Lots Going on at "The Nook" in Plymouth

CARTMELL COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Summer 2013

In This Issue

Lots Going on at "The Nook"

A Full House at Estate Planning Seminar

Infant and Child Car Seats Save Lives

National Veterans' Cemeteries - You May be Eligible

FAQ: "How can I personalize my loved one's funeral?"

A Full House in Attendance at

Estate-Planning Seminar

More than 75 people attended the Estate-Planning seminar held in April at the Duxbury Senior Center. If the number of questions asked at the end of the presentations were any indication, the day was an unqualified success!

"Attendees asked lots of great questions about funeral pricing, cremation options, Veterans' benefits, and trusts," said Kathy Cartmell-Sirrico. "We were very excited by the enthusiasm in the room and are planning additional seminars on these key issues in September and October at locations in Plymouth."

All those in attendance received a free planning guide which is available to anyone who may have missed attending the seminar. Simply call Cartmell Funeral Home at 508-764-2162 to request one.

Additional Estate-Planning seminars will be held on September 24th at St. Bonaventure Parish Center at 2 pm and again at 6:30 pm. On October 2nd, the seminar will be held at Plymouth Council on Aging Center at 2 pm.

Watch for details in our next newsletter.

Lots Going on at "The Nook"
in Plymouth

The Plymouth Council on Aging operates the Senior Center located at 10 Cordage Park Circle "to provide a safe, trusted, physical and virtual environment where information and access to programs and services foster a healthy and vital lifestyle throughout the aging process."

So states the Mission Statement of the Council on Aging. But the program is so much more ...

Programs Available

Services offered range from informational and referral programs to those that provide seniors with assistance and resources to help solve a host of problems. Programs include hot lunches, meals-on-wheels, hearing tests, foot care services, legal assistance, housing and employment referrals, aid in filing income taxes and help with understanding health insurance and Social Security benefits. And there is more!

Activities and Special Events

There are special luncheons, birthday and holiday parties, arts and crafts, privately-sponsored bus trips, cards, dominoes, and bingo games. There are all kinds of exercise classes, including those geared for those with arthritis, Tai Chi, Jazz Exercise, Qigong, Zumba, and ballroom and line dancing. If that isn't enough to interest just about everyone, there are classes in knitting, painting, yoga, beading, and sewing. There's chess, Mahjong, men's coffee hours, and movies. The weekly calendar is packed with activities, lectures, and classes. Check the schedule often. You are sure to find something of interest!

Conni DiLego, director of Elder Affairs, said, "We look for programs that will benefit our members - to inform, keep them active, both physically and mentally, and to help keep them healthy. "

One new program is one that Conni is especially excited about and which she has been working on for about four years. "There has been much dialogue about creating a Dental Health Clinic at the Plymouth Senior Center and we are hoping to be able to begin sometime this fall."

In conjunction with Tufts University and Harvard University, the Boston Public Health Commission, Office of Oral Health, undertook a survey in 2008* of senior citizens on dental health issues and found that a large number of the seniors responding had not had a dental exam in more than 5 years. More than 28% had untreated tooth decay and 28% had soft tissue problems that included precancerous lesions, and 3% were in need of urgent dental care. "This is an unacceptable situation," said Conni DiLego. "Bad oral hygiene and gum disease can promote serious disease such as stroke, diabetes, and heart attacks."

At the Plymouth Senior Center, the plan is to have Community Mobile Oral Health Services provide preventative oral health services to seniors. This will include teeth cleaning, fluoride treatments, examinations for oral cancer and a check for denture adjustments. Dr. Mark Doherty, Sr. of CMOH, met with the Plymouth COA to plan how the program will work. Conni explained, "Those with Medicare and MASS Health will be treated free; all dental insurance programs will be accepted; others will be underwritten by Plymouth COA as their fund-raising efforts permit."

There will be an on-going fund-raising campaign to support this new program, including a Zumbathon where anyone can participate for $5 which will go towards the Dental Clinic. Check the Senior Center calendar for a soon-to-be-announced date. Cartmell Funeral Home is helping to kick-off the fund-raising by pledging to donate $5 for every click to the Cartmell website until the end of June. Just click on this link and you will be helping to fund the new Dental Clinic!

Conni remarked, "Times are changing and we need to be aware of the changing needs of our seniors. In fact, we have three groups of seniors here: our Elder Elders

who are 85 years old or more; our Elders who fall into the 70 to 85-year-old sector; and our Boomers who are 55 to 65 years old. We don't even refer to this place as the Senior Center anymore - it is The Nook! At The Nook we strive to appeal to everyone in these three age groupings."

By all accounts, with more than 5,000 individuals per month served at The Nook, they are succeeding!

*Elder Oral Health in Boston, MA, Oral Health Equity Project, Boston Public Health Commission, Office of Oral Health, 2008.

