December 2020 Beaver Senior News

December 2020 Volume 21, Number 4

COMPL

IMENTA

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Infant Keeny (Shannon) Polce, Mother, Esther Shannon, Mike and Timmy Shannon and dad Lee Shannon.

Photo from 1956.

Beaver County residents take a trip down memory lane and share their favorite holiday remembrances

By Bev Collier A handful of local residents share their fondest memories of growing up and celebrating the holidays over the decades in Beaver County

Hope you brought your appetite “My mother was a full Swede, so we had all kinds of Swedish delicacies on Christmas Eve,” remembers Mike Shannon of Ohioville.

His parents and four siblings would annually make

the hour-long drive literally “over the river and through the woods” to his grandparents’ house in Pleasant Hills to partake of the grand feast along with other relatives, usually 20 to 25 people in all.

He especially recalls potatiskorv, a sausage-potato dish “that no one liked,” tasty cardamom rolls “that my dad would always fight over,” and lutefisk (dried whitefish) prepared by his grandfather “that was so strong because it was soaked

in lye that it once took the finish off the dish it was in.” The Swedish meatballs are one of the tastier ethnic dishes that have outlasted their not-so-welcome competitors and still regularly appear at holiday meals.

Grab your copy of the 2020 Beaver County Senior Resource Guide A guide with all the phone numbers and websites for senior resources you may need. Visit the website at pghseniornews.com to download a copy of the guide.

Beaver County

2020-2021

Senior Resource Guide In cooperation with the Beaver County Office on Aging

And what would the holidays be without a traditional drink? In Mike’s family it was glogg, a combination of wine and other alcohol steeped in spices that his Continued on page 4

For caregivers. For professionals. For you.

Publisher’s Corner

Robert A. Banks Attorney at Law

Wills • Estate Planning • Senior Citizen Law Powers of Attorney • Living Wills

345 Commerce St. 2nd Floor Beaver, PA 15009 This holiday may be different from those in the past due to the pandemic, but see Angela’s column on page 16 for ways in which it can be just as fun and meaningful.

Our entire staff at Beaver County Senior News wishes you and your loved ones a safe and healthy holiday season. Our next issue will be published in March 2021. We’ll see you in the new year!

Lynn Hogan Webster

“My goal is to provide area residents with the best possible legal service at a fair and reasonable price.”

Owner/Publisher: Lynn Hogan Webster Editor: Gina Mazza Art Director: Amy Svoboda Contributing Writers: Angela Gentile Gina Mazza Printing Company: Knepper Press

Services include: • elder law • estate planning • estate administration • family law

Attorney Robert Banks has provided legal counsel to over 7,200 clients since his admission to the Bar in October 1978. During his 36 years of legal counseling Attorney Banks has obtained experience in many fields:

345 Commerce St. 2nd Floor

Need a speaker at no cost for your church or group?

Beaver, PA 15009 Give me a call!

www.rabanksesq.com Office: (724) 775-1500 Fax: (724) 774-3560

Visit our website at pittsburghseniornews. com Volume 21, Number 4 Published monthly by Pittsburgh Senior News, Inc. for Beaver County Senior News 97 Beechmont Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15229 (412) 760-5914 pghseniornews@icloud.com

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December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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Approximately 70 million Americans will see a

1.3 percent increase in their Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments in 2021. We will mail Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) notices throughout the month of December to retirement, survivors, and disability beneficiaries, SSI recipients, and representative payees.

Want to know your new benefit amount before your notice arrives? Starting in early December, you will be able to securely view and save your Social Security COLA notice online via the Message Center inside my Social Security. Benefit amounts will not be available before December. Make sure you are signed up for notifications from the my Social Security Message Center by choosing email or text under “Message Center Preferences.” With convenient access to your COLA notice online, there’s no need to contact us to get your new benefit amount.

Log in to your personal my Social Security account today and sign up for notifications.

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Real Possibilities is a trademark of AARP.

Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Your new benefit amount will be available in December

3

A positive perspective

Continued from page 1

Rations and jobs in short supply, crowded housing, lowered wages, kitchen gardens, patched clothing, psychological stress… that was the Great Depression, and Flo CuspardLott, 95, lived through it all.

grandfather distilled in his bar. Mike remembers the teenagers always trying to get a taste but being denied.

Presents were never allowed to be opened until later on Christmas Eve, which, to be fair, was

Christmas 1956 at the Shannon house

still ahead of most children, who needed to wait till Christmas Day. Mike’s grandfather, an avid photographer, would take a picture each year of all the grandchildren lined up along his staircase in order of age.

When it would finally be time to call it a night, Mike has one ending memory: “If it was slippery out, all of us kids would sit in the back seat of our station wagon on the drive home to weigh the wheels down.”

A great idea…after all, who wants to spin around with all that lutefisk and glogg inside of them?

This still-independent Bridgewater resident grew up in Rochester during that era, when, despite the difficulties, Christmas was always celebrated in her household. “My family lived in a house my grandfather built. Nobody had a lot and life wasn’t always good, but it was good enough. I remember my father bringing walnuts home and all of us pounding the meat out of them. We always had a Christmas tree, but would typically just get an orange for a gift.”

