Focus on ‘aging in place’ needed in Dartmouth

Sep 18, 2018

To The Editor:

It is with great interest and applause that I read the story regarding the needed program that Dartmouth's Council on Aging (COA) provides in conjunction with Project Independence.

Having the Social Day Program for elders and adults with disabilities is indeed an important community resource for Dartmouth’s residents who want to “Age in Place.”  As the AARP has documented, nearly 90 percent of older adults want to stay at home as long as possible – a challenging goal unless the community offers support and resources like this program.

At Coastal Neighbors Network, a non-profit membership organization, we are also working hard to help our members stay safe and connected to their community and to live in their own homes as long as possible.

While our service model is slightly different that the COA – in that our volunteers go to members’ homes to help them with household tasks, read to them or take them to appointments or social events – our goals are similar to those of the COA.

We try to draw our members' attention to all the resources and events in town they might want to access or participate in, including the COA’s programs. From joining a yoga or balance class at the COA, to providing rides to a cultural activity in New Bedford, our members and volunteers help to create a caring community and we celebrate the collaborative opportunities that the Council on Aging provides.

Lots of us here in Dartmouth are part of the phenomenon of “10,000 baby boomers per day turning 65,” so expanding our community’s services to better meet our needs makes a lot of sense to us. There is a lot of work to be done!

Sincerely,

Kate Fentress, MSW

Board Chair, Coastal Neighbors Network