This joint safe
program is especially beneficial for people with
arthritis, fibromyalgia or lupus as it reduces
the pain associated with inflammatory disease.
Stiffness can cause pain; improved flexibility
reduces stiffness and inflammation, making joints
more mobile.
Aside from an increase in pain-free range of
motion, Tai Chi may increase your energy and
cardiovascular fitness, lower your blood pressure,
improve sleep patterns, lessen depression and give
you an improved sense of well being. But it's the
fun and supportive atmosphere that keeps seniors
returning class after class.
CVAA volunteers are trained and certified to
lead this program. It is open to anyone age 50
or older at no charge throughout the Champlain
Valley. Visit us at www.cvaa.org or call 1-800642-5119 for class locations.
Though Southwick had many more stops in
her day, I only had time for one more with a
woman who was working on writing her will.
Southwick supportively asked many detailed
questions to make sure the woman stated
who she wants to be the beneficiary of her
possessions. While there, Southwick noticed
that a hoyer lift system has not been installed
and asked some follow-up questions about what
would be the most useful system for assisting this
woman. Every house she entered seemed grateful
to see her and, as I heard Melissa deal with the
variety of issues in her home visits while also
making calls in between to arrange for care for
other clients, I was also grateful she was on the
team.
Every case manager has days like this filled
with a variety of situations from helping seniors
and their families deal with simple things like
3SquaresVT applications to helping them deal
with bigger issues like death and dying.
Though not an easy job, CVAA case managers
provide a vital service to seniors and their
families in need. If you ask Southwick how she
can get through even the toughest of day, she will
tell you with a smile, “Successes remind us of
why we are doing this. They point to the impact
we have had on someone’s life. I’ve met some
amazing people. I love my job so much.”
EMPOWERS. GUIDES. PROVIDES. Services and Support for Seniors.
3
Charitable Giving
by Glenn Jarrett, Jarrett Law Office
Many of us make a practice of giving to
charities while we are around to see the charity
grow and prosper, but we can continue to make a
difference for the charity beyond our lifetimes.
Planning gifts for your favorite charity can be
a simple gift in your will or living trust or can
involve a more complex legal/tax plan:
it while living. The donor receives the
income during the term of the trust and
the charity receives the principal after the
trust terminates. The donor avoids any capital
gains tax on the donated assets and also gets
an income tax deduction for the fair market
value of the remainder interest that the charity
receives. In addition, the asset is removed from
the donor’s estate, reducing subsequent estate
taxes. While the contribution is irrevocable,
the donor may have some control over the
way the assets are invested and may even
switch from one charity to another (as long
as it's still a qualified charitable organization).
CRTs come in three types: charitable
remainder annuity trust (which pays a fixed
dollar amount annually), a charitable
remainder unitrust (which pays a fixed
percentage of the trust's value annually),
and a charitable pooled income fund (which
is set up by the charity, enabling many donors
to contribute).
Outright During Lifetime
Cash, appreciated securities, real estate, and
insurance policies are a few examples of gifts
that can be made to a qualified charity. These
contributions may qualify for up to 100%
deduction on income tax for taxpayers who
itemize, and there is no capital gains liability
for appreciated assets.
Bequest In Your Will or Living Trust
A bequest of a specific dollar amount or a
percentage of your estate are the most
common types of giving after your death. This
can be achieved as a specific distribution
within your Will or Living Trust.
remainder trust. The charitable lead trust
technique involves the creation of a trust
that will make its initial payments to charity
for a specified term of years, or for a life or
lives in being, and which, at the termination
of the specified payment period, will distribute
its remaining assets to noncharitable recipients
(e.g., the donors, members of the donors'
family or other individuals). Thus, the charity
has the initial, or "lead" interest in the trust,
while the noncharitable recipients will take
the remainder. There are two kinds of
qualified charitable lead trusts: the charitable
lead annuity trust (CLAT), and the charitable
lead unitrust (CLUT).
Retirement Plans
Charitable Lead Trusts
Charitable Remainder Trusts
A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is a
trust in which property or money is donated
to a charity, but the donor continues to use
the property and/or receive income from
A qualified Charitable Lead Trust (CLT)qualified in the sense that its charitable gift
portion is deductible for some or all of
income, gift, and estate tax purposes - is, in
most respects, the opposite of the charitable
An extremely tax-efficient way of giving to
charity is to make the charity a beneficiary
of part or all of a retirement plan. Unlike an
individual beneficiary, the charity does not
have to pay income tax on the distribution
from the plan. The deceased donor saves
taxes compared with making a charitable gift
of post-tax dollars, which then can be left to
family members.
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4
senior helpline 1 800 642 5119
Keep or Pitch? A guide to saving personal and financial records
by Robyn Young, Owner of Money Care, LLC
“Do I need to keep my bank statements?” I
am frequently asked this question. With the
volume of paper and electronic documents that
enter our lives every day, knowing what you can
toss and what you should save can be confusing.
Most of the documents that we need to hold
on to revolve around three things: taxes, our
identity, and ownership.
Here I briefly summarize the documents that
you want to retain, organized by the length of
time to keep them.
