HomeMy Public PortalAboutFindings From COA Community Forum1
BREWSTER COUNCIL ON AGING
COMMUNITY FORUM
MAY 30, 2018
A. PURPOSE
A Community Forum was held at the Brewster Baptist Church to present the COA’s Five-Year Age
Friendly Action Plan and to solicit input from Brewster residents regarding proposed programs and
activities.
This Action Plan will be implemented starting in July 2018. The Plan is in direct response to the findings
of the needs assessment study “The Future of Aging in the Town of Brewster” commissioned by the
Town and COA and conducted by the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging in the
UMASS-Boston Gerontology Institute. This Plan is also in line with the Age-Friendly Town Initiative
currently undertaken by more than 100 agencies and organizations across Massachusetts, including
Cape Cod. Check the COA page of the Town website for a link to the Plan.
The Forum was attended by about 70 residents, including COA Staff and Board members. Attendees
were involved in two activities described below.
B. GROUP DISCUSSIONS
Following a presentation of the Age-Friendly Action Plan, attendees were asked to participate in a 30-
minute discussion about one of the program areas identified in the Plan. With a facilitator/recorder for
discussion of each program area, attendees were asked to consider the following questions:
What are you most interested in?
Have we missed anything?
Have we proposed anything of low or no interest?
What will bring you to a community center?
What are the best ways to communicate about our programs?
Discussions are summarized for each program area below.
1. Exercise and Fitness Programs
Interests:
Walking – a safe walking path for vigorous interval walking in groups and alone, with groups
organized and supervised; it was noted that the bike trail is not safe due to high-speed cyclists;
Drummer Boy Park might be an option
Local hikes
Yoga
Qi Gong and Tai Chi
Aerobic exercise – more rigorous than current programs
Balance exercises
Pickle Ball, indoor and outdoor
Ping pong and table tennis
Badminton
Bocce – perhaps a court at Drummer Boy Park
Suggestions:
Improved coordination with the Town Recreation Department
Earlier classes (e.g. starting at 8:00am) and late afternoon and early evening programs
2
2. Social, Recreational and Group Activities
Interests:
Movie night with current movies
Book groups
Sailing groups
Trips, especially in the winter; e.g., Quincy Market, seal cruises, Canal cruise, Sesuit Harbor
cruise, as well as trips to Boston or other off-Cape attractions
Gardening
Pot luck dinners
Teas with music
Social dances, perhaps jointly sponsored; the Cape Cod Ballroom Dancers Association might be a
marketing resource
Games such as Mah Jong, dominoes (e.g., Mexican Train), board games, and cards
Simple cooking classes (e.g., crock pot cooking that might interest men)
Arts and Crafts, creative activities including pottery and clay work, painting classes, knitting and
needlepoint,
Woodworking
3. Education and Life-Long Learning
Interests:
Lifelong Learning Center in town
Discussion Groups
Workshops and Seminars (e.g., financial planning, how to downsize a home, other instructional
sessions)
Use of cable TV for in-home programs, e.g., seminars such as financial planning, computer
instruction, exercise programs
More collaboration with other COAs/Towns and joint sponsorship of programs
4. Housing Maintenance, Choices, Aging in Place
The following points were made:
Affordable, year-round rentals are scarce. Brewster Housing Partnership and the Housing Trust
are working on increasing subsidized rental units, for seniors and low-income families, and
encouraging private investment in non-subsidized housing for older adults. Northside Village in
Dennis is an example of the latter. The Housing Partnership is also looking at accessory housing
Assisted living and independent living facilities are available but not affordable for many.
The number of subsidized senor housing units is deficient.
Condominiums are not always a good option; not always handicap accessible; high monthly
fees.
Suggestions:
Investigate the intergenerational community or cohousing model, as being done by Kraus-Fitch
Architects in Amherst, and consider a presentation. Contact: lfitch@krausfitch.com; 413-549-
5799
Accessory dwellings that enable homeowners to continue living in their homes and also as a way
to facilitate caregiving
Consider “small houses”
Repurpose public buildings for housing; e.g., Union Point In Weymouth/Rockland area
3
5. Wellness, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, and Nutrition Programs
Programs in this area should have a positive orientation, focusing on wellness, lifestyle and prevention,
rather than disease. Nutrition was noted as important.
