Services for Older Citizens: At Your Service

Services for Older Citizens: At Your Service

August 22, 2011

Since its birth in 1978, Services for Older Citizens (SOC) has always been a visitor in someone else’s home, renting space, says Director Sharon Maier.

Not for long. In about 18 months, Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods senior citizens will be able to settle into the remodeled Newberry House in Grosse Pointe Farms – and call it their own.

SOC (http://socservices.org) just moved from the Neighborhood Club, which is undergoing its own renovation, to temporary space on the third floor of Henry Ford – Grosse Pointe (known still as Cottage Hospital).

“The idea for a permanent building came from the community,” said Maier. “We had a task force of community members who completed a feasibility study. They drew up a plan of what senior services should consist of in the future – and where they should be located.”

The result is a beautiful three-story building with ample space for simultaneous social, leisure educational and fitness events and activities.

Most communities around the country have senior citizen centers. But those in Southeast Michigan seem to be especially strong. For a complete list of all senior centers and many additional services in Macomb County go to http://www.macombcountymi.gov/seniorservices.

Like SOC, Senior Center of the Shores (www.scsmi.org) and Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Citizen Center (http://www.clintontownship-mi.gov/seniors) have permanent, full-time staffs as well as networks of committed volunteers. These centers serve as the go-to place for seniors and their families looking for resources and answers.

SOC’s Information and Assistance Line (313.882.9600) and St. Clair Shore’s Helping Hands (586-498-2339) not only provide information, but follow up to ensure the question was adequately resolved.

Maier tells about a recent widow who called with a simple question: how to turn on her gas fireplace. Maier sent one of her interns over to show her. SOC volunteers are social work students from Wayne State University and Baker College.

Senior citizen programming is continually evolving as experts recognize what works for one person might not work for another. Just because an elderly woman might not enjoy a big party as she once did, doesn’t mean she isn’t social. For her, a one-on-one relationship with a center volunteer or an in-home caregiver might work better.

My mom, is a good example of that. Once an expert dancer who used to lead my dad across the floor in a sassy fox trot, she more often than not prefers to stay home today. But watch her eyes light up when a visitor stops by.

With SOC’s new home comes a renewed dedication to the changing needs of our seniors. With some 8,000 Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods citizens using one or more of SOC’s services last year, Maier is understandably eager to get settled.

She says they are about half way to reaching their $3 million fundraising goal to renovate the Newberry House. Construction will begin as soon as they reach $2 million.

Meanwhile, SOC marches on. Its pair of annual auctions to fund daily programming and services is scheduled for Sept. 15 at the Detroit Yacht Club and Sept. 30 at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. For tickets or to make a donation, call the SOC office at 313.882.9600.

n  Anne Marie Gattari is owner of BrightStar Care of Grosse Pointe / Southeast Macomb, provider of in-home care for seniors. She can be reached at 586.279.3610; am.gattari@brightstarcare.com; http://brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb