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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Personal checks swiped from Ashland drop box ... Ashland Senior Program offers wide variety of resources ... Searchers find snowboarders who spent the night lost on Mount Ashland ... Personal checks swiped from Ashland drop box ... Ashland Senior Program offers wide variety of resources ... Searchers find snowboarders who spent the night lost on Mount Ashland ... ASHLAND RUNS ON VOLUNTEERS Ashland Senior Program offers wide variety of resources By Mary I. Coombs DailyTidings.com By Mary I. Coombs Posted Dec. 29, 2015 @ 4:45 pm Updated at 4:46 PM By Mary I. Coombs Posted Dec. 29, 2015 @ 4:45 pm Updated at 4:46 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Holidays are often about families. But not all of us can spend them with our own families. One group of people we should remember all year round are the seniors in our community. And one organization that makes the needs and concerns of seniors central to its mission is the Senior Program. It is a part of the city of Ashland and is now (after some historic to- and fro-ing) formally a part of the Parks and Recreation Department. Its stated mission is to “provide a support system to the older residents of Ashland, helping them live more independently and continue as contributing members of the community." It serves this mission through a wide variety of programs. Some involve outreach to the larger community of seniors. It serves as a node through which seniors can access information about and referrals to programs that serve various needs. Seniors come to the program through its website, by phone, by email and in person. Some of the resources include utility discounts for seniors in need, bus passes and Valley Lift Vouchers for those with mobility issues and a focused program, Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA), whose highly trained volunteers help guide seniors through the ever-changing complexities of Medicare. The Senior Program also administers Meals on Wheels, which delivers health meals to home-bound people in Ashland. The program also connects people with a range of requests from need with shoveling a driveway to help with shopping and dog walking for a person transitioning from a health care facility back to their home. To accomplish its mission, the Senior Program coordinates and cooperates with a wide range of other governmental and nonprofit agencies, such as the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) or the Emergency Food Bank. The Senior Program also runs the Senior Center, a facility on Homes Avenue just off Walker Avenue. Programs there include a group lunch served every week day, and regular senior yoga and tai chi classes. They sponsor a variety of regular card games and offer individual training on computers and cell phones. They are also one of the locations for Listening Post, a group which offers active listening and conversation. (If you find this of particular interest you can learn more about volunteering with Listening Post at its website, www.listeningpostashland.org ) Like many organizations around Ashland, the Senior Program has only a small (though very dedicated) paid staff and relies heavily on volunteers. Volunteers can do a wide variety of tasks. Some are specific and call on particular training, such as the SHIBA “Medicare guides,” an RN who comes twice a month to the center and offers blood pressure readings and other services, or the volunteers who use their computer skills to help train the more technophobic among us on using these devices. But other volunteer opportunities require only willing hands and hearts, such as preparing and serving the lunches at the center or delivering the Meals on Wheels. These tasks can become a regular volunteer activity for someone who can commit a few hours late morning one day/week or someone can help out on a “drop-in” basis. The Senior Program Manager, Christine "Chris" Dodson, is also open to people who may want to volunteer to teach a new skill or offer a program at the center, whether on an ongoing basis or as a one-shot. For example, they recently had a special workshop where seniors made holiday cards, which were then delivered to Meals on Wheels recipients. (For some of these volunteer activities, since you would be interacting with a vulnerable population, there may be a requirement of a prior background check.) Like many volunteer opportunities, the first focus is on how a volunteer can help the organization’s programs and serve the clients/guests. But, again, the volunteers benefit as well. When you make a regular person connection with a guest at the congregate lunch or a Meals on Wheels recipient, that link is of value to both. Ms. Dodson tells of one Meals on Wheels recipient who is more than 100 years old. All the volunteers who drive that route organize it so she is last. They deliver the meal, unpack the lunch and spend a bit of time with one of our very, very senior citizens!! If you want to know more, please visit the website (www.AshlandSeniorCenter.org) or call the center on from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays at 541-488-5342. Mary I. Coombs’ column on local nonprofit organizations appears every three weeks. Email questions and suggestions to [email protected]. By Mary I. Coombs DailyTidings.com By Mary I. 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