Seniors living in the Upper Valley and the organizations devoted to assisting them face a variety of financial and social obstacles to self-sufficiency, a panel of local experts on senior issues said at the Hanover Terrace Healthcare facility on Tuesday, giving the example of a 78-year-old Hanover resident who had to return to her job as a substitute teacher after her husband, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, gambled away their savings. The event was sponsored by the Generations Project, a Dartmouth student initiative that aims to promote interaction between students and seniors through the transcription of oral histories, companionship and computer education.
"We want this event to be a springboard for discussion between all different groups about issues related to senior citizens and aging," said Laura MacGregor '09, one of the co-chairs of the Generations Project.
Dartmouth has a long history of working with facilities that serve the elderly living in the Upper Valley, the panelists said. Willy Black, a member of the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee in Hanover, praised the College for donating old computers to seniors. Dartmouth students' philanthropic work with the elderly has decreased in recent years, however, according to the panelists. Kathy Avery, the executive director of the White River Council on Aging, recalled a former program in which members of Sigma Nu fraternity visited seniors for dinner and raised funds for the center but said the program ended when the fraternity member who began the project graduated.
The College, along with the elderly, benefits from volunteer work, panelists said.
"If it wasn't for the senior population in the Upper Valley, the [Hopkins Center] would not be in business," Roberta Berner, executive director of the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, said.
Some of the elderly, however, believe their working class background makes it difficult to interact with Dartmouth students, the panelists said.
"Many of the elderly feel that they are not worthy of going to Dartmouth events because they might have lower income and education," Black said.
The need for volunteer and financial assistance for the elderly is increasing because the senior population is "the fastest growing group," Jenny Gelfan, successful-aging outreach director for the Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont, said.
"However, there has not been enough funding, so our two main concerns are housing and transportation right now," she explained.
Funding is a major determinant of senior center services, the panelists said. Centers are not allowed to lobby for government funding, they said. Senior centers are also not popular philanthropic causes compared to cancer research or pediatric medical care.
"There is zero, zero money to fund senior centers, so centers must do their own fund raising," Avery said.
As funding becomes tighter, senior center services have become more important.
"People can live 20 or 30 or 40 miles from a town or aggregation of people, and they are isolated." Berner said. "The point of a senior center is to build a community and break down the isolation. It is a focal point for services."
Senior centers in the Upper Valley provide the elderly with meals, fitness classes and programs that promote mental health.
"There has been a change over the past 25 years," Avery said. "We now serve people from ages 55 to 99. The population is expanding and is also becoming more multi-generational."
Charlotte Bishop, a social worker at Hanover Terrace Healthcare, said senior centers do not principally serve to provide living space for seniors, but rather to help them return to the community and live independently. She said there is more of an emphasis on improving quality of life as caregivers try to help patients remain independent and active.
"You are all going to be senior citizens someday, so learning about senior care isn't such a bad thing," Black said.
