By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — A proposal is being brought to the Mason County Board of Commissioners to expand the county’s senior services department. The commissions’ Finance, Personnel, and Rules Committee will review the proposal by Mason County Senior Services Coordinator when it meets Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. at the Mason County Courthouse.
The proposal addresses a need to expand supports for Mason County seniors primarily through the creation of a volunteer program beginning with friendly caller and errands programs and later expanding to minor household repairs and lifelong learning.
“This expansion will rely heavily on collaboration with other organizations and communication with older adults and the entire community,” Evans wrote in a proposal to the committee.
The proposal is being made as a result of a survey conducted in 2025 by Emma White Research.
The survey found that 52 percent of seniors surveyed said they were not familiar with programs and services for Mason County senior citizens and 28 percent said they needed help trying to figure out what services are available. As a result, Evans is requesting an increase in outreach about resources. She is also asking the commissioners to consider expanding programs for major and minor home repairs, legal services and household chores. In the request, Evans is also proposing compiling a list of resources for older adults, though this is already available on the county website and a monthly publication called Active for Life. She would also like to look at transportation options for seniors, especially for medical appointments.
“This survey was a key component of a larger assessment which included focus group feedback collected in May 2025,” Evans stated. That focus group stated the following comments/recommendations for seniors in Mason County:
- Need for transportation or delivery of groceries, medications, and help to get to medical appointments.
- Not knowing where to go when you need help.
- Need for help with activities (minor home repairs, housekeeping, etc).
“The findings above were consistent with a literature search, benchmarking discussions with other senior service programs in Michigan, discussions with the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan, and a review of health data from the District Health Department #10,” Evans stated.
She said the conversations also indicate a need for services that are not typically self-identified by seniors. Those include:
- Developing a tracking database of seniors in Mason County to be used in emergencies, targeted needs assessments and communication of resources.
- Creating programs to reduce social isolation and loneliness through interpersonal interactions such as caregiver support, volunteerism and lifelong learning.
Many of those services are currently provided by the county’s four senior centers, which operate autonomously from the county with some financial support from county funding.
Evans is proposing that the proposal be implemented in phases. The proposal does not address costs.
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