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August
6, 2007
VOL.
45, NO. 14Oakland,
CA
Assessment reveals
great needs
among Monument Corridor seniors
Catholic Charities
of the East Bay has taken on a monumental task to benefit seniors in the
Concord area.
Spurred by mounting concerns about the needs of an estimated 4,000 seniors
living in the Monument Corridor area of Concord, CCEB spearheaded a formal
assessment of their needs that revealed an urgency for companionship as
well as services.
CCEB Director of Programs Michael Radding said the assessment team, which
includes local service providers and professionals, is wasting no time
in acting upon the recommendations included in its April report.
Those recommendations include a friendly visitor program, neighborhood-based
programs, and stronger cooperation among service groups.
The first priority, Radding said, is to identify vulnerable seniors and
give them basic information about available services.
This is because the 210 seniors interviewed for the study—which
focused on Monument residents ages 60 and older—echoed strong concerns
about isolation and a substantial information gap about where to find
help.
The seniors also mentioned such worries as health care and housing costs,
depression, language barriers, fear of crime and deportation, illiteracy
and the need for assistance in filling out forms or using transportation.
The assessment also cited a lack of comfort in going outside the family
for help.
Monument Community Partnership, a resource network that coordinated the
interviews, stated that more than 85 percent of the respondents were Latino
and overwhelmingly spoke only Spanish at home.
Almost 10 percent of the respondents lived alone, while 60 percent lived
with adult children or other family members. Nearly one in three respondents
lived on less than $1,000 per month.
The assessment team has met monthly, Radding said, and already has a concrete
plan to address both isolation and information in the form of a Seniors
Welcome Packet, which will contain senior-specific information and will
be delivered personally by existing MCP volunteers. Many of these volunteers
interviewed seniors for the assessment.
Radding hopes to get the program up and running soon after a coordinator
is hired.
Martha Potts, a consultant for MCP and an assessment team member, emphasized
how important it is for seniors, who are often alone, to have relationships
outside the family. They are thrilled to have a friendly visitor, who
functions as a friend.
She said some MCP volunteers have already started forging those connections.
During the interview process, Potts said, one volunteer brought her children
to visit a senior who was living alone, and another cooked dinner for
a blind woman who was afraid to navigate the kitchen.
This one-to-one contact by volunteers is vital, Potts stressed, because
many seniors are homebound or do not speak English.
In addition to the seniors already identified through the needs assessment,
volunteers will look for vulnerable residents through churches, other
social services groups and referrals, Potts said. They will also comb
parks and community events. “They are trained to find these seniors,”
Potts said. “They naturally know where to look.”
Group connections are as necessary as one-to-one connections, the study
showed. So, Radding said, one of the next priorities will be to establish
neighborhood-based programs to meet seniors’ needs and bring them
together.
The study noted that although more than half of the respondents said they
wanted a community-wide senior center, a center might not be feasible
now.
Radding said he hopes to identify neighborhood meeting places that can
serve some of the same purposes, like providing information and encouraging
seniors to interact. He cited such examples as mobile home parks and churches.
Radding said the team also will identify satellite locations for health
screenings and shopping that are closer to home.
The study also recommended establishing neighborhood watch programs, organized
meal delivery and neighbor-to-neighbor programs.
Enrichment programs will be included, Radding said. The assessment urges
creation of senior-specific recreational programs and classes on topics
like computers and child development, aimed at the many seniors who care
for grandchildren.
Mary Lou Laubscher, a senior living in the Monument Corridor and member
of MCP’s Senior Action Team, said her group is ahead of the game.
They already offer English classes and are planning gardening activities
to help seniors create support networks.
“[Seniors] suffer so much loss—seeing, hearing, and loved
ones and acquaintances through death. They need new support groups …
as long as they can get together with people in their own age group that
have similar life experiences,” she said.
While many respondents reported isolation, the assessment found that the
majority of Monument Corridor seniors were involved in such “productive
activities” as working, volunteering or caring for grandchildren;
the remaining seniors said they would like to be involved, but needed
information on opportunities or friends to join them.
Radding said, “It’s very encouraging. People in their senior
years are looking for chances to give back … especially if they
can help out kids and young people. It’s great for the young people
and rewarding for the seniors.”
Radding, Potts and the study are quick to note that numerous services
are already available to seniors in the Monument Corridor—many offered
by CCEB and other members of the needs assessment team—such as low-cost
health care, nutrition programs, case management, and food and clothing
distribution.
Even where services exist, though, respondents reported facing a range
of barriers, from the inability to pay, to a lack of transportation, to
trouble understanding forms.
The study also put a spotlight on services that were lacking or needed
serious improvement. It cited weaknesses in affordable health and dental
care, affordable mental health resources, low-income housing, employment
and volunteer opportunities, recreational programs and transportation.
The list is long, but Radding said, “I don’t see any problems
that are insurmountable.”
In the long-term, Radding said, he hopes to succeed in tackling those
problems by strengthening collaboration with other providers.
CCEB’s chief executive officer, Solomon Belette, agreed. “It
is not just about Catholic Charities. It’s about the larger community
and other partnerships, so that collectively we have a greater impact
on the community by making our respective contributions,” he said.
Laubscher said she is just glad the door has been opened. “Senior
issues are now noted. They can’t ignore us,” she said.
