South Coast Prime Times – May/June 2017

M AY/JUNE 2017 · VOLUME 13 · NUMBER 3

Open up for

spring!

Making connections Top 10 health tips Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood

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From the publisher South Coast newsmakers

by Elizabeth Morse Read

24 In brief

by Elizabeth Morse Read

PRIME SEASON

18 Making connections

by Joyce Rowley

22 Jim Rogers keeps giving back

by Michael J. Vieira

PRIME LIVING

22

12 Senior moments

by Elizabeth Morse Read

16 High life at Highland

by Jay Pateakos

GOOD TIMES

8

A look at your library

by Greg Jones

20 Learning new tricks

by Elizabeth Morse Read

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M AY /J UNE 2017

32 Sweatin’ with an oldie

by Paul Kandarian

M AY/JUNE 2017 · VOLUME 13 · NUMBER 3

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Making connections Top 10 health tips Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood

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FROM THE PUBLISHER May/June 2017 ■ Vol. 13 ■ No. 3 PUBLISHED BY

Coastal Communications Corp.

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

S PRING IS IN FULL SWING, and from the dirt beneath your toes to the branches above your head, buds are blooming and everything old is new again! It’s the perfect time to follow nature’s example and do some growing of our own.

Ljiljana Vasiljevic EDITOR

Sebastian Clarkin ONLINE EDITOR

Paul Letendre CONTRIBUTORS

Greg Jones, Paul Kandarian, Jay Pateakos, Elizabeth Morse Read, Joyce Rowley, and Michael J. Vieira South Coast Prime Times is published bi-monthly.

Copyright ©2017 Coastal Communications Corp.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

NEXT ISSUE

Remember when people read things beyond posts on Facebook? Well you’re not the only one – the fine folks at your local library are keeping the dream alive. If you haven’t stopped by in a while, you may be surprised by how much has changed. Chances are, you won’t find stuffy cubicles and moldy books. The library of the future might be just down the road from you. Turn to Greg Jones’ article on page 8 to learn more.

Need a ride? If you’re moving between New Bedford and the Cape, you just got a new way to get around. The local transportation authorities have joined forces to make it easier for everyone to get around. Hop on with Joyce Rowley on page 18 to get the scoop.

Whether you’re staying in your neighborhood or traveling the region, there are things you can do every day to improve your cognition and your health. Get a good meal, donate your time, or just take the opportunity to smile – they can all pay dividends. Live a little and check out Liz Read’s top 10 tips for maintaining your overall wellness on page 20.

If you’re looking for a role model, you’ll want to check out Mike Vieira’s profile of Jim “Jimmy” Rogers on page 22. The 75-year-old has been a pillar of Fall River’s community, and he shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

June 14, 2017

CIRCULATION 25,000

If you’re hitting the gym, starting a business, traveling around, talking to a friend, reading a book, or just enjoying a pleasant day, you’re growing. Mother Nature is coming into full bloom – why not you?

SUBSCRIPTIONS $19.95 per year

M AILING ADDRESS South Coast Prime Times P.O. Box 3493 Fall River, MA 02722

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SOUTH COAST

NEWSMAKERS

BY E LIZABETH M ORSE R EAD

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

US News & World Report has ranked Massachusetts as the best state in the nation, citing its high level of education, health care coverage, low unemployment, and fast rate of new business growth.

The long-delayed South Coast Rail project will be split into two parallel phases, according to MassDOT. The first phase will be to upgrade the Middleboro diesel commuter line, with construction beginning in 2019 and completed in 2024. The second phase would continually upgrade the proposed Stoughton electric route, with full completion estimated in 2030.

Slain New Bedford teacher George Heath has been posthumously awarded a Carnegie Hero Fund medal for his heroism, when he selflessly intervened and saved a woman being stabbed by a deranged attacker at a Taunton restaurant in 2016.

Travel website Expedia.com has listed both New Bedford and Providence as two of the most creative/artistic cities in the US. For the first time ever in program history, the UMass Dartmouth’s women’s basketball team made it

to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, winning their first three games and advancing to the “Elite Eight” round before falling to Amherst.

Congratulations, Corsairs!

Elspeth Cypher of Freetown has been unanimously approved to serve on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the first SJC justice from Bristol County in over a century.

The new Wareham-New Bedford Connection Bus Service, with stops in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Fairhaven, will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from early morning to late afternoon.

The Buzzards Bay Action Committee (BBAC) and the Town of Acushnet have partnered with the Great American Rain Barrel Co. to offer low-cost ($69) 60-gallon rain barrels to residents of Acushnet, Bourne, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rochester, Wareham, and Westport. Barrels must be pre-ordered and paid for by May 13. Pickup will be on May 20, 9-11 a.m. at the Acushnet DPW Recycling Center. For details, visit greatamericanrainbarrelcompany.com, click on “community programs” and find “BBAC-Acushnet,” or call 1-800-251-2352.

Pastry cook extraordinaire Courtney Silva Rezendes of Fall River was the winner on a recent episode of the Food Network’s ”Spring Baking Championship.”

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind has opened its Massachusetts headquarters in New Bedford. Along with Vineyard Wind and DONG Energy, they will launch the state’s offshore wind industry.

The Massachusetts state legislature is now considering a bill called the “100 Percent Energy Act,” which would require the state to source all of its electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2035. Other sectors, like heating and transportation, would have to use renewable energy by 2050. If passed, the law would make Massachusetts the first state in the US to commit entirely to renewable energy.

South Coast Health has joined the Massachusetts Value Alliance, which will control costs of medical supplies for surgical procedures, electronic health records, and hospital maintenance services, which would translate into lower out-of-pocket costs for patients.

Newport has banned single-use plastic shopping bags.

Tobey Hospital will undergo a multimillion dollar upgrade, expanding the Emergency Department’s capacity almost three-fold, and creating private rooms inside the hospital.

The Town of Dartmouth has right of first refusal on purchasing the Allendale Country Club.

Highland Adult Day Care has relocated to the historic Quequechan Club in Fall River, offering expanded support programs for the elderly and disabled adults. For more info, call 508-673-1290.

Plan ahead for the “Crafts, Garden & Botanicals” show on June 10 at the historic Elks Lodge in Newport. The show will feature the work of local artisans, with live music and food trucks. For more info, call 401-683-3447 or contact ladedart@gmail.com.

Ocean State Job Lot will be moving into the long-empty Shaw’s supermarket building in Fairhaven.

Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, part of Southcoast Health, has opened a state-of-the-art electrophysiology lab to enhance its cardiovascular care program.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles office has moved from its downtown New Bedford location to the NB Business Park near the Freetown line. (AAA members can also use the newly-opened RMV service at the AAA office in Fairhaven for many transactions.)

A $300,000 grant from The Island Foundation will allow for the expansion and make-over of the Captain Paul Cuffe Park near the Whaling Museum in New Bedford.

MAKING THE GRADE

UMass Dartmouth associate professor Walter Stroup has been awarded a $458,000 grant by the National Science Foundation to develop teaching strategies for middle- and high school teachers that would excite students about pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

For the sixth year in a row, the Old Rochester Regional HS girls indoor track team won the South Coast Conference Indoor Track championship. Congrats!

Robert E. Johnson, current president of Becker College in Worcester, has been chosen as the new Chancellor of UMass Dartmouth.

UMass Dartmouth has received more than $1.6 million in grants for scallopfishing research and diabetes-related bone fracture research.

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a state-funded investment agency, has awarded $4.4 million to Bristol Community College to renovate its life science and engineering laboratories.

Don’t miss the Greater New Bedford Home, Health, and Wellness Show on May 20 at the Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech High School. For more info, go to newbedfordchamber.com.

Cape Cod Shipbuilding of Wareham’s Marlin Heritage 23-foot cruising sailboat has been nominated by the British magazine “Classic Boat” for an award that recognizes traditional craftsmanship.

Dartmouth and New Bedford have been named “green communities” by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, making them eligible for substantial grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Westport ($249,000) and New Bedford ($1,250,000) have received state grants for upgrading their waterfront infrastructure from the state’s Seaport Economic Council.

TWO DAY JEWELRY APPRAISAL EVENT

MLSC also awarded $110,000 to New Bedford High School to establish a biotechnology training program, $108,000 to New Bedford’s Global Learning Charter School, and $25,000 to the city’s Middle Schools. Other schools throughout southeastern Massachusetts also received grants to boost life science and STEM education.

The Massachusetts Bar Association has given its Public Service Award to the UMass School of Law for promoting access to justice for low-income individuals and providing affordable legal education to a diverse population.

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GOOD TIMES

THE RAPID EVOLUTION OF YOUR LIBRARY

THE TIVERTON PUBLIC LIBRARY IS A SHINING EX AMPLE OF “WHAT A MODERN LIBRARY CAN BE.”

GREG JONES

“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you.

The public library is the great equalizer."

— Keith Richards, bibliophile and member of The Rolling Stones.

A sure sign of intelligent life is the presence of libraries. Specifically, free and public libraries. A community that has a library available for its residents will discover that the library becomes more than just a building full of books.

The library of today provides services and information. The library is an access portal for museums, movies, historical and government records, public services such as meeting rooms, and a gathering place for affinity groups.

And there are still all those books, some of them even printed on paper. How quaint, one might be tempted to say, but, “People are still reading books, I’m happy to report,” said Swansea Library Director

Cynthia St. Amour. She is entering her fourth year at the library and has a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Rhode Island.

“Information Science” nicely describes what the modern library is. In addition to the printed books, magazines, and newspapers, there are also e-books, audiobooks, and books in all the various CD-based formats. E-books can be checked out online, from anywhere with an Internet connection. “For the future of libraries, I see a variety of ways for content to be delivered,” said St. Amour, “a blend of digital and traditional for many years.”

The Swansea Public Library now resides in a classic stone building that was

dedicated in 1900. It’s a beautiful building, but it’s a building for a nineteenthcentury library, just 3,000 square feet of interior room. The range of services offered by today’s library didn’t exist, even in concept, when the building was designed.