Items you want to keep indefinitely are:
• Federal and state tax returns
• Originals of vital records such as birth
certificates, marriage licenses, divorce
decrees, military discharge papers, and
adoption and naturalization papers
• Medical records
• Social security cards - memorize your
number and put your card in a safe deposit
box
• Receipts for capital improvements made to
your home – retain until seven years after
you sell your house
• Whole life insurance policies
• Estate planning documents such as wills,
trust agreements, power of attorney
documents, and advance directives
state purchases on which you did not pay sales
tax. These are usually items purchased over the
internet or in New Hampshire.
Some documents you want to keep
until you no longer own the item
or asset. These include:
• Proof of ownership of securities, original
stock certificates, and bonds - when you sell,
transfer your records to your tax documents
and hold for seven years
• Annual brokerage and retirement account
statements
• Pension plan documents
• Term life insurance policies
• Long term care insurance policies
• Automobile, boat and other vehicle titles
• House and property deeds
• Loans
• Receipts that support warranties
Papers that you can discard after a year:
Keep every scrap of paper that supports your
tax return for seven years after you file. The IRS
has three years to audit you. If it suspects that you
underreported income or that you committed
fraud, it has six years from when you filed your
return to pursue an audit.
Tax documents include proof of income such
as W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, alimony, and brokerage
statements that show capital gains and losses.
They also include verification of deductions:
property tax bills, receipts from charities, proof of
mortgage interest paid, and bills and statements
that support medical, home office, and other
deductions. In Vermont, keep receipts for out-of-
• Bank statements - keep until your 1099
arrives in January
• Paycheck stubs - use these to check the
accuracy of your annual W-2
• Monthly and quarterly brokerage statements
- retain any document that shows a
purchase, gain or loss
• Home, auto and other insurance policies
that renew every year - when the new policy
arrives, pitch the old one
• Health insurance “explanation of benefits”
(EOBs) - compare these to your medical
bills to verify that they are accurate
If you have Medicare, you may want to keep
EMPOWERS. GUIDES. PROVIDES. Services and Support for Seniors.
your explanation of benefits two to three years.
Medicare can be slow to process claims. Some of
my clients have been billed for medical services
received 14 months prior to date on the invoice.
Papers that you can keep
for a month or less:
• ATM, debit card and credit card receipts –
hold on to these until you compare them
to your statements and save any receipt that
supports a claim on your tax return
• Bank deposit slips - discard these after you
verify the deposits
• Utility bills - keep until the new one arrives
to confirm that the company received the
previous payment. Hold longer if you want
to track usage. Keep any utility bill that
supports a tax deduction.
If you are uncertain whether to keep a
document, ask yourself these questions:
• Can I identify a specific event where I might
need this document? If no, consider getting
rid of it. If yes, ask:
• Can I get this document again? How much
time, expense and effort are involved
in obtaining a duplicate? If it is difficult or
expensive to replace, hold on to it.
• Is this document periodically updated? If
yes, save only until the update arrives.
• Is this document itself valuable? If yes, put it
in a safe place.
When you throw out any paper document, I
recommend that you shred it. This will help keep
your personal information out of the hands of
identity thieves.
Where to store your records is a topic
for another column. However, I want to
mention here that if you save any documents
electronically, it is important to regularly back
them up to secure, external storage. You don’t
want to lose them if your computer crashes.
Money Care, LLC is a money management service
She can be reached at www.moneycarevt.com
or telephone 802-343-0389.
5
Baby Boomers - They’re here and
we know it.
That Yummy Sweet Stuff
by Kathy Backes, CVAA Registered Dietitian
It gets us every time! You know what I mean.
Cupcakes! Heck, who wants just a "cup" of cake!
Give me the whole cake. I will "portion" it up
myself, thank you very much. Cut right down
the middle if left to my own devices. Now that is
portion control! Believe me, I am deeply trying
to control myself from eating the whole thing.
Don't we just love the taste of sugar? I certainly
do. So let's take a look at how to have your cake
and eat it too.
Why are most Americans being
-urged to reduce their sugar intake?
Bottom line is that the scientific evidence has
been piling up that too much sugar increases our
risk of hypertension, heart disease and obesity.
In a scientific statement, The American Heart
Association says "most women should limit
their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six
teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation
is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons.” In contrast,
Americans are consuming more like 352 calories,
or about 22 teaspoons per person per day. That is
almost equal to two, 12 ounce soft drinks per day.
To make matters worst, added sugar seems
to be everywhere. Added sugar is the type that
is added by either a human or machine. This
does not include the sugar that is naturally
in fruits, vegetables and milk. The easiest
examples of beverages with added sugar are
soda, sports drinks and energy drinks that have
a disproportionately large amount of sugar
compared to any other nutrients. In fact, these
beverages are the number one source of added
sugar in the American diet.
But rest assured, you don't have to give up
sugar altogether. Do a little detective work to
make informed decisions about added sugars
in your food.
There are two sources to use for spotting
added sugar. Look on the food labels at the
Nutrition Facts and the Ingredient list on
packaged foods. Do this for all food packages
even for barbecue sauce, spaghetti sauce, and
boxed cake mixes. However, if your cake is from
scratch, you can easily divide the amount of
sugar the whole recipe calls for by the number of
servings you end up with.
Food labels: Until the Nutrition Facts includes
a new "added sugars" category (FDA is doing a
consumer test on this currently), it is a bit sloppy
6
to figure out exactly how much added sugars are
in packaged foods. Currently in the Nutrition
Facts panel, the line for sugars contains both
the natural occurring and added sugars as total
grams of sugar. Note: 1 teaspoon of sugar = 4
grams of sugar = 15 calories.
