For all you skeptics out there in greater Newburyport, I am happy to report that the Senior Center project is alive and well and for the most part on schedule.
With much gratitude to Newburyport Council on Aging (NCOA) Director Roseann Robillard for her feedback, I can report the following.
As we go to press, a public meeting for the Senior Center Building Committee scheduled for July 3, 2013 (postponed from June 5) has also been rescheduled. (Hmmm)
If you want to follow the state of senior affairs in the greater Newburyport area, visit the NCOA webpage (www.cityofnewburyport.com/CouncilonAging.htm).
It is a fountainhead of information: printable calendars of meetings, activities, and services along with phone numbers and links to organizations dedicated to helping seniors on the local, state and national level.
Also follow the link to the monthly Senior Citizens Newsletter. There you will find activities listed (overnight trips, day trips, social mixers and dances and painting classes, for example). Also you can learn tips on senior health, donating your time and skills for the needy (knitting for newborns), and so forth. And if you can, please make a donation to the Friends of NCOA. If we all chip in a little (I did), we can help them with things great and small.
Donations help defray the construction costs of the new senior center, and can help provide a tank of gas or repairs for transportation vans, or perhaps soon a new van for transporting our senior citizens to the doctor’s office or Social Security.
Personally, I’d also like to see some of the local car dealerships step up to the plate and take turns donating a new or pre-used van every six years or so. And how about some free maintenance? I’ve worked as director of IT for a well-known dealership. I know they can afford it under that old IRS policy of “cough it up and write it off.” The seniors helped them succeed. They can return the favor.
For now let me give you a rundown of the Council On Aging charter from the vantage point of Director Robillard. Services provided include:
Meals and nutrition.
Health, fitness and wellness.
Transportation.
Public benefits counseling.
Employment assistance.
Volunteer and civic engagement opportunities.
Social, recreational, educational, and arts programs.
And finally, and most importantly, inter-generational programs. (It takes a village)
On the funding sources question (verbatim from the director): “To maintain operations, the senior center will leverage resources form a variety of sources includes local, state and federal governments, special events, public and private grants, businesses, bequests, participant contributions, in-kind donations and volunteer hours. The Friends of Newburyport Council on Aging is actively working on this ‘leg’ of the project.
Some are still asking why do we need a senior center. National research shows that older adults who participate in senior center programs can learn to manage and delay the onset of chronic disease. They can experience measurable improvements in their physical, social, and emotional well-being. We are part of an aging population and the creation of a senior center is a proactive step to address changing demographics.
A well planned, well administered senior center is an important component in a healthy community.”
End quote. Well said but. Some communities around the country have “updated” the term “Senior Center” to the more inclusive “Community Center”. Although there are some issues mixing generations in one facility, in the end some feel that it can build trust and understanding. If you had at home or in town grandparents you can understand this reasoning more easily.
Finally, Newburyport (and the country) are getting older. The following statistics (again verbatim from Ms. Robillard) should underscore the need for this community to proactively support programs for its senior citizens. “The 2010 Census data shows that Newburyport has realized a 36.2% increase in the senior population in the past decade.
There are now 4,261 people who are aged 60 and older in this City of 17,416 residents. That is 24% of the population and they are the focus of COA services and programs. An additional 1,487 residents are between the ages of 55-59. This group contacts the COA both on behalf of elder family members and on their own behalf for retirement planning.” Research shows that this new generation of senior adults (as a whole) are more health conscious and ground breaking than ever before.
The COA also extends the transport service to disabled non-elders which is also an important service to the area.
Healthy, vital communities see the intrinsic value in protecting those entering life and sailing over the horizon. It is good to remember occasionally that we are all part of that circle of life, and that the wisdom and experience of elders is disregarded only by fools.
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See the July Council on Aging Newsletter