Senior Center stands tall amid fiscal cuts
Published on March 24th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - On Tuesday morning, two elderly citizens stood outside in the sun-bathed parking lot adjacent to the town's Senior Center gazing at two wooden chairs.
"Wow, I hope mine will end up like that, but I'm not very confident," remarked one unidentified woman, looking at a man's newly caned chair, it's twine seat tightly bound and it's dark-stained finish shining in the sunlight.
"Oh, I'm sure you can do that," responded the man, grinning with pride at the compliment.
From the conversation, it was obvious that the two golden-aged citizens were taking advantage of the council on aging's chair caning program, one of the many social activities offered by the town's Senior Center.
For those unfamiliar with the Senior Center, one could perhaps imagine a small group of determined but lethargic seniors struggling to rebind their chairs.
But as Senior Center Director Jane Lavender walked through the second floor room that houses the chair repair program, that stereotype quickly evaporated proving unfounded as the seniors worked with a mind-boggling, hustling productivity that could challenge any business' notion of a superior work ethic.
With hammers smashing in brad nails and tacks, chairs quickly being flipped upside down as seniors stand straight backed upon stools, and participants quickly stretching out twine tightly across their seats, even the bridge club next door is bustling with enthusiastic social energy.
Witnessing this hub of activity, it's not difficult to grasp how the town's seniors were able to galvanize a last-minute letter-writing campaign imploring the town's Selectmen to spare the Senior Center from disproportionate FY05 budget cuts.
And dismissing any rumors that the Senior Center would close next year, the town's Selectmen affirmed their support for the program.
"The seniors are the ones who built Stoneham to the way it is now and they deserve to have a center to themselves. And if we can spend $20 million on the schools, then we can certainly fund whatever their budget is," commented Selectman Vice-Chair Tony Kennedy.
Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello agrees, adding that the Senior Center offers comfort for many elderly citizens who find themselves alone.
"Let's face it, they paid their dues, they paid their taxes in town and now it's time for us to pick up the ball. For a lot of them, their friends and families are gone and they're all alone. It really allows them to mingle with their own peers," said Ciccarello, who takes advantage of the Senior Center from time to time.
Claiming that he learned a lot from his then 90-year-old father about the time issues the elderly deal with, Ciccarello also feels that seniors deserve to have a place where they can enjoy their remaining years of life.
"I hate to say it, but when you get to a certain point, you're living on borrowed time. My father used to wake up every morning and say, 'well, I have another day to look forward to.' And when you get to that point where you're about 90 years of age, every day is a gift," the seven-term Selectman explained.
According to Lavender, while the social activities offered at the Senior Center serve a quality of life need for the elderly, it's what goes on in the background that makes the council on aging such a pivotal municipal service.
"The social piece of our lives, to get out there and visit friends is important for all of us mentally. And although you see the social piece when you visit here, there's so much going on behind closed doors," Lavender said.
"We have some very heartbreaking stories here. The cutbacks in human services hurt everybody, especially the helpless and the most vulnerable. And we're here to make sure people don't fall through the cracks. I don't know if people understand the depth of the services we offer, and in truth and all fairness, why would you unless you had the need for some of those services," the senior center director added.
According to Lavender, transportation is the number one need for the town's senior citizens. Offering trips to the grocery store, to routine doctor visits, to and from the center, and to various social activities, the Senior Center biggest commitment is towards those needing chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and dialysis.
"We'll commit to those individuals sometimes over a several week span. Our feeling is that's just one less thing they have to worry about," Lavender explained, adding that the center will offer rides to Stoneham, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Medford, Malden and Winchester.
Among other programs, the Senior Center also provides tax return support from an accountant, legal counseling, retirement planning, a meal program that offers a choice of both a cold or hot entree and fuel assistance. Focussing on a service that many seniors require given the soaring costs of prescription drugs and medical costs, the Senior Center also has a representative from Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders (SHINE) visit the facility weekly to offer advice on social security, disability, Medicare, and disability benefits.
"Last week on March 16, we had about 100 people take advantage of that service...I remember one gentleman who went back to work part-time to pay for his wife's prescriptions. And he was halving his own prescriptions as well. We have a lot of these cases come out the door," said Lavender. Saying that the Senior Center becomes heavily utilized during the holiday season, Lavender also explained that the center offers help with nursing home and assisted living placements, as well as elder day care.
"We're very busy after the holiday season because after people who aren't from the community come home to visit elder relatives, they realize that their [family member] needs more help," Lavender said. While the Senior Center has been cut by approximately $30,000, half of which will be funded through outside grants, Lavender refused to quibble about the cuts, saying that they would result in the least direct impact to the seniors. Instead of lamenting what can't be done, the senior center director claimed it's more important to focus on what can and what needs to be done.
"I feel for the Selectmen and what they have to do, and every department is really doing their share to help out," said Lavender.
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