The only reliable way to tell if a packaged
food contains added sugars is to look at the list
of ingredients on the package- usually near the
Nutrition Facts label. The ingredients are listed
in descending order by their amount in the
product. The greater the number of sugars (listed
below) and the higher they are on the ingredient
list the more sugar there is in the product.
Ingredient Lists:
Sugar has many names:
Agave Nectar
Fruit Juice Concentrates
Brown Sugar
High Fructose Corn
Cane Crystals
Syrup
Honey
Inverted Sugar
Cane Sugar
Lactose
Corn Sweetener
Maltose
Corn Syrup
Malt Syrup
Crystalline Fructose Molasses
Dextrose
Raw Sugar
Evaporated Cane
Sucrose
Juice
Sugar
Fructose
Syrup
Also, try some helpful strategies to cut the need
for added sugars:
 Cut sugar by half in recipes - you can start with
cutting a smaller amount first
 Try ginger, allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg to
sweeten a recipe
 Try extracts - almond, vanilla, orange, or lemon
 Try using applesauce in equal amounts for a
sweetener in a recipe
 For a sweet break in the day, try a sweet herbal
tea such as strawberry or peach.
Other tips:
 Enjoy seltzer water with lime or a little juice
added
Limit soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks to
occasional consumption instead of daily. These
are considered the number one source of added
sugar in the American diet. Just one 12 ounce
soda contains 11 teaspoons of sugar.

So, with a little detective work,
you can have some cake and eat it too!
by Beverly Hill, Volunteer & Senior Companion
Program Coordinator
Yes, this is another article about Baby Boomers
- people born between 1946 and 1964. This
generation has been changing the world around
them since they were born. Depending on your
perspective, that makes them either welcomed or
dreaded wherever they go.
In volunteer management circles, we were
told to expect a flood of Baby Boomer volunteers
as they moved toward retirement age and to
start planning what to do with all these highly
skilled new volunteers. We were told that Baby
Boomers want to put their talents and skills to
use as volunteers rather than stuffing envelopes
and other more mundane, but necessary
volunteer tasks. Nonprofits were warned to focus
on skill-based volunteer tasks for this group of
volunteers or risk missing out on the opportunity
to attract these highly desirable volunteers.
CVAA has 1000+ volunteers involved in a
wide variety of activities, ranging from tasks
some might consider mundane to tasks requiring
very specific skills. Baby Boomers make up 24%
of the total US population. Baby Boomers make
up 29% of CVAA volunteers. So we must be
doing something right because we are certainly
attracting our share of Baby Boomers.
And what are CVAA Baby Boomer Volunteers
doing? They are doing the same things all
our other volunteers are doing. 63% of CVAA
Boomer volunteers deliver Meals on Wheels.
11% volunteer at Community Meals. 22%
are Friendly Visitors working with one senior,
providing companionship, grocery shopping
assistance, help with checkbook balancing/bill
paying, organizing, etc. While these tasks may
not require special skills, they certainly require
warm-hearted commitment from a volunteer and
CVAA places a high value on both these tasks
and these volunteers.
But what about those “highly-skilled” Boomer
volunteers? Does CVAA have any of those
volunteers who want to use the skills they have
acquired during their lives to benefit others? We
do and here’s what they do to benefit seniors in
the community.
Four Boomer volunteers actually coordinate
other Meals on Wheels volunteers. Their basic
responsibilities are recruiting, training, and
scheduling volunteers to deliver meals. They
keep CVAA’s Meals on Wheels program on the
road in four communities.
Nine Boomer volunteers are handymen who
have built wheelchair ramps, widened doorways,
installed grab bars, and repaired steps, porches,
and railings. These are just a few of the tasks they
have done that enabled local seniors to remain
living in the setting of their choice.
continued page 10
senior helpline 1 800 642 5119
Want to be the Judge? Top Chefs announced!
Teams Raise Nearly $15,000 to
Strike Out Senior Hunger
by Sarah Lemnah
by Sarah Lemnah
Want to decide who is the next Top Chef?
Want to sample food from the best chefs in
Vermont? Want your voice heard? For the first
time, CVAA will raffle off a chance for you to be
one of the judges at CVAA’s 7th Annual Top Chef
of the Champlain Valley.
Shawn Calley of
The Amuse at the
Essex Resort & Spa
will defend his title
at the 7th Annual
Top Chef of the
Champlain Valley
to benefit CVAA’s
Meals on Wheels and
Case Management
Programs. Each year
CVAA delivers over
245,000 Meals on
Wheels to homebound seniors. The Top Chef
of the Champlain Valley will be held on Aug 12
at UVM’s Davis Center from 6-8:30pm. Marcus
Hamblett of One Federal and Michael Werneke
of the Prohibition Pig will compete against Calley
to be named Top Chef. Advance tickets are $40
and are available
at www.cvaa.org.
Space is limited.
This year, in
addition to the Iron
Chef competition,
there will be a Fan
Favorite battle happening in the ballroom. Some
of the area’s top restaurants will be participating
in the Taste of the Top Chef. Restaurants and
catering companies will
donate hors d’oeuvres for
the audience at the Top
Chef to enjoy. Attendees
can vote for the winning
chef in the Taste of the
Top Chef competition.
