Importance of the Elderly Community

The Community Meeting Paper: Core Principles and the Council on Aging Meeting

Due to COVID -19 the Tewksbury council on aging meeting was hold on virtually to present via video conference and via telephone. The council on aging community in Tewksbury is to provide and identify the senior needs. The national council on aging is a nonprofit organization that to help senior and elderly people get benefit to improve they retired life and get them to involve the local senior community that will help them to engage with people and stay health.

Council on aging meeting was hold virtually by Lynn Murphy who is the chair of council on aging. At beginning they were introducing and welcome each other and update the information from last time meeting. Bob MacInnis, Treasurer on senior center and Diane Dunlevy, activities coordinator share on virtual event that put some programming together due to social distance of COVID -19. Jan Conole, who is acting director to given director report. First team update Diane is working with Brian Dorrington to show a craft class on Tewksbury television, Carly has been cooperated with outreach such as food shopping, friendly phone calls and medical rides. Second, building updates make sure constantly disinfecting the doorknobs and handles and frequently touch points, all worker in the building have to wearing face masks. Garin has painted the outside doors that chipping. Third, events that volunteer luncheon was scheduled for May 15th, but were not able to keep the event, the budgeted funds will still move to use for volunteers of gifts. Final was outreach, Carly has been working on outreach with the board members and will update old business. The senior center also received 150 handmade masks, all of them keep in Carly office, if people need the mask can come to see Carly.

Also, in the town has received masks and who are 60 or older to contact the senior center for mask, the council on aging would like to appreciate the Tewksbury police department for help in getting masks to the community. Some other updates also regarding of finances and general updates and some board questions from attending meeting members. Does the mask will need to pay? On senior volunteers have made and donated cloth face masks to the senior center. One of meeting attender asked if they would make a public announcement that how important of wearing a face mask as she is “seeing people not wearing them”. To let people, pay attention to wear the masks that can added to the June Newsletter. In the old business that Carly Kascak update the questions and outreach, the council on aging Van drives 14 people received the Brown bag this month. The COA Van drivers are also helping senior with errands and groceries.

One of very important and let me interesting how they were so carefully to prevent the community. Senior center also through the senior center volunteer to making the friendly phone call to check the how the each of individual doing and helping find out what people may be struggling with any needs or assistance with that due to the quarantine life. After meeting they will take immediate action to make sure to make phone call. This is really impressive and amazing how the communities were functional due to pandemic.

After attending the virtual meeting council on aging that was really open my eyes to see and knowing that the community is very important at each town local area. I think this pandemic has a great impact on the elderly, especially the elderly patients with diseases. The average age of death in total COVID-19 cases 81 years old in MA. Many of senior center was affect by COVID-19, the old people were big protection groups. I was really appreciated to have this opportunity to attending council on aging meeting with all of them. They all did amazing job to maintain the communities and protect the senior center in Tewksbury, MA. One of council on aging Carly explained that with the Board’s assistance which was really big help to extend this program on senior center. also give the credit on volunteered to assist with all calls as well. on the last meeting, they also discuss the open COA Board Positions. Due to COIVD-19 all of interviews will be via video conference. the chair of COA asked Board and want to move the meeting in to bi-weekly meeting, the next meeting was scheduled for June 9,2020. At the end of meeting, The Chair addressed the COA staff did great job due to this situation.

Community Psychology Reflection

• Prevention

The corn value of the prevention in senior community center is very important. The elderly are an important group in the community. With the arrival of the aging climax, the proportion of the elderly will increase. The affairs of the community are closely related to the life of the elderly. They have the right and obligation to care about the community and participate in the community. Council on aging senior community also prevention of elderly life with social contact with this world and with the people. Due to Covid -19 in the COA meeting talk about that how to help elderly to prevent the disease and how to keep them activities with daily life. In the senior center of Tewksbury have deign many activities that maintain and prevent elderly physical and mental well-being and maintain them independence and build knowledge and skills that can help to prevent get Alzheimer. The community provide all activities and education to help them prevent from suffering and injury too. I think the most important corn value in the community psychology, and we can perceive the Tewkesbury senior center COA has the corn value in it.

• Social Justice

The COA of senior center in Tewksbury exist to let us recognize how important that so many of our social problems are due to the unequal distribution of resources throughout our society. The corn values of social justice in COA meeting their have food affair program which help people to have daily food and keep can get daily need due to their unable have enough income. The meaning of social justice “the fair distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges that provide equal opportunity for all people”. The world is aging, the economic and social changes that often impact to older adults and make them vulnerable to having their human right violated. instead of focusing on needs rather than rights. Due to Covid-19, many of senior center have been affect by a lot of senior was infection with COVID-19. Through Council on aging meeting definitely can tell how them was trying to work for each individual elderly to make sure their voice and needs can be hear by our society and their physical and mental health put on our priority. In the meeting can reflect the social work prevent the senior center was running under social justice. This also bring our town of community and our country in the good shape.

• Ecological perspective

In community psychology of corn value ecological perspective that In the meeting did not mention or have much of ecological perspective information, but council on aging, senior center of Tewksbury exist that can help to utilize the resource form the society to provide the best life for elderly people. With the development of society, there are more and more aging countries, and the population development of many countries has lost balance. Without reasonable care and management of the aging population, the destruction of the ecosystem will also occur. From Ecological perspective view of this time COVID-19 which brough a lot of family suffering lost their love ones.

• Respect for diversity

The existence of the community is because people have the same and have the same survival values. The senior center is also composed of a group of seniors who can take care of each other. The composition of the elderly community is to connect people of the same age. Society have to accept their differences, that is, they are getting older every day. The corn value respect for diversity in the COA meeting show out that people and community care about elderly people. The elderly needs the care and respect by our society, and do not discriminate against the elderly. The existence of the community can give them a sense of belonging, and it also reminds everyone to tell us that everyone will experience birth and death. we respect individual rights to self-identification, and we recognize that no individual, group, community, or culture, is intrinsically superior to another. The meeting council on aging every single detail deliver the respect of diversity of individual or community of difference of others. The most touch me part of that how to prevent the elderly people away from COIVD -19, senior center design many of programing to help elderly people relax and away from anxieties. For example, through the phone talk to everyone at home due to senior center cannot opening. I think this is respect diversity.

•  Active citizen participation

The corn value of active citizen participation in the Council On Aging is definitely showing out how the people involve and let community hear their voice with their suggestions and make decision , especially due COVID-19, that big effect of senior center of each individual. During the meeting everybody was active citizen participation to provide the solution how to help senior center contact with each edealy to engage their life even though they do not have physical stay together but their though and mid stay together. It was really beautiful to see community has the power of for themselves.

• Grounding in research and evaluation

The meeting council on aging di did not have directly mention any of research and evaluation but they did emphasize the how important to wear mask to each people when they deliver the food to elderly people and when they work together

• Interdisciplinary collaboration

I want to share that due to Council on aging of meeting, the value of interdisciplinary collaboration has mention in the meeting. when the senior center needs more face mask and resource that the town of Tewksbury and police department provide the help them collaboration with community too.

• Sense of Community

The corn value of Sense of Community due to Council on aging meeting was reflect on every topic and detail. Through the meeting their talking about how to get the community back to normal after COVID-19. Form last meeting update on financial report, repair the building. Food deliver, upgrade the camera in the building, outreach the board member and provide the enough face mask to people who are 60 age of our neighborhood who need it. In the meeting everybody was very active in community service, also through the phone call to provide the consultant with people who need to talk and help them to reduce the anxieties. Check them if them need anything else, medical needs, food needs. All board member get together to build strong community for elderly people, I was so touched by their meeting, how their care and work hard to take the local community. The corn value of sense of community also mention that will work with local news to let people ware of themselves have to wear the face mask to prevent virus not spread to other people. how to take care of their family elderly people due to COIVD -19.

•  Empowerment

Like before I share that old people should stop to education and leaning something new, because they are too old, and no more time and energy adopt things like young people. People need to take away their stereotyped in a negative way. Taking this part I really want to share my culture of perspective of elderly, in China, if people past 50 years old, they need to thinking of retirement, and need to stop working and take care of their grandchild. When I came this country work with people age around 70 or more, when I share with my friend and my relative in China, they do not believe what have said to them. In the meeting did not mention the empowerment but the corn value of the senior center does provide the education and new skills and get services too. People need to change the attitude to older people is necessary for empowerment of people as age to become the norm. empowerment determines ability to extend opportunity and to enhance capabilities. In the COA meeting they still through the virtually to teach craft and some other activities.

• Promotion of wellness

The corn value of promotion of wellness on council on aging was important information. I believe that the whole world was affect, economic and society, health, working environment all have changed. The last of meeting was talking all about how to let people know to protect them self and make sure to ware fame mask. move the meeting bi-weekly to get together, design more activities programing to keep senior at home can have quality life. Those also help community and neighborhood to understanding how important to keep social distance with them parents and age of 60s. COA at Tewksbury is wonderful community. The promotion of wellness is taking action to each day due to COVID-19. Stay at home and away from social with people. The senior center itself is the promotion of wellness for elderly people.

Conclusion

After studying of half semester, the community ten core value are important to combine with COA meeting how individual connecting with the community. How individual react in the community. If the country is composed of families, then like a sandwich, the community is a layer of cream in the middle. The best performance of the individual is in the context. Elderly feel empowerment with their though and action. It was amazing that God create everything working together. People need to change their perspective and way to look the things in the community. Hope people change their attitude and thought to look at the senior people and their community. the community psychology of ten core value identify the COA meeting and senior center goal. Respect for human diversity, aging just the number. Let them feel they can still control their life. Not only Promotion of illness but also to promotion of wellness. 

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