Health and Wellness: These programs consist <strong>of</strong> regularly scheduled fitness classes,health cl<strong>in</strong>ics, and a variety <strong>of</strong> health education programs scheduled throughout the year.Support groups for <strong>in</strong>dividuals liv<strong>in</strong>g with a variety <strong>of</strong> health conditions and for caregivers <strong>of</strong>Alzheimer’s and related dementias are also held.Transportation: Door-to-door transportation to medical appo<strong>in</strong>tments, shopp<strong>in</strong>g, necessaryerrands, hair appo<strong>in</strong>tments, social out<strong>in</strong>gs, and to the Senior Center, is available on a prearrangedschedule Mondays through Fridays.F<strong>in</strong>ancial Assistance/Benefits Programs/Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Services: Income tax preparation,help with complet<strong>in</strong>g fuel assistance applications, f<strong>in</strong>ancial assistance with utility bills anditems <strong>of</strong> necessity for those who are <strong>in</strong> need but do not meet the guidel<strong>in</strong>es for otherassistance programs, Property Tax Work-Off Program, and educational programs onf<strong>in</strong>ancial topics are <strong>of</strong>fered through the Senior Center.Nutrition/Meals Programs: Twice a week a Title III-C lunch is held at the Senior Center;home delivered meals are available 5 days a week based on eligibility. Monthly communitylunches provided by churches and organizations <strong>in</strong> H<strong>in</strong>gham, and a monthly Men’sBreakfast are also held at the Senior Center.Outreach Program: Information and referral, assessment <strong>of</strong> needs, assistance withcomplet<strong>in</strong>g benefit application forms, and advocacy are provided through the OutreachProgram.In-Home Support Services: M<strong>in</strong>or home repairs are provided to assist seniors withrema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> their own homes.S.H.I.N.E. (Serv<strong>in</strong>g Health Information Needs <strong>of</strong> Elders): This program assists seniors withquestions and problems that they may have with their medical bills, changes <strong>in</strong> health carecoverage, and general educational programs about health plan options.Recreational and Cultural Programs: A variety <strong>of</strong> programs are <strong>of</strong>fered on a weekly,monthly, or on an as scheduled basis <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g a current events discussion group (WorldAffairs), quilt<strong>in</strong>g, knitt<strong>in</strong>g, oriental rug mak<strong>in</strong>g, draw<strong>in</strong>g classes, opera group, various boardand card games, O.P.A.L.S. S<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g Group, and cultural trips.Community Education Programs: Various community education programs are scheduledthroughout the year <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g a Lifelong Learn<strong>in</strong>g Program and Wisdom Works, a jobsearch skills tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g program.Volunteer Opportunities: Opportunities are provided to <strong>in</strong>dividuals <strong>in</strong> the community toutilize their talents, skills, and knowledge through the Senior Center’s Volunteer Program.Volunteer opportunities <strong>in</strong>clude teach<strong>in</strong>g classes, driv<strong>in</strong>g the vans for non-medicaltransportation, staff<strong>in</strong>g the Senior Center, serv<strong>in</strong>g as Council on <strong>Ag<strong>in</strong>g</strong> members,coord<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g the monthly mail<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the newsletter, and staff<strong>in</strong>g the nutrition program.Participation <strong>in</strong> Elder Services programs has rema<strong>in</strong>ed at high levels for the most recent threeyearperiod. Table 4 displays usage statistics, provided by the Department <strong>of</strong> Elder Services. Thenumber <strong>of</strong> seniors who have participated <strong>in</strong> Elder Services programs has been stable at 1,800-24
1,900 <strong>in</strong>dividuals each year for FY2010 through FY2012. The number <strong>of</strong> service units (discreteactivities) that these <strong>in</strong>dividuals participated <strong>in</strong> varied between 21,000 (<strong>in</strong> FY2011) and 25,619(<strong>in</strong> FY2012). The calculations displayed at the bottom <strong>of</strong> Table 4 <strong>in</strong>dicate a ratio <strong>of</strong> service unitsto senior participants between 12.0 and 13.5 for the three years shown. Tak<strong>in</strong>g a ratio <strong>of</strong>unduplicated participants to the estimated <strong>Town</strong> population aged 60+ suggests that roughly onethird<strong>of</strong> the Senior population <strong>of</strong> H<strong>in</strong>gham participated <strong>in</strong> Elder Services programs dur<strong>in</strong>g each