Flo now marvels that she went from receiving a piece of fruit as a rare pleasure to later in life with her own family (she has two sons) using other food— like cranberries—in a wreath for her front door. “I went from not having much to having a great deal and ‘doing Christmas up’.”

Flo Cuspard-Lott

A musician and lover of music, Flo plays the piano and organ and previously led a choir. She has always been connected to her church, Second Baptist Church of Rochester, and would always look forward to a candlelight service she was responsible for that was held there the first weekend of December.

Mike Shannon and family

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Rehabilitation Center

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“I believe you appreciate Christmas more when you’re involved in preparations for it,” she says.

Koppel Terrace Senior Apartments Maintenance Free, Garden Style Apartments For persons 55 years of age and older Corner of 1st Avenue and Richard Street in Koppel 19 spacious, fully carpeted 1 and 2 bedroom apartments One Bedroom $400 Two Bedrooms $500 plus electric Water, sewage and garbage included.

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Like many households in the 1950s, the Lionel or American Flyer train platform was a Christmas staple. Dave Aitken of Vanport has especially fond memories of those days, enhanced by his father’s extra commitment to the trains.

His dad, who was the owner of a gas station in what is now the Auto Image car shop on Banksville Road in Pittsburgh, would start to set up a layout every September in the garage’s wash bay.

and Plasticville buildings. The houses and various other buildings were illuminated by a string of Christmas tree lights mounted through holes in the ¾-inch plywood. Not only was there light in every window, but the walls glowed, as well. In its final configuration, the 8- by 7-feet layout was flat and painted green with white roads, and had thread strung from all the utility poles.

“And, as always,” Dave smiles, “next to the completed layout was a large Coke-a-Cola Santa Claus.”

“It was there that he would paint the boards, rewire, and change the track plan—but always with two tracks around the outside of the board,” Dave remembers.

“He always said you had to have two tracks running along the edge and it took me awhile before I understood why.

For the past decade, Dave has been creating new holiday memories for another generation of children in a very different way. He has assumed the role of Belsnickel—a grumpy, fur-clad figure that originated in Germany and is preserved there, as well as in Pennsylvania Dutch and Brazilian-German communities. The “real” Belsnickel carries a switch with which to beat naughty children, but also pocketsful of cakes, candies, and nuts for good children. Needless to say, there is no punishment as part of Dave’s impersonation.

“When the platform was set up, policemen, county workers, the Coke man, the Pepsi man, and Dave and his dad vendors who filled the candy and cigarette machine were always hanging around longer than usual…playing with my trains! And not only playing, but racing! The two outside tracks became a race track with my locomotives. Here the police officers raced each other, the Pepsi and Coke guys competed, and the mailman and Railway Express Agency delivery man challenged each other to see whose train was the fastest. Not wanting to lose such an import race, often my locomotives would take to the air when they came to a curve. After several such flights and slides across the floor, used tires were placed at the curves to at least stop my engines from hitting the concrete.”

While he typically steps into the character several times over the holidays, this year will of course be different. Although you can’t find him in person, he will be part of a virtual event for Old Economy Village on December 12 from 11 a.m. to noon. (Pre-registration is requested. For more information or to register, contact David Miller at davmiller@pa.gov.)

Dave’s family lived above the gas station and, just before Thanksgiving, his dad would disassemble the whole creation, carry it upstairs, reassemble it, and apply finishing touches to it for the big holiday. After a few years, the Christmas tree was banished to the floor to make more room for train tracks

Dave as Belsnickel Continued on page 6

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Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Racing into the holidays

5

Continued from page 5

Please move over A favorite holiday pastime is curling up on the sofa with a blanket and taking in a classic Christmas movie. Scenes of snow-covered streets, decorations and mostly kind people can wash over us like a tide of nostalgia.

It’s such real-life images that Paula Weischedel and her mother Peg Grzelka recall from years’ past when living in Beaver County’s Patterson Heights community. Currently Rochester residents, Paula, 67, and Peg, 92, have fond recollections of going down to do Christmas shopping along the main street of Beaver Falls. The list of stores they remember include Benson’s department store, J.C. Penney’s, Montgomery Ward, Woolworth’s, Isaly’s (nickel ice cream cones), and the Granada Theatre, along with a bowling alley (including duckpins for the kids) above Grant’s store.

“They didn’t have malls like they do today,” Paula says. “You didn’t have to leave Beaver Falls to do any shopping. You could find whatever you wanted right there. Our favorite store to go to at Christmas time was Benson’s. They had everything imaginable. Every year we would go and I would pick out my Christmas dress,” Paula recalls. “They had the best selection in town for all sizes. Our dad would take myself and my sister Kim to Benson’s and we would purchase a gift for mom.” Paula remembers buying her a purse one year. “Bensons became part of our family holiday tradition.”

