Reader concerned about senior services

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Dear Editor:

Did you know that if you want to access senior services in Mason County you should call the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan (AAAWM) headquartered in Grand Rapids? Mason County Senior Services Coordinator Susan Evans emphatically stated at a focus group on senior services held May 29 at the Ludington Area Senior Center that she is not the point person to help older residents explore locally available services. She tells people who do contact her to call AAAWM (888-456-5664), and she has instructed the directors at the four area senior centers to advise their inquiring callers to do the same.

I and five other Mason County residents attended what Ms. Evans said was the last one of a series of group sessions held throughout the county that, aside from this one announced in the local media, had all been assembled via word of mouth. The purpose of these groups was to solicit insight for creating the upcoming online senior needs survey that Mason County is conducting, starting with a postcard mailing in early June to residents aged 60 or older that provides a link to the survey and a handy QR code to scan with a smartphone. If you only have a landline and no internet access, you are encouraged to ask someone you know for help or to go to the local libraries or senior centers for assistance. If you are also homebound or rely on others for transportation, you may possibly be lucky enough to receive one of an unknown number of paper surveys that will be mailed to randomly selected seniors who have not already completed the survey online by mid June.

Area Agencies on Aging were created in 1974 by the federal Older Americans Act. AAAWM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency comprising nine counties (populations per www.census.gov): Allegan (122,429), Ionia (66,250), Lake (13,005), Kent (673,002), Mason (29,093), Mecosta (41,947), Montcalm (69,314), Newaygo (51,504), and Osceola (23,484). Its mission is to provide services to older adults and adults living with a disability that promote independence and dignity in their homes and communities. AAAWM is holding an event at the West Shore Community College (WSCC) Administrative & Conference Building on Wednesday, June 4, at 11:00 a.m., to present its proposed FY 2026 Annual Implementation Plan for Mason County. The plan summary can be found at https://www.aaawm.org/uploads/files/The_Plan_Summary_Final_FY26.pdf.

Mason County is currently underrepresented on the AAAWM Board of Directors; it is the only county that does not have a consumer representative as well as an elected official on the board. Mason County is in a multi-county consortium whose constituent counties, except for Lake and Osceola as noted above, have far greater populations and considerably more resources than we do. A member of the AAAWM Advisory Council told me that presentations of these annual implementation plans are typically not well attended. A good showing of residents is critical to demonstrate our interest and to voice our needs and concerns. If you are a senior, care for or about someone who is, or are interested in the overall welfare of senior citizens residing in Mason County, I urge you to attend the June 4 event at WSCC. The AAAWM website says that changes to the plan will be considered based on public feedback. And it’s a chance for you to ask questions without being placed on hold.

Karla McLouth

Fountain