97 W. Portland Street | Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Telephone: 717.697.5947 | Fax: 717.697.1764

Hours of operation:

Monday through Friday 8:30 am – 3:00 pm

A Senior Center & More

Danielle Reighter, Manager dreighter@messiahlifeways.org

Nori Hoffman, Assistant

nhoffman@messiahlifeways.org

Mechanicsburg Place: A Senior Center & More Newsletter is published monthly by Messiah Lifeways, 100 Mt. Allen Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

November & December Newsletter Issue No. 72

Mechanicsburg Place News

Master Gardners’ Workshop - December 4 Make a Christmas Centerpiece for Your Home

See page 3 for more details

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Mechanicsburg Place (MP) will be closed on: Monday, November 11: Veterans Day Thursday, November 28: Thanksgiving Day Friday, November 29: Black Friday Tuesday, December 24: Christmas Eve Wednesday, December 25: Christmas Day Wednesday, January 1: New Year’s Day Special Dinners at Mechanicsburg Place Thursday, November 21: Thanksgiving Dinner (TLC Chorus Performs at 12:30) Wednesday, December 18: Christmas Dinner (Mechanicsburg High School Chorus performs at 12:30) Tuesday, December 31: New Year’s Eve Dinner (The Sinceres perform at 12:00) All lunches will be served at 11:30 am. In case of inclement weather: Please watch your local ABC, CBS, or NBC stations. Mechanicsburg Place is closed if there is an announcement that all Cumberland County Senior Centers are closed. We will also send an automated call out to all active members about our closing. Advisory Board Meeting: Tuesday, December 3 | 1:00 pm (NOTICE DIFFERENT DAY) Birthday Celebration Tuesday, December 3 | 12:00 noon We will celebrate October, November, and December Birthdays with cake and ice cream! Come and celebrate with us! Winter Fundraiser MP will be selling SaveAround® Coupon books that are $25 each. These books make a great Christmas Presents/Stocking Stuffers! These books have all types of saving options like dining out, clothing shopping, car maintenance and vacation discounts! We will have these for sale from November through December! Please see the front desk to order and pay. We will also have these for sale during our December gift wrapping times. New Activity: Craft Day Tuesday, November 19 | 12:30-1:30 | Cost: $2 Donation We have a member that is willing to lead a craft afternoon once a month. In November, we will be doing a gift for a child and a holiday decoration for your house. You will be able to choose one or the other or both! Please sign up at the reception desk by Thursday, November 14.

Announcements November 2019

Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Friday, November 1 | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm | FREE Thursday, November 7 |9:00 am - 2:00 pm | FREE Thursday, November 14 | 9:00 am - 2:00 pm | FREE APPRISE, a free health insurance counseling program for Pennsylvanians with Medicare, will have counselors available during the entire Annual Open Enrollment Period. These unbiased and friendly counselors will help you understand your options in comparing Part D and Medicare Advantage plans at the following events in the community. This counseling is free. To schedule an appointment, please call the Cumberland County Office of Aging at 717.240.6110 for one of the days listed above. Presentation on Medication and Driving Monday, November 4 | 12:15 pm | FREE Join Sonny Goodyear BSN, RN, CCRN from Geisinger discuss how medication can alter your driving and what precautions to take. Please sign up at the receptionist desk by Friday, November 1. Messiah Lifeways Trip: Islett Heritage Museum Wednesday, November 6 | Depart MP at 8:20 am Cost: $30.00 The cost includes a guided tour of three buildings and a boxed lunch from the Fireside Grille along with transporta-tion. This is a Messiah Lifeways Trip. Contact Chrylann at 717.591.7203 or Angie at 717.790.8213 to get your name on the list. Then pay Danielle or Nori by cash or check made payable to “Messiah Lifeways at Messiah Village” to reserve your seat. We must have 6 MP members attending in order to have a pick up at MP. If we do not, participants must be willing to drive to Messiah Village to get the bus. Oyster Mill Playhouse: “Oliver” Thursday, November 7| 7:30 pm | Cost: $7 (Transportation on your own) Bringing Charles Dickens’ beloved novel to life, Lionel Bart’s Oliver takes audiences on a wild adventure through Victorian England. Join young, orphaned Oliver Twist as he navigates the London’s underworld of theft and violence, searching for a home, a family, and – most importantly – for love. When Oliver is picked up on the street by a boy named the Artful Dodger, he is welcomed into a gang of child pickpockets led by the conniving, but charismatic, Fagin. When Oliver is false-ly accused of a theft he didn’t commit, he is rescued by a kind and wealthy gentleman, to the dismay of Fagin’s violent side-kick, Bill Sykes. Caught in the middle is the warm-hearted