The programs and opportunities for people to gather to share ideas “is what makes the library so popular, from babies to seniors,” said St. Amour. “We serve all ages.”

And that is literally true. From a room full of rapt children for the Children’s Story Hour to the grownups researching family history at the Tuesday Club, the library is the host, juggling scheduling to provide time and space for its patrons.

“We have just one general reading room and don’t have a formal meeting room,” St. Amour added. “If we anticipate a lot of people, we will book an alternative site – the community center, the senior center.

A local church allows us to use their facilities sometimes.”

Things may be about to change. The town of Swansea has submitted an

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 8

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

THE S WANSEA AND DARTMOUTH PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE EACH MEMBERS OF THE SAILS LIBRARY NETWORK.

application to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) for funding to significantly expand the Swansea Public Library. There are 33 projects statewide, but only a fraction of that number will receive funding, amounting to some 48 percent of the construction costs.

Plans are for the library itself to be moved a short distance, and the building that now serves as the Town Hall will become part of the new, much larger Swansea library.

One important aspect of the library’s need for greater community space is that the MBLC has a requirement for all new construction to incorporate meeting hall space. This presents a near-perfect matching of need and requirement, and St. Amour is cautiously optimistic.

IN WITH THE NEW Over at the Dartmouth Public Library, Director Lynne Antunes is also paying attention to the MBLC’s decision process.

The Southworth Library, the “South Dartmouth” branch of the Dartmouth Public Library, will soon be the town’s only library resource. The North Dartmouth branch, “which was totally inadequate anyway,” said Antunes, “is going to have a road through it, totally destroyed.”

It won’t be happening in the very near future, but it will happen, and the same granting resource that the Swansea Public Library is working with will help fund the North Dartmouth Library.

The plans for the new north branch library include auditorium seating for 100, and the space can be divided into

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two smaller spaces. There will be several smaller rooms as well as quiet study rooms where students can work and study uninterrupted.

Where and when The Swansea Public Library is at 69 Main Street. They are open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday.

For more info, call 508-674-9609 or go to swansealibrary.org.

The Tiverton Public Library is at 34 Roosevelt Avenue. They are open Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday from 1-8 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Closed Sunday.

For more info, call 401-625-6796 or go to tivertonlibrary.org.

The Dartmouth Public Library (the “Southworth Library”) is at 732 Dartmouth Street. They are open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday.

For more info, call 508-999-0726 or go to dplmc.org.

M AY /J UNE 2017

“We are optimistic about the grant for North Dartmouth,” Antunes said. She has attended workshops on library design, and having spent 20 years at the North Dartmouth branch, she understands the need for the facility.

“There’s no date yet,” she said, “we have to wait until we secure all the funding and know where we are standing in the grant process.”

Antunes has a degree in library science from Simmons College, and she noted the changes in her profession in recent years. “Library science has changed so drastically,” she said, “but libraries aren’t going away.”

She also noted that libraries are much more than a building where you go to borrow books. “Libraries are a community resource,” she said, noting that the various meeting rooms are in very high demand at the Southworth Library and the North Dartmouth branch.

A popular service that the Dartmouth Library offers (in common with many other libraries along the South Coast) is free, or greatly reduced, admission passes to area museums and attractions like the Plimoth Plantation, the Mystic Aquarium, the Children’s Museum, and many others.

Antunes noted that the library has computers for patrons’ use, as well as free WiFi and desks that include USB ports. If you work at home but don’t have a printer, the library offers PrinterOn, a service that allows you to print documents from anywhere, to be picked up by you at the

service desk.

New computers with the latest software are on the wish list for Antunes. And while she is making out that wish list, she added that she would “love to get RFID technology. You put a barcode on the book and then you have a tag somewhere in the book.” This tag is “seen” by card readers at the door so a book cannot leave the building without being checked out.

Patrons would serve themselves at the checkout desk, thus freeing the staff for other duties.

A LL TOGETHER And although the Southworth Library is as full of books as any other library, there are times when the right book happens to be in another library. This problem is nicely solved with the InterLibrary Loan program (ILL).

The SAILS Library Network is a nonprofit organization that connects some 72 libraries in southeastern Massachusetts.

These libraries become one large virtual library with the SAILS Network, allowing any reader with a library card to get books with a single swipe. If the book you need isn’t within the SAILS network, ILL can obtain books from most libraries, even those in different states.

ILL is very popular. Last year the Southworth Library received 39,900 items and sent out 56,560 items. It’s a busy place. Every week an average of 5,000 items goes out (and an equal number are returned, totaling 10,000 items across the checkout counter). Last year, “we loaned out 150,780 physical, printed books,” said Antunes. Adding in audiobooks and DVDs brings the total up to 313,871 items.

For anyone who hasn’t been to a library lately, the range of services and materials is nearly overwhelming. New library software is constantly being developed, making ever more material available to everyone.

Want to download free music? No problem – a music app called Freegal is available for library patrons.

Are there magazines you would like to read? Library patrons can use the Zinio Mobile Newsstand app for unlimited, 24hour access to 43 different magazines.

Learn a foreign language, for free, with the Mango Languages App, only available to library cardholders with an Android or iPhone mobile device.

“Libraries have all these options,” said Antunes “it is a challenging new world for all of us.”

NEW BOOK SMELL The Tiverton Public Library is an attractive, relatively new structure that opened up two years ago. Designed as a library, “it is big enough,” said Tiverton Public Library Director Ann Grealish-Rust. “This is what a modern library can be.”

The new building has nurtured a growth in community activities, spurred by the increased space.

“We are continuing to find out what the public needs and how to accommodate that,” said Grealish-Rust. Various boards, businesses and groups have grown, enriching the community.

“If you want to come in to work on projects, we have a place for people to work.

We have tables and chairs of different varieties. We have individual rooms, a couple of small rooms and medium-sized rooms – a whole variety of places,” said Grealish-Rust.

Like its library kin in Massachusetts with the SAILS network, the Tiverton Public Library is part of an ILL network, called Ocean State Libraries. OSL connects all the libraries in Rhode Island, and it’s a popular feature, with nearly 8,000 items sent and received just for the month of February. “We get a daily delivery of materials from other libraries,” she said.

For books that are outside the OSL system, “We will help do that,” said Grealish-Rust.

Grealish-Rust is a graduate of Simmons College, and, like the other library directors, she is of the opinion that “books are alive and well.” Just as there is a variety of people, there is now a variety of ways people get information. “Books are one way, but there are many others. Mobile devices, video, all the electronic resources have grown over the years,” she said, “particularly here in Tiverton.”

Grealish-Rust’s wish list includes more hours of operation. Currently, the Tiverton Public Library is open four days a week until 8 p.m., and “people are always requesting more hours.”

In addition to more hours of operation, Grealish-Rust said she would like for the library to have “the ability to offer more programs to the public – to make lifelong learning experiences available to more people.”

If you haven’t been to a library recently, you owe it to yourself to see what’s going on. It’s a lot more than just book.

GREG JONES is a local writer and lives in Dartmouth.

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PRIME LIVING

SENIOR MOMENTS:

The mental health care crisis “Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” – Dylan Thomas Being physically fit, healthy, and optimisELIZ ABETH MORSE READ tic, no matter your age, ensures a long life of independence and productivity. But chronic illnesses, the risks of accidental injuries, and mental health problems increase exponentially as we get older. For instance, at least 90% of older adults in America have at least one chronic disease, and three out of four have at least two.

That, alone, is pretty depressing. In addition, every 15 seconds, an older American falls and ends up in the emergency room.

To make matters worse, 25% of older

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adults suffer from some form of mental illness, whether it’s depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or suicidal thoughts – and yet only a third of them will ever receive the preventive services or treatment they need.

Mental illness is not a normal part of growing older. Even if an older person has never suffered a mental health problem before, the unique challenges of aging can easily trigger one. And poor mental health translates into declining physical health, slower healing, decreased quality of life, increased disability, and a tremendous strain on families, communities, and the entire healthcare delivery system.

M AY /J UNE 2017

SENIORS EXPERIENCE BEREAVEMENT, LOSS OF INCOME, CHRONIC ILLNESSES, ISOLATION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN A YOUNGER PERSON DOES — AND OFTENTIMES ALL AT ONCE

IS IT DEPRESSION – OR DEMENTIA? Too often, symptoms of depression or anxiety in older people are dismissed as “normal” signs of aging. Even worse is when they’re assumed to be signs of creeping senility or Alzheimer’s disease.

But while some of the symptoms of depression and early dementia may overlap, they are two distinctly different disorders. First of all, depression is a sudden mood disorder, a mental illness oftentimes triggered by cumulative traumatic life events – but it is treatable. Dementia is a gradual cognitive disorder – a brain disease – and it is progressive and irreversible.

A depressed older adult may have trouble concentrating, but they’re oriented to time and space, remember what they ate for breakfast, and know who they’re talking to.

A person suffering from dementia becomes increasingly disoriented, gradually unable to remember faces or simple tasks, or to communicate or think coherently.

DEPRESSION: MORE THAN “THE BLUES” According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Women are more likely to suffer depression than men, but men are more likely to attempt suicide if their depression goes untreated.

Depression is much more serious than the moodiness people suffer after a single upsetting life event. But seniors experience bereavement, loss of income/retirement, chronic illnesses, isolation, and psychological trauma much more often than a younger person does – and oftentimes all at once.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Getting You Back to Better

Annual Health Expo

Thursday. June 8th 2017 from 11am-3pm

The event will be held outdoors on hospital grounds under tents over 100 agencies from across Massachusetts and Rhode Island’s areas of health and human services will be featured.

Southcoast Hospital’s Mobile Health Van will be on site providing free health screenings.

This event is FREE to register and open to the public.

