THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602240120
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 218 lines
EIGHTY-YEAR-OLD Anna Price says she could write a book on the problems the elderly face today.
``We live in a world where our neighbors are not concerned about us anymore,'' Price told her peers this week at the city's first Senior Summit.
``When we had the blizzard - I was homebound for five days,'' said Price, who lives near Alexanders Corner. ``I remember the time when it would snow and people would knock at the door and ask, `Can I shovel your walks?' Those days are gone.''
Price was among 100 or so senior citizens from throughout the city who gathered Wednesday at the Portsmouth Senior Center to address their particular needs and concerns and to come up with possible solutions to problems.
The summit was the brainchild of Viki Lorraine, an assistant professor with Eastern Virginia Medical School who oversees a grant dealing with geriatric activities, funded by the Portsmouth Beazley Foundation.
About half of the summit's participants were between the ages of 55 and 74, with at least three being older than 85. The split between those married and those widowed was about 50-50. The majority owned their own homes and their own vehicles. They represented almost all segments of the city, with a couple even coming from northern Suffolk.
After opening remarks, the day began with the entire group involved in a brainstorming session dealing with the needs of an aging population.
``We need to get out and educate people about safety in their homes, what to do when they have crime in their area and who to call,'' said Walter Broda of Pineview, a member of the Portsmouth Mayor's Commission on Aging.
Genevieve LaFargue of Prentis Park brought up the issue of home repair and who to turn to when help is needed.
``Quite a few seniors own their own homes, and quite a few of them are widowed,'' she said. ``They may need someone to help them in the upkeep of their homes, but they have no idea of who to turn to.
``Or if they do know someone to turn to, they're afraid to trust them because they're afraid of being cheated or overcharged.''
Other concerns touched on personal finance, such as, ``Where can I get help in filling out my income taxes?'' or ``How do I go about getting real estate tax relief?''
Ella Herbert, a visually impaired senior, put out a plea for volunteer drivers to assist a group of visually impaired citizens that meets weekly at the Joseph E. Parker Recreation Complex.
``We have a membership of about 30 people,'' she said. ``Some have multiple disabilities such as being blind, having to rely on walkers or having heart conditions, so we're in desperate need of volunteer drivers.
``We have a couple of volunteers, but it's not enough to help those who can't get around by themselves. We try to be independent as much as possible, but we still need drivers to help get us back and forth.''
Though non-drivers only made up a handful of the 100-plus seniors at the summit, the availability of transportation and its affordability seemed to be a major concern to most.
``I go to the doctor at least once a week,'' said Price, the Alexanders Corner resident. ``I have heart condition. I also had cancer surgery, and I'm constantly in the doctor's office.
``And I know Sevamp will take me to the Naval Hospital for $6 a trip. Well, you know, $6 for four weeks comes into a lot of money each month, and my allowance doesn't cover all that.''
One participant asked for more money to finance activities at the Portsmouth Senior Center.
``You've got to have something to keep our seniors interested and wanting to come out to do things,'' she said. ``But to come out to just sit, to talk, to eat, to catch the bus back home, that is no outlet for our seniors.''
Cecile Daigneault, a registered nurse with the Portsmouth Health Department, brought up the need for an adult day-care center in Portsmouth.
``There really is a great need,'' she said. ``A lot of elderly live with their younger children, who work. And in order not to have their parents staying alone all day and worrying about them, an adult day-care center would certainly fill the bill. I think this is a great need that has to be addressed.''
Another participant agreed.
``We need to have the vision to help all senior citizens stay in their homes and in their communities and in their churches for as long as possible,'' she said. ``And I think we need to challenge the churches in each area to be looking toward providing day-care centers for their adults.''
While discussing health care issues, seniors also expressed confusion over the health-care financing system, especially in regard to nursing-home care.
``National statistics tell us that one person out of every four people in this room will be in a nursing home at some point in their lives,'' said John Skirven, executive director of Sevamp Senior Services. ``Count off by fours and think about it.
``I'm not knocking nursing homes. They're part of the health-care continuum, but the reality is somebody has got to pay for the care.
``And what's going on now in Washington will affect all of us in terms of how that care is paid for.''
By the end of the morning session, six major issues had been identified: advocacy, crime, health, housing, recreation and transportation. Seniors then were asked to break into small problem-solving groups based on the issue in which they had the most interest.
The groups were led by facilitators who work with the aging and who could offer insight into appropriate community resources.
Priscilla Bingham was one of seven women who chose to address issues dealing with housing and neighborhood concerns. She suggested soliciting churches for lists of young people and retirees who could volunteer to give advice on household repairs and what a reasonable price should be.
