Tips for Successful Aging In Place

The Falmouth Public Library in partnership with Neighborhood Falmouth presents a talk on Tips for Successful Aging in Place. This event will take place Thursday November 9, 1:30-3:00 pm, in the Hermann Room

Cape Cod resident and certified Aging in Place specialist, Dave Karas, will be on hand to provide some great tips on easy and free or affordable modifications you can do to your home to make it more safe and aging-ready.  Aging in Place (AIP) is defined as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level”. Dave Karas has been a professional licensed remodeling contractor for over 40 years. He has modified, repaired, replaced, and rebuilt both new and existing properties for successful AIP throughout his career.

This event is free and open to all. Please register as space is limited.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a non-profit organization that provides support services to seniors in the Falmouth community. The organization aims to help seniors live independently and maintain their quality of life by providing services such as transportation, grocery shopping, yard work, minor home repairs, and friendly visits. Neighborhood Falmouth operates on a volunteer-based model, where volunteers from the community are matched with seniors who need assistance. This allows seniors to receive personalized support while also fostering a sense of community and connection among volunteers and seniors.

 

The Savvy Senior, by the MA Atty. General’s Office!

We are pleased to welcome Juraci Capataz from the Attorney General’s Community Engagement division on Wednesday afternoon, September 6th from 2-3 pm, , to talk about identity theft and scams: What is identity theft and how can you detect and avoid a variety of different mail, phone, and online scams, especially for seniors. Please register by clicking here, as space is limited-you can also call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Juraci is the Community Engagement Coordinator at the Office of the Attorney General in New Bedford, covering all of Southeastern Mass.

She has lived in Bristol County for more than 40 years, after emigrating from the island of Pico, Azores, as a young girl. She has a strong interest in teaching others about citizenship and is a passionate advocate for elder care. She is a graduate of New Bedford High School and UMass Dartmouth. Juraci takes pride in being resourceful, and she hopes to continue to connect communities across the Southeaster Mass, through AGO’s resources, services, and educational materials.

This event is free.  Registration is requested; go to falmouthpubliclibrary.org/events or call the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Aging With Pride Screening and Discussion

Decades of legal and structural discrimination have affected the well-being and economic status of many LGBTQIA+ older adults. The unique social, economic and health challenges they face are explored in the documentary Aging Matters: Aging with Pride, produced by Nashville Public Television. Join us for the viewing of this half-hour film that sheds light on what many in the Stonewall Generation have had to endure and fight for in hopes of enacting positive change for the community in the ongoing pursuit of equality. 

This event will take place Friday June 2, 2023 at 3:30pm in the Hermann Room. All are welcome, and there will be light refreshments. We encourage you to Register.

Supported by Waquoit Church, Falmouth Jewish Congregation, Neighborhood Falmouth, Falmouth Senior Services, Falmouth Human Services, Falmouth Public Library and No Place for Hate.

 

Falls and Fractures in Older Adults: Causes, Prevention and Myths

More than one in four people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling — and fall-related problems — rises with age. However, many falls can be prevented. Join the Library in partnership with Neighborhood Falmouth for a presentation on Falls and Fractures in Older Adults: Causes, Prevention, and Myths.

Dr. Michael Bihari, President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Falmouth, will lead a discussion about why older adults fall and what you can do to manage your risk, including a look at the pros and cons of medical alert systems. A list of resources will be provided including a home inspection checklist.

Join us Thursday May 25 at 1:30pm in the Hermann Room. This program is free and open to all. Please register.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a non-profit organization that provides support services to seniors in the Falmouth community. The organization aims to help seniors live independently and maintain their quality of life by providing services such as transportation, grocery shopping, yard work, minor home repairs, and friendly visits. Neighborhood Falmouth operates on a volunteer-based model, where volunteers from the community are matched with seniors who need assistance. This allows seniors to receive personalized support while also fostering a sense of community and connection among volunteers and seniors. 

Estate Planning: Preserving Your Falmouth Home

We Love Our Falmouth Home. But Will Our Children? Should we Preserve the Legacy, and How?

Second homes are often the most valuable asset in your estate and require specialized planning to ensure the home stays in the family. Leaving your valuable family home in equal shares to heirs without a master plan is often a recipe for disaster.
 
Join estate planning attorney Tim Borchers, Esq., who will share successful approaches for your home’s protection, succession and preservation. He’ll be speaking in the Hermann Meeting Room on Wednesday Sept. 14 at 6:30pm; please register to attend. We will also be streaming the talk via Zoom, so even if you would like to attend remotely, please register to receive the Zoom link.
 
Tim’s speaking engagements have included radio shows, podcasts, lectures at MA and NY law associations and other Cape Cod community events.  He has CTFA, EPLS™ and AEP® accreditations and is an estate planner with Borchers Trust Law. He is also a co-author of Second Home Savvy.

A Farewell to Falmouth Public Library

September 3, 1991. The first words that are written after the date in my National Brand, Narrow Ruled Eye-Ease Paper Single Subject notebook are: “List of Attorney Generals.” This notebook was shared by all the reference librarians at the reference desk so we knew what question had been answered and what question still needed to have some follow-up. Other questions that can be found in that notebook:

“Can WordPerfect be used on an Apple II?”

“Do you have any information on T. Bailey, Cape artist and marine painter?”

“Do you have a 16mm movie projector that the public can use?”

“Do you have the phone number for the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum?”

“Why is the blue moon called blue?”

“A child brought in a grenade for show and tell. When did that happen?”

“A patron at Snow Library wants to know U.S. Foreign Aid to Pakistan for fiscal year 1990/1991.”

“When is Anita Hill’s Birthday?”

“What does Italy do to celebrate the New Year?”

And one of my all-time favorite reference questions … “Would you forge my mother’s signature? I got in trouble at school.”

We answered them all. We were a regional reference library, which meant we were funded by the state to answer questions for all the libraries on the Cape and Islands, not just the questions of the citizens of the town of Falmouth.

We answered them all, without the internet, without google, without an online card catalog. When I first arrived we still had a paper card catalog, but on Halloween 1991 the first CLAMS online catalog was launched. In the 1991 town annual report, Ann Haddad, Library Director, wrote: “Library circulation is now on computer linking a 14 member library network. Users have one card and can use the collections of all participating libraries.” In the 1994 town annual report we began “a regular weekly newspaper column” in the Falmouth ENTERPRISE, which is to this day still making a weekly appearance!

And then, in the 1995 town annual report, the world of the reference librarian changed dramatically. Director Nancy Serotkin wrote in her list of highlights for the year: “starting a World Wide Web connection for the public in cooperation with the Woods Hole research community.” The future had arrived!

It has been a great gift to have spent thirty years working for the Falmouth Public Library. I have been fortunate to have so many wonderful colleagues both at the Falmouth Public Library and within the Cape and Island libraries. I thank all of the town of Falmouth for being so supportive of this stunning building and this amazing staff who work in the main library and our East and North branches.

I’ll leave you with the words of my magnificent reference professor at Simmons College, Allen Smith, who said to all of his students: “In order to be really good as a librarian, everything counts towards your work, every play you go see, every concert you hear, every trip you take, everything you read, everything you know. I don’t know of another occupation like that. The more you know, the better you’re going to be.”

Jill Erickson
Head of Reference & Adult Services … my last day will be October 28th, 2021!