Interests:
Programs on healthy eating; connection between diet and health
Classes on health and disease prevention in general
Naturopathic medicine
More published articles on health
6. Intergenerational Programs
Interests:
Community dinners
Pairing of older adults and children to talk about careers
Liaison with high schools for technology help from students
Liaison with elementary schools for participation in their events
Partner with CC Technical School for cooking programs
7. Caregiver Support and Education
Interests:
Training programs for caregivers new to the role regarding what to consider, where to find
resources and services, housing/building needs
Programs on caregiving for those with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, vision or hearing
impairments, mobility problems, mental health issues
Information and assistance for long-distance caregivers with personal care services, cleaning
services, home maintenance, transportation, and skilled vs volunteer helpers
Caregiver support groups/programs in collaboration with area non-profit organizations
VNA/OT audits of homes for caregivers who plan to house aging relatives or to age in place
Suggestions:
Creation of a Lower Cape or County database of caregiver resources; if one exists (e.g., at ESCCI
or LCOC), collaborate with other area COAs to further develop it; assign responsibility for
development/maintenance to an individual (Staff/Board)
Work with All Access Committee and Chamber of Commerce to create accessibility guidelines
for local businesses; publish guidelines
Respite Care – expand regional daycare, no need for a separate facility in Brewster; participate
in planning and publicity
Advertise overnight respite facilities
8. Volunteer Recruitment / Civic Engagement
The importance of communication about volunteer opportunities was emphasized:
Schedule Town meeting on Saturday mid-morning; improve parking closer to building for older
adults; provide more comfortable chairs
Publicize town-wide volunteer opportunities in Bayside Chatter, on bulletin boards in the Library
and other Town venues, town website, cable TV (Community Channel), Town and COA emails,
CC Times and Cape Codder
Set up a volunteer neighbor helping neighbor program in which hours are banked for one
service and then used for another, e.g., hours of dog sitting provided in exchange for yard work
Provide clear descriptions of position responsibilities and time commitments
People should determine their own level of participation; Volunteers should not replace paid
staff positions
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Expand volunteer opportunities and services of Nauset Neighbors in Brewster
9. Transportation
Suggestions:
Provide more information about available transportation options, e.g., DART, BRTA, Uber
Increase COA funding for transportation services and expand destinations
Provide transportation for cultural events, e.g., the Cape Cod Symphony
Improve street lighting to facilitate night driving
C. IMPROVING COMMUNICATION ABOUT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
All groups were asked about how best to communicate with residents about programs and services.
Suggestions included:
Facebook
Separate website for COA, with monitoring of content to ensure that it is current
Email
Articles in Prime Time
Cable TV (Community Channel) and Radio announcements
Email and text messages
Newspaper and COA Newsletter (Bayside Chatter) announcements
Increased distribution and availability of Bayside Chatter at various locations in Town
Newspaper inserts
Robo calls for those who request it
Announcements on electronic sign in front of Fire Station
D. RATINGS OF PROGRAM AREAS
Attendees were also asked to rate each of ten program areas on a scale of 1 (least interest) to 5 (most
interest). Ratings were completed by 73 persons and support the discussions summarized above.
E. SUMMARY
Attendees at the Forum provided thoughtful feedback and input regarding proposed programs and
services. There was strong interest in a community center, with note of its advantages for socialization,
interaction with others, and friendship. Suggestions for a Center included:
Comfortable chairs
A gym and exercise equipment
PROGRAM AREA AVERAGE
SCORE
Exercise and Fitness Programs 4.1
Social and Group Activities 4.0
Education and Life Long Learning 3.8
Housing Maintenance, Choices, Aging in Place 3.6
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs 3.3
Intergenerational Programs 3.2
Caregiver Education and Support 3.2
Long Term Care Planning and Options 3.1
Education and Support Programs for Chronic Illness 3.0
Nutrition Education and Support; MOWs 2.9
5
A community education center
Arts and crafts area
Space for socialization and conversation
In order to attract more people especially younger residents, it was noted that the center name should
not be the Senior Center or COA. Many participants preferred programs at a central accessible building
rather than spread across various venues, although it was recognized that this might be necessary in the
immediate future.
The COA Staff and Board are now identifying and planning those programs of greatest interest,
especially in the areas of fitness / exercise and social activities, which can be implemented in the coming
year.