For more detailed information or registration, please email: Alice Rebelo, Director of Community Awareness at arebelo@vhmass.com 4499 Acushnet Avenue • New Bedford, MA 02745 • www.vhmass.com • P: 508.995.6900

JEANNE FULLER-JONES

Seniors Real Estate Specialist/Partner

WWW.JFJHOMES.COM 774.240.8928 • jfuller-jones@kw.com 574 Washington St, Easton MA 02375

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

SYMPTOMS OF A MOOD DISORDER ➤ Noticeable and fluctuating changes in energy, sleeping habits, appetite, activities ➤ Difficulty concentrating, staying focused, or making decisions – “zoning out” and day-dreaming ➤ Constantly feeling edgy, restless, irritable, agitated, fearful, pessimistic ➤ Obsessive thoughts, sudden phobias, or compulsive behaviors ➤ Self-medicating with alcohol, recreational drugs, or pain medications – risky behaviors

At least seven million older Americans suffer from depression. In a social culture that worships youthful beauty, economic achievement, and physical prowess, it’s very hard to stay cheerful and selfconfident when you start feeling creaky and cranky and you’re worried about the bills. And too many older Americans avoid discussing or seeking help for their mental health problems, fearing they’ll be labeled as “senile,” a worry-wart, or a hypochondriac.

A NXIETY: MORE THAN “THE JITTERS” Oftentimes, older people who are depressed also show signs of anxiety, ranging from vague complaints to panic attacks, and sudden phobias to obsessivecompulsive behavior (like hoarding) and full-blown symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), close to 8% of people over 65 have been diagnosed with anxiety – but that doesn’t include the people who’ve not been properly diagnosed or treated.

SUBSTANCE A BUSE: MORE THAN “A LITTLE HELP FOR MY NERVES” Whether it’s self-medicating with too many cocktails, too many pain pills, or improper use of prescription drugs,

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➤ Feeling unhappy, sad, or hopeless, suicidal thoughts; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or regret ➤ Vague physical complaints with no known cause; chronic fatigue, listlessness, lack of interest ➤ Self-neglect – sloppiness, poor hygiene, skipping meals, unpaid bills, ignoring doctor’s orders ➤ Withdrawal from normal social contacts and activities; lack of joy, pleasure, amusement

the number of older adults suffering from substance abuse is predicted to reach five million by 2020. Related to that are behavioral changes triggered by prescription drug interactions, medication mismanagement, and nutritional deficiencies.

SUICIDE: MORE THAN “YOU’LL BE SORRY WHEN I’M GONE” Every day, 17 older Americans kill themselves. The statistics are shocking – people over 85 years old have the highest suicide rate of any age group. Those aged 75-84 have the second-highest rate, and suicide attempts in adults over 65 are five times more deadly than in any other age group. Older white males commit suicide at almost six times the rate of the general population.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR SENIORS:

FOLLOW THE MONEY So why don’t older people get the mental health care they need? It’s a complex issue, with contributing factors like the out-of-pocket cost, lack of trained mental health professionals, the stigma of mental illness, inaccurate diagnosis and follow-up care, and the profound level of ignorance, disinterest, and inaction on

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the societal/governmental level.

Our healthcare delivery system is not structured to address the mental health problems of older adults. People 60 and older constitute 13% of the US population right now, about 43 million people, yet they utilize only about 8% of available psychiatric/mental health services.

Medicare covers 80% of the cost for physical health issues, but it only covers 50% for treatment of a mental health problem – and patient co-pays for mental health services are higher, too. This alone would discourage someone on a fixed budget from seeking counseling or treatment – as a result, less than 3% of all Medicare reimbursement is for psychiatric treatment of older Americans.

But this Medicare reimbursement scheme sets up a domino effect that discourages psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists from specializing in geriatric mental health, despite the rapidly ballooning need. Fewer and fewer mental health practitioners will be willing to accept new Medicare patients if they don’t get reimbursed fairly by government agencies or if they have to hassle with insurance companies all the time.

“FIRST, DO NO HARM” In addition, medical misdiagnosis of mental illness in older patients is rampant – it’s estimated that primary care physicians (PCPs) fail to properly diagnose depression in older patients half the time, and only 50% of the older patients who do discuss depression with their doctor end up receiving any treatment for it. Meanwhile, misdiagnosed depression can result in a suicide. In a 1990 study, 20% of senior suicides had seen their doctor the day before, 40% had seen them within the past week, and more than 80% had visited their PCP within the past month.

Very few primary care/family practice physicians receive enough training in the care and management of their geriatric patients, where the interaction of physical, social, economic, and psychological problems is much more complicated than in younger patients. People over 60 years old face unique stresses and worries – declining agility and energy, financial pressures, grief, loss of friends and extended family support, disrupted routines and living circumstances, chronic illnesses,

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and multiple medications.

It’s an incredibly short-sighted national healthcare paradigm, and it lights the fuse on a public health and budgetary time-bomb in the future. The elderly population in the US is projected to double to 84 million within just a few decades – more than one in five Americans will be over 65 years old by 2050.

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MIND, BODY, SOUL Good mental health is the interwoven flip side of good physical health and longevity – it promotes faster recoveries, optimism, and longer independent lives for older people. It’s simple math – affordable and accessible mental health care for all seniors would greatly reduce the eventual burden on Medicaid/Medicare and our healthcare delivery systems.

But there’s been very little public awareness, media outrage, or political initiative to rectify and defuse this looming crisis. Older Americans have paid their taxes, contributed to their communities, and played by the rules. Like veterans returning from a war, they deserve the best healthcare possible, whether for their physical ailments or mental health issues.

ELIZABETH MORSE READ is an award-winning writer, editor and artist who grew up on the South Coast. After 20 years of working in New York City and traveling the world, she came back home with her children and lives in Fairhaven.

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PRIME LIVING

PROGRAM DIRECTOR MICHELLE TAVARES WELCOMING VISITORS

High life at

HIGHLAND JAY

PATEAKOS

With a grand opening ceremony in March, Highland Adult Day Care officially moved into its new location at the historic Quequechan Club, at 306 North Main Street in Fall River, nearly doubling its capacity.

The Quequechan Club has been undergoing renovations since April 2016 in order to preserve its historical aesthetics while also being able to accommodate the needs of the elderly and disabled participants who are served at the adult day program.

Highland Adult Day Care Program Di-

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rector Michelle Tavares said the move to the Q Club helps increase the participant numbers of their day program from a maximum of 40 to 72.

The Highland Adult Day Care Program, along with its sister location, Riverview Adult Day Care at 1800 Highland Avenue, provides health care services to elders and

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'WE TRY TO KEEP OUR PARTICIPANTS AS PHYSICALLY AND COGNITIVELY ACTIVE AS POSSIBLE' adults with disabilities, including daily registered nursing care, health oversight, and care coordination, Tavares noted.

Participants can also receive physical and

occupational therapy, case-management and counseling, direct care and assistance with activities of daily living, and nutritional and dietary services, which include two nutritious snacks and a meal. Tavares said participants can enjoy therapeutic recreational activities like art classes, bowling, and bingo, as well as socializing with peers. Support and education for participants, families, and caregivers are also provided.

“We try to keep our participants as physically and cognitively active as possible,” said Tavares. She noted that Highland also serves patients diagnosed with dementia and provides caregivers with much needed respite care for their loved ones so they can get some time to themselves. “Maybe they need to go to work or go out with friends, and in leaving their loved ones here, they know they are in a safe and structured environment.”

BE OUR GUEST Adult Day Health Care centers are designed to meet the physical, functional, and social needs of elderly and disabled adults who are unable to live totally independently, Tavares said. Adult day health services are programs for adults who may need medication assessment and management in collaboration with the client’s physician, management of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, proper nutrition, personal care, or physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

With nine employees, Tavares said the bilingual staff, many whom have been at Highland between ten to twenty years, work hard to provide the best care for each patient.

“We’ve been providing care for over thirty years now. When people come to visit, I always encourage them to visit other programs and compare.

"It's important that caregivers feel comfortable with the setting that they are sending their loved ones to,” said Tavares. “We want them to know what kind of care and attention their loved ones will be getting here.”

The Highland and Riverview staff includes registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physical and occupational therapists and assistants from a licensed rehabilitation agency, a registered dietician consultant, a social worker, an activities director, and certified nursing assistants.

TEAM WORK Adult Day Care is a cost-effective alter-

THE FORMER CORNERSTONE OF FALL RIVER’S SOCIAL SCENE, THE BEAUTY OF THE Q CLUB ENHANCES THE STAY OF EVERY PARTICIPANT

native to institutional care and serves as an option or complement to in-home or assisted living care, Tavares said.

'SOCIALIZATION AND THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIES SHARPEN THE MINDS AND LIFT THE SPIRITS OF OUR PARTICIPANTS, WHILE ASSISTING TO ALLEVIATE FEELINGS OF DEPRESSION' “Our medical supervision of adults gives respite to caregivers and may curtail illnesses which could result in hospitalizations,” she said. “Socialization and therapeutic activities sharpen the minds and lift the spirits of our participants, while assisting to alleviate feelings of depression.”

Tavares said that choosing the right health care for you or your loved one can

be a demanding job, but at the Highland and Riverview Adult Day Care Centers, they offer each participant just the right balance between supervision and independence, choice and safety, and serious health care and fun activity.

She said their participants vary in situation and need. Some may have mild or moderate confusion, while others have more involved conditions due to developmental disability stroke, diabetes, arthritis, or other illnesses.

Anyone over the age of eighteen, and especially the elderly, who have a medical or mental impairment and also requires any assistance with dressing, bathing, walking, toileting, transferring, or eating may be eligible for adult day health services.

Tavares stressed that it was the top-quality employees in the staff that distinguishes Highland from the rest.

“It’s our employees who set us apart.

They are compassionate, trained, and educated,” said Tavares. “They are enthusiastic and motivated to provide our patients with the best quality of care and dignity possible.”

For more information on Highland Adult Day Care call 508-673-1290. For more information on Riverview Adult Day Care call 508-673-4480.

