Courtesy Aging Partners
Gladys and Ken Cooper Serve the Community
When people are in need, Gladys and Ken Cooper often are there. Throughout their community, they are known as honest and respected people who have very big and kind hearts. Gladys works at a local agency called Aging Partners as their first service/information and referral supervisor, assisting older adults, their families and caregivers with a variety of resources. Her knowledge, expertise and experience allow her and her team to meet with clients, assess their needs and assist them in accessing the vast social services network in the community, county and state. “She’s very kind and easy to get along with; very sympathetic to a person’s personal situation; finding solutions to everyday problems,” said David Norris, 8 OUTLOOKMAG.ORG MARCH 2020
Aging Partners public infor- do,” she said. “I came from mation specialist. a working-class family and had worked since I was 16. when I went to the Experience gained from And Department of Health and Human Services to apply, I life circumstances was crying like a baby, due to the shame I associated In 1981, as a newly with applying.” divorced mother, Gladys For four years, the assisrelied on Food Stamps (now tance she received helped SNAP), housing assistance her get through college. “I and Medicaid for her and knew in my mind I wasn’t her daughter. “That was going to be on assistance the hardest thing for me to forever,” she said. “My goal
was to get my education and go back to the work field. I wanted to show my daughter that while tough times come, you work if you have the opportunity to work. I didn’t want her to think this was a way of life, but it was only temporary. When I went back to work, I could support the next person through public benefit programs supported by my taxes.” Gladys graduated with