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Nancy, who is trapped under Bill’s thumb, but desperate to help Oliver, with tragic results. With spirited, timeless songs like “As Long as He Needs Me,” “Food, Glorious Food,” and “Where is Love,” Oliver! is a musical classic. Sign-ups begin Friday, November 1 at MP for purchase. Only 2 tickets per member. First come, first serve. Presentation with OSS Health on Foot and Bunion Surgery Tuesday, November 12 |12:15 -1:00 pm |FREE Dr. Matthew Christian, Foot & Ankle Surgeon from OSS Health will be coming to MP along with other professionals from their facility. Dr. Christian will explain the indications and benefits of minimally invasive bunion and foot surgery, what makes it different from other procedures, who is a candidate, and the recovery and rehabilitation for this type of surgery. Please sign up at the reception desk by Thursday, November 7. Medicare Talk with Matt and Joan Wednesday, November 13 | 12:15 pm | FREE Come and listen to Matt from Messiah Lifeways and Joan, appraise coordinator from CCOA, discuss the ins and outs of Medicare. You will be able to ask questions about open enrollment as well. Please sign up at the reception desk by Thursday, November 7. Annual Gettysburg Outlet Day Out Monday, November 18 | depart MP at 9:15 am Cost: $6.00 transportation, lunch on your own Enjoy a fun day out shopping at the Gettysburg Outlets. Lunch is on your own at the restaurant on site or the food court. Please sign up at the reception desk by Thursday, November 14. Cumberland Co. Best Kept Secrets Tour Wednesday, November 13 | Departs 9:00 am (return 4:00 pm) Cost: $15.00 Please join in with Messiah Village on a trip around Cumberland County and learn some of the best kept secrets. Lunch cost is on your own. This is a Messiah Lifeways Trip. Contact Chrylann at 717.591.7203 or Angie at 717.790.8213 to get your name on the list. Then pay

Danielle or Nori by cash or check made payable to “Messiah Lifeways at Messiah Village” to reserve your seat. We must have 6 MP members attending in order to have a pick up at MP. If we do not, participants must be willing to drive to Mes-siah Village to get the bus. LTM: “Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol Friday, November 29 | 7:30 pm| Cost: $7 Tiny Tim hatches a plan to get his father home for Christmas day. With the help of some kindly sellers at the market and his friend Charlotte, Tiny Tim stages a spectacle filled with ghosts and Christmas cheer to convince Scrooge to give his father the day off. It all seems to be going according to plan until a little bit of real Christmas magic catches everyone by surprise. Sign-ups begin Wednesday, November 20 at MP for purchase. Only 2 tickets per member. First come, first serve.

December 2019 Master Gardeners’ Workshop Wednesday, December 4 | 1:00 pm | Cost: FREE Enjoy an afternoon of creativity! The Master Gardeners will be at MP and will bring all the greenery and materials to make a Christmas centerpiece for your home. You are welcome to bring your own decorations such as: ribbon, bows, Christmas balls, etc. to add to your pieces. Please sign up by Thursday, November 21 at the reception desk. Presentation: Nick Swartz with Allied Attorneys Tuesday, December 10 | 12:15 pm | Cost: FREE Come and listen to Nick Swartz, an Attorney with Allied Attorneys, discuss POA and living wills. There will be a time for questions. Please sign up at the front desk. Governor’s Mansion Trip Wednesday December 11 | depart MP at 9:00 am | Cost: $6 (lunch on your own) We will have a self-guided tour of the Governor’s Mansion to see all their holiday decorations. We will also enjoy a lunch at a restaurant (TBD) nearby. Please sign up with the receptionist by Dec. 2 and pay at the time of sign up.