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17

PRIME SEASON

Making connections on the Coast

BY JOYCE ROWLEY

Getting around the South Coast just got a lot easier with the new Wareham to New Bedford Connection – a shuttle bus service that not only connects the two coastal communities, but all of the towns along the way. And with a little advance planning, you can go from Swansea to the Cape!

In February, the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) and the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) partnered to create the Wareham New Bedford Connection.

With an $83,000 MassDOT Community Transit grant obtained by GATRA, the new route connects SRTA's service area to the west with GATRA's service area to the east.

"It opens opportunities for people," said GATRA administrator Frank Gay. "There are several senior housing complexes along the route. We'd like to eventually get direct

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services for those areas, too."

Gay said the Connection is a one-year pilot project that addressed a need identified in both communities to get people to medical services, State offices such as the Social Security Administration, shopping centers in the Greater New Bedford area, and medical services and shopping in Wareham. SRTA operates the shuttle buses since much of the route is in its service area.

"We're happy to be working with GATRA to serve what was identified as a need in the community," said Mary Ellen DeFrias, SRTA grant admin-

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istrator. "We hope this is one of many partnerships in the future."

THE SCENIC ROUTE One advantage to taking the Connection is being able to watch the scenery instead of focusing on the road or traffic.

It's amazing how much you miss when you're driving.

The Connection has scheduled stops at the SouthCoast Health Center in Fairhaven, then on Route 6 at North Road in Mattapoisett, Front Street/ Route 105 in Marion, and Shaw's Plaza, the Multiservice Center (Town Hall/Senior

Center), and Cranberry Plaza in Wareham.

Cranberry Plaza was chosen because it acts as the hub for GATRA's links to Onset Pier, Swift's Beach, the Lakeville train connector, and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA)'s Bourne Run to Mashpee Commons.

Also, the Connection will make stops along the way if requested. And if you want to board outside of a stop, just wave the shuttle down.

For now, the Connection runs Monday through Wednesday with round trips leaving New Bedford at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Trips from Wareham going west leave at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.

"We set up the schedule so that you can get to Bourne on the Cape or pick up the GATRA Lakeville link to get to the MBTA train station," said DeFrias.

Getting to Onset Village, Buzzards Bay Main Street, and Bourne Main Street on the GATRA Link 1 is a snap using any of the scheduled Wareham-New Bedford Connection trips. Link 1 also can be used to get to the Cape Cod Canal.

Likewise, catch the GATRA Link 4 to the Mill Pond area and the stores at Wareham Crossing without a hitch in the morning. Coming back in the afternoon, the buses run just a tad earlier than the Connection, arriving at Cranberry Plaza well before it arrives.

However there are several fast food restaurants in the area to get a cup of coffee while you wait.

Those wishing to catch the T out of Lakeville (at least until New Bedford gets its own station) need to take the 7:30 a.m. shuttle and catch the GATRA Wareham/Middleborough/Lakeville Connector to make the 9:38 a.m. train to Boston. On the return, only

Plan your trip, sit back, and enjoy the ride! ➤ The Connection fare is a $1.50 cash fare each time you board – half price for seniors ages sixty and up, students, and the disabled. Children under six ride free. ➤ Other fares in each service area differ, but all offer discounts for the above groups. ➤ Day passes can be purchased on buses, so if you're planning on doing sightseeing, this will save you from paying another fare every time you get on, or having to carry exact change, as all fares require exact change. ➤ And here's the best part: it's green. Using the Connections emits the least amount of greenhouse gases per road mile travelled. the Boston train arriving at Lakeville at 3:15 p.m. will get you back to the Cranberry Plaza in time for the last shuttle that leaves at 5 p.m.

It may seem time-consuming, but compared to a $25 roundtrip ticket per person from New Bedford to Boston, the $2.50 fare per person plus train fare, or $1.75 for seniors over 60 plus train fare, is worth it.

THE CAPE If the long drive out to the Cape and back is too much for you or your car, you can park and ride. Pick up a picnic lunch at one of the grocery stores on the route, leave your car, and wave for the shuttle.

Just remember to be on the side of the road in the direction that you are going for it to stop.

From Cranberry Plaza in Wareham, take CCRTA's Bourne Run to Mashpee Commons. Once there, you can connect to CCRTA'S other "runs" to visit Woods Hole Science Center, Osterville, and the Cape Cod Mall in Barnstable.

POINTS WEST One of the benefits of making Connections is being able to visit specialty shops and

museums outside of your usual haunts without putting miles on your car and for a fraction of what it would cost in gas to get there.

New Bedford is always teeming with art shows, the Whaling Museum has changing exhibits, and touring the historic district with the Whaling National Park Service "ladies" is a great way to explore New Bedford's history.

Plus, the Intercity bus route connects New Bedford to Fall River landmarks. Walk around historic Fall River or take a bus to Battleship Cove, the Lizzie Borden House Museum, and the new Fall River bike/walking path.

You can make your own itinerary from online schedules at GATRA.org, SRTABus.com, and CCRTA.org.

The SRTA website news link has helpful suggestions to frequently asked questions about each community. This is the first joint venture for two regional transit systems, and riders on one may not be familiar with schedules, fares, or routes on the other.

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2016 2017 SEASON

19

GOOD TIMES

TEACHING

OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS

BY ELIZABETH MORSE READ

H

ere are ten easy ways to maintain your overall wellness as you grow older:

1.

You may not want to do any more heavy lifting, dog-chasing, snowshoveling, or gutter-cleaning, but you can always do simple household chores that gently stretch your muscles and improve your balance (like changing the bed sheets, emptying the dishwasher, washing the car, or doing some waisthigh gardening. Try tai chi or chair yoga – instead of Zumba or jai alai.

2.

Your internal organs and cardiovascular system need exercise, too. We all spend too much time frozen in the sitting position, whether it’s in front of a television or computer screen or in a car.

Get out of the house and take a walk up the street to buy the Sunday newspaper or bagels, instead of driving there. Your legs need constant exercise for you to stay healthy, well-balanced, and trim.

Stroll through a park or along the beach and get some fresh air in your lungs.

3.

Give your brain a workout – instead of passively watching a screen for hours on end, read a book, do crossword puzzles, play chess, have an intelligent conversation with someone, keep a daily to-do list of chores, errands, and projects. Keep learning – visit a museum, take a day-trip, attend a free workshop, check out the local library.

4.

Eat real food. If you’re nibbling on leftovers, canned goods, take-out and microwave-meals, you are not eating

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real food, and your body isn’t getting the nourishment it needs. Plan out a simple weekly menu that covers all the food groups, wean yourself off compulsive snacking, and use fresh, instead of packaged, ingredients. Reduce your salt intake and hold the mayo. Learn to make a few simple dishes from scratch, then invite someone over for a home-cooked meal.

5.

Just like your car, you need regular tune-ups and maintenance. Don’t skip annual physical exams, preventive screenings, lab tests, or immunizations.

Ask your doctor for a thorough review of all your medications to make sure that drug interactions aren’t causing your physical or mental distress.

6.

Take care of your eyes, your teeth, and your feet – don’t scrimp on new eyeglasses, dental cleanings, or shoes that fit properly. If you can’t read the fine print on your prescription bottle, if you can’t chew your food, or if you can’t walk ten feet without wincing, your quality of life will be greatly diminished. Medicare supplement plans can help lower your out-of-pocket costs for routine vision, hearing, and dental exams. Check out medical credit cards like CareCredit, and take advantage of free or low-cost medical services available through your community (e.g., podiatrists, dental hygienists).

7.

Fall-proof your home (just like how you baby-proofed it when your kids were little). Injuries from falling are a major cause of hospitalization, disability, and mental distress for older people.

Make sure there are railings and safety grab-bars throughout the house, non-slip flooring, adequate lighting, and unclut-

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tered walkways. Arrange for someone else to shovel the snow, de-ice the sidewalks, and clean the gutters.

8.

Get more involved in your neighborhood – join a church choir, check out the local senior/recreation center and YMCA, volunteer at the pet shelter, mentor a student, attend a town meeting. People with strong social and community ties live longer, happier, healthier lives.

9.

Laughter is still the best medicine – tickle your funny bone every day, whether it’s telling a joke or listening to your favorite late-night comedian, watching a silly movie like Borat or reruns of I Love Lucy. Laughter releases the “happy hormones” in your body that counteract the stress hormones, and it takes your mind off your troubles for a while. (Read Norman Cousin’s Anatomy of an Illness.)

Smile more.

10.

Live fully in each moment – while dwelling on the past, obsessing about the future, or always trying to do ten things at once, you can’t focus on what you’re really feeling, both physically and emotionally. You need to de-clutter your mind of distractions and pessimistic thoughts, if only for a few minutes at a time throughout the day, and just “be.” Some people find that meditation or prayer gives them a calmer outlook. Others find that same peacefulness by watching a sunset, feeding the ducks, floating in a pool, or listening to instrumental music. Instead of always feeling pressured to be “doing” something 24/7, step back and just enjoy a few minutes of doing nothing but experiencing the moment. Carpe diem.

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M

any seniors receive home care benefits under the Frail Elder Waiver MassHealth program. These benefits help pay for adult day health programs, personal care attendants, grocery shopping, meal preparation, along with other things for someone who, without such help, would need skilled nursing home care. The program has made it possible for many families to keep an elderly loved one at home.

MassHealth is in the process of reviewing previously-approved clients to see if the person continues to qualify under recently changed qualification rules. Many people currently getting these benefits are receiving a “redetermination notice.”

The recipient is instructed to fill out the form and return it to MassHealth by a certain date or lose MassHealth benefits. The notice does not mention changes in the qualification criteria.

The recipient complies with the notice, and then receives back a notice that he or she no longer qualifies for the program.

We have seen this happen to too many of our clients. In many cases, we have helped clients to maintain their benefits. If you have received a redetermination notice, or have been told that you no longer qualify for Community MassHealth under a Frail Elder Waiver, call our office for an appointment. We may be able to help.