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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And then, there were the crowds. “On Saturday nights,” Paula wistfully says, “there were so many people shopping that you had to walk out on the road.”

Now that’s a good memory!

Adored by young and old Back in the days when Ken Yovich of Beaver worked in maintenance at Westinghouse (now Eaton Corporation), he recalls his plant manager inviting all the employees and their kids to a holiday event across the road at Beaver Area High School where they could meet Santa, listen to Christmas music, enjoy decorations, and receive presents. He appreciated that sense of community and caring, and perhaps that—along with his desire to make people feel alive and purposeful—was the stimulus for his own portrayal of a certain adored holiday personage.

Once playing Santa at his church (Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints) several decades ago, some of the children loved Ken so much that they didn’t want to see him leave.

“When I went down the hall and into a room to change before going home, the kids followed me and I just instinctively took off out of the building and down the road,” he laughs.

“I figured I could outrun them, but they chased me for two blocks before I did. The whole time I was holding onto my sack and hat, yelling ‘ho, ho, ho’!”

Ken Yovich playing Santa And in a situation that proves you’re never too old for Santa, Ken also remembers a time he went to a nursing home where his wife worked. “I was fully dressed up, with a hunting suit and pillow under my costume, when I looked in one room and saw a lady sitting by herself. As soon as she saw me, she let out an exclamation, came running out, and started dancing around me. It really made me sweat nut I appreciated her enthusiasm and the whole thing probably brought memories back to her.”

Although not formally playing the role these days, when outside, Ken delights in regularly getting called over by fathers who see part of his authentic white beard sticking out from below his mask. “I pull my mask down and tell their kids they’d better be good!”

It fits right in with his mission to spread a bit of joy to the world.

Peg and Paula at dinner with their family, Christmas 1953.

Of beer and turkeys

No room at the inn

When Bill Lintz of Beaver thinks about Christmases past, he recalls traveling to the home of his grandparents, Giancinto and Concetta Franzini, in Beaver Falls for a traditional Italian meal. “There would be delicious pasta and all my cousins and aunts and uncles were there, everyone talking with their hands, and the men always got to eat first.”

“A good many years ago, my husband and I had a little Peekapoo puppy named Timothy Gregory Irwin III,” says Mary Ann Irwin of New Brighton. “We’d just moved into a new place and gotten our tree put up—and Timmy liked to lie under the tree or by it. When it got close to Christmas, we got our gifts out and arranged them around the tree and went to bed. All of a sudden, Timmy started to whine and run back and forth from the tree to our bedroom. I tried leaving him outside, but that didn’t help. Finally, we figured out what was wrong. We’d put several gifts in front of the manager, right here he wanted to lay. Once we moved them, he settled down and was fine. You just don’t know what these animals have in their heads.”

“I can remember putting cookies and a glass of milk by the fireplace one year when my father told me, ‘Billy, Santa doesn’t drink milk; he drinks beer,’ and so I started putting out a glass of beer and, every year, Santa drank it!”

Meanwhile, Bill’s wife, Julie (the couple recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary), enjoys retelling a story her mother often relayed to her. “My grandmother, Rose Rebrovic, had five kids and they lived on the side of the hill in Colona Heights. It was a bit of a trip to get down into Monaca. My grandmother would have walk down the hill, across a bridge, and down to the river where a big barge full of live turkeys would come a month before the holidays.

She’d pick one out, put it in a bag, walk all the way home, and then feed and fatten it up over the next few weeks.

“All the kids would of course become fond of the turkey and consider it to be a pet, but my grandmother, ignoring their crying, would still go out with a knife just before Christmas and unapologetically bring an end to that relationship.”

Bill Lintz with his family

Ah, perhaps Timmy somehow discerned the true meaning of Christmas.

Mary Ann Irwin, 79, of New Brighton would a g re e t h a t s i m p l e memories are the best.

“The Christmas tree was always a big thing for us,” Mary Ann remembers, adding that she and her late husband, Tom, had six children between the two of them. “The tree went up on Thanksgiving weekend and stayed up until Serbian Christmas. We’re Hungarian and GerMary Ann Irwin, five generations pictured man, so we had stuffed cabbage on Christmas Eve. Decorating was always special to us, as well, adding holiday trimmings inside our home and outside. When you walked in our house, you knew it’s Christmas. Angels and reindeer everywhere!”

Now with 10 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild, the holidays are a little different.

“They all still come into town, a couple are out of state; or they stay in their own homes and I visit them all. With the pandemic, it’s a little rougher this year. I seriously considered staying home but I can’t not see my family. I’ll wear my mask and take all the precautions.

Continued on page 8

Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Preceding that big affair, his family would always attend midnight mass (actually at midnight to accommodate shifts of factory workers) and then he would hang his stocking up on the fireplace before excitedly going to bed.

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Continued from page 7

A beautiful holiday soundtrack Christmas would seem pretty bleak without our favorite carols, but to Beaver Falls resident Rhonda Ficca, the entire year would be dismal without songs.

