6
Continues on page 2 Continues on page 2 The Newsletter of the Fairfield Senior Center Volume 21, Number 1 January, 2012 fairfield senior times services and support for fairfield’s older adults There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch—at Least Not on Thursdays Center’s Lunch Program Cut Back to Four Days a Week How to Avoid Email “Phishing” Scams When internet fraudsters imperson- ate a business to trick you into giving out your personal information, it’s called phishing. Don't reply to email, text, or pop-up messages that ask for your personal or financial informa- tion. Don’t click on links within them either—even if the message seems to be from an organization you trust. It isn’t. Legitimate businesses don’t ask you to send sensitive information through insecure channels. Examples of Phishing Messages You open an email or text, and see a message like one of these: u "We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your iden- tity." u "During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your in- formation." u “Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to re- ceive your refund.” The senders are phishing for your per- sonal information so they can use it to commit fraud. Seniors are particularly susceptible to such scams, largely be- cause of their trusting natures. How to Deal with Phishing Scams Delete email and text messages that ask you to confirm or provide person- al information (credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, etc.). Legitimate companies don't ask for this informa- tion via email or text. The messages may appear to be from organizations you do business with —banks, for example. They might threaten to close your account or take other action if you don’t respond. Don’t reply, and don’t click on links or call phone numbers provided in the message, either. These messages di- rect you to spoof sites—sites that look real but whose purpose is to steal your information so a scammer can run up bills or commit crimes in your name. Area codes can mislead, too. Some scammers ask you to call a phone number to update your account or ac- cess a non-existent "refund." But a local area code doesn’t guarantee that the caller is local. If you’re concerned about your ac- count or need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number printed on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card. What You Can Do You can take the following steps to avoid a phishing attack: The lunch programs at four regional senior Centers—Fairfield, Bridge- port, Stratford and Trumbull—have been cut back from five to four days a week. Lunch time coffee service was also discontinued as a further econo- my measure. It is a bitter irony indeed that the cutbacks began in December, traditionally a season of giving, and that Thursday, the day of greatest de- mand, was designated as “lunchless.” The program for the greater Bridge- port region is administered by the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging (SWCAA) using federal funds authorized under the terms of Title III, the Older Americans Act, and state funds through the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Food Services are furnished under contract by CW Resources, a private, not-for- profit organization based in New Brit- ain. Each lunch costs about $7.00 and each Center asks its clients to donate $2.00 to help defray the cost of the meal and service. The fact is that many seniors, do not or cannot contribute even this modest amount.

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Page 1: Fairfield Senior Times, January 2012...The Newsletter of the Fairfield Senior Center January, 2012. fairfieldsenior. times. services and support for fairfield’s older adults. There’s

Continues on page 2 Continues on page 2

The Newsletter of the Fairfield Senior CenterVolume 21, Number 1 January, 2012

fairfieldsenior timesservices and support for fairfield’s older adults

There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch—at Least Not on ThursdaysCenter’s Lunch Program Cut Back to Four Days a Week

How to Avoid Email “Phishing” ScamsWhen internet fraudsters imperson-ate a business to trick you into giving out your personal information, it’s called phishing. Don't reply to email, text, or pop-up messages that ask for your personal or financial informa-tion. Don’t click on links within them either—even if the message seems to be from an organization you trust. It isn’t. Legitimate businesses don’t ask you to send sensitive information through insecure channels.Examples of Phishing MessagesYou open an email or text, and see a message like one of these:

u"We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your iden-tity."

u"During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your in-formation."

u“Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to re-ceive your refund.”

The senders are phishing for your per-sonal information so they can use it to commit fraud. Seniors are particularly susceptible to such scams, largely be-cause of their trusting natures.

How to Deal with Phishing Scams

Delete email and text messages that ask you to confirm or provide person-al information (credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, etc.). Legitimate companies don't ask for this informa-tion via email or text.

The messages may appear to be from organizations you do business with —banks, for example. They might threaten to close your account or take other action if you don’t respond.

Don’t reply, and don’t click on links or call phone numbers provided in the message, either. These messages di-rect you to spoof sites—sites that look real but whose purpose is to steal your information so a scammer can run up bills or commit crimes in your name.

Area codes can mislead, too. Some scammers ask you to call a phone number to update your account or ac-cess a non-existent "refund." But a local area code doesn’t guarantee that the caller is local.