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Infant and Child Car Seats Save Lives

The best way to keep your children safe in a car

is to have them in the right car seat that is installed properly.*

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stresses that a car seat is essential to a child's safety in a motor vehicle. Car seats are especially effective for small children. In fact, the correct use of an infant car seat prevents 71% of potential deaths in the first year of life.

Only two states - Florida and South Dakota - do NOT have car seat safety laws. In Massachusetts the law requires car seats for all children under age seven and those less than 57" tall.**

Infants and toddlers should ride in rear-facing car seats until the age of two, or when they reach height and weight limits set by car seat manufacturers. They should then change to forward-facing car seats secured with seat belts ... progress to booster seats, and eventually to sitting in the back seat of a car secured with a seat belt.*

Proper installation of car seats is essential for maximum effectiveness. The following locations have car safety technicians available to inspect or install your infant and child car seat. Call the location nearest you for more information and to make an appointment:

Holbrook Police and Fire Department                    Easton Police Department
300 South Franklin Street                                      46 Lothrop Street
Holbrook - 787-767-2233                                       North Easton - 508-230-3322

                                        Randolph Police Department
                                        41 South Main Street
                                        Randolph - 781-963-1212

*National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration

**Governors Highway Safety Administration

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The National Veterans' Cemeteries - You May Be Eligible

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) National Cemetery Administration maintains 122 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico. In Massachusetts, the National Cemetery is located in Bourne on Cape Cod, approximately 65 miles southeast of Boston, adjacent to Otis Air Force Base.

Medal of Honor recipients are interred at Bourne but all veterans may be eligible for burial benefits at Bourne National Cemetery. Veterans' Administration burial benefits include a gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Cremated remains are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains.

The Massachusetts National Cemetery was dedicated on October 11, 1980 and became the third new national cemetery to open in nearly 30 years, following Calverton NY and Riverside CA. Massachusetts National Cemetery has a memorial trail where, as of February 2005, 47 memorials and a carillon have been erected in memory of veterans from World War I to the present time.

The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) accepts a number of military documents as proof of eligibility, including Transcript of Military Record, Military Identification Card, and Honorable Discharge form.

Those eligible for burial include veterans and active duty personnel; Reservists and National Guard members; Commissioned Officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Commissioned Officers of the Regular or Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service; World War II Merchant Mariners; members of the Philippine Armed Forces; Spouses and Dependents of eligible Veterans; and parents of a service member under specific circumstances.

Eligibility requirements are very detailed -- For eligibility criteria and an application, visit the National Cemetery Administration website

or call Roxanne Whitbeck, Veterans' Agent in Plymouth at 508-747-1620, ext 172.

Frequently Asked Questions

"How can I personalize my loved one's funeral?"

Years ago families depended on the church and the funeral home to take care of all the details of a funeral service. Funeral service, like all important social customs, must evolve to meet the needs of the times. Today families want to be more involved in the planning and often wish to participate in the actual service. They are looking for ways to make the service a true celebration of life.

A personalized funeral is a unique expression of a life that reflects the way that person lived and what was important to them. At Cartmell Funeral Home, we are pleased to help you plan a service that is all that you want it to be.

There are no hard and fast rules. If your dad was a motorcycle enthusiast, we can include his Harley Davidson Motorcycle in the chapel where visitation will be held. If he was an avid biker, it would be absolutely appropriate for his motorcycle to be next to the casket during calling hours.

It is important to keep an open mind when thinking about personalization. We can hang paintings that were made by an artist who died. We've had golf clubs for a fervent golfer; a bingo table set up, honoring the deceased favorite pastime; and a specially carved scene on the casket lid of a moose for an outdoorsman. We can personalize the interior lid of the casket with musical notes or a particular instrument for a musician.

There are many casket corners - carved wood figures or cast metal medallions that depict a hobby, like fishing or hunting or ones that honor military service or college alma maters. There are personalized urns and memory boxes too. We've had bagpipers and special music for the funeral. We've had balloons and doves and butterfly launches. We will create video memorial tributes that provide a lasting remembrance. They feature 20 to 40 photographs with background music that can be played during calling hours.

Think about the special qualities of the person who you wish to memorialize and what he or she has meant to others. What were the passions, hobbies, vocation, and pastimes? How can you capture this unique life? Creativity is the key word; talk with family, friends, and your funeral director, who will help you to select the best way to remember and honor your loved one.

About Cartmell Funeral Home

Now in its third generation, Cartmell Funeral Service is an independent family-owned and operated funeral home. The legacy of care and compassion continues through personal experience and understanding, serving the people of the greater Plymouth area and surrounding communities.

Cartmell Funeral Service, Inc.

Entrusted to the Community for Three Generations