Elder Services

Update Due to Coronavirus

As a precautionary measure to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Town of Hingham is suspending all non-essential services as of close of business on Friday, March 13, 2020. Town facilities will be closed on Saturday, March 14, 2020 through at least Sunday, March 22, 2020 and all public meetings have been cancelled during that time.

Town staff will be working remotely to the extent possible and will monitor and respond to emails and voicemails on a limited basis. You may call the office and leave a message or emails can be sent to youngj@hingham-ma.gov. Additional information will be provided on the town’s website If you are in need of home delivered meals, please contact South Shore Elder Services at 781.848.3910.

During this time all services except for Meals on Wheels have been suspended. If you need assistance with shopping, please contact South Shore Elder Services at 781.848.3910.

COVID-19 Information & Updates

Hinghamlink.com volunteers assisting Seniors in need.

Hinghamlink.com volunteers are creating a schedule to take sturdy, bagged, and tied household (non-hazardous) trash to the Hingham Transfer Station for seniors in need. Interested Hingham seniors should sign up at https://www.hinghamlink.com/needhelpwithtrash, e-mail us at HinghamLink@gmail.com, or call us at (781) 908-0590. Please read the attached document for additional information.

Information about HinghamLink.com Services

A Message from Dave Beal, Tax Aide Program;

As you are aware, the Senior Center and other town facilities are closed because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. National AARP has also suspended the Tax Aide program. We have no estimate as to when this suspension will be lifted. We cannot begin to reschedule appointments until the Town of Hingham reopens the Senior Center AND the AARP restores our authority to prepare and file tax returns. We understand how stressful this delay is for you.

The good news is that the IRS has extended the due date for filing federal tax returns to July 15th, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has not yet announced an extension of the filing deadline for state taxes, but this is sure to happen.

Because of this extension, most tax payers will probably want to wait until Tax-Aide service resumes. The volunteer tax preparers at the Senior Center are already working on plans to assure that everyone who had a tax appointment before the suspension will have one after the suspension is lifted.

Taxpayers who cannot wait until Tax-Aide service resumes can consider online filing. The IRS (go to irs.gov) has a free e-file program for federal and state tax returns (for incomes less than $69,000). They also provide a list of paid on-line preparation vendors.

There will be an end to this. The waiting is hard for us all.

Download and Print Full Letter (PDF)

Look Out for COVID-19 Scams

Unfortunately, scammers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to try to steal your Medicare Number, personal information, and money. And they’re using robocalls, social media posts, and emails to do it.

Remember, if anyone reaches out to get your Medicare Number or personal information in exchange for something, you can bet it’s a scam.

Be on the lookout, so you can stop scams before they happen. Here are recent Coronavirus scams to watch for:

• Robocalls offering you respiratory masks they’ll never send

• Social media posts fraudulently seeking donations for non-existent charities, or claiming to give you stimulus funds if you enter your bank account information

• Fake testing kits, cures, "immunity" pills, and offers for protective equipment

Visit Medicare.gov/fraud for more information and tips on preventing Medicare scams and fraud.