If you’re concerned about your ac-count or need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number printed on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card.What You Can DoYou can take the following steps to avoid a phishing attack:

The lunch programs at four regional senior Centers—Fairfield, Bridge-port, Stratford and Trumbull—have been cut back from five to four days a week. Lunch time coffee service was also discontinued as a further econo-my measure. It is a bitter irony indeed that the cutbacks began in December, traditionally a season of giving, and that Thursday, the day of greatest de-mand, was designated as “lunchless.”

The program for the greater Bridge-port region is administered by the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging (SWCAA) using federal funds authorized under the terms of Title III, the Older Americans Act, and state funds through the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Food Services are furnished under contract by CW Resources, a private, not-for-profit organization based in New Brit-ain.

Each lunch costs about $7.00 and each Center asks its clients to donate $2.00 to help defray the cost of the meal and service. The fact is that many seniors, do not or cannot contribute even this modest amount.

Page 2: Fairfield Senior Times, January 2012...The Newsletter of the Fairfield Senior Center January, 2012. fairfieldsenior. times. services and support for fairfield’s older adults. There’s

Page 2 January, 2012

Gallery

“Phishing” Scams Lunch CutbackFrom page 1 From page 1

The Great Blizzard of ‘88

uUse trusted security software and set it to update automatically.

uDon't email personal or financial

information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information.

uOnly provide personal or financial information through an organiza-tion's website if you typed in the web address yourself and you see signals that the site is secure, like a URL that begins https (the "s" stands for secure). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.

u Review credit card and bank ac-count statements as soon as you receive them to check for unau-thorized charges. If your state-ment is late by more than a couple of days, call to confirm your bill-ing address and account balances.

uBe cautious about opening at-tachments and downloading files from emails, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other malware that can weaken your computer's security.

Report Phishing EmailsForward phishing emails to [email protected] and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the email. You also may report phishing email to [email protected]. The Anti-Phishing Work-ing Group, a group of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these re-ports to fight phishing.

If you might have been tricked by a phishing email, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint. Also visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Iden-tity Theft website. Victims of phish-ing could become victims of identity theft; there are steps you can take to minimize your risk.

— Bishop John H. Vincent

A RESOLVE For Every Morning

of the New Year

I will this day try to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discon-tent, anxiety, discour-agement, impurity and self-seeking, cultivating cheerfulness, magna-nimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence, ex-ercising economy in ex-penditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fi-delity to every trust and a child-like trust in God.

According to Marie L. Allen, Execu-tive Director of SWCAA, “Funding for the nutrition program remains stagnant against a backdrop of in-creasing food and transportation costs and rising demand.”

The 2012 contract with CW Resourc-es amounts to $432,636 for the great-er Bridgeport region which includes 10 meal sites in Bridgeport and sur-rounding towns. Of this amount, ap-proximately 74% comes from Federal funds and 26% from state funds.

The decision as to how to cut the lunch program back with minimal impact was made by Steve Sutcliffe, director of Food Services for CW Resources. He told the Times: “We had a couple of ways to go and chose to close once per week versus staying open all five days and then suspending the program (close all five days and no meals for anyone) from August, 2012 through

Continues on page 6

From March 11 to March 15 of 1888, snowfalls of 40-50 inches fell in Con-necticut, and sustained winds of over 45 miles produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet. Railroads were shut down and people were confined to their houses for up to a week. This picture, taken by Roderick P. Curtis, is thought to be of Harbor Road, Southport, in the area of the Curtis residence.

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Page 3January, 2012

January 6th — Mrs. Miracle (2009) James Van Der Beek, Erin Karpluk, Doris Roberts—This charming family film, based on Debbie Macomber’s popular novel, tells the story of bereft widower Seth Webster, whose unruly 6-year-old twins are taken in hand by a nanny they dub Mrs. Miracle. Nanny quickly becomes chef, friend, matchmaker and irreplaceable. Could she be the Webster family’s guardian angel? 90 minutes.

At the MoviesIN January

Every Friday at 12:15

Reminders

January 13th — The Accidental Husband (2008) Uma Thurman, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Colin Firth—Radio talk show host Emma Lloyd (Thurman), a sensible woman with the right career and the right fiancé (Colin Firth), discovers she’s already married to a carefree fireman (Morgan), her polar opposite, who she’s never met. The confusion causes her re-examine all of her life choices, including her impending marriage. 90 minutes.