There will be a VIP
reception proceeding the
Top Chef competition.
People attending the
VIP reception will get a chance to meet the chefs
and the judges and
there will be limited
VIP seating at the
event. Advance
tickets for the VIP
reception are $20.
The Top Chef of
the Champlain Valley is the culinary event of the
summer. Enjoy gourmet
appetizers from the area’s
top chefs, sample local
wines and beers at our
tasting, listen to live music,
and bid on silent auction
items including weekend
getaways, gourmet
excursions, tickets to the
Boston Red Sox and the
Jet Blue
Charleston
7
Culinary Tour:
The
Top
Chef
The
two tickets to
An Iron Chef Experience
Charleston,
South Carolina,
gourmet dinner
for two, and a
2-night stay at a
Raffle Tickets:
luxury hotel.
$10 each or
6 tickets for $50
If you would
like to know
Raffle tickets
about contest
available at cvaa.
org/topchef/
sponsorship
judgeraffle or at
opportunities
the Top Chef Event.
for the Top
Top Chef Tickets:
Chef of the
Top Chef: $40
Champlain
VIP Reception: $60
Valley or if you
(includes entrance to
the VIP reception and
would like to
Top Chef competition
participate in the
and VIP seating).
Taste of the Top
Top Chef tickets
Chef, call 865available at
cvaa.org/topchef
0360 or email
Sarah@cvaa.
For more information
org for more
or tickets go to cvaa.org
information.
or call 865-0360.
Essex Jct., VT Vermonters united to end
senior hunger at the 3rd
annual CVAA Bowl-a-Thon
to Strike out Senior Hunger
and Abuse. Twenty teams
raised nearly $15,000 for
CVAA's Meals on Wheels
and Case Management programs. Home Instead
Senior Care won for the high scoring team for
the second year. Paw Print & Mail fielded 3 teams
that raised more than $3500.
presents
of the Champlain Valley
You be the
Judge!
Home Instead Senior Care Bowling Team
Patrice Thabault, owner of the Vermont
franchise of Home Instead Senior Care, led her
team for the third year. "Home Instead Senior
Care has been a proud supporter of CVAA for
the past 10 years. The bowl-a-thon is a fantastic
event. It allows the opportunity to have a
great time with friends, family, and colleagues
while raising money for the Meals on Wheels
program. Meals on Wheels is a vital program
that supports many Vermonters, who depend on
it to survive and we are very happy to be able to
support such an important program. Of course,
our first place win is the icing on the cake and
gives us bragging rights until next year!"
The theme at this year's bowl-a-thon was
Escape to Paradise, a Caribbean Party. Teams
came decked out in their best Hawaiian shirts
and Pirate gear. Winning for best costume was
team Armistead Island which did a convincing
continued on page 9
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7
CVAA Honors Linda Ruscitto
Neighbor Rides
By Zoe Hardy, CVAA Nutrition Director
Alyson Platzer, Coordinator, Neighbor Rides,
United Way of Chittenden County
Fourteen years ago, Meals on Wheels service
was not available in Huntington. That changed
the day I got a call from a nurse saying a senior
desperately needed them. I did what I had done
in many other communities and looked in the
phone book and started to call people asking if
they would be willing to volunteer and deliver
meals to this extremely needy person. They
declined but my mantra was always to say
“Thank you. But before you hang up, can you
give me some names of other people to try?” I
called the post office thinking the postmaster
would know everybody. I asked if I could
put a poster up and she said that was against
regulations. I asked if she might mention to her
customers the need for volunteers and she agreed
she could do that. Five minutes later, Linda
Ruscitto walked into the post office. She and her
husband Dave had recently moved to Huntington
and she did not know many people. A family
member had received Meals on Wheels so she
was familiar with the program and agreed to give
the postmaster her phone number. I called Linda
and she decided this might be a way to give back
and to meet people in the community.
Linda saying "yes" began the legacy of Meals
on Wheels in Huntington. Before long, she
had enough people signed up to volunteer and
Huntington was officially providing Meals
A community specializing in
memory care for seniors.
Enhancing joy, comfort, care and
connection.
A Benchmark Senior Living Community
(802) 985 – 8600
on Wheels five days a week and the number
of clients grew from one to many. From that
day forward, Linda ran the program with true
dedication and the monthly schedule was always
filled. Linda would put herself on the schedule
when she could not fill a day with a volunteer.
She personally did all the training and kept me
notified of any concerns or questions. Many
of her volunteers have stayed with the program
for almost as long as Linda, a testament to her
leadership and professionalism. She has always
managed to recruit new people when she
needed them and has rarely asked for our help.
At our annual CVAA volunteer coordinator
meetings, Linda would be the first to offer
words of encouragement and wisdom to new
coordinators. She has also served on CVAA’s
advisory council and has given valuable input on
the needs of seniors in rural communities. Not
only did she always have a close relationship with
her volunteers, she also took the time to meet
every new client, make sure they understood the
program and offer resource information to them
if they needed it.
For the last six years, meals have been prepared
by Alison Forrest and her dedicated crew of
kitchen volunteers at Brewster Pierce School. The
seniors are sent the freshest, healthiest, “made
from scratch food" I have ever encountered.
When Alison decided to be our caterer and
undertake the Meals on Wheels program, she
never gave it a second thought but to say "we will
feed them year round, even when school is out."