Upcoming Events

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Green Grove Gardens Event Center: A Country Christmas Thursday, December 12 | Depart MP at 10:00 am Cost: $27.00 Join Dale and Kip Grove for a variety show of music, comedy, surprises and special guests. A family style lunch will be served. Please sign up by Thursday, December 5 at the receptionist and pay. (12 spots open). Dinner, show and transportation is all included in cost. Christmas Gift Wrapping Monday, December 16 | 9:00 - 11:00 am | Free Thursday, December 19 |12:30 - 2:30 pm| Free We will be hosting our gift wrapping again this year at MP. Nori and Danielle will wrap your presents free of charge. Please label gifts with names of recipient receiving the gift. On Monday, December 16, the TLC Chorus will be leading Christmas Carols from 10:00 - 11:00 am during our gift wrapping event. Come enjoy some hot chocolate or coffee with homemade cookies!

Holiday Spirit Week Monday, December 16: Christmas Earring Day Tuesday, December 17: Tacky Sweater Day Wednesday, December 18: Christmas Hat Day Thursday, December 19: Christmas Socks Day Friday, December 20: Christmas Tie Day Participate in one or all of these days and have your name entered into the bucket to win a prize!!!

Good Company II Announcement: We kindly ask all participants in the Good Company II who meet on Sundays to call one of the following by 6:00 pm on Saturday evening to reserve your seat for lunch:

Barb Lighty at 717.802.5439 Marcie Leinberger at 717.743.6589 Debbie Tyrrell at 717.525.3807

Presentations, Updates & Classes

Changes coming to Medicaid: This information is applicable only to individuals presently on Medicaid (Medical Assistance). Currently, Pennsylvania is in a three-year phase of transitioning traditional Medicaid (Medical Assistance) from a fee-for-service model to a Man-aged Care Organization (MCO) model called Community Health Choices (CHC). CHC is Pennsylvania's new mandatory Medicaid managed care program that uses managed care insurance companies to help improve the way the state provides medical care and services to the following groups: Those enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid also

known as Medical Assistance Those enrolled in Medicaid waivers for physical

disabilities and older adults Medicaid-eligible people who live in a nursing home

These changes will take affect for Cumberland County residents January 1, 2020. If you qualify, you will receive more information in September to help you pick a plan. For more information, visit www.HealthChoices.pa.gov or call 1.833.735.4416. Notes from the Manager’s Corner Hello All!!! I cannot believe that 2019 is coming to an end. This year has been a great year for MP. Overall, we were very successful in our fundraising efforts as well as growing Mechanicsburg Place. That is because of all of you! Thank you for making MP what it is! On Monday, December 16, the TLC Chorus will be leading Christmas Carols from 10:00 - 11:00 am during our gift wrapping event. Come enjoy some hot chocolate or coffee with some homemade cookies! We hope to see you at Mechanicsburg Place during this holiday season! Danielle Reighter, Mechanicsburg Place Manager

Helping families through life changing events Malpezzi Funeral Home

Michael J. Malpezzi, Owner, FD

Jeremy J. Shartzer, FD

Kyle C. Knipe, FD

8 Market Plaza Way Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Phone: (717) 697-4696 www.malpezzifuneralhome.com

Mechanicsburg Place: A Senior Center & More is a program of Messiah Lifeways supported in part, by a grant from the Cumberland County Office of Aging and Community Services, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging. The Mechanicsburg Place Newsletter is published monthly by Mechanicsburg Place.