Better know a COA

Sean McCarthy

Getting older shouldn’t be something to fear. In fact, it can be something to enjoy.

Since the mid1970s, Councils On Aging in Massachusetts have been responding to the needs and interests of seniors with a vast array of benefits, services, and activities.

There is a COA in every town and city in the state and they are prepared to provide for seniors in every facet of their life – physical, social, medical, and financial. Whether you want to enjoy a day trip, participate in activities, receive nutritional support, be provided with transportation, or just spend time in a friendly and welcoming setting, COAs are a one-stop shop for those who want to embrace their golden years in some of the best ways possible.

For anyone over 50, a local COA is only a phone call away.

“We want seniors to stay healthy, stay active, and stay in their homes for as long as they can,” says Heather SylviaChew, Executive Director of the Acushnet COA. “Most people who haven’t experienced the COA and our Senior Centers have the misconception that we’re the step before the nursing home, and we’re far from that. We’re an activity hub for the over-50 crowd.

“If you have an interest, we’ll keep you busy. There’s really no reason for people to stay home and isolated.”

While there is a COA in every town, seniors can choose to visit any location, regardless of where they live. For example, someone who lives in Wareham can take a dance class in Fairhaven on Monday, take a day trip out of New Bedford on Tuesday, and play cards in Acushnet on a Wednesday. By calling any COA in the area, you can get access to the schedule of events at any of the regional locations. Newsletters that include schedules can be mailed, emailed, or read to the client over the phone, whatever the client prefers.

“We strongly encourage people to share services, attend different programs that interest them – whatever is going to keep people from isolating at home, that’s our goal,” Sylvia-Chew says.

The Acushnet COA can be reached at (508) 998-0280, and they can provide you with access to any of the COAs in the region.

Most of the COAs offer at least one Senior Center in their town that is open Mondays through Fridays. Among their offerings are a wide range of classes and group activities, including day trips throughout the region. Clients can partake in Zumba dancing or chair yoga, cribbage and card games such as poker. There are occasional night and weekend programs such as barbeques and guest speakers, depending on the season.

Recent day trips have included a voyage to Foxwoods and a tour of Rhode Island lighthouses that included a lunch outing. Clients are involved in the monthly planning of the events calendar.

“Our atmosphere is upbeat and bubbly. We’re energetic,” Sylvia-Chew says. “We know our people – we’re a family here. We share stories, we know about grandbabies and other life events.”

Inspiring independence

COAs are non-profits with no membership fees. Most of the programming is free, while there may be a small fee for the day trips in order to cover expenses.

Transportation is also provided to seniors. In addition to having access to any of the programming and events going on in the region, clients can get rides to do weekly grocery shopping, go to medical appointments, do personal errands such as haircuts or pedicures, and visit friends in the area.

Other areas of assistance with COAs include help with acquiring food stamps, fuel assistance, and health insurance.

“We can sit down with a person and help them understand how to choose the health insurance that’s correct for them,” Sylvia-Chew says.

A vital feature of local COAs is the “Are You Ok?” service. Every weekday morning, receptionists from most COAs call seniors who live at home to check to see how they are doing. An average call is five to 10 minutes and provides an update on the person. The COAs inherited this program from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department this July.

“For some of our seniors, that call may be the only outside contact they have that day,” Sylvia-Chew says.

Another feature of COAs is the daily delivery of Meals On Wheels. Facilitated by Coastline Elderly, on weekdays seniors over 60 can receive a hot meal delivered to their home.

According to Sylvia-Chew, in the month of June the Acushnet COA had 373 people visit the location. She says that the average client visits three days a week.

Nineteen percent of all visitors to COAs are 84 or older.

“We want people to come and we want them to stay,” Sylvia-Chew says. “No one wants to go somewhere where they don’t know the people and the routine, so if you need to bring an adult child or friend who many not be 50, that’s fine. Whatever you need to be comfortable in your first couple of times coming in, we’re going to encourage that.”

Sylvia-Chew says that COAs are particularly important as society emerges from COVID-19.

“We were home for two years because we had to be, and now is the time to come back out, reconnect with friends, make new friends, and stay busy and stay healthy,” she says. “Our goal is to meet people where they’re at and encourage them to come in. Just come in and try it once and it can totally turn around any misconceptions you have.”

Sean McCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.