Her passion is to feed people of all ages. One day
this winter seniors did not get their meals because
of a snowstorm which cancelled the school.
Alison went in on Saturday and a volunteer
delivered the meal they missed. On Alison’s
watch, seniors and kids will never be hungry.
I have always said to my volunteer coordinators
that if they are going to retire, they need to find
their replacement. Linda took this task very
seriously as she has with everything she does and
started making calls. I am so thrilled to say that
Stacey Symanowicz, who has been delivering
Meals on Wheels for 10 years, has agreed to
take on the role and be CVAA’s new Volunteer
Coordinator. The legacy of the Huntington
Meals on Wheels program continues.
When I talk to people about Meals on Wheels,
I often talk about Huntington as the epitome of
a grassroots, community-based program. Linda,
Alison, Stacey, and all the volunteers in this vital
program are the best example I can share of
neighbors taking care of neighbors. It’s not only
a meal but also the means for a senior to remain
in his/her own home. Impressive doesn’t begin
to describe the gift Linda has given these last 14
years. Thank you, Linda.
United Way of Chittenden County and a group
of transportation and service providers, including
CVAA and Special Services Transportation
Agency, are working to address transportation
issues. Neighbor Rides is currently recruiting
volunteer drivers to use their personal vehicles
to transport seniors and persons with disabilities
to medical appointments, adult day centers and
essential errands. The idea is that neighbors help
their neighbors get where they need to go.
Vermont’s population is aging rapidly, causing
an increased need for transportation options.
While demand continues to grow, resources have
remained stagnant. As a result, transportation
providers often must restrict rides for personal
and social trips and limit the number of rides to
medical appointments, senior centers and adult
day programs. This means many seniors and
persons with disabilities are forced to stay home
on any given day because they lack transportation
options.
Neighbor Rides wants to use volunteer
drivers to stretch transportation dollars further
by decreasing the cost per ride. While some
passengers will continue to need trips in a liftequipped van with a professional driver, many are
mobile enough to receive rides from volunteers.
Volunteer drivers have the potential to increase
the number of rides that passengers receive since
they generally are less expensive than a ride in a
contracted van, sedan, or taxi.
Neighbor Rides is supported by the following
organizations: CVAA, Chittenden County
Regional Planning Commission, Chittenden
County Transportation Authority and its
community partners, ECOS Project, Fanny
Allen Corporation, Fletcher Allen Health Care
Community Benefit, HUD OSHC, Special
Services Transportation Agency, UVM Center on
Aging and United Way of Chittenden County.
If you would like to learn more about
Neighbor Rides, call United Way of Chittenden
County at 861.7833 or visit our website at http://
www.unitedwaycc.org/volunteer/neighborrides-2/.
arborsatshelburne.com
8
senior helpline 1 800 642 5119
The Secret In The Workplace | Eldercare
by Liz Vogel, President and CEO of DOTS
There are changes happening in the workplace,
but it’s not the topics that we usually hear about.
These changes are rarely talked about openly,
yet are prevalent. They affect employees, their
managers and the bottom line of the work place.
It is the tip of the eldercare iceberg that affects six
in every ten employees.
US businesses lost $33.6B last year in
productivity by employees who provide eldercare
to a loved one, most often their parent. Business
also lost 55.7M hours of company time for
managers who spent time with their employees
who provide eldercare. When you bring that
down to an individual business level, the average
cost per employee providing eldercare can cost a
business over $2,000 per year in lost productivity
and can increase healthcare costs for the business
by 8%. Businesses, whether they believe it or not,
are paying for eldercare.
But there is a greater cost to businesses if
we don’t adapt our professional culture to 1)
recognize this phenomenon in the workplace and
2) identify creative ways to support and provide
information to our employees. We are at risk of
losing their talent and the value they have built
for our businesses if we cannot provide a work
environment that can be supportive during this
time of their lives.
It is a tough role to play, caregiver. The
average caregiver is 47 years old and often
at a key point in their own career looking
for advancement and more responsibility.
Caregiving can come out of the blue or may
be on a slow continuum; either way the adult
child is rarely aware of, or prepared for, the
role and duties that will need to be performed,
nor anticipating the impact it might have on
their work life. And the businesses are equally
unprepared.
So what is the profile of the average caregiver?
80% of all caregiving is conducted by a family
member. They spend more than 20 hours a week
providing care for a loved one who lives more
than an hour away. 66% of all caregivers have
had to make an adjustment to their work life
from reporting late to giving up work altogether.
One in five employees have had to take a leave
of absence. 40% of caregiving is performed by
men. It takes the average caregiver two years to
physically recover, at the cellular level, from the
emotional and physical strain of two or three
years of caregiving after it is over.
And this situation isn’t going away. You
probably know the statistics that there are 78M
Baby Boomers in the US alone and that, everyday
since 2011, 10,000 of them turn 65. Now project
ahead and imagine the year 2026 when the first
of the Baby Boomers, born in 1946, reaches 80,
all of those people needing additional care.
Now that we know all this, what can be done?
It will be a combination of the little things and
the bigger initiatives. The good news is that
the employees who are providing eldercare are
the best sources of creative ideas to help them
continue to contribute their best by making
minor changes in the workplace. It could be
as simple as providing an open office where
employees could make private calls to doctors,
parents or professional care staff. Or providing
an employee with a period of schedule flexibility
during the time they are providing care, allowing
a day of telecommuting, or allowing them to
come in late and stay late one day a week so they
can schedule their doctor’s appointments during
the morning hours of that day. And even easier is
to acknowledge their situation as a caregiver and
provide them with the information and tools to
help them manage.
