SECOND TUESDAY!In-person at Mgt Todd Senior Center 1560 Hill Road, NovatoHill Community Roombehind the main buildingsee site map below new people warmly welcomed!  12:30 to 1 pm brown bag & social1 to 2:30 pm discussion We’ll have the windows open for safety so dress warmly and wear a mask if you wish. And let’s be sensitive to others needs for safety, approaching with a hug only if the other is open to hugging.  Topic: Laughter!Laughter is Good Medicine, if I remember the Readers’ Digest of old correctly. What makes you laugh? Let’s share our good medicine and remember that we can still step beyond our concerns and share laughs. Whether they are belly or bray, cackle or chuckle, giggle or guffaw, it’s a joy to share a laugh with friends.

A big thanks to The Social Committeefor hostingTRICKS, TREATS & TOKENSon Saturday, October 29,at Miwok Park in Novato Thirty-two of us joined together for a fun time meeting old and new friends, playing a fun game, and eating great food! Though a Tyrannosaurus Rex showed up, no one was injured.

Please note: The monthly Fourth Tuesday event at San Geronimo Valley Community Center will be postponed one week while the Center upgrades their wifi system. See you on the Fifth Tuesday, November 29!

Check out the Community Notices section below for new entries about prescriptionless hearing aids and the new bivalent covid booster.

UPCOMING EVENTSall events are free unless otherwise noted(more info below) November 8Second TuesdayIn-person at Mgt. Todd Senior Center, Novato12:30 t0 1 pm brown bag, 1 t0 2:30 discussionwatch for more detailsTopic: Laughter November 9Monthly Mixer at San Rafael Joe’splease RSVP to Will: wboemer@thespahrcenter.org4:30 to 6 pm -from 4th Street entrance November 15Games Day *at Sam’s Place, Novato meal at 2 pm, games at 3 pm  November 17Senior Breakfast Club *at Sam’s Place, Novato 9:30 am November 22Fourth TuesdayWest Marin LGBT Senior Town Hall postponed! while SGVCC revamps their wifisee November 29 below November 25Men’s Brown Bag Lunchat Spahr Center’s Conference Roomsemi- (ramp and elevator but no automatic door)noon to 1:30 November 29Women’s Coffee *at Sam’s Place, Novato 10 am November 29Fifth Tuesday on the Fifth Tuesday!West Marin LGBT Senior Town Hall at San Geronimo Valley Community Center 12:30 to 1 brown bag/1-2:30 discussion * Social Committee event, RSVP required;to RSVP or get on their email list, write to them atsocialcommittee@comcast.net;find a link to their calendar and flyers below ** See flyer below

To join the Spahr Senior Groupon ZoomMondays, 7 to 8 pm, &Thursdays, 12:30 to 2 pm,click the purple button below the Butterfly Heart or here: 

Join Group

New participants are warmly welcomed!If you’re zoom-challenged, let me know and I’ll work with you!

Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm November 3Topic to be chosen by participants…

Living Room Mondays7 to 8 pm We share with each other about how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening from our hearts and deepening community.

The Northbay LGBT+ Senior Social Committee has been consistently offering fun events to offset the boredom of the pandemic. Everyone born in any month will be celebrated in that month’s email – including your birthday if you’ll let them know when it rolls around! To see their calendar & flyers for November,click here.  To sign up for their emails or register for events, click here.

Coronavirus Updates A new Bivalent Covid Vaccine is available and it is recommended that most seniors get that shot. Contact your health provider for more information.  The Spahr Center has coronavirus rapid home test kits & masks and they are available for free in the office – 150 Nellen Avenue, Suite 100, Corte Madera 94925; 415/457-2487. The office is open 10 am – 3 pm weekdays. Only vaccinated people may come to the office and masks must be worn inside the building. Any staff person can direct you to the kits. This is a great resource we are pleased to offer, please don’t hesitate to get these kits!  In order to keep track of new infections, the County asks that we report self-test results here.  To see Marin County’s latest pandemic information, click here.  The mask recommendations of the Mask Nerd– an aerosol scientist who studies mask effectiveness – are featured in this article and highly informative video.  May we all be safe and well!

Community Notices

A recent “bivalent” covid booster is available and is especially advised for older people and those with immune-compromised conditions, etc. Contact your health provider for more information. Hearing Aids will now be available without prescription at places like Costco, Walmart and Walgreens at a saving of upwards of $3000.  You can learn more by clicking here.  Social Security Opens to Survivors of Same-Sex Couples Who Could Not MarryThe Social Security Administration now allows lesbians and gay men to receive survivor’s benefits if we can show that we were in a committed relationship and would have married had that been possible. More information here.

The Spahr Center’s Food Pantry is open to seniors who need support in meeting their nutrition needs. We want to help! Items such as fresh meats, eggs and dairy, prepared meals, pasta, sauces, and canned goods are delivered weekly to people who sign up.

Contact The Spahr Center for more information: info@thespahrcenter.org or 415/457-2487Space for your Community Notice here. Email Bill with information at bblackburn@thespahrcenter.org.

Vivalon Resources for Seniors  Whistlestop, now renamed Vivalon, offers many resources for us seniors, now listed in this easy-to-print one-page guide. Access to rides, food, classes, activities, resources, referrals, and more. Membership not required for most classes and services during the pandemic. Some in-person events are being planned. To get Vivalon’s listings, click here. They also provide access to resources including rides for older adults. Please note: there is a 3-week registration process for the ride program so register now if you think you may need rides in the future. Click here for their website.  The Jackson Cafe has great specials, a roomy dining room, small tables and big round tables for groups. Open 11:30 to 1:45; $8 for members, $10 for guests, with takeout readily available. You can find their daily changing menu and more information here.

Building Community in the Midst of Sheltering-in-PlaceSee old friends and make new ones! Join us!The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue everyMonday, 7 to 8 pm& Thursday, 12:30 to 2 pm on zoom

To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:Join GroupAlways the same link! Try it, it’s easy!

To Join Group by Phone CallIf you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time,6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296#If you want to be called into the group by phone, notify Bill Blackburn at 415/450-5339

California Department of Aging ResourcesThe CDA has a website that is packed with information and resources relevant to the lives of seniors in our state. From Covid-19 updates to more general care for age-related health issues, access to legal assistance to getting home-delivered meals to help with housing, you may well find answers to your questions by clicking: here.

Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays473INFO@marincounty.org

Questions? Assistance? Suggestions?  We have resources and volunteers for:grocery deliveryfood assistanceproviding weekly comfort calls to check in on youplus more! Bill BlackburnLGBTQ+ Senior Program Managerbblackburn@thespahrcenter.org415/450-5339 Funding for this program, at least in part, is made available by the Older Americans Act, administered locally by the Marin Department of Health & Human Services, Aging & Adult Services.