Joanne Spoto Decker

Alyssa Dearborn

JoAnne Spoto Decker, Onondaga County Office for the Aging’s Commissioner of Adult and Long Term Care Services, has worked in county government for 30 years and has found those years rewarding. She has been able to forge a career all while making an impact on the community she loves. “It’s been a huge milestone. Working for the county and having multiple jobs in different units and in different departments has been such a fulfilling role.” Decker said about her 30 years with the county, “It’s just been wonderful. I would encourage everybody to look at working in government and in Onondaga County. It’s been great. It’s hard work but being in human services, for me, has been really a blessing.”

Decker has experienced many challenges over her career in Onondaga County’s offices, but the COVID-19 pandemic has given her department a new challenge that changed the ways they serve the community.

“So, each [unit] has worked a little differently during COVID. Some of our staff were working remotely, some of our staff were her. I was here, all the time. Adult Protective was still under mandates, so we were still making our regular visits that we’re mandated to make. In New York Connects, the only change was that we were not doing home visits. We did everything telephonically.”

The biggest change in Decker’s department came when the Office for Aging was forced to close its dining sites.

“We made a decision back in March to close our dining sites and that was a very tough decision to make.” she said. “It’s such a popular program for the seniors who attend, but also for the socialization for so many. But for older adults, I think they mostly wanted to remain at home. So we provided them with the information and assistance they needed, whether it was health insurance consoling during enrolment period, or helping them telephonically fill out a HEAP application. All of those other programs and services that we do really. Meals on Wheels, of course, was still operational.”

But as more services are allowed to resume, Decker and her department can work toward servicing more adults in need of these services, both in person and digitally.

“Right now we’re transitioning our senior dining sites and we have some open in the county. It’s going fabulously. We opened under the direction of our Onondaga County Health Department Commissioner. It’s been very well received. People have just been so happy to be together. So we’re happy they’re happy.”

Something Decker noticed about people during the pandemic was their eagerness to help others. What can people do to help older adults in need?

“One thing that I would think people can do to help — not just folks who are aging, but people who are at risk — is to check on your neighbor. Just check on your neighbor,” she said. “You may want to volunteer. You may want to be a Meals on Wheels volunteer driver, you may want to call a senior center and see if they need assistance. During the pandemic, I think everybody was looking [to help].”

During the pandemic, the Office for the Aging answered the Senior Nutrition and Healthcare Worker Hotline was broadcasted on the news and during County Executive Ryan McMahon’s daily briefings. So far, more than 3,000 calls for assistance have come in resulting in the delivery of about 350,000 meals to people in need, Decker said.

Her own experience as a caregiver has equipped Decker for the demands of her position. Her department works with caregivers from many different backgrounds every day, but her experience lets her better help those who are trying their best to help others.

“I think the advice that I have for caregivers, primarily, would be to take care of yourself and practice self-care,” she said. “ I know it’s difficult. I know definitely that it’s difficult to do that. Also, to get as much information that you can. And one of those ways that you can get that information is to call our Onondaga County Office for Aging unit and we have a caregiver specialist here who is extremely knowledgeable and able to provide information.” She also recommends that caregivers join support groups, to ensure that they maintain their own mental health. “Sometimes when you’re a caregiver, you know you’re not alone in caregiving, but you feel alone,” she said. “You’re not. And that’s why you need support.” It is easy to find information about all of the services that the Department of Adult and Long Term Care Services has to offer online, but not every adult in our community has internet access or abilities. So the department has to be creative with the ways it provides information to its clientele.

“A lot of seniors do not use the internet, or can’t use the internet, or can’t afford to use the internet. So we have come up with ways to make sure that they get the information,” she said. “During COVID, we’d do bag outreach. We would drop off the bags at the senior centers and people would drive up and pick up their bag. And it would [include] all of our programs and services. The department also maintains a program called the Neighbor Advisor Program.

“What these Neighbor Advisors do is that they go to people’s homes and they go over a checklist of all the services that are out there and available,” she said. “So we have that group of wonderful outreach workers getting the word out in their own communities.”Because of all her years working with several offices within the county — combined with her experience as a caregiver — Decker knows what it takes to serve and make a difference in her community. And she wants the community to know that these services are not exclusively for seniors.

“Whether you come in as a 19-year-old looking for long term care services or you’re 99 and you’re looking for Meals on Wheels, it’s a circle,” she said. “We’re always able to close the loop.” SWM