Taking care of our parents should never
be a shameful act. Caregivers should be
acknowledged for their selflessness and
contribution to their families and a generation
that provided them with every opportunity
possible. Our parents should be able to age with
grace and dignity and attention from a loved one.
Businesses have had to be innovative every
step of the way in order to survive and thrive and
they have within their power the ability to create
a work environment that fosters not only talent
but accommodation for a changing workforce.
Valley each
year.
The 3rd
Annual CVAA
Bowl-a-thon
to Strike Out
Senior Hunger
was sponsored
Bowlers from Pawprints and Mail
in part by
Home Instead Senior
Care, Vermont Business
Magazine, Armistead
Caregiver Services, TLC
Nursing Associates, The
Arbors at Shelburne,
Bayada Home Health Care,
and NBT Bank.
Still Want to
Live at Home?
We Can Help.
Teams Raise Nearly $15,000 to
Strike Out Senior Hunger
continued from page 7
If you’re looking to age-in-place in the
comfort of your own home, we can help.
Armistead Caregiver Services is a locally
owned company providing premium,
non-medical, in-home care such as:
Armistead Island from Armistead Caregiver
Services
take off on Gilligan's Island. In addition to being
voted the best costume by those attending,
Armistead conducted a food drive for seniors in
need.
The CVAA Bowl-a-thon is part of the
March for Meals Campaign that raises money
and visibility about the issue of senior hunger.
During the month of March, CVAA collected
533 signatures pledging to end senior hunger.
Nationally over 2.5 million seniors in the
United States are at risk for hunger each day.
CVAA delivers over 245,000 Meals on Wheels
to homebound seniors here in the Champlain
EMPOWERS. GUIDES. PROVIDES. Services and Support for Seniors.
y Companionship
y Transportation
y Personal Care
y Meal Preparation
y Light Housekeeping
y Alzheimer’s /Dementia Care
y Customized Care
Hourly & 24/7 Care
Available
Call today for a FREE
Needs Assessment:
1-866-284-1912
Serving Vermont, New Hampshire
and New York
www.armisteadinc.com
9
Don’t Be a Target ... or a Victim
by Dave Reville, AARP Vermont | Associate State Director - Communications
Baby Boomers - They’re here and
we know it.
Continued from Page 6
Consumers lose billions of dollars every year
to various kinds of consumer fraud. Thousands
of Vermonters are being targeted and people over
50 are especially vulnerable, accounting for more
than half of all victims.
Whether it’s bogus investment deals, the
grandparent scam, e-mail ploys, lottery scams,
or the newest ID theft scheme -- sophisticated
con artists are busy at work coming up with
new ways to get at your hard-earned money. It’s
important to keep up-to-date on the latest scams
and schemes to help protect you and the people
you care about.
Here’s a look at the latest scams as reported by
the Consumer Assistance Program:
1. “Phishing” scams: These most common
cons usually involve unauthorized access to bank
accounts or stealing someone’s identity. The most
common were phony bank text messages (“Your
account has been locked”) and bogus offers by
text message (“you won a $1000 gift certificate to
....”). Don’t reply to unsolicited texts.
2. Contest, sweepstakes or lottery scams:
Vermonters are receiving hundreds of bogus
sweepstakes, contest or lottery notices or
telephone calls. Many of these scams originate
overseas (Jamaica in particular) and all want
some sort of up-front payment to receive
“winnings” that will never come. Never pay up
front to receive winnings.
3. Bogus computer tech support scams,
viruses, and ransomware: These are phony
tech support calls, viruses and other malware
from fake e-mails and other sources, and
“ransomware” that hijacks computers unless a
payment is made. Never click links in a strange
e-mail or allow remote access to your computer.
4. Imposter scams: Phone calls from
someone posing as a family member in an
emergency (car accident, arrested, injured, etc.).
A number of Vermonters lost significant money
to this heartbreaking scam. Never wire funds
unless you can verify the emergency.
5. Debt collection scams: Scammers
barrage consumers with telephone calls at their
homes and workplaces, making false threats of
imminent arrest, legal action or financial ruin.
Most of these calls originate from overseas,
using technology to hide their location and can
be difficult or impossible to stop. Never pay a
harassing collector over the phone. Demand
proof of the debt.
6. Phony invoices targeting Vermont
businesses: Vermont consumers and businesses
are being targeted by scammers trying to steal
money through bogus invoices. Check your bills
carefully to make sure you really owe.
7. Security system scams: These are offers of
“free” home security systems. Always ask for local
10
references for anyone offering to do work on your
home.
8. Online Classified Advertisements listing
scams: In some cases, consumers who had listed
an item for sale are contacted by a scammer
trying to send them a fake check. In others,
consumers respond to an ad for an item for sale
that never arrives or a rental unit that doesn’t
exist. Consumers should only accept cash for
payment -- in person is the only way to be sure.
9. Loan scams: These scams range from
unlawful “payday” loans to phony advance-fee
loans that take money from consumers without
ever paying a dime. Beware of online lenders.
Demanding fees before making a loan is illegal in
Vermont.
What can you do if you have been targeted?