“Being a music teacher was my pride and joy, as a love for music was instilled in me from my precious late mother, Filamena Sarracino Ficca, and my wonderful inspirational elementary music teacher, Jeannie Porter,” Rhonda says.

Having just retired in 2017, she taught for five years in Ohio and for 31 years in the New Brighton Area School District at Brighton Elementary. “We held a Christ- Rhonda Ficca, 1990’s mas and spring program every year at Brighton. At the beginning, it was just fifth graders, but then we expanded to third to fifth grades. We actually held mini-musicals and picked students for acting parts. There would be chorus singers in the background to liven up the shows. They were always exciting and dramatic.

“One year we performed ‘December in Our Town,’ another year ‘Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol.’ We started teaching students to develop acting and role-playing skills, as well as how to sing.” Her students didn’t need solo voices and, regardless of their ability, Rhonda sought to make them feel special. “Everyone was allowed to sing. My goal was to instill a love of singing in them and have music be with them for the rest of their lives.

“It was a thrill to work with the staff and students, and my final show three years ago was so touching I could barely control my emotions. The auditorium was packed, half of it with my former students – many of whom were parents of my current students at the time.”

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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Rhonda was honored to be recognized by her principal, Jason Hall, and superintendent, Dr. Joseph Guarino, for all her years of service as an elementary music teacher and choral director. That’s surely a tune of sorts that will be playing in her head again this Christmas and for many more to come.

Keeping it simple, and meaningful George Petrella, 84, and his wife Betty, 82, keep things basic for the holidays—turkey on Christmas day, Christmas Eve at their daughter’s home (they have three daughters and two sons) and a grab bag gift exchange for the entire family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“Our faith in our Lord and keeping the family together is what’s important to us,” Betty shares, adding that they have been married for 62 years. “It’s a wonderful feeling to remember back over the years of taking our grandchildren to the local candy shop, teaching them to fish, things like that,” George adds. Formerly from Center Township and Monaca, the couple now lives in Beaver.

The Petrella family

Hot pots and dragon parades Speaking of ethnic delicacies, what Ming Cheu, 75, of Bridgewater remembers most about holidays while growing up in Taiwan is the food. She returns to her native country every year to visit family but has brought her cultural cuisine to her dinner table in Bridgewater.

Ming Cheu and family Christmas. We still do that with our two children.

Ming immigrated to the United States with her four brothers, went onto earn a nursing degree from Community College of Beaver County and worked as an LPN at both Friendship Ridge and Beaver Valley Rehab.

“I still miss the varieties of foods of my homeland, which is very tropical like Hawaii, but I can find some of them at the Asian grocery store on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. The Chinese New Year [in January] was also a big holiday for us in Taiwan. Everyone wears their new clothes and go out to the streets where there were dragon parades, fireworks and drums.”

Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

“Christmas eve is when we always have what is called a hot pot, sort of like a fondue where you have a big burner in the center of the dining room table,” she explains. “The hot pot can have chicken or different kinds of meats, thinly sliced, maybe some shrimp, tofu, scallops, spring onions and rice noodles. Everyone has chop sticks and we just dig in. In our tradition, we give red envelopes with money inside on

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Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin

Q &

A

Question: What is OPTIONS? Answer: A program that allows individuals to receive services and supports in their homes. Services are provided to assist them in maintaining independence at the highest level of functioning in the community and help delay the need for more costly care. It is funded primarily through the Aging Block Grant via the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.

Question: Are OPTIONS services an entitlement?

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Answer: No, OPTIONS services are not an entitlement. All services are based on need as determined by the needs assessment of the consumer, completed with a care manager, and includes verification of the previous year’s income and current assets. The care manager must explore all other resources with the consumer prior to authorizing services.

Question: What are the criteria to receive services?

Answer: The consumer must be:

• Age 60 or older• Experiencing some degree of frailty related to physical and/or mental status that 10 impacts daily functioning

OPTIONS Program Q&A “The services provided to me by the Beaver County Office on Aging have made my life much easier. My rating is EXCELLENT!” - Paschal Indovina • A Pennsylvania resident • A US citizen or lawful permanent resident • Not currently receiving or eligible to receive Medical Assistance LongTerm Services and Supports Question: Is there a cost to receive services?

Answer: Some consumers may have to share in the cost of their services as determined by the needs assessment.

When needed, a bill is sent out each month with the amount to be paid.

Question: What services are available?

Answer: They are: • Home support to help with light house cleaning, shopping and laundry.

• Personal care to help with bathing, dressing and toileting.

• Respite care provides a few hours relief for family caregivers to get a break when they can’t leave their loved ones alone.

• In-home meals program provides hot, cold and frozen lunches or dinners for those needing help with meals.

• Adult day service provides a structured, supervised daytime

activity program for those with dementia, depression or social isolation.

• Personal Emergency Response (PERS) buttons provide a way to call for help if alone and unable to reach the phone.

• Care management includes assessment of needs, development of a person-centered plan of care in coordination with formal and informal supports and support of the consumer’s individual preferences and independence. Also included are ongoing monitoring and reassessment of the care plan.

