May is a month full of celebrations: National Teachers' Day, Mothers' Day, Memorial Day, Older Adults Month...

I'd like to apologize to every teacher I ever had: my year as a rookie teacher at Northeast High by Tony Danza

The shared wisdom of mothers and daughters: the timelessness of simple truths by Alexandra Stoddard

The legacy: Honor Flight Michigan by Timothy W. Downey ; with Melissa Downey, Catherine Kavanaugh, Gabe Downey

30 lessons for living: tried and true advice from the wisest Americans by Karl Pillemer

Celebrations: rituals of peace and prayer by Maya Angelou

On Wednesday, May 8 from 9:15AM to 2:00PM at the Summit on the Park Canton Senior Center, individuals 55 and older can participate in a variety of fitness classes and social activities such as Gentle or Intense Aqua, Best of Health and bingo. Registration required. Cost: $1 Summit Members, $3 Canton residents and $5 for non-residents.  To register call the Senior Center at 734-394-5485.

Aloha, lady blue by Charley Memminger

Dante's wood: a Mark Angelotti novel by Lynne Raimondo

Good man Friday by Barbara Hambly

The guilty one by Lisa Ballantyne

What darkness brings: a Sebastian St. Cyr mystery by C. S. Harris

Are you a Canton resident unable to come to the library due to a permanent or long-term illness or disability or an older adult (65+) without a way to get to the library? Canton Public Library offers Books by Mail service to Canton residents. Every month a librarian will select books/audiobooks/DVDs based upon your preferences, to be delivered to your home postage free. When done return them to the Canton Public Library in the postage-paid mailer provided.

According to a September 2012 study by Pew Internet of older adults who are online, 50% of adults ages 50-64 report being active on a social networking site. An even more substantial increase in social media use this year were older adults ages 65 and older, which reported being active on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. More so than in 2011, 34% of seniors are now using social networking sites which was up from 26% in 2010.

Computers for seniors for dummie [Large print] by Nancy Muir

Using the internet safely for seniors for dummies [Large print] by Linda Criddle and Nancy Muir

National Institute on Aging Go4Life programs are now available on YouTube. Find informational videos on aging issues, inspirational exercise success stories, and exercises that you can do while you watch. Visit or subscribe their site to stay up-to-date with the latest videos from the National Institute on Aging.

Canton Seniors Book Discussion Group will meet on Wednesday, June 27 from 2:00-3:00 PM at Canton Public Library in Group Study Room A. This month we are discussing

Old friends by Tracy Kidder — What is it like to grow old in America? Two men, strangers to each other, are assigned to share a room upon moving into a western Massachusetts nursing home. Kidder spotlights the friendship which blooms between Joe, an irascible 72 year old stroke victim, and gentle Lou, 90 and almost blind, who grieves for his deceased wife, tells rambling stories about his past and worries about Joe. Author Tracy Kidder has won Pulitzer Prizes for fiction and non-fiction.

May is Older Americans Month and this year's theme is Never Too Old to Play. Canton Public Library offers several opportunities to play in May. On Thursday, May 3 view the new documentary Honor Flight Michigan. Travel with a group of Michigan's World War II veterans to Washington, DC, visit the National World War II Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, and catch up with old war buddies. The Canton Seniors Book Group meets on Wednesday, May 23 to discuss the 2012 Everyone's Reading selection, Lethal by Sandra Brown and on Thursday, May 24 sing along with former New Christy Minstrels member, Jackie Davidson and her partner, Gary Brandt as they sing the good old songs again.

The American Library Association has joined the National Institutes of Health promoting Go4Life. Go4Life, an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at NIH, is designed to help individuals fit exercise and physical activity into their daily life.

Older & wiser workout [videodisc]: for active older adults by with Sue Grant; produced by FitFlix Productions

Lilias! yoga: your guide to enhancing body, mind, and spirit in midlife and beyond by Lilias Folas

Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 60 million Americans will increase 3.6 percent in 2012, the Social Security Administration announced today. The 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that nearly 55 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2012. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2011.
[Photo Courtesy of AP Images.]

Generations United recently published a fact sheet explaining The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and it's impact on older adults and children: Health Care Benefits for Children & Older Adults: The Affordable Care Act.

Since 1963, May has been declared Older Americans Month by the Agency on Aging. The theme of this year's celebration — Older Americans: Connecting the Community — pays homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities. It also highlights the many ways technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier and more engaged lives.

When people hear the words "long-term care," they often think only of nursing homes, but long-term care includes much more. Personal care, home health care, transportation services and adult day care are all long-term care services, and they can be critical to an older person's health care. Find information on the range of long-term care services available and suggestions about planning for future needs on NIHSeniorHealth, the health and wellness website for older adults from the National Institute on Aging.

The Canton Seniors Book Discussion group has recessed for the summer. Book discussions will resume on September 28, 2011.  We will be reading Sarah Gruen's Water for Elephants.  Copies of this book will be available beginning Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Ask at the Adult Reference Desk for a copy.

The group's 2011-2012 book discussion titles and dates will be available on the Canton Public Library  book clubs' website in August.

Each year the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging and the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging join to honor outstanding contributions by Michigan's older citizens. The Senior Citizen of the Year Award highlights the contributions to civic and social life made by persons aged 60 years and older. Awards are given in two categories:

• Leadership in the community
• Service provided to others

Below are guidelines and nomination forms for the 2011 award. Nominations must be submitted by organizations and signed by the presiding officer, e.g., the executive director, CEO, or board president. Nominations must be postmarked by Monday, May 2, 2011 and sent to:

As Canton Township's 100 Days of Health initiative continues, consider the needs of older family members. Research has discovered that as we age, our diets and our need for dietary supplements become greater. Doctors are increasingly concerned about boosting the levels of vitamins and minerals that we need as we grow older. Loss of appetite may account for a vitamin/mineral deficiency in older adults.

Canton Supervisor Phil LaJoy is hosting a Senior Summit on Monday, September 13, at  Summit on the Park, from 9:00AM-2:00PM. Supervisor Phil LaJoy began this event when he was serving as a State Representative, and is now continuing it for Canton seniors.

The Senior Summit will feature a wide array of informational booths and presentations geared toward today’s senior. Also included are door prizes, a continental breakfast, lunch, bingo and a shredding truck. The event is free, however registration is required. To register, please call Canton Towhship offices at (734) 394-5185.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (OSA) today warned citizens about recent reports of scam artists contacting seniors in an attempt to obtain personal information by asking them to reveal Medicare, Social Security or bank account numbers, or pay a fee to receive a $250 Medicare rebate check.

The DHHS and OSA are urging Medicare beneficiaries not to provide personal information to anyone representing themselves as a "Medicare" or "government" worker if contacted by phone, mail, or in person in exchange for a $250 Medicare rebate check. These one-time rebates are automatically mailed to Medicare recipients when they reach the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap, also known as the 'donut hole.'

For further information, call the national Medicare office at (800) 633-4227. In Michigan, call MMAP at (800) 803-7174.

We've moved! Beginning with the Canton Seniors Book Group's Wednesday, November 17 meeting, the group will meet at the Canton Public Library in Group Study Room A, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Copies of THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant are available at the library, see an Adult Reference Librarian to pick up your copy.

The Madonnas of Leningrad: a novel by Debra Dean — (September 22, 2010) — You can pick up a copy of this book at the Adult Reference Desk beginning  Wednesday, August 25.