• Cease all contact with the scammer. If you
have been targeted by a scammer, do not
continue contact. You won’t be able to get
any useful information from continued
contact.
• Stop or report any fraudulent wire transfer
of funds, checks or credit card transactions.
If you have sent funds, contact the financial
institution or wire transfer company
immediately to report the fraud and halt the
transaction.
• Contact authorities. Contact your local
police to report the fraud, as well as the
Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance
Program (CAP). CAP tracks fraud reports
and uses the information in its efforts to
work with local, state and national law
enforcement and consumer protection
agencies.
• Know how to spot a fraud. Vermonters’ best
defense against this predatory activity is to
understand and avoid these scams
altogether. Vermont consumers can contact
the Consumer Assistance Program with any
questions or concerns (800) 649-2424 or at
(802) 656-3183 or visit the website at www.
uvm.edu/consumer.
Nine Boomer volunteers are trained to lead
exercise classes for seniors, allowing CVAA to
offer classes at no charge to seniors who might
not otherwise be able to participate in strength
training, Tai Chi, and other exercise programs.
Three Boomer volunteers are Representative
Payees. A Rep Payee is a person who acts as
the receiver of United States Social Security
Disability or Supplemental Security Income for a
person who is not fully capable of managing their
own benefits, i.e. cannot be their own payee. Rep
Payee volunteers make it possible for seniors to
live in the setting of their choice when that might
not be possible without a Rep Payee.
One Boomer volunteer works with seniors
who have issues around hoarding and clutter.
Hoarding can be considered a mental health
issue and requires trust building before the actual
decluttering work can begin.
CVAA considers all their volunteers to be a
blessing and Baby Boomers are no exception
to that rule. Boomers are here and we’re glad
to have them, just as we are glad to have all our
volunteers whatever their age or generation.
Please join us for a
Presentation
on
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
in the
CVAA Conference Room
76 Pearl Street, Suite 201,
Essex Jct.
Come learn about the benefits of the
3SquaresVT program, whether you would
be eligible, and how to apply. Application
assistance will be available that day.
Please RSVP to CVAA at
865-0360
See Debby’s story at
vnacares.org/hospice
and learn how
VNA hospice care
ŵĂĚĞĂĚŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ͘
vnacares.org/hospice
Debby’s Mom loved her home and was the consummate hostess.
860-4410
When her mother’s health was weakening, the family became concerned
about the risks of her staying in her home.
senior helpline 1 800 642 5119
What is Options Counseling?
Senior HelpLine Query Corner
By Joanna Berk, Paula Gallo, Joel Gluck, Jennifer MacLellan
Q: My parents are struggling to continue
to live independently, and we are looking for
community resources to help with long-term care
planning. Where can they turn? What services
are available to help them understand their
options?
A: CVAA offers Options Counseling (OC)
to assist you and your parents in learning
about services and resources to enable you to
make decisions that meet your family’s needs
and promote their quality of life. OC may be
provided by CVAA Information and Assistance
staff, Case Managers, or the designated LongTerm Care Options Counselor. The service may
be provided on the phone, in the CVAA office, or
at the home of the person seeking OC.
OC involves an in-depth exploration of the
needs, goals, and preferences of the senior and/
or caregiver and is designed to help an individual
with long-term care planning. The process will
allow the individual to identify his or her goals/
needs and, working with the Options Counselor,
to participate in a person-centered assessment
to explore options and develop a plan of action.
The Options Counselor will give the individual
support and guidance as needed in making
decisions and implementing the plan. Options
Counseling generally involves one to three visits
to enable the individual to figure out how to
address their concerns and to develop a plan to
do so.
If, for example, a family member is concerned
about an elder relative continuing to drive, an
OC session could include addressing the reasons
for the concern (for example, does the senior
have visual impairments that could affect their
driving ability?). Families often find it helpful to
have an Options Counselor there to assist when
discussing sensitive topics. Together with the
Options Counselor, the senior and family could
discuss available resources that could improve the
senior’s ability to drive safely (a vision exam and
new glasses or driver rehabilitation program). If
the senior decides to give up driving, the Options
Counselor can help the senior and family to plan
how they will have access to grocery shopping,
social opportunities, doctors’ appointments, and
other activities for which they were dependent on
driving themselves.
OC can be helpful in a variety of situations
-- from looking at in-home services to learning
about public benefits; from assistive technology
to paying for long-term care. If the senior needs
ongoing support, Case Management services may
be provided on a short-term or long-term basis,
depending on the situation.
If you would like to learn more about Options
Counseling or other services and benefits for
people 60 and older, contact the Senior HelpLine
at 1-800-642-5119 (from Addison, Chittenden,
Franklin, or Grand Isle counties), or 1-800-6392084 (from elsewhere in Vermont or out-ofstate). Email: [email protected] . Web: http://www.
cvaa.org .
Senior Hunger on the RiseArmistead is aiming to collect 1,000
pounds of food this year.
The explosive growth of the senior population
is one of the most important demographic
developments of the 21st century. Tragically, it is
also one of the most disturbing subjects not to be
highlighted within the mainstream media that a
significant part of our senior population is going
hungry.
of senior hunger are being compounded by the
effects of the Federal Sequester,” says Tom Juers,
President of Armistead Caregiver Services.
“With more people living longer, we are already
beginning to see changes in how our senior
population functions within our society."