Question: Are there limits on how much service can be received?

Answer: Yes, the care plan cannot be over $765 a month and all services are based on need versus want. In some limited cases, when specific criteria are met, a cap exception may be approved.

Question: How does someone make a referral to OPTIONS? Answer: Call the Beaver County Office on Aging and ask for the Information and Referral Department at (724) 847-2262 or (888) 548-2262. Tell them you want to make a referral.

Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin

SPOTLIGHT on Senior Concerns

While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, there are many important benefits to receiving it.

• Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of other flu-related illnesses, hospitalizations and even deaths.

• Getting a flu vaccine can save healthcare resources so that patients with critical illnesses can be treated more efficiently.

Getting the flu vacc ine remains important in this time of COVID-19 Amy Crea, Rite-Aid Pharmacist

Getting the flu vaccine every year is the best way to

prevent influenza. This virus can cause multiple medical symptoms, including fever, cough, difficulty breathing and, in worse cases, death. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to protect yourself and those around you by getting a flu vaccine.

• Receiving a flu shot this year is particularly important because like SARS, COVID-19 and others, the influenza virus is a respiratory illness; so it is best to minimize your chances of having two respiratory-related illnesses at the same time.

• Some people still get the flu even though they have received the flu vaccine due. This is due to multiple strains of the virus being active. Studies show, however, that even if you do get sick, the risk of requiring hospitalization is greatly reduced if you have received the vaccine.

The flu vaccine is available by contacting your primary care physician, local pharmacy, or checking with your local hospitals to see if they are doing clinics. RiteAid Pharmacy is currently giving vaccinations but it is recommended that you call ahead to ensure vaccine availability.

For Caregivers of Older Adults or Grandparents raising their Grandchildren, who live in the same residence. $$ Reimbursement for out-of-pocket caregiving expenses, such as personal care services, supplies, respite care, assistive devices, or home modifications.

Total household income determines the specific percentage of monthly reimbursement.

Beaver County Office on Aging 1020 8th Ave. Beaver Falls, PA 15010

724-847-2262

CSP@BCOA.US

Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Caregiver Support Program

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Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin

Circle of Friends Senior Services COVID-19 may be keeping us from gathering together but it’s not keeping Circle of Friends from being here for you! We are currently offering several services to Beaver County seniors that may need a little extra help during this difficult time.

Telephone Reassurance Program: This program is if you or someone you know age 60 or older would like a friendly occasional phone call to just check in and make sure that your basic needs are being met, or even just to talk for a few minutes. Calls can be scheduled one to three times per week during daylight hours. To get started, call either the Baden or New Brighton center and let a staff member know that you are interested in the Telephone Program.

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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For more information visit cofbeaver.com or call (724) 869-4224 or (724) 846-1959.

Baden Community Center Circle of Friends St. John’s Baptist School 371 Linmore Ave. Baden (724) 869-4224 cofbeaver.com

Aliquippa Satellite Center Circle of Friends St. Titus Church 952 Franklin Ave. Aliquippa New Brighton Community (724) 857-9989 cofbeaver.com Center Circle of Friends 1851 Third Ave. (Madonna Hall at Holy Family) New Brighton (724) 846-1959 cofbeaver.com

Grab and Go Meal Program: If you or someone you know age 60 or older is not getting to the store as often as you’d like, or if you haven’t been going out for that occasional bite at a restaurant and are tired of cooking for yourself every day, you can take advantage of a few pre-cooked, frozen meals. This program is currently being offered at no cost.

Simply pull in to the parking lot at the center most convenient to you, and a staff member will bring a box of frozen meals to your car. Our staff follows CDC safety recommendations, including wearing masks and gloves. Meals come in either a 2-pack or a 5-pack and can be heated either in the oven or a microwave. (Heating instructions are on the box.) Call the center nearest you to get on the schedule or for more information.

• Circle of Friends, Baden, located at the former St. John’s School, corner of Linmore Ave. and Wayne St. Call (724) 8694224.

• Circle of Friends, New Brighton, located at the Holy Family Parish campus, 1851 Third Ave. Call (724) 846-1959.

Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin 570 Beaver Valley Mall Blvd Rural King Corridor Inside the Mall Monaca, PA 15061 (724) 774 - 5654

Center Hours (Currently closed to the public.

Staff available by phone during the following hours) Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Programs, classes, and activities that regularly occur at the Center at the Mall and will resume when we reopen.

Current Programs 





Grab N Go Meals If you or someone you know is in need of meals, the Center is offering frozen meals that can be picked up once a week at our rear entrance. You must call and register for this service.

Reassurance Calls If you or someone you know would benefit from weekly phone calls from one of the Center’s staff to check in, call to be added to the list of recipients.

Walking Club Group meets in the park in Beaver, Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10 a.m.

Participants must wear a mask. Meetings are weather dependent.

The Center wants its members to stay connected this holiday season, so we are asking everyone post a photo to our Facebook page showing your holiday decorations, Christmas tree, wreath, nativity scene, or favorite ornament to be entered into a drawing for a prize. If you are not on Facebook, you can send your pictures to lori.kennedy@lutheranseniorlife.org and she will post them.