There is no attorney/client relationship created by this article. DO NOT make decisions based upon information in this article. Legal advice can only be given after an individual consultation with an attorney. Any decisions made without proper legal advice may cause significant legal and financial problems.

M ICHELLE D. B ENESKI is an Attorney at Surprenant & Beneski, P.C. For specific questions email mdb@nbelderlaw.com or call 508-994-5200.

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With nursing homes costing an average of $12,000 a month you must plan ahead. As Elder Law Attorneys, we can show you how to protect your assets from nursing homes, probate fees, and estate taxes. Even with a relative in a nursing home now, assets can still be protected. Call us today to set up a consultation.

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PRIME SEASON

Jim Rogers keeps giving back Good cities have great characters, as the late, great Jimmy Breslin made clear in his decades of writing. Fall River is no different, and one of the local legends is Jim Rogers.

MICHAEL J. VIEIRA

For more than 50 years, Rogers has been involved in the kinds of activities that transform cities into communities. This includes work with the Fall River Jaycees, Citizens Scholarship Foundation, Miss Fall River and Miss Massachusetts scholarship pageants, and the Fall River Scholarship Foundation.

Rogers is lifelong resident of Fall River – he’s lived in the same house for 75 years.

For most of his career, he also worked at the same place: Jim Rogers Cigar Store.

His father opened the store in 1955, and when he died, Rogers ran the store from 1966 until 1999 when it closed.

Before Route 195 ripped the heart out of the city and the shopping centers, malls, and big box stores stole the soul, downtown Fall River was a vibrant place.

I’m old enough to remember the smell of coffee in Van Dyke’s, the mountain of butter at Kennedy’s, and the joy of wandering through the half-dozen “Five and Tens.” Graduation was in the Durfee Theatre, a venue that rivalled what’s now the Providence Performing Arts Center, and the “real” Santa was in the basement of McWhirr’s department store.

“It was a gathering place for people from all over the area,” Rogers said.

You could do all of your shopping there, from appliances, butter, and clothes, to toy zebras. The small stores and restaurants were mostly owned by local merchants, although there was a Sears downtown.

Soon, the desire for convenient parking

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and then, enclosed shopping, brought an end to downtowns across the country. Fall River gradually saw shoppers head for the shopping center in the south end where the dump once was, and then to the malls on the avenue, or in Swansea, Dartmouth, and Taunton.

Downtown dwindled, and the “big box” stores arrived.

Maybe the real death knell was the sounds of the wrecking ball destroying the majestic Durfee Theatre, the legendary China Royal, and displaced the other 20 occupants of the building at the corner of North Main and Central Street.

That’s when Jim Rogers Cigar Store’s new location on North Main Street (near the equally legendary Plourde’s Bakery) became more important.

MORE THAN A CIGAR STORE Although, you could buy cigars at his store, it was much more. “It was the agora of the area,” he said, turning to Greek to explain the store’s importance as a gathering place.

He hosted book signings and art exhibits, as well as an annual “Bloomsday” celebration on June 16, the day that James Joyce set the events in Ulysses and which has been commemorated since the 1920’s.

Rogers would invite speakers to read from the work and loudspeakers would carry the words into the downtown area. Sister Kathleen Harrington would always bring

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Irish soda bread and Helen Marie Booth (recently deceased) would always participate.

Booth, better known as H.M., was another local character, who was well known as an actor and public speaking instructor at Bristol Community College.

She was also my friend, or to be accurate, more like my “Auntie Mame.”

When H.M. went to Ireland, she brought Rogers a portrait of Joyce. “I still have it in my office and I think of her all the time,” he said.

By 1999, Rogers was no longer financially able to keep the store open. For five years, he worked for Mayor Ed Lambert, who shared Rogers’ vision of making downtown a destination again. Lack of parking and cooperation ended their dreams.

But Rogers never gave up on Fall River.

“I love Fall River,” he said, “Fall River has always had good, hard-working people.”

A HISTORY OF COMMUNITY SERVICE As a local business owner, Rogers said he was able to engage in community service. He was active in the Fall River Jaycees and instrumental in the Miss Fall River and Miss Massachusetts scholarship pageants.

For 22 years, he chaired the Miss Massachusetts pageant and would host between 20 and 25 contestants for lunch on the Battleship Massachusetts, even though the pageant was held at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford.

“I was able to promote our beloved city by bringing these contestants from throughout the state to our waterfront.

Many of them from the western part or north of Boston had never seen it,” he noted. “It was amazing – the positive comments that were given by these state tourists.”

Another of his fundraising activities which continues to draw people to the city is the annual Craft Fair. After 40 years, it still draws about 200 crafters from New England and New York to the field house at B.M.C. Durfee High School of Fall River.

The Elsbree Street space is transformed into a showcase for talented crafters and draws up to 10,000 people each year.

“They come from the whole area,” he pointed out.

Rogers is also quick to note, “We have a lot of volunteers.” More than 50 people help make the event possible.

Although the bells no longer ring from the old City Hall, another project which ties together the past and the present is the Fall River Scholarship Foundation calendar. It features photos of Fall River.

“The calendars have become very popular,” Rogers said, explaining that people give them as gifts and people send him photos of the city that they find across the country.

“I’m always on the lookout for pictures,” he admitted, adding that after using 12 photos a year for 40 years, there’s a need for new images.

The calendars were first used to support the Citizens Scholarship Foundation, and since 1995, benefit the Fall River Scholarship Foundation. Each year, the local group raises about $30,000 and awards about 30 scholarships each year.

In addition to the funds raised at the

craft fair and through the calendars, the foundation is supported by local donations. Many people contribute $500 or $1,000 to provide memorial scholarships.

It’s not too late to contribute for this year’s awards in June.

The donors can attend the annual banquet and present the awards in memory of their loved ones. The banquets also feature a speaker. Among the noteworthy guests have been Mike Dukakis, Barney Frank, Tom Ellis, Bob Ryan, Buddy Cianci, and E.J. Dionne.

“We’ve been fortunate to have great speakers,” he said.

AGE DOESN’T MATTER Sipping a coffee at New Boston Bakery, another local landmark, Jim Rogers comfortably looks back at the past, but is focused on the future.

It’s obvious that he misses his wife Pauline, better known as “Dee.” She was his partner not only in life, but also in his civic work and community services – especially the weekly parties for kids at the Tiverton Yacht Club. She passed in 2014.

“We were partners in all our civic work, the craft fair, the scholarship foundation, and the youth activities at the Tiverton Yacht Club,” he noted, “We had the same purpose in doing these events.”

Rogers also works hard to keep in touch with her daughter, who recently had a baby. Email provides regular contact and photos.

“It’s hard to continue, but I know [Dee] would want to see it continue,” he admitted.

He also does errands for friends and remains engaged in the city that he loves.

At 75, he shows no sign of slowing down.

“I don’t consider age as important,” he said, “It’s the attitude that you have.”

And he stresses that his attitude hasn’t changed much since his younger days when downtown was thriving. His mission is to do community service and to “take care of our brothers and sisters.”

Rogers suggests that others can also participate. “We need more people to give memorial scholarships,” he said. “It’s a great cause that makes a real impact.”

For more information about the Fall River Scholarship Foundation or to make a donation, visit fallriverscholarship.com.

MICHAEL VIEIR A , PH.D. retired from full-time administration at BCC. He has written for several newspapers and magazines including ‘The South Coast Insider’ and ‘South Coast Prime Times.’

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E XTRA! E XTRA!

IN BRIEF… ELIZ ABETH MORSE READ

It’s time to get outdoors and enjoy the Spring weather – there are food festivals, parades, street fairs, and road races galore! Get out there and celebrate Easter, Earth Day, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day! Get your gardens started and make your plans for summer vacations, day-trips, and eating outdoors again with family and friends.

FOOD, FEASTS AND FESTIVALS! Don’t miss the Daffodils Days Festival on Bowen’s Wharf in Newport April 15-23! For info, visit bowenswharf.org/ events.

Get ready for Eat Drink RI Festival April 27-29! For more details, visit eatdrinkri.com.

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Don’t miss the Newport Craft Beer Festival April 28-29! For details, visit newportcraftbeer.com.

at Cooke Memorial Park. For more info, go to fairhaventours.com or call 508-9794085.

Check out “Viva Portugal!” – a familyfriendly festival in downtown New Bedford on May 6. For info, call 508-994-2900 or go to zeiterion.org.

Don’t miss the Newport Waterfront Oyster Festival May 19-21! For more info, visit bowenswharf.org/events. Plus, the Great Chowder Cook-Off will be held at Fort Adams in Newport on June 10. For info, go to newportwaterfrontevents.com.

Fairhaven’s annual Cherry Blossom Friendship Festival will be held on May 7

M AY /J UNE 2017

Plan ahead for the Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Festival on June 17 at the Westport Fairgrounds! To learn more, go to coastalwinetrail.com/events.

Come one, come all! Don’t miss Fairhaven’s annual Homecoming Day Fair on June 24. For information, go to fairhaventours.com.

To find food events in southeastern Mass, visit ediblesouthshore.com.

New Bedford will host its first Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival on July 15 at Fort Taber! To learn more, go to foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com.

CLASSICAL ACTS

Yaniv Dinur has been chosen as the new musical director of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, replacing retiring maestro David MacKenzie.

The Sippican Choral Society will be performing “Testament of Freedom” with the Tri-County Symphonic Band on April 23 at Fireman Hall in Marion. For more info, visit sippicanchoralsociety.org or call 508-763-2327.

Enjoy the 2016-2017 season of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra at the Zeiterion. Don’t miss “The Music of John Williams” on April 29! For details, call 508-999-6276 or go to nbsymphony.org.

FirstWorks will present the Aurea Ensemble on April 23 at Saint Martin’s Church in Providence. For more info, call 401-421-2787 or visit first-works.org.

Free Y membeship with Senior Whole Health.

For details inquire at the Membership desk.

