The Catskill Chronicle

Story and photos by Carol Montana

According to the 2000 census, the senior population in Sullivan County is expected to grow by leaps and bounds. The number of people over the age of 60 will increase by 32 percent, and those over 85 will rise by 51 percent. Most of these people will want to remain in their own homes and be productive members of their community. In fact, statistics have proven that there is an economic benefit to having that very population in a neighborhood. 

According to Bonnie Lewis, Coordinator of the Caregiver Resource Center at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County, we need to look at “what we can do to enhance our communities so we can live here safely for as long as we want.”

Lewis is one of the driving forces behind TRIAD, a partnership among senior citizens, senior providers and law enforcement created to keep seniors safe and reduce victimization.

According to a study on Livable Communities conducted by AARP, the things seniors need to stay in their community, and live comfortably include: health care, housing, transportation, adequate nutrition, life-long learning opportunities, maintenance of driving ability, isolation prevention and civic engagement.

In a recent forum on Community Empowerment for Aging in the Community sponsored by TRIAD, residents of the Town of Neversink and surrounding areas discussed the towns strengths and weaknesses, as well as the necessary improvements to accomplish that goal. “America’s communities are just getting started with testing their aging readiness,” said Lewis.

Grahamsville resident Priscilla Bassett, who serves the senior community as a member of both the Senior Legislative Action Committee and TRIAD, helped those present list the strengths and weaknesses of the community. Strengths include: the availability of a shopping bus through the Sullivan County Office for the Aging, an AARP group, luncheons at Grahamsville Methodist church, walking programs at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds and the Tri-Valley School, congregate meals at the Neversink Fire House, The Tri-Valley Townsman, The Catskill Chronicle, the Department of Motor Vehicle’s outreach once a month, the very active Parks and Recreation Department in the town, and lots of good neighbors who care about each other and reach out when someone needs help.

And speaking of help, Town of Neversink Supervisor Greg Goldstein and Office for the Aging Director Debbie Allen both talked about how hard it is to get people to ask for help. “It takes an average of seven phone calls before people accept help,” said Allen. For his part, Goldstein pleaded with people to call and ask for help of any kind if they need it. “Part of Neversink’s strength is that people are very close in this community and will help people,” he said. 

Among the town’s weaknesses and needs, Goldstein expressed dismay about the lack of cell service in a big portion of the town. New York City, which controls much of the land around the town because of the NYC watershed, is a good neighbor said Goldstein, but it also limits the amount of development in the town. Promising to continue to work on the  cell tower issue, Goldstein also is pursuing bringing a pharmacy to the area as well as a doctor.

In addition, there was discussion about the possibility of bringing some new programs to the community.

Carol Smythe who serves a Town of Neversink Historian talked about the program A Matter of Balance, a national exercise program designed to strengthen joints and prevent falls.

Kathi Hitt, Director of the Sullivan County Department of Health and Family Services discussed the  Umbrella Program, which has been implemented in several other communities. The program, which is  for seniors and disabled people only, requires a reasonable membership fee, and then a nominal amount for services like plumbing, landscaping, housecleaning, etc. The Umbrella Program is a not-for-profit, and acts on a sliding scale. The people who do the work are retired seniors who used to work in their field, so participants can be assured of quality work.

Other forums will be conducted throughout Sullivan County in the coming months. “We’re trying to hit each quarter in different areas because each community may have unique needs,” said Lewis.

She hopes to have funding to implement the ideas at end of summer. “The state has indicated that the funds are there to build around already existing programs.”

In conjunction with the forums, The Cornell Cooperative Caregiver Resource Center is doing a survey to ascertain other aging-related issues in our region. “Each community has things in common and also unique issues,” reiterated Lewis. “So we’re looking for programs that many people would utilize.”

For more information about TRIAD, call the Sullivan County Office for the Aging at 794-3000, ext. 5000 or the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office at 794-3344. To find out more about the Caregiver Resource Center at Cornell Cooperative Extension, or to find out about the next community forum, or to request a copy of the aging-empowerment survey, call 292-6180, or visit Cornell Cooperative Extension on the Internet.