Submission deadline is December 31st.

Center at the Mall activities from the comfort of your home If you are looking for ways to stay healthy and active while social distancing, Center at the Mall encourages you to check out our Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/centeratthemall We regularly post important updates and information including: Beaver County Office on Aging COVID-19 Taskforce posts What is happening at the Center and when we plan to reopen  Exercise videos taught by our exercise specialists that you can follow along at home Tech tips, nutritional guides, healthy recipes, informative videos regarding healthcare, senior services, healthy living, fraud prevention, and other topics to allow you to stay safe and in the know. 

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Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Center at the Mall Holiday Photo Contest

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Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin Holiday greetings from your local legislators Local legislative offices

are open for walk-ins and telephone traffic nearly every week during the pandemic. Your elected officials are available to help resolve concerns for seniors and their families. Representative Jim Marshall hopes that families are able to gather Representative Jim Marshall during the holidays and we wish everyone a joyous and healthy new year. Rep. Marshall’s office is located at 2811 Darlington Road in Beaver Falls. Call (724) 847-1352.

Seniors helped pave the-

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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way for the lives we all enjoy today. Senator Camera Bartolotta considers one of her most important duties to be ensuring that older adults receive help with state programs and services designed to help them. To Senator Camera Bartolotta better serve Beaver County seniors, Senator Bartolotta hosts office hours on Mondays by appointment at the B. F. Jones Memorial Library in Aliquippa. In addition, staff are available by phone and email at her district offices in Washington, Waynesburg and Monongahela throughout the week.

My staff and I are available to help local seniors navigate

any issues they may have when dealing with the state government and its agencies. Our services include assistance with the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program, PACE/PACENET, PennDOT issues, utility programs, estate planning and more. In addition, we can provide you with any necessary state forms such as birth and death certificate applications, PennDOT registrations and renewals, handicap placard applications, and state tax forms.

If you should need any assistance with state issues or if you need further information, please contact my office at 724-7740444 Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:30.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Senator Elder Vogel Pennsylvania 47th District 488 Adams St. Rochester Senator Elder Vogel

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New

Year! Going into the holiday season and beyond, it is absolutely critical that we continue and strengthen our support for senior services and senior care. Our seniors have worked their entire lives making western Pennsylvania the great place it is today. It is our responsibility in the state House of Representatives to make sure we show our appreciation by providing the support and funding needed to improve and maintain senior’s quality of life. I look forward to working towards that end! Stay healthy and enjoy the holiday season; and always remember, if there is ever anything we can do, our office is available to serve you. Please feel free to contact us at 724-728-7655.

“I also host numerous outreach events throughout the region, including a REAL ID seminar, a shredding event and other seminars on topics of interest to seniors,” Senator Bartolotta comments. “Loneliness and isolation are some of the biggest risks to seniors. As we approach the holidays, I encourage everyone to stay connected as much as possible. I wish our seniors and all community residents a holiday season filled with joy and good health.” Satellite Office, B.F. Jones Memorial Library, 663 Franklin Ave., Aliquippa, Mondays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

No local phone number-call Washington, PA office at 724-225-4380.

Representative Joshua D. Kail

Joshua D. Kail PA State Representative 15th Legislative District 3468 Brodhead Road, Suite 9, Monaca (Center Township)

Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin

Beaver County religious organizations send holiday Greetings from your neighb ors at Beth greetings Samuel Jewish Center in Ambridge.

We

have been ministering to our elderly and homebound by sending out cards. Our Cheery Card Ministry along with school and CCD children of St. Peter and Paul have been busy reaching out to the isolated members of our Parish. They have selected, drawn and sent out an uplifting message to brighten someone’s day. It has been a successful ministry so far. The Parish has received back many phone calls and notes of how much the Seniors appreciate being thought of and how much they enjoy the cards. We are tending to others spirits the way we are able to at this time. Blessings to you and your family this holiday season.

Pastoral Leader Nora Stay St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church 200 Third St. Beaver, PA 15009 (724) 775-4111 Champion Life Church would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

We believe that each and every one of you is a Champion

in Christ and pray that 2021 will be your best year yet! At Champion Life Church we have a motto....”Serve is what we do”. It is our privilege to serve the people of Beaver County, especially our seniors. Our Helping Hands group has made it their mission to serve and minister to those in our community. We want you to know that God loves you and we love you too!

May God bless you with peace and joy this holiday season.

Blessings, Pastor Larry& Kim Bettencourt Champion Life Church 2679 Darlington Road Beaver Falls (724) 846-1065

The well-known 19th century Rabbi Chayim of Tzanz relates this parable:

A man wandered lost in the forest for several days and finally came upon another, and he called out to him, saying “Brother, can you show me the way out of this forest?” The other man replied, “I too am lost, and all the ways I have tried lead nowhere, just leading me astray. Take my hand and let us search for the way together.”