January 20th — The Change-Up (2011) Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Olivia Wilde—Following a drunken night out together, Mitch (Reynolds) and Dave’s (Bateman) worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other’s bodies and freak out. Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other’s lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. 112 minutes.

The Are You OK Program is an electronic reassurance system started in 1998 for the elderly, handicapped or homebound to help assure their well-being and safety. This program allows you to register with the Fairfield Po-lice Department to receive an automated phone call at you residence each day at a prede-termined time. If you don’t an-swer, the robot caller will make a second attempt. If you still don’t answer, a police officer will be dispatched to your residence to check on you.

This program is free. You can pick up an application at the po-lice department or the Senior Center. You can also download the application from the police department’s website. Visit: www.fpdct.com and click “Com-munity Programs.”

January 27th — Larry Crowne (2011) Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts—Downsized and underwater on his mortgage, Larry (Hanks) heads to his local college to start over. He joins a colorful community of outcasts and also-rans all trying to find a better future for themselves. Larry develops a crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot (Roberts), who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband. 90 minutes.

Fairfield’s Human Services Commission has made avail-able podcasts of guest speak-ers who gave presentations at recent meetings. Among the speakers were First Selectman Michael Tetreau and former As-sessor Tom Browne, both of whom addressed senior issues. Visit www.fairfieldct.org/senior.htm

The Commission meets on the fourth Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. at Independence Hall.

The AARP Tax-Aide Program, a free tax preparation service available to low- and medium-income seniors, will start on Monday, February 6th, and will be offered every Monday and Wednesday thereafter, start-ing at 9:00 a.m., through April 9th. Please phone the Center at 256-3166 to schedule an ap-pointment. Trained represen-tatives will help prepare your taxes. Note that this program is not intended for those whose tax returns are overly complex.

Please bring copies of your 2010 tax returns to the tax prep-

aration sessions. In addition, bring all W-2 and 1099 forms, as well as all reports of income re-ceived, such as social security, sale of securities and redemp-tion of mutual funds. If you sold securities or redeemed mutual funds, bring records of dates of acquisition and costs; this is re-quired to calculate the amount of gain or loss. If you itemize deductions, bring records for all deductible expenses. Also bring your checkbook if you want to arrange for direct deposit of any refund(s) due (which we encour-age) and your spouse if you're married.

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Page 4 January, 2012

January Menu

Dark Chocolate: A Surprisingly Healthy Treat—in ModerationWhen dark chocolate is included in a healthy diet, it can help improve overall heart health, reduce LDL ( “bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure, and increase blood flow to the brain. It also may improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, which could reduce diabetes risk. The power of chocolate comes from flavonoids, a phytochemical found in the cacao bean, from which cocoa is taken. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants. So the more cocoa a chocolate contains (75 percent is optimal), the richer the chocolate’s health-promoting content. Dark chocolate contains a higher percentage of cocoa than white or milk chocolate.

Even though dark chocolate has good-for-you flavonoids, it also has not-so-good-for-you sugar, calories, and fat. Overindulging can undo any of the previously mentioned health benefits. One ounce (roughly six Hershey’s Kisses) is all you need to enjoy the benefits of dark chocolate without widening the waistline.

Senior Community CafeOpen Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Lunch service

begins at 11:30 a.m. Make lunch reservations two days in advance: Call 203.256.3118. A $2.00 donation is suggested. 1% or skim milk is provided. Margarine is served

with all meals. Menu items subject to change.

*High in sugar content. **High Salt Content. +High fat/cholesterol.

New Years DayObservance

Center Closed

Martin LutherKing Jr. Day

Center Closed

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

2 3 4 5 6

Pot Roast with Gravy Split Pea Soup**

Meat Sauce Oven Browned Potatoes Unsalted Crackers

Pesto Pasta Sliced Carrots White Fish Fillet with

Garden Salad with Lemon Butter

Ranch Dressing+ Cornbread Stuffing

Stewed Tomatoes

Italian Bread Whole Wheat Bread Pumpernickel Bread

Birthday Cake Tropical Fruit Cup Fresh Apple

9 10 11 12 13

Vegetable Bean Soup Orange Juice Baked Knockwurst Oven Fried Chicken

Unsalted Crackers Sauerkraut** Macaroni & Cheese

Cheese Ravioli with Egg Noodles Spinach

Marinara Sauce** Chuck Wagon Veggies Mixed Vegetables Martin Luther King Jr.