At Bingham's church, for example, members of the congregation with some knowledge of auto mechanics have volunteered to meet on certain Saturdays to consult with members who need help with car repairs.
``They'll tell you what repairs need to be done to your car,'' she said. ``I don't know if they actually do the repairs at that time, but they do tell them what needs to be done and what you can expect to pay.''
Bingham's suggestion was right in line with what Lorraine, the summit's organizer, was hoping for.
``I see folks talking about not just pie-in-the-sky ideas but some real grassroots kinds of solutions,'' she said. ``We're going to see ways that we can really make a difference.''
The summit's last hour was reserved for each of the six groups to give a short presentation describing the particular issue discussed and some of the suggested solutions.
``I hope coming out of those small groups, we can have some committees who will continue to take a pro-active role and continue to report back to the (Mayor's) Commission (on Aging) with their ideas,'' Lorraine said.
The recommendations are to be compiled into a report and presented to city leaders in a future City Council session. A copy also will be given to all the senior groups represented at the Senior Summit.
``Hopefully we'll get some folks listening to us throughout the city,'' Lorraine said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MARK MITCHELL
Viki Lorraine, an assistant professor with Eastern Virginia Medical
School, moderates the summit, which was her brainchild.
Genevieve LaFargue, of Prentis Park, listens to topics being offered
for brainstorming at the Senior Summit, held Wednesday at the
Portsmouth Senior Center.
John Skirven, executive director of Sevamp Senior Services, puts
topics for discussion on flip charts. One subject seniors expressed
confusion over was the health-care financing of nursing home care.
Graphic
SOME PROBLEMS & POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
This is a partial list of some problems and possible solutions
addressed at Wednesday's Senior Summit:
ADVOCACY
Concern: How can the older population make its needs known?
Possible solutions:
1. Let your representatives know your concerns. Speak out. Be
vocal.
2. When someone gets elected, whether you voted for them or not,
send a congratulations postcard saying you want to work with them.
See what you can do for them as well as what they can do for you.
3. Because there is ``loudness'' in numbers, make your needs as a
group known. Participate in letter-writing and phone campaigns.
CRIME
Concern: How can we reduce criminal victimization of the
elderly?
Possible solutions:
1. Implement TRIAD, a new program made up of members of AARP, the
sheriff's office and the police department to focus attention on the
crime-related needs and concerns of of older people.
2. Share needs and concerns with pastors, priests and rabbis,
who, in turn, can warn congregations about scams against the elderly
and encourage participation in crime prevention programs.
3. Organize or participate in Neighborhood Watch programs.
HEALTH
Concern: How do we help those seniors who are totally isolated
and have no one to call or check on them periodically?
Possible solutions:
1. Determine the need for adult day-care services by conducting a
survey.
2. Consult with the Department of Social Services to determine
what resources are available to the elderly living alone, especially
in regard to companion services, home health care, respite, hospice
and others.
3. Sign them up for the sheriff's program that calls daily to
check on the elderly. A deputy will even go to their homes if there
is no answer.
HOUSING
Concern: How can the elderly get help with home repairs and find
repairmen they can trust?
Possible solutions:
1. Ask churches to make a list of volunteers from their
congregations who would be willing to help with repairs or who could
recommend reputable journeymen to do the work.
2. Solicit help from civic leagues.
3. Organize neighborhood ``block care'' programs so that
residents could help to identify homes in need of repair and
neighbors could volunteer to do the work.
RECREATION
Concern: The need for additional funding to finance more and
varied activities for seniors.
Possible solutions:
1. Solicit corporate sponsorships and seek sponsors through civic
organizations, such as the the Rotary Club, who could help to donate
funds items like for transportation expenses.
2. Through newsletters, ask the public for donations of necessary
supplies, such as computers, sewing machines and other items. Also,
use the skills of retirees by asking them to serve as volunteer
instructors.
3. Sell City Council and the bodies that make decisions about
money that recreation is a valued program that keeps the elderly
active and healthy, which benefits the community as a whole.
TRANSPORTATION
Concern: How can we help seniors who have no means of
transportation?
Possible solutions:
1. Organize car pools by those seniors who still own their own
vehicles and continue to drive.
2. Churches could form a network to assist the elderly in the
community by providing vans and volunteer drivers.
3. Ask grocery stores to develop programs for the elderly so that
deliveries can be made directly to seniors' homes. This would
provide safety as well as service to those who are isolated and have
no transportation.
KEYWORDS: SENIOR SUMMIT by CNB