Enjoy the new season of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at the VETS – don’t miss Larry Rachleff ’s Finale on May 6! For details, call 401-248-7000 or go to riphil.org.

SIGHTS TO BEHOLD

Last call! The Ringling Bros. Circus will make one of its final performances at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence on May 4-7. For more info, call 401-3316700 or visit dunkindonutscenter.com.

Be amazed by Waterfire in downtown Providence at sunset on April 28! For info, go to waterfire.org.

The annual Cherry Blossom Friendship Festival will be held on May 7 at Cooke Memorial Park in Fairhaven. For more info, go to fairhaventours.com or call 508-979-4085.

The Vietnam Memorial “Moving Wall” will be on display in Wareham August 17-21.

Visit the mansion and gardens at Blithewold in Bristol! Don’t miss “Gateway to Spring,” while the daffodils are in bloom.

For info, call 401-253-2707 or go to blithewold.org.

Stroll through Providence’s Festival of Historic Houses and gardens on June 2-3, sponsored by the Providence Preservation Society. For details, go to providencehousetour.com or ppsri.org.

A “must-see” exhibit – “Inner Light: The World of William Bradford” is at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford through May. For more info, call 508997-0046 or visit whalingmusuem.org.

YMCA SOUTHCOAST · ymcasouthcoast.org

There’s always something going on at Tiverton Four Corners – head for the Garden & Herb Festival on May 23! For more info, go to tivertonfourcorners.com.

Don’t miss Festival Ballet Providence’s performance of “Cinderella” May 12-14 at the VETS! For info, go to festivalballetprovidence.org or call 401421-2787.

This class is a 16 week program designed for older adults of all fitness levels. If you have a chronic condition such as arthritis this class will help you gain strength and independence. You will feel energized physically, mentally and socially. Classes meet three times per week and focuses on strength, flexibility, balance and movement.

Mama Mia! Plan ahead for the 18th Annual Federal Hill Stroll in Providence on June 6! For details, call 401-456-0298 or visit federalhillstroll.com.

at the Fall River, New Bedford & Swansea Y branches

Get ready for the Wareham Oyster Festival on June 1! For more info, visit warehamvillage.org.

Enjoy the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra performing “Spring Pops!” on May 13 at Plymouth’s Memorial Hall.

For info, call 508-746-8008 or go to plymouthphil.org.

Enhance® Fitness has Arrived

Mark your calendars for PVDFest June 1-4 – music, dance, food, art throughout Providence! For more info, call 401-4212787 or visit first-works.org.

Don’t miss the Fall River Symphony Orchestra’s “Movies & More!” tribute to John Williams on May 7 at the Jackson Arts Center at Bristol Community College. For details, visit fallriversymphonyorchestra.org.

FITNESS FUN & FRIENDS

Head for the “Red, White & Brew at the Zoo!” fundraiser on May 19 at the Buttonwood Park Zoo! For info, call 508991-6178 or visit bpzoo.org.

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WHAT’S ON STAGE? Check out “D ANCE OF THE D R AGON Q UEEN” on May 13 at the Eagle Event Center in Fall River. An interactive dinner theatre and ball inspired by Game of Thrones, costume judging. For tix and info, call 508-673-2939 or go to ahafallriver.com.

Find out what’s playing at the Little Theatre in Fall River! “9-5: T HE M USICAL” will be performed May 1821. For info, visit littletheatre.net or call 508-675-1852.

Curtain time! Your Theatre will perform “W HAT THE B UTLER S AW” on May 11-14, 18-21. For details, call 508-9930772 or go to yourtheatre.org.

Enjoy a dinner-theatre night out at the Newport Playhouse! “T HE FORESOME” will be performed through May 13. “L UNCH WITH M RS. B ASKIN” will be performed May 18-June 29. For more information, call 401-848-7529 or go to newportplayhouse.com.

The Wilbury Group in Providence will perform “S PRING A WAKENING” May 18-June 11. For info and tickets, call 401400-7100 or visit thewilburygroup.org.

Find out what’s on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center! Don’t miss A N E VENING WITH A NDERSON COOPER April 29, “C HICAGO” May 2-7, Chris Botti May 7, “M ATILDA THE M USICAL” May 17-21, R IVERDANCE June 2-4, D IANA K R ALL June 18, and more! For details, call 401-421-2787 or go to ppacri.org.

Don’t miss Trinity Rep’s performance of “L IKE S HEEP TO WATER” on May 11, or “FAITHFUL C HEATERS” April 20-May 21. For info, call 401-351-4242 or go to trinityrep.com.

Check out what’s playing at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren! “A RT” will be performed April 21- May 21. “T HE B EST OF E VERY THING” will be performed May 5-28. Call 401-247-4200 or go to 2ndstorytheatre.com.

Wander through Linden Place in Bristol, the elegant mansion used as the setting for the movie The Great Gatsby!

For info, call 401-253-0390 or visit lindenplace.org.

Don’t miss the special exhibit of rarely-seen Impressionist works at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence through June 11.

For more info, call 401-454-6500 or go to risdmuseum.org.

BEING GOOD NEIGHBORS

Make Mattapoisett Marvelous! Join other volunteers at Shipyard Park for the Earth Day cleanup on April 22. Refreshments and music included!

The Whaling Museum in New Bedford is looking for volunteer guides (especially bilingual) able to take a ten-week training course this summer. For details, email rrocha@whalingmuseum.org or call 508717-6849.

Pet Food Aid, a nonprofit organization, collects pet food donations and distributes them to food banks throughout Bristol County. Volunteers and donations gratefully accepted. For more info, visit petfoodaid.org or call 774-204-5227.

My Brother’s Keeper of Dartmouth and Easton is looking for volunteers and gently-used residential furniture for families in need. Free pickup. Call 774-305-4577 or visit mybrotherskeeper.org.

E AGLE E VENT CENTER, AHA FALL RIVER

2ND STORY THEATRE, WARREN

Browse through the Oxford Book Café on Saturdays 9-1 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in north Fairhaven. Coffee, used books on sale, WiFi. To learn more, call 508-995-1219 or visit goodshepherdfairhaven.com.

FAMILY FUN

Celebrate Earth Day at “Party for the Planet” on April 22 at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford! For info, call 508-991-6178 or visit bpzoo.org.

Take the kids to the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Livesey Park in Fairhaven on April 15!

LITTLE THEATRE OF FALL RIVER

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PROVIDENCE PERFORMING A RTS CENTER

M AY /J UNE 2017

Enjoy FREE family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights. The April 13 theme will be “Sustainable Southcoast.”

The May 11 theme is “We Art NB.” The June 8 theme is “Launch: New Spaces, New Places.” For details, go to

ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253.

Don’t miss the Annual Easter Egg Hunt in Onset on April 15! For details, visit onsetbay.org.

The Fall River Public Library will now host free afternoon movies (and popcorn!) every Wednesday at 1 p.m., in addition to the showings on Monday nights.

For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page or visit fallriverlibrary.org.

Take the family on a guided nature cruise/seal watch in Newport Harbor!

Tours leave from Bowen’s Ferry Landing through April. Or take the family on a guided nature cruise/seal watch down the Taunton River into Mount Hope Bay! Tours leave from Borden Light Marina in Fall River through April. For more info, call 401-324-6060 or visit savebay.org.

Explore Thomas the Tank Engine Land and Dino Land at Edaville Railroad in Carver! For more info, visit edaville.com or call 508-866-8190.

Check out the Children’s Aquarium and Exploration Center of Greater Fall River! Learn more at aquariumgfr.com or call 508-801-4743. And find out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. Reduced admission on the first Friday each month. For info, go to cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033.

Explore the Children’s Museum in Providence! Go to childrenmuseum.org or call 401-273-5437. Then take the kids to the Roger Williams Park Zoo! For more info, go to rwpzoo.org or call 401-7853510.

Take the family to the Sheep Day/ Earth Day events on May 6 at the Soule Homestead in Middleboro! For details, go to soulehomestead.org or call 508-9476744.

Oooh! Aaah! Take the kids to see the “Science on a Sphere” at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford! Check out the children’s programs: Bear Cub Club (2-3), Puddle Jumpers (2-5), Little Learners (35), Roots & Shoots (11-15). For info, call 508-991-6178 or visit bpzoo.org.

Enjoy free, family-friendly fun at River Day on June 10 in Westport! For more info, go to westportwatershed.org.

Sign the kids up for summer programs at the Marion Natural History Museum!

Sleep well while you’re away from home.

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Sagres Restaurant First & finest in Portuguese Food

Lighthouse Promotions

— Since 1975 —

Memorial Day

Antiques

Show & Sale

Monday - closed, Tue-Thu 11:30-9 Fri-Sat 11:30-9:45pm, Sun 12-9pm

177 Columbia St. • Fall River, MA (508) 675-7018

Sidewalk Sale June 17

Monday, May 29, 2017 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Venus de Milo Restaurant Route 6 - Swansea, Mass.

— Upcoming Shows —

Tons of fabric at $1/ yd!!!

Columbus Day, Monday, October 9, 2017 New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, 2018

Sewing Machine sales/service Fabric Consignment & Sewing Classes

Early buyer’s preview – 10 A.M. $10.00 each Admission $6.00 each

1160 County St. • Somerset, MA 508-679-9301

(Rt. 138 next door to MaRaffa’s)

With this ad, admit 2 at $5.00 each

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Bedford! For info, call 508-994-3938 or visit forttaber.org.

Don’t miss an evening of blues with DAVID J ACOBS -S TR AIN on Friday, May 19, 2017 at 7:30 PM at the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street, New Bedford, MA. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Cash bar and a limited menu is available. Ample free parking. Tickets are $20 in advance online and $25 at the door. Seating is very limited, so advance purchase is advised to guarantee seating. To purchase tickets, go to brownpapertickets.com/event/2914522.

The next concert for spring 2017 is singer-songwriter Ellis Paul on June 16.

For more info, email korolenko8523@ charter.net

Visit marionmuseum.org or call 508-7589089.