Garlic Broccoli Spears Sour Cream Special Lunch

Whole Oat Bread Whole Wheat Roll Seedless Rye Bread Corn Bread

Fig Newtons Stewed Fruit Banana Hot Fudge Sundae

16 17 18 19 20

Grape Juice Vegetable Soup Stuffed Cabbage

Unsalted Crackers Tomato Sauce

Meat Sauce Tuna Fish Sandwich** Whipped Potatoes

Italian Blend Veggies Steak Fries Buttered Beets

Lettuce, Tomato Slice

Garlic Bread Rye Bread 12 Grain Bread

Fruited Yogurt Gingerbread Cookies Peaches

23 24 25 26 27

Apple Juice Roast Turkey with Cream of Broccoli Soup Orange Juice

Cranberry Glazed Turkey Gravy Unsalted Crackers Chicken Parmesan**

Chicken Quarter Orzo with Carrots Lemon Pepper Fish Marinara Sauce

Mashed Potatoes Peas & Mushrooms Lemon Wedge Spaghetti

Chopped Broccoli Cranberry Sauce Rice Pilaf Spinach Salad with

Succotash French Dressing

7 Grain Bread WW Dinner Roll Potato Bread Pumpernickel Roll

Chocolate Pudding Pie* Orange Fruit Cup Apple

30 31

Cranberry Juice Stuffed Chicken Kiev

with Gravy

with Cheese, Onions, Baked Sweet Potato

& Peppers Green & Yellow Beans

Macaroni Salad

Grinder Roll 100% Whole Wheat

Banana Cherry Fruited Jell-O

Eggplant Rolatini

Beef Stroganoff

Peirogies

Baked Ziti

Philly Cheesesteak

We deeply regret that, due to fund-ing shortfalls, we are no longer able to serve lunches on Thursdays.

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Page 5January, 2012

January, 2012Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

2 3 4 5 612:15 Movie: Mrs. Miracle1:00 Z HEALTH Open House

9 109:00 AARP Defensive Driving Class 1:00 Diabetes Support Group

11 121:30 Mad Men Part 2

13 12:15 Movie: The Accidental Husband1:00 Z HEALTH Introduc- tory Class

16 171:00 Changing Balance of World Power

181:00 Genealogy

1910:00 Travel Discoveries 1:30 Mad Men Part 2

20 12:15 Movie: The Change-Up1:00 Z HEALTH Class

23 2410:00 King’s Club1:00 Changing Balance of World Power

25 2610:00 Travel Discoveries1:30 Mad Men Part 2 4:00 Human Services Commission

272:15 Movie: Larry Crowne1:00 Z HEALTH Class

30 3110:00 King’s Club1:00 Bunko1:00 Changing Balance of World Power

Every Monday Every Tuesday Every Wednesday Every Thursday Every Friday

Calendar of Events

* Continuing Education Classes** Call before coming to Computer Lab.

9:00 Woodcarving9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Table Pool9:10 Coed Exercise9:30 Bocci10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch1:00 Open Bridge

9:00 Pacers-Walking Group

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Woodworkers9:00 Table Pool9:00 Zumba Gold ($5)9:30 Yoga10:00 Senior Exercise10:00 Open Painting11:00 Flex & Stretch11:30 Arthritis Exercise1:00 Model Airplane

Club1:00 Chess Club1:00 Mah-Jongg

9:00 Pacers-Walking Group

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Woodcarving9:00 Pokeno9:00 Table Pool9:10 Coed Exercise9:30 Crafts10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch12:30 Open Bridge1:00 Computer Help (by

appointment)1:00 Tai Chi Easy ($5)

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Pokeno9:00 Zumba Gold ($5)9:00 Quilters9:00 Table Pool10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch Exer-

cise11:30 Arthritis Exercise12:15 Movies1:00 Scrabble

9:00 Pacers-Walking Group

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Table Pool9:00 - 11:00 and 1:00 - 3:00 Open Com-

puter Lab**9:30 Pokeno9:30 Sewing Bee10:00 Senior Exercise10:30 “Getting to Know

You”11:00 Flex & Stretch11:30 Arthritis Exercise12:30 Bingo1:00 Open Bridge1:00 Tai Chi Easy ($5)

New Years DayObservance

Center Closed

Martin LutherKing Jr. Day

Center Closed

Would you like to walk better? Move better? And do it without pain? Come and try Z HEALTH. It’s not traditional exercise, but rather a technique that fo-cuses on retraining the nervous system that controls muscles, heart and lungs. The eight-week program is FREE and registration is required. For information call 203.923.1448 or email [email protected]. An open house is set for January 6th at the Center.

