Homepage
-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information From the Director: Elder Independence and the Spirit of 76
(86, 96, and 106)
Panel of Experts Discuss Elder Autonomy
The Personal Care Assistance Program helps
Elder Abuse and free confidential help to stop it
Elder Independence and the Spirit of 76 (86, 96, and 106)
During the past few months, there have been numerous public forums and hearings at which dedicated professionals and spokespersons have talked with eloquence and passion about elders and their needs. Much has been said about the need to provide elders with appropriate services to enable them to live with dignity and independence. No voice has been more eloquent or passionate than the voice of senior citizens speaking out on behalf of themselves and their neighbors.
For example, in February there was the elder who spoke at a public forum in Pittsfield. She needed physical assistance as she walked slowly to the microphone at the Froio Senior Center. Her prepared statement was in very large type. But when she spoke, her voice was strong and her message powerful. She recalled her successful career as a business woman, and stated that she never expected to be in a position where she would need the help of others to remain independent. She talked of the adversity she had encountered over the past year - of living in an unsafe and hopeless housing situation, and of experiencing a bad physical reaction to the medications she had been prescribed. Then she spoke proudly of her present situation and of her new apartment, which was safe and clean. She thanked those who provided the assistance she needed so that she could remain independent. She concluded by asking that the assistance that she had received continue to be available to other elders who might need it.
Then there were the elders who came to a public forum at the Claire Teague Senior Center in Great Barrington in April. Many were concerned about the proposed elimination of the Prescription Advantage Plan, while others identified affordable, accessible transportation as vital to their independence. One woman expressed concern - not for herself, because she had a pension - but for those who weren’t as fortunate as she was in this regard. What, she asked, was going to happen to these people? If they couldn’t afford to buy their medications, their health problems would only get worse. Who would pay for that?
And then there are those elders who, although physically unable to attend or speak at a public forum, remain independent. Through their actions, these elders speak with a silent and steadfast determination that they will continue to live in their own homes. I recently met some of these individuals when I traveled a Meals on Wheels route with an Elder Services driver. As a result of the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers hot meals to homebound elders throughout Berkshire County, and other in-home services, Berkshire elders are able to continue to live independently at home.
It is vital that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continue to serve those who depend upon her common wealth.
George Washington Carver once said that "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, and tolerant of the weak and strong, because some day in your life you will have been all of these."
As America celebrates its independence this Fourth of July, we at Elder Services salute the elders of Berkshire County, and wish each of you a Happy Independence Day.. today and everyday.