“Armistead Caregiver Services is aiming
to collect 1,000 pounds of food to distribute
to Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire
seniors” says Diane Way, Community Outreach
Coordinator at Armistead Caregiver Services.
“This is being organized through neighborhood
and business collection sites. Please help
Armistead Caregiver Services support our
hungry seniors by donating a bag of nonperishable, not expired food.”
“Vermont picked up and delivered 325
pounds of food just last month!” continues Juers.
“Perhaps with more awareness, we can raise our
goal to 2,000 pounds.”
For more information or to donate food,
contact Armistead Caregiver Services at 1-866284-1912.
Sign up
today
for
‘s
l-r: Cathy Michaels from Armistead, Pam Slattery from
the Heineberg Senior Center, and, Diane Way from
Armistead
monthly
e-newletter
for the latest
CVAA news.
www.cvaa.org
Senior hunger is a local, regional, and national
problem of dramatic proportion. According to
the Meals On Wheels Association of America
Foundation (MOWAAF), “One in nine seniors –
an astonishing five million people – is at risk of
hunger today in the United States.” And, when
you consider the fact the United States Census
Bureau predicts there will be about 70 million
people age 65 and older – meaning the senior
population will double – by 2030, senior hunger
is likely to worsen significantly if we do not act.
“The stats are eye-opening and the effects
EMPOWERS. GUIDES. PROVIDES. Services and Support for Seniors.
11
CVAA Forced to Evaluate Services
continued from page 1
need. Volunteers have reported more seniors
saving parts of their meal for later than they
were before." Rising demand and decreasing
budgets have stretched the nutrition department.
According to West, "CVAA is facing the reality of
waiting lists for Meals on Wheels clients.”
C
A
L
E
N
D
E
R
Franklin County
Memorial Day BBQ, Tuesday, May 21st at the Swanton School House Apartments.
Learn to Line Dance with Fran Jackson from 10:15 a.m.- 11:15 a.m., Lunch at 12:00
noon.
Memorial Day Luncheon at the Abbey Restaurant, Route 105, Sheldon, Thursday,
May 23rd - 11:00 a.m. Music, Singing and Dancing with Doug & Pauline, 12:00 noon
lunch.
Meals are served at 12:00 noon, suggested donation $4.00 unless
otherwise noted. To make a reservation call Rhonda SomersFletcher at 1-800-642-5119 ext. 608.
Addison County
CVAA Case Manager Kelly Norris and a client
CVAA’s Case Management program is making
major changes in the way it provides services
by enhancing options counseling. “The options
counselors help people identify their needs and
goals and provide them with the education,
resources and support to help themselves to the
extent they are able," explained Catherine Collins,
CVAA Director of Case Management. CVAA
made this change “so we can continue to meet the
needs of a growing number of seniors with our
existing staff. By empowering seniors who are
able to help themselves, we will have the capacity
to better serve those with more complex needs."
Barbour is looking toward the future to find
better ways to meet the increasing need. “The
world changes in huge ways all around us - the
Great Recession, this year's sequestration (which
could turn into next year's sequestration as
well), health care reform and more. Are these
challenges or opportunities or both? We will look
at all of this and try to understand how it affects
CVAA and the seniors and caregivers we serve.
In the process, we will be reaching out to many
community members who work with us to help
people age with independence and dignity.”
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"Third Tuesday Celebration", June 18th, at Russ Sholes Senior Center in
Middlebury, noon meal, musical entertainment from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Lunch
menu to include: Tarragon Chicken in Saffron Cream Sauce, Green Leaf Salad, choice
of dressings, Baked Stuffed Potato, Wheat Dinner Roll, Fruit Compote on Pound Cake
with Whipped Cream. For more information contact Tracy Corbett at 1-800-6425119 ext. 634.
Button Bay Picnic, Thursday, July 18, 2013, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.. Chicken BBQ
catered by Fitz Vogt. Musical Entertainment by Joe and Jackie will begin at 11:00 a.m.
Tickets: $5.00 suggested donation. For more information contact Michelle Eastman
at 1-800-642-5119 ext. 615.
Chittenden County
Medicare Classes
Understanding Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Wednesdays, 10:00
a.m. - 12:00 noon - June 5th, July 10th, August 7th, September 11th
New To Medicare? Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - June 4th, July 9th, August
6th, September 10th
Understanding Medicare Part D, Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon - June
6th, August 8th, September 12th
Space is limited. For more information or to sign up for any of the
above two hour Medicare classes, call CVAA 1-800-642-5119
First Day of Summer Picnic, Friday, June 14, 2013, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Bayside
Park, Colchester. Catered by Jack & Grill. Entertainment by Sergio. Tickets: $5.00.
For more information, call Pat Pike at 1-800-642-5119.
3SquaresVT Presentation, Wednesday, July 17th, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. For more
information call 1-800-642-5119.
The
The Top Chef
7
of the Champlain Valley
An Iron Chef Experience
Watch as Chefs compete
to be named the
Top Chef.
Monday, August 12, 2013
6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
at the Davis Center at UVM, Burlington
Tickets: $40 per person
All proceeds benefits CVAA “so no senior goes hungry.”
12
Shawn Calley
2011 & 2012 Top
Chef Winner
Enjoy wine & beer tasting,
appetizers, live music and
a silent auction
senior helpline 1 800 642 5119