Winter/Spring Continuing Ed Classes: BRIDGE classes begin on Monday February 13th at 10:00 a.m. and continue through March 19th; also Friday, February 17th at 10:00 a.m., continuing through March 23rd. KNITTING classes begin Tuesday, February 7th at 10:00 a.m. and continue through April 24th. YOGA resumes Wednesday, February 8th at 9:30 a.m. and continues through April 25th.

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Page 6 January, 2012

The Fairfield Senior Times is published monthly by the Fairfield

Senior Center,100 Mona TerraceFairfield, CT 06824

Hours: Weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

DirectorClaire Grace, 203.256.3169

Town HallHuman Services

Commission

Senior Times StaffEditor: Ron Atwater

[email protected]

Editorial Assistant: M.A. Atwater

© 2012. All rights reserved.Printed in USA by Community

Publications, Cromwell, CT 06416

Information: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 203.256.3166.Transportation: M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 203.256.3168.Lunch (two days notice required): M-F, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 203.256.3118.Coffee Shop: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.Gift Shop: M-F, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Social Worker: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 203.256.3125.Blood Pressure Screening: 203.256.3166Notary Public: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 203.256.3166.

Senior Center Services

Legal counseling; long term care; medigap and Medicare counseling. Services Below by Appointment Only. Call 203.256.3166

Visit the Senior Times online at www.fairfieldct.org/senior.htm

Al Vosburgh: A Great Advocate for Seniors

Late Breaking News

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Albert E. Vosburgh on November 20th. He was 91. He will be long remembered as a man who had a remarkable commit-ment to his country, his community and his family.

Al served his country with distinc-tion during World War II: as a pilot, he flew over 70 combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater. Among his many commendations were the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.

Al was great and enduring friend of the Senior Center and a strong ad-vocate of continuing education for seniors. He served on the Advisory Council of the Southwestern Con-necticut Agency on Aging (SWCAA), was a member of the Fairfield Senior Center Association Board, and, as the long time chairman of the Lifelong

Learners, championed continuing education classes at the Center. These programs are among the most popular the Center offers, and they will always remain an important part of Al’s great legacy to the seniors of Fairfield.

In his tribute to Al, First Selectman Michael C. Tetreau said: “Al Vos-burgh was an active member in the Fairfield community on many levels. From his church, to the senior center, to the Gaelic-American Club, he was involved and contributed greatly to the organizations that mattered most to him. It is people like Mr. Vosburgh who make our town great. On behalf of the town of Fairfield, I’d like to take this moment to thank Mr. Vos-burgh and his family for all that he did for the town. Mr. Vosburgh will be missed.”

Al leaves his wife of 66 years, Em-ily (Pat) Vosburgh, five children, 14 grandchildren and three great grand-children.

Al’s many friends and colleagues at the Center join his family in celebrat-ing his long and productive life and deeply mourning his loss.

September, 2012. He went on to say, “Savings are realized by a combina-tion of serving less meals but most-ly by cutting labor, production and vehicle fuel costs which is why we couldn’t stay open five days.”

The Times asked Ms. Allen what it would take to restore the lunch pro-gram to its full vitality: “The res-toration amount would depend on the number of meals served at each site and the number of sites restor-ing service five days per week. Last year, CW Resources spent $469,380. Given the 2% increase in the cost of meals, I would estimate an additional $50,000 to meet the greater Bridge-port region's needs.”

Senior center directors and SWCAA officials are actively seeking ways to fill the lunch budget gap. Among the possible solutions are private chari-table donations and increased munici-pal funding. Monies from these sourc-es could certainly help, but increased long term funding at a time of budget deficits at all levels of government will be hard to come by. Stay tuned.

Lunch Cutback From page 2

A brand new winter program for Life-long Learners is set for January and February. See the schedule on page 5. Look for a brochure soon, and be sure to register early. These classes are a great way to beat the winter blues.