Come one, come all! Don’t miss Fairhaven’s annual Homecoming Day Fair on June 24 – for details, go to fairhaventours.com.

Check out the Children’s Museum in Easton! For info, call 508-230-3789 or visit childrensmuseumineaston.org.

There’s always something to see or do at the Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro!

Sign the kids up for Summer Zoocademy! Go to capronparkzoo.com or call 774-203-1840. Then take the kids to Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center, also in Attleboro!

For more info, call 508-223-3060 or visit massaudubon.org.

Take the kids to the Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol for 18th-century “Home and Hearth” workshops! For the little ones, there’s Farmhouse Storytime every Wednesday. For details, visit coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

RELIVE HISTORY

If you’re interested in the history of Japan-America ties, visit the WhitfieldManjiro Friendship House in Fairhaven, where it all began. Call 508-995-1219 or go to wmfriendshiphouse.org for details.

While you’re there, take a walking tour of Fairhaven and explore local history! For details, go to fairhaventours.com or call 508-979-4085.

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LISTEN TO THE MUSIC!

Don’t miss the International Portuguese Music Awards on April 22 at the Zeiterion in New Bedford! For more info, call 508-994-2900 or go to zeiterion.org.

Mark your calendar for the monthly Paskamansett Concert Series at the Dartmouth Grange Hall. Eric McDonald will perform on May 13. For more info, visit paskamansettconcertseries.weebly.com or call 401-241-3793.

Wander through Linden Place in Bristol, the elegant mansion used as the setting for the movie The Great Gatsby!

For info, call 401-253-0390 or visit lindenplace.org. While you’re there, visit the mansion and gardens at Blithewold!

Don’t miss “Gateway to Spring” while the daffodils are in bloom. For info, call 401253-2707 or go to blithewold.org.

Journey through time and discover a sailor’s life at Battleship Cove, America’s Fleet Museum and the Maritime Museum at Battleship Cove. All-new tours, interactives, and exhibits – visit two museums for the price of one! Visit battleshipcove.org.

Explore the whaling-era mansion and gardens at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford! Check out their schedule of concerts, special exhibits and lectures.

For more info, call 508-997-1401 or go to rjdmuseum.org.

Spend a day in the cobblestoned historic district of New Bedford! Visit the worldclass Whaling Museum (508-997-0046 or go to whalingmuseum.org), then explore the surrounding New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. For more info, go to nps.gov/nebe.

Explore 18th- and 19th-century life at the Handy House in Westport. For more info, visit wpthistory.org or call 508-6366011.

Relive American military history at the Fort Taber-Fort Rodman Museum in New

M AY /J UNE 2017

The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River has a fabulous line-up – there’s The Jayhawks April 19, Forever Young April 22, Carbon Leaf April 27, An Evening with Y & T May 2, Richard Shindell May 6, The Weight Band May 11, Savoy Brown May 13, The Subdudes May 19, John Mayall June 8 – and more! For a complete schedule, visit narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926.

Don’t miss The Dixie Diehards on May 6 at the Marion Art Center! For info, visit marionartcenter.org or call 508-748-1266.

It’s all happening at the Z! Don’t miss Todd Baptista’s Doo Wop April 15, Portuguese Music Awards April 22, NBSO performing “The Music of John Williams” April 29, “Pippin” May 4, Viva Portugal! May 6, Jacques Pepin May 20, The B-52s June 3, George Thorogood and the Destroyers June 6, The Cult June 9 – and more! For info, call 508-994-2900 or go to zeiterion.org.

If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out “Music in the Gallery” at the Wamsutta Club. David JacobsStrain will perform on May 19, and Ellis Paul on June 16. For tickets or info, go to brownpapertickets.com/events or contact korolenko8523@charter.net.

Find out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth! There’s Ronnie Earl April 22, Girls, Guns & Glory April 24, Session Americana May 5, Peter Yarrow May 6, Eric Anderson May 13, Jazz Fest May 2628, Billy McLaughlin June 2 – and more!

For tickets and info, call 508-746-4488 or visit spirecenter.org.

Get back to your musical roots at Common Fence Music in Portsmouth!

There’s John Gorka April 22, Lucy

Kaplansky April 29, Mark Erelli on May 13. For more info, call 401-683-5085 or visit commonfencemusic.org.

Check out the schedule at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence! There’s Alan Jackson April 22, the Ringling Bros.

Circus May 4-7, Jason Aldea May 15, The Chainsmokers June 7! For more info, visit dunkindonutscenter.com or call 401-3316700.

Head for the Sandywoods Center for the Arts in Tiverton! There’s Pete Seeger Tribute May 6, Bohemian Quartet May 12, Willie J. Laws Band May 19, Bob Dylan Tribute June 3 – and more! For a complete schedule, call 401-241-7349 or go to sandywoodsmusic.com.

music festival on June 17 at the UMass Dartmouth Center overlooking Watuppa Pond in Fall River! For details, go to ahafallriver.com or call 508-294-5344.

READY FOR A RUN?

Sign up for the West Island 5K Run/ Walk on April 30 in Fairhaven! For details, go to westisland5k.org.

Register now for the 2017 Harvest Triathlon on June 10 in Wareham! For more info, visit maxperformanceonline.com.

Plan ahead for the 11th Annual 5K Run on June 17 at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown! For details, go to normanbirdsanctuary.org or call 401846-2577.

Find out who’s playing at the Stone Church Coffeehouse at the First Congregational Church in Bristol! For info or tickets, call 401-253-4813 or 401-2537288.

Mark your calendars for the annual Father's Day 10K & 5K Road Races on June 18 in Fairhaven! For details, go to fairhaventours.com or call 508-979-4085.

Bring a lawn chair to the free musical performance "Songs for at New World" on May 6 at 7:30 PM on the meadow at the Fall River Heritage State Park. For details, visit brownboxtheatre.org or call 508-698-1802 x 216.

Southcoast Health and the Buzzards Bay Coalition have joined together to create “Discover Buzzards Bay,” an initiative to promote active outdoor recreation. A series of guided monthly outdoor walks, called “Sunday Strolls,” and an online portal with information about more than 100 public places to walk, cycle, fish, and paddle, which can be found at savebuzzardsbay.org/discover.

Don’t miss the Band Concert on May 27 at the Onset Band Shell! And mark your calendars – the “Summer of Love” Concert Series starts June 28! For details, go to onsetbay.org.

Mark your calendars now for the free and family-friendly Reggae on West Beach Summer Series in New Bedford, starting June 25! For details, go to destinationnewbedford.org.

Enjoy “Hollywood Blockbusters” under the tent at Tabor Academy in Marion on June 11, performed by the Tri-County Symphonic Band. For more info, go to tricountysymphonicband.org.

The Sunset Music Series at Westport Rivers Winery starts on June 6 with Rebecca Correia. Pack a picnic and a corkscrew! $10/carload when tickets are purchased in advance. For more info, visit westportrivers.com or call 508-6363423.

Enjoy live music at the Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth! For complete info, call 401-847-3777 or go to greenvale.com.

Plan ahead for the free, family-friendly

E XPLORE THE OUTDOORS!

Take a stroll through Paskamansett Woods, a nature reserve operated by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. For more info, visit dnrt.org. Or go on nature walks at the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth! For details, call 508990-0505 or visit lloydcenter.org.

Are you caring for a loved one?

Apply here for MassHealth eligible compensation.

Massachusetts Department of Elder Affairs offers compensation for caregivers caring for loved ones with ADL (Activities of Daily Living) needs through Preferred Residential Network’s AFC (Adult Foster/ Family Care) program.

Preferred Residential Network

508-677-9613 www.prnafc.com

If you live near Fall River, get outside and enjoy the weather! Explore nature trails or historic landmarks, join a walking group – to learn more call 508-3242405 or visit walkfallriver.org.

Find out what’s going on at your local YMCA! Start making plans for summer camps! For schedules and info, go to ymcasouthcoast.org.

Sign up now for the 24th Annual Buzzards Bay Swim on June 25! For info, go to savebuzzardsbay.org/swim.

Camp Angel Wings, a two-day bereavement camp for children 6-12 sponsored by the Southcoast Visiting Nurses AsMAY 26, 2017

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE sociation, will be held July 15-16 at Camp Welch in Assonet. Early registration is encouraged. Call 508-973-3426 or go to southcoast.org/campangelwings.

Portsmouth Harbor Cruise May 31, Boston Harbor Tour/Quincy Market June 19, Cape Cod Luncheon Train June 28. For details, call 508-991-6171.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program. There’s a trip to George’s of Galilee and Mohegan Sun April 19, Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich April 26, “Shear Madness” in Boston May 13,

Visit Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center in Attleboro! For more info, call 508-2233060 or visit massaudubon.org.

Take a leisurely walk around rural Westport – go to westportlandtrust.org.

Enjoy the trails, wildlife and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve – leashed dogs welcome.

Hike, fish, picnic, bird-watch! For more info, go to savebuzzardsbay.org.

Join the Fairhaven Great Strides Walk to cure cystic fibrosis on May 21 at Fort Phoenix! To register or donate, go to cff.org/greatstrides.

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE

BY D AN L OGAN

CARE FOR HEALTHCARE The Annual Health Expo at Vibra Hospital of Southeastern Massachusetts has become a fixture on the New Bedford community events calendar. Featuring more than 100 health and human service providers from all over southern New England, the expo offers an opportunity to get a better fix on this region's healthcare services.

“This event is dedicated to educating the public on all aspects of health and wellness," says Alice Rebelo, Director of Community Awareness for Vibra. "We want to raise public awareness of all the healthcare resources available to them in their own community and promote treatment and recovery close to home.”

Participating partners cover the spectrum of healthcare services, from physicians and hospitals, to care facilities for every age group and health problem, to government agencies, insurance representatives, immigrant assistance providers, and equipment suppliers.

Every year there are free health screenings, nutritional information, raffles, prizes, and giveaways.

