HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-COA-rpt-annual.pdf 5.1./7a
ANNUAL REPORT
COUNCIL ON AGING
The Lexington Council on Aging (CoA) is an umbrella agency
concerned with the quality of life of Lexington citizens as they
age. Its responsibilities are (1 ) to identify the needs of the
Lexington senior citizens, (2) to design, promote, and implement
services to fill these needs, and to coordinate existing ser-
vices, and (3) to educate the community and enlist its support
in implementing programs to assist the seniors.
The CoA is an advocate for the continuing well being of the
approximately 4500 Lexington seniors, just as the school depart-
ment/Parent Teacher Association is an advocate for the growth and
development of our approximately 7000 school children. The goal
of CoA programs is the creation of a reasonable living environ-
ment which will enable the elderly to continue to live in Lexing-
ton
when their incomes have been reduced perhaps to one half or
one third by retirement, eroded by inflation, and when some may
require assistance because of infirmities.
To this end the CoA uses $22101 of its budget to support
the Minute Man Home Care Corp., which operates largely with state
funding and supplies services to enable seniors to remain in their
homes. The total budget of the CoA in FY79 was $211.,220. The
activities which are supported are discussed below. We wish to
note here, regarding the CoAts responsibility to enlist the sup-
port of the community in implementing programs, that over 5000
volunteer hours were utilized directly by the CoA in the past
year, and that the value of the volunteer hours utilized, even
at minimum wages is over $14,000. The dollar value of volunteer
mileage alone is over $2400. The true value of the volunteer
ANNUAL REPORT - Page 2
workers can not, of course, be measured in dollars . The volun-
teers are of enormous human value to the elderly, the CoA, and
the town of Lexington. But even in cold bookkeeping terms the
worker hours dollar potential is over two thirds as large as the
entire CoA budget.
During the past year the council has continued to organize
and expand its previous activities and to initiate new ones. The
most important change during the year has been the Council's move
from its old quarters on the second floor of the Visitors Cen-
ter to new quarters on the ground floor of the Church of Our Re-
deemer, 6 Meriam St. The new quarters are barrier free, making
access easier for the elderly. The new quarters are flexible
enough to permit the testing of new programs on trial bases, while
older programs are continued and expanded. The establishment of
this temporary Senior Citizens Center was overwhelmingly endorsed
by the 1978 Town Meeting, in Warrant Article 32.
The Selectmen in February 1978 appointed a Senior Center Site
Committee (SCSC) of Lexington citizens to investigate all axist-
ing public and private facilities with a specific view of accom-
odating senior citizens programming. The Committee was charged
with investigating (a) State/Federal funding that might support
said facility, (b) the desirability of integrating other commun-
ity services (human and recreation) within such facilities,
(c) other communities' facilities for cost comparisons, and
(d) summarize estimated costs based upon said investigation. The
Chairman of the CoA serves on the SCSC in this important search
for a permanent home for senior citizen programming.
Also during 1977/78, the Council provided volunteers, trans--
ANNUAL REPORT - Page 3
portation, and financial support to the Lexington Health Fair
(April 1978) held at the Minuteman Vocational School, and to the
Lexington Forum on Aging (May 1978) . The Fair was a major acti-
n
vity of the Council, and was an outstandingsuccess, attended by
some 600 persona .
In the 1977 Annual Report a list of "future programs" was
given. These were (1 ) expan_ ion of the nutrition program,
(2) initiation of a senior dental inspection effort, (3) in-
creasing our health clinic clientele base, (4) conducting a
health fair, (5) providing more group-shared transportation,
(6) participation in the Lexington Forum on Aging, and (7 ) init-
iation of planning for a Senior Center. These goals have been
accomplished or advanced in 1978, except for the dental inspec-
tion effort, which exists but is not easily accessible to Lex-
ington citizens .
The Council has identified further goals for the coming period.
1 ) Added telephone and personal information and referral concerning
C .available services for the elderly, including solution of
individual problems.
2) Expanded organized social events in our test location.
3) Expanded educational services, including exercise and health
classes.
4) Expanded Volunteer Programs.
5) Development of an outreach program designed to service the
most needy of the Lexington elderly.
6) Development of additional CoA committees to oversee and strength-
en CoA activities with motivated personnel. (For example -
we are at present initiating a broadly based committee,
ANNUAL REPORT - Page 4
Friends of the CoA, to advise and assist the CoA in its basic
mission. )
7 ) Initiation of a chairlift minivan for the incapacitated, in
cooperation with Minute Man Home Care Corp. and surrounding
towns, in context with the Lexington transportation system.
Some of the statistics which measure CoA functions are
given below. There has been a modest increase in some activ-
ities, and a dramatic increase in others. The current CoA act-
ivities are showing the effect of the new CoA location. Im-
proved client services are reflected in the annualized rates
for September 1978 of 3948 visitors per year to the CoA offices
and 3912 telephone referrals per year by the office. Clearly
the Council has entered a new phase in which the citizens of
Lexington recognize and utilize the Council offices and ser-
vices to solve their problems.
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Picture Title
Cake baked to celebrate opening of new Temporary Senior Center