By Kathy Johnson, BA & Eileen Bostwick, MS
Older adults make a positive impact in and around this county. As volunteers, employees, employers, educators, mentors, advocates, and more, their insights and experience benefit the entire community. Older Americans Month (OAM) has been recognizing the diverse contributions of this growing population for 56 years.
This May’s OAM theme, Connect, Create, Contribute, encourages older adults to engage; to connect with friends, family, and local services and resources; to create through activities that promote learning, health, and personal enrichment; and to contribute time, talent, and life experience to benefit others. Communities that support and recognize older adults are stronger. That is why, for over 30 years, the aging services at Community Care have responded to thousands of local elders in their desire to stay connected and thrive. Whether through conversations with its Senior Information and Assistance Program or care management through the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), Community Care’s commitment to active living in older adults remains as strong as the interests and talents of those it serves.
We recognize that local engagement is an important component in healthy aging. Luckily, there are many opportunities for older Mendocino County residents to engage with others and serve in the community. A visit to the Active Living section of our local online directory for older adults (www.SeniorResourceDirectory.org) suggests some valuable ways to connect, such as through volunteer opportunities offered by North Coast Opportunities or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program affiliated with the Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties
Since 1973, North Coast Opportunities has offered ways for older adults to connect with new people, find service opportunities, and make a meaningful and satisfying contribution through its Senior Corps programs: the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) and RSVP. According to research (seniorcorps.gov/HealthyVolunteers), Senior Corps volunteers report feeling significantly less depressed and isolated compared to non-volunteers. The average life satisfaction score for Foster Grandparents increased over the years of service. In a self-rated health study, health scores reportedly improved. Eighty-four percent of Senior Corps volunteers reported improved or stable health after serving in the program. Furthermore, 78% of people who reported five or more symptoms of depression at the beginning of a recently released study said they felt less depressed two years after serving in Senior Corps. For some, the key to happiness can be serving others.
FGP volunteers have served for 46 years as tutors and mentors to young people to achieve academically. However, they do much more by being role models who reinforce values, demonstrating parenting skills to teen parents, and offering loving care to infants and children with disabilities. The service commitment for a Foster Grandparent is 15-40 hours per week, which is greater than the average number of hours served among adult volunteers in the general population. Volunteers in this program receive a small, tax-free stipend to help them sustain a long-term commitment. About 23 Mendocino County FG volunteers served just under 20,000 hours to 62 children in 2018. These children improved academically after receiving individual assistance in class.
RSVP recruits older adults to provide a variety of services countywide. They tutor 60 children in the Schools for Hope Program, assist 319 older adults to remain independent at home by delivering Meals on Wheels, assist 500 households with tax preparation through the VITA program, and assist in times of emergency with disaster preparation as CERT volunteers. Over 250 households have benefitted by emergency and disaster preparation and response. Unlike FGP, RSVP volunteers may serve as few or as many hours as they desire as long as they meet the commitment they make to a program. RSVP has more flexibility for people to serve. RSVP volunteers do not receive a stipend.
Our Area Agency on Aging (AAA) receives federal funding under the Older Americans Act and operates under a joint powers agreement between Lake and Mendocino County to help area seniors live safely and independently. AAA’s Needs Assessment Survey and Area Plan set the agenda for distribution of those funds through the two counties to support a range of programs, including congregate and home-delivered meals, family caregiver support, Medicare insurance counseling, health promotion activities and education, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Senior Information & Assistance, and more. Of the top 15 identified needs from the Needs Assessment Survey, three quality-of-life impacts were depression (#9), loneliness (#10), and isolation (#13). All three of these issues speak to our need for more connection and social engagement.
AAA’s volunteer Advisory Council offers a way for those interested in helping to strengthen our local aging programs. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman program relies on its volunteers to be advocates to support the well-being of those in long-term care facilities. Both the Advisory Council and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program are seeking new volunteers to help further this work. AAA is also hosting the annual Elder Abuse Prevention Conference at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center on Friday, May 10, from 10:00am-1:00pm. A Day in the Life of Adult and Aging Clients and Staff will be presented by Nora Gerber, who has worked in the human services field for almost three decades and has developed and delivered a variety of courses through the Center for Human Services. Pre-registration is required and space limited; call 995-4652 or 995-4298 to reserve a space.
By 2040, our community’s older adult population will represent 26% of its total population (as compared to 16% in 2010). This underscores the importance of maximizing our ability to Connect, Create, Contribute as our community ages.
To learn more:
Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties at 995-3744
www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/Social_Services/Services/AAA/
North Coast Opportunity’s Senior Corps for those 55 and older at 462-1959
Community Care Senior Information & Assistance at 468-5132
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Kathy Johnson is the Community Resources Specialist for Community Care’s Senior Information & Assistance Program. Eileen Bostwick served as the director of NCO’s Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs for 26 years and now serves as President of the Advisory Council for the Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties.
Author:
Kathy Johnson, BA & Eileen Bostwick, MS
Resource Date:
April 30, 2019
Resource Type:
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