NORTHFIELD — When President Donald Trump’s proposed budget was announced in early March, members of the Northfield Council on Aging couldn’t help but feel concerned.
The budget would cut programs for seniors, including the Community Development Block Grant that helps fund Meals on Wheels, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which helps older adults get public service jobs, and the Department of Health and Human Services office of community services which includes an energy assistance program for low-income citizens.
“I think we were all appalled when the proposed federal budget was announced,” said Bill McGee, a member of the Council on Aging’s Legislative Subcommittee. “It lit a fire under us.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2017/03/17/trumps-budget-framework-points-to-big-cuts-in-programs-for-seniors/#76514f1e12c9
According to Council on Aging Director Heather Tower, people over 60 years old make up about a quarter of Northfield’s population, around 700 residents.
So, the subcommittee, hoping to ensure the mix of senior programs that many Northfield residents rely on to thrive, decided to invite Rep. Paul Mark to the Senior Center. During a meeting on May 25 at 11 a.m., residents will have a chance to share their concerns about senior programming and personal stories of challenges they’ve faced.
“If we can empower our representatives with stories of actual people here, living in a rural setting where there’s (limited) bus services and everything is spread out, that might be helpful,” said Tony Stavely, another member of the Council on Aging’s Legislative Subcommittee.
Some programs that McGee hopes to protect include Meals on Wheels, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Other topics Tower and the subcommittee want Mark to address include: scams targeting seniors and the state government’s role in preventing scams; elders’ inability to easily access information by telephone with automated machinery; how to tell which calls are from legitimate sources; rising electricity costs; and transportation.
“Transportation is a really huge issue locally,” Tower said, citing seniors’ difficulties in getting to medical appointments.
The legislative subcommittee invites residents to volunteer their questions or discussion topics for Mark in advance of the meeting by calling the Senior Center at 413-498-2186, emailing SeniorCenter@northfieldma.gov, or by mailing a letter to Northfield Town Hall, c/o Senior Center, 69 Main St., Northfield, MA 01360.
Reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257