Vibra's Annual Health Expo will be held Thursday, June 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 4499 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford.

The expo is free and open to the public.

To register or for more detailed information, email Alice Rebelo at arebelo@vhmass.com.

G ARDEN PARTY Sandpiper Healthcare's Bedford Gardens has two community events coming up. In May it will hold a bingo game with

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dinner for members of the local community. Attendees will have dinner and then play bingo with prizes. Tours of Bedford Gardens will be available to anyone

interested in seeing the facility, including the rehabilitation room and occupational suite.

In June the Gardens will host a car show

OLDIES AND GOODIES Each year, Clifton Healthcare in Somerset puts on a summer concert and cookout for the residents, staff, their families, and the surrounding community to acknowledge everyone's efforts and support. Clifton has been family-owned and operated since 1954 and its owners attribute much of its success to its close relationship with the surrounding community.

The Clifton Healthcare campus includes the Clifton Rehabilitative Nursing Center, Clifton Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic, Clifton Assisted Living Community, and Clifton Hospice Services at 500 Wilbur Avenue.

Clifton's concerts in recent years have featured Kings Row, a Rhode Island group that bills itself as New England's number-one oldies band. The performance takes place on the front lawn of Clifton's Rehabilitative Nursing Center.

Scheduling for the 2017 concert and cookout is still in the works, but it will be held in July or August. Check the calendar in upcoming Prime Times issues for updated information, or on the online events tab at coastalmags.com.

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Take a walk through the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown! EcoTours for all ages. For info, call 401-846-2577 or visit normanbirdsanctuary.org.

Jog along the Harbor Walk, a pedestrian/bike path atop the hurricane dike in New Bedford’s south end. Explore the Acushnet Sawmills public park and herring weir in the north end! Canoe/kayak launch, fishing, trails. For more info, visit savebuzzardsbay.org.

If you’re near Newport, stroll through Ballard Park! For more info, go to ballardpark.org.

Wander through the urban greenspace of the Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford. Learn more at thetrustees.org or call 508-636-4693.

Or take a walk through the city’s Buttonwood Park and Zoo! For info, call 508-991-6178 or visit bpzoo.org.

We buy your unwanted firearms and accessories.

Many households have unwanted firearms that may have belonged to yourself or a family member - and you’d like them legally removed from your home - and earn some cash as well. We come to YOU! For an in-home consultation, please call Bill Bachant (774) 263-3134 or email bgslakeville@gmail.com

www.GunOrphanage.com

CATHOLIC MEMORIAL HOME SENIOR E XPO At the Catholic Memorial Home Senior Expo, sixteen presenters from a variety of South Coast service providers will be offering information that seniors can use to plan for future health and home care, legal help, and assisted living situations.

The expo is scheduled for Friday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Catholic Memorial Home auditorium at 2446 Highland Avenue in Fall River.

Admission is free, and if you have any confidential paperwork you want shredded, bring it along. For more information contact Lisa or Kate at 508-679-0011. and cookout. The public is welcome to check out the classic cars, listen to 50’s music, enjoy the cookout, and tour Bedford Gardens' facilities.

At press, the dates have not been fixed, but for updated information, check the website at sandpiperhealthcarema.com, email marketing@sandpiperhealth.com, or call 508-998-1188.

Sandpiper Healthcare's Bedford Gardens is located at 4586 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford.

GETTING REVVED UP Care One nursing and rehabilitative center in New Bedford puts on a Family

Fun Day for residents, families, and staff at its facility tucked away in its own quiet corner of New Bedford.

Family Fun Day typically includes an antique car show, music and entertainment, games for the kids, and a barbeque.

The date for the 2017 celebration has yet to be set, but it is usually held at the end of August or early September.

Care One is located at 221 Fitzgerald Drive in New Bedford. Check the calendar in upcoming Prime Times issues for updated information, or on the Events tab in the online calendar at coastalmags.com.

303 State Road ■ Westport, MA ■

Monuments

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Cemetery Lettering

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Cleaning & Repair

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Mailbox Posts

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Benches

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Address Rocks

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Pet Markers

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Laser Etchings

508-678-7801

www.AlbaneseMonuments.com

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GOOD TIMES

Sweatin' with an oldie At the start of each year, roughly every man, woman, and child in the universe joins a gym vowing to get into shape. You can almost PAUL hear the groaning of huK ANDARIAN man versus machine or free weights, the sweat hitting the floor, the pounds coming off in a collective roaring of willpower.

Then ten minutes later, crickets as gyms go silent, people shuffle back to their winter dens to pack on fat for the season and beyond, and vow to at least vow to do something about it next year. You can almost hear the groaning of spirits collapsing, fat rolls forming, and scales creaking under the concerted weight gain of lost willpower.

But not me – I’m different. I will stick to it, and I’m pretty sure I’m the first one to ever say that. Well, to mean it anyway.

Okay, so far.

I joined and faithfully go to Planet Fitness (“We Got a YUGE Bargain on Purple Paint in Bulk!”) for a scant ten bucks a month because I’m cheap and don’t need much in the way of a gym.

Planet Fitness fits that bill to a Spartan T: there are weights and machines and not much else but loads of purple paint and other purple-themed things like a giant bowl of grape miniature Tootsie Rolls on the desk, where mostly surly and largely stationary purple-clad employees stare at their phones and look like they’d rather be doing anything else but swiping your key tag in front of a scanner, which, near as I can tell, is the only job description.

For the record, I hate working out for the sake of working out. I like doing things.

Fun things. I play hockey, I ski, I smack a tennis ball around, I walk and look at scenery, I do things you don’t need a gym for. Structured exercise in a gym ain’t a fun thing and, for lack of a better word, sucks.

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And running? Forget running. Ever see someone running down the street with a blissful look on their face? Me neither.

They look like they’re in agony, their faces a mask of pain, it looks like someone threatened to dismember their dog if they didn’t put on sneakers and start pounding their leg joints into bone-on-bone dust.

That’s sorta the gym look, too. I’ve seen it on my own face in those godawful floor-to-ceiling mirrors they insist on putting in gyms so you can watch yourself writhe in pain. Whenever possible I avoid the Planet Fitness mirrors and instead stare into the Planet Fitness plain purple walls as I count my reps and wonder who the hell picked the color scheme.

I can't tell you how many times I've watched people driving around looking for a closer spot so they won't have to walk that far to the gym I also like to people-watch, and the gym a great place to do that. It starts in the parking lot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched people driving around looking for a closer spot so they won’t have to walk that far to the gym. It’s a freaking gym people, where you’ll go inside to do stuff like walk on a treadmill.

Start in the lot and warm up.

Another thing that cracks me up: I once saw a pair of women get out of a car (that they’d parked very close to the gym) and take hurried puffs of their cigarettes before tossing them down and going inside. Another time I saw a guy walking out of the gym with an unlit butt in his mouth. Whether it was a crutch to quit smoking or he was that eager to light up once he got outside, I have no idea, I

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just found it mildly amusing. Probably because I just recently quit and was basking in the self-righteous judgmental glow of being an ex-smoker.

The gym attire at a ten-bucks-amonth gym is mostly non-descript and functional, as most of Planet Fitness’s customer base seem to be like me – older and not really giving a crap how we dress when we go to the gym – so baggy sweats and t-shirts suffice, and that would be mostly men. But there are younger people who look nicer, sort of dressing for each other I guess, and that would be mostly women.

One interesting thing I saw as a younger guy with a respirator-looking mask I asked him about. He said it restricts breathing and can replicate what it would be like working out at up to a mile above sea level. I have enough trouble breathing down here.

If it’s possible to have a favorite part of being in pain at the gym, mine is the stair stepper machine, or what is often called the Stair Monster because it is truly is a bear, this huge hulking piece of machinery with rotating stairs you can speed up or slow down that absolutely kicks your ass.

The best way I’ve found to endure this beast is pop on earphones and listen to any kind of music and literally dance on the damn thing. I do this all the time, and even if it’s folk or easy listening (which I prefer), I adjust my tempo to the music, sashaying up and down the rotating staircase in time to the beat and imagining myself doing so as fluidly as Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, or more likely like The Tin Man before he got oiled.

No matter. The sweat’s the thing when you go to the gym, and I’m all in on that.

Plus, purple paint is starting to grow on me.

PAUL K ANDARIAN is a lifelong area resident and has been a professional writer since 1982, as columnist, contributor in national magazines, websites and other publications.

NEW KNEE OR HIP IN YOUR FUTURE?

ADVANCED JOINT REPLACEMENT IS HERE. Getting a new knee or hip this year? That is a big decision. Where to have your joint replacement surgery should be an easy one. The Center for Orthopedic Excellence at Saint Anne’s Hospital is the first hospital in Bristol County to receive advanced certification in knee and hip replacement from The Joint Commission, the recognized leader in hospital certification. In fact, we are one of just two hospitals in Massachusetts to be recognized.

To learn more or request a referral to one of our orthopedic doctors, call 855-651-BONE (2663) or visit saintanneshospital.org.

INTERPRETER SERVICES AVAILABLE

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Spanish- Español: ¿Habla español? Le proporcionaremos un intérprete sin costo alguno para usted.

T O A DV E R T I SE I N S OU T H C OA S T PR I M E T I M E S C A L L 50 8 - 677-30 0 0

Clifton

REHABILITATIVE NURSING CENTER

Certified Post Acute Care  Short-Term Rehab  Post Acute Care  Transitional Care  Long-Term Care

Clifton is the first facility in Bristol County to earn this Post Acute Care Certification by the Joint Commission, and one of only a few organizations statewide.

The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® is a national symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient and resident care. The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization for the accreditation of health care organizations.

Do You Need Short-Term Rehab / Post Acute Care?

You have a choice in your care…

Tell your healthcare provider you PREFER Clifton…

And, Call our Admissions Coordinator… 508-675-7589 For priority placement.

500 WILBUR AVENUE, SOMERSET, MA  508-675-7589