Cara Club ~ Brighton
We welcomed a good crowd to Brighton this week. We discussed the Famine Memorial in New York and the origin of this. We also brushed off the dust from Thanksgiving with a short trivia quiz, which proved challenging but fun. Mike Finnerty lead us in some old favorite songs as Kevin O Sullivan was ill, we wish him a speedy recovery! A big thanks to all our volunteers at the Cara Club who made the afternoon such a success. Next week we will be joined by Norah Lavelle who will provide blood pressure checks and reiki. We look forward to seeing you all there!!

Café Eireann ~ Dorchester

Ronnie, Mary and Arlene helping out at Cafe Eireann.
We had a nice crowd at Café Eireann this week. We welcomed Marianne and Edwin from Senior Whole Health. They discussed the application process and benefits of Senior Whole Health and its association with Mass Health. Many thanks to Marianne and Edwin for sharing their time and knowledge with us! Also a huge thanks to our volunteers who make the morning run so smoothly! We look forward to welcoming you all next week. See you all then!

Healthy Habits to help fight stress

We all know that the Holidays can be a stressful season. Developing easy healthy habits can help protect us from the harmful effects of stress. Some positive steps include:

Talk with family and friends. A daily dose of friendship is great medicine. Calling, writing or emailing to share our feelings, good and bad, is a great way of keeping the mind healthy. Another way of sharing is joining us for our weekly coffee events here at the IPC!

Engage in daily physical activity. Regular physical activity relieves mental and physical tension. Physically active adults have lower risk of depression and loss of mental functioning.. Try walking, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or a new activity like zumba!

Laugh and laugh some more! ‘Laughter is an instant vacation’ ~ Milton Berle. Don't be afraid to laugh out loud at a joke, a funny movie or a comic strip, even when you're alone.

Slow down. Try to ‘pace’ instead of ‘race’. Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done. All of the rest can wait!

Practice giving back. Volunteer your time or return a favor to a friend. Helping others helps you!

Try not to worry. The world won't end if your grass isn't mowed or your kitchen isn't cleaned. You may need to do these things, but today might not be the right time. Remember ‘worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere’ ~ Glenn Turner. (American Heart Association, 2012).
The IPC is always here for you if you would like to share your stress or worries!

Please feel free to call Eileen at 617 265 5300 x13 for more information on IPC Senior Citizen Outreach Program activities and services.