So it is with us. May we join hands and look for the way together, on the path of friendship, healing, and peace.

Many blessings, Spiritual Leader Beth Samuel Jewish Center 810 Kennedy Drive Ambridge, PA 15003 724-266-5238 CantorRenaBSJC@comcast.net

Cantor Rena Shapiro

Merry Christmas to all who are receiving this great publication!

Mr. Rogers is quoted as saying, “There’s no person in

the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.” While you and I may have never met before, I know that God has created you to be unlike any other. You are a person of great worth. The people of Chippewa United Methodist Church have recently added a different kind of yard sign to their front yard. We, as Christ followers, are to love the Lord our God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The signs say #LOVEYOURNEIGHBOR. I’ve always wanted to have a neighbor like you and I’m glad we live in the same neighborhood.

Blessings, Pastor Tai Commanche Chippewa United Methodist Church 2545 Darlington Road Beaver Falls, PA 15010 724-847-4828

Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

Greetings from St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Beaver.

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Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin

You can use...

Our 2020 holiday experience will be different but still meaningful and fun

By Angela Gentile, Planning Unit Program Monitor Beaver County Office on Aging

Our 2020 Christmas ex-

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

perience certainly will be different due to the Coronavirus pandemic. You may be disappointed that community and family holiday celebrations are Angela is coloring Christmas being altered or even can- ornaments. celled. Some people can be very rigid about what they feel should occur during the holidays. It is important to be flexible this year in your thinking and plan some fun things to do. Your holiday can be a positive experience with making an alternative plan, and it could lead to some new rituals and traditions. Many medical professionals recommend keeping your celebrations limited to a small group, preferably no more than six people.

Here are a few ideas:

•

Have a Christmas Movie Night. Make one or two kinds of holiday cookies and some hot cocoa. There are tons of Christmas movies on the cable channels.

•

Decorate a Christmas tree. Hang a few strands of Christmas lights outside the house. Go for a drive to see your neighbors’ Christmas lights.

• Listen to some Christmas music. Some radio stations

16 start playing holiday music early in November. Cable

music stations have holiday music. If you have a Smartphone, you have many options to listen to music through radio stations or apps.

• Send out a few Christmas cards. We have been getting away from this tradition. Send them to people who you will not see this year. Be sure to write a personal message in the card.

•

Plan your own Paint and Sip event at your house.

If you don’t paint, make it Craft Day or Coloring Day.

•

Clear the table and work on a jigsaw puzzle for hours of fun.

•

If you have little ones in the family, plan a candy cane hunt. Hide the candy canes throughout the house and enjoy watching them scamper around looking for the sweet treats. It is an event they will remember for years to come.

•

And finally, get on the telephone and call some people. It will warm their heart and yours, too.

Beaver County Office on Aging Bulletin

Need help to resolve a problem in a long-term care facility?

Linda L. Hall, Administrator

Call your Ombudsman

Beaver County Commissioners: Daniel C. Camp III, Chairman, Jack Manning, Tony Amadio 1020 Eighth Ave. Beaver Falls, PA 15010 Website: beavercountypa.gov/Depts/OOA Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone: (724) 847-2262 (local)

(888) 548-2262 (long distance)

“Advocate for those who can’t, support those who can and ensure all long-term care consumers live with dignity and respect.”

TDD (724) 728-5700

Beaver County Office on Aging Ombudsman

Ombudsman

1020 8th Avenue Beaver Falls, PA 15010 Toll free (888) 548-2262 email Ombudsman@bcoa.us

Ombudsman Confidential Phone

(724) 480-8589

Protective Services for Older Adults (724) 775-1786 (to report abuse, neglect, and exploitation - 24 hours)

(724) 480-8589 (to report resident rights issues in nursing homes, personal care homes and long-term care services) ombudsman@bcoa.us Services: * Information and Referral * Care Management * Benefits / APPRISE Counseling * Pre-admission Assessment * Caregiver Support Program * Domiciliary Care * Ombudsman * Adult Day Care * Home Delivered Meals * Homemaker * Personal Care * Legal Services * Protective Services * Senior Centers * Transportation

Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

An Ombudsman is specially trained and has authority under Pennsylvania law to INVESTIGATE and RESOLVE resident-directed complaints made by, or on behalf of, long-term care residents. All calls are confidential.

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Township, Butler County).

Direct Cremation $890

December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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“We call it a ‘Holy Hook-up’ as to how the Lord led This charge for direct cremation without any locaus to this attendant rights or ceremonies includes: tion,” explains e c kof y death H e t z e r, • Removing the deceased person from any B place has person been a within Beaver County and transporting thewho deceased to the Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd. mission worker w i t h H oors legal anna • Consulting with the appropriate family member(s) since “We guardian at the Thomas M. SmithIndustries Funeral Home &1996.

CrematoA unique form of ministry had outgrown our Bakry Ltd. to acquire necessary vital statistics and authorizations. called Hosanna Industries erstown space and were • Email or fax arrangements are available is available to individuals looking to build a larger in the Pittsburgh region • Sheltering the remains for a 24 hour period by facility to (required accommodate who may need a helping law) prior to performing the cremation. our growth. Through a hand, as well as to those friend of a friend, weobewere • Performing theoffer cremation on site.

