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ServicesBraintree Council on Aging ServicesInformation and referral: The staff provides information on a wide range of topics such as transportation, fuel assistance, food stamps, case management, nutrition, mental health, and family assistance. Referrals are available for appropriate programs. Outreach: The Outreach program is staffed by a Coordinator and an Outreach worker. They assist seniors in obtaining necessary services. Their goal is to enable seniors to improve their quality of life while living as independently as possible. The staff will meet with seniors at the office or in their homes. Assistance with applications, accessing resources and information, referrals and advocacy is also available. Friendly Visitor/Companion program: South Shore Elder Services, Inc. has funded this grant program through their Title IIIB funds. The Friendly Visitor will visit with a senior in their home to alleviate loneliness and provide companionship. If you know of a senior who is isolated or lonely, please contact the Outreach program and make a referral to the program. Nutrition: Special diet meals are available from the COA. The meals may be tailored to meet your dietary needs, and they are delivered to your home Monday-Friday. The cost per week is $15.00. Please contact Sandy Young if interested in applying for the meals. South Shore Elder Services, Inc. also offers daily (Monday-Friday) meal delivery through their Meals on Wheels program. Their recommended voluntary donation is $2.00 per meal. The phone number is 781-848-3910. Transportation: The COA offers van rides for medical appointments, shopping trips, senior center activities, and other activities. Medical appointments are given priority when scheduling rides. Please call to arrange a ride as soon as you receive an appointment. We ask for at least 48 hours notice before the appointment. Weekends do not count towards the 48 hour notice. We do try to accommodate everyone. When our ride schedules are full we do ask people to change their appointment to a time we have an opening. We do our best with the resources available to us. The van service is curb to curb, and drop off and pick up must be at the same location unless otherwise arranged with the COA. The earliest pick up for an appointment is 8:45am, and the latest pick up time for a return trip is 2:30pm. The suggested donation for transportation is listed in our transportation brochure and is posted on all of the vans. If you need to cancel a ride request, please contact us as soon as possible so that someone else may benefit from your ride slot. MAP (Medical Access Program) provides service to Boston and outlying hospitals and medical facilities for people unable to access other modes of transportation. The program is funded (in part or in whole) by a Title IIIB grant administered through South Shore Elder Services, Inc.. Call the COA for an appointment. The number of trips available is limited. The suggested donation is $20.00 round trip. Escort program: If you need an escort to go with you on the van, we may be able to provide someone to accompany you. The escort will go to your home and ride with you on the van both ways. The escort does not go into the exam room with you. If you have need of this program, please let the receptionist know when you make the ride request. The RIDE: This MBTA program provides transportation for disabled people who are unable to access general public transportation. Applications are available from the MBTA. Call 617 222-5123. Applications are also available at the COA. Shopping Bus: Stop & Shop provides a school bus on Tuesday mornings from 9am-12pm. Participants can be picked up at Braintree Housing Authority sites and at apartment complexes, and taken to the Stop & Shop store on Grove Street. This service is free. Call the COA for information. Shopping van: The COA has shopping trips every Wednesday. Our vans go to the Shaw’s store one week, then the Stop & Shop store the next week. This two hour trip fills up rapidly, so please call to schedule a seat as soon as possible. The COA van picks participants up at their homes. The 48 hour reservation policy and the donation suggestion applies to this service also. Health: The Braintree Health Department holds monthly blood pressure screenings at the COA. Check the newsletter calendar for days and times. Medical equipment: The COA accepts donations of gently used medical equipment and then loans the equipment out on an as needed basis. Call the COA for equipment availability. SHINE(Serving the Health Information Needs of Elders): Trained health insurance volunteers meet with clients here at the COA to work on health insurance issues such as: changing or selecting health coverage, Medicare issues, prescription coverage, etc.. They will also advocate for you regarding problems with your insurance plan or company. Call the COA for an appointment. Income Tax preparation: Trained AARP volunteers working in the VITA(Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program assist with simple income tax preparation during tax season. Call the COA for an appointment during tax season. COA Newsletter: Up to date information on programs, services, activities, and current events are included in each month’s publication. The newsletters are available at various locations around town, including the library, the supermarkets, banks, and pharmacies. Recreation: We offer a wide variety of activities such as our holiday celebrations, day trips, craft classes, knitting, crocheting, bingo, movie day, bridge and poker card games, Scrabble, chess and cribbage games, pool, painting, photography, Wii games, quilting, supper club, and bid whist. See our newsletter for scheduling of these events. New programming may be added if there is a significant expression of interest. Education: We offer computer classes. Seminars are held tpo present information on various topics such as estate planning, aging in place, veteran’s issues, care giving issues and tax information. Financial planning is available by appointment once a month. We will continue to offer many more in the future. Exercise: We offer strength exercise, Tai Chi, chair yoga, line dancing, and walking groups. Legal: We offer monthly appointments with three elder law attorneys who come to the COA to offer their services on a pro bono basis. Call the COA for an appointment. Choose from: Attorney Alexis B. Levitt Attorney Wayne V. Gilbert Attorney Thomas F. Williams
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