(Additional fee for who want to a hand led to the Rinard Lane sity) to others. campus where we found • Placing the cremated remains inexactly a simple container. what we were Officially started on Palm looking for: a volunteer Sunday in during • Presenting the1990 cremated remains to the appropriate family an ofmember(s) or service legal guardian at thedormitory, Thomas M.chapel, Smith Funeral a worship at First Home & Crematory Ltd. fice, warehouse space, a Presbyterian Church of maintenance garage and Bakerstown, the and nonprofit • Prearrangements Prefunding available has steadily grown to in- staff housing. It was a come true! We have clude 13 buildings two dream The concerns of a familyinrequesting direct cremation are worked in hard to update locations in Beaver andbe performed simple-the cremation should a timely and each building, add new Allegheny counties, and dignified manner, under the supervision of a professional make the funeral director,an and at a fair cost. structures The Thomasand M. Smith has served increasing functional and Funeral Home Crematory Ltd. facility is committed to satisfying number of &community these concerns, and we opportunity to be of beautiful.” residents during thatwelcome time. the service. Call us if you have any questions or wish to make Its expansion took a leap The Rochester campus is arrangements. forward in 1998, when Ho- also the site for Hosanna sanna Industries moved Industries’ construction from Bakerstown to its services and home repair current headquarters in program. Through this Rochester/New Sewick- program, volunteers reley Township, Beaver model existing low-income County (close to Cranberry homes for needy families and build new homes for families in need. For qualifying households, volunteer staff turn around the construction of new homes in one week. These “Blitz Builds” are made possible Daniel T. D’Alessandro, Supervisor not just with volunteer 930 Center Avenue. labor but also donated and Blawnox, PA 15238 materials and discounted Exit 9 Route 28 North goods, and a uniquely orShould this information reachganized your home at a time of building method illness or sorrow, please accept sincere apology. thatour compresses the build time into seven days.

(412) 828-5700

Crossword Puzzle Answer on page 2

Across

Down

1. HQs for B-2s 5. Withholds pay from 10. “Blue” entity, on a TV cop show 14. Ice sheet 15. Deja vu for the ears?

16. Pudding thickener 17. Age group 19. Fen-____ (banned diet drug) 20. Pilot who gets frozen in carbonite 21. ____ two-shoes 22. Goal-oriented sorts 26. Bring on 30. Ethereal 34. ___ diem 35. Area meas.

36. Hurricane’s center 37. “Release the ____” (Mr. Burns’ catchphrase) 39. Hushed 42. Pro-___ (tournaments) 43. “If ___ $1000000” (Barenaked Ladies single) 47. Nita of silent films 48. Arouse 51. Cathedral areas 52. Follower of a German Protestant 54. Tex-Mex dish 57. Complexion spoiler 62. Rooster’s crest 63. Adjusted, as a scale 66. Kind 67. “Two if ___” 68. Go-____ 69. Boundless 70. German city founded by ancient Romans 71. Where some actors are seen

1. China neighbor, briefly 2. Dip target 3. Former West German capital 4. Comprehends 5. Gives a hand 6. Appetizer for eight?

7. Ho ___ Minh City 8. Hootchy-___ 9. 9-digit ID 10. Daily News competitor, for short 11. Pirate song start 12. Begged 13. Letters in fashion 18. Sounded lionlike 21. Rover’s warning 23. “___ Within” (abbr. on a sign) 24. Playa del ____, Calif.

25. Actor George 26. Apple instant-messaging program 27. Grammy winner Judd 28. Pizza part 29. Former FOX rival 31. Cads 32. “Center square” Paul of “Hollywood Squares” 33. Himalayan creatures 38. Sedimentary stuff 40. More foolish 41. Circuit 44. Skeptical laugh 45. Munched on 46. Races 49. “Yeah, right!”

50. Parisian pronoun 53. Troubadours’ dawn serenades 54. Security system component, briefly 55. Waxplant 56. Mischievous kids 58. Mackerel shark 59. “Is ____ earthquake,...”

60. Barcelona-born muralist 61. Sharp image producer 63. The 700 Club ntwk.

64. Sailor’s assent 65. Pelican State sch.

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HUD has mandated that an admission priority be implemented for households whose incomes are 30% of the area median income or less.

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There is an admission priority for very low income persons whose incomes are

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Housing Authority of the County of Beaver, 300 State Ave., Beaver, PA 15009

Or call (724) 775-1220 for additional information www.beavercountyhousing.org

Like us on Facebook for more news and updates at facebook.com/ Pittsburgh SeniorNews

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Deceember 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

1 bedroom apartments w/ equipped kitchens, wall-wall carpet, A/C, balconies, community room, laundry facility, limited off-street parking and Secure intercom system.

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December 2020 • Beaver County Senior News

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2020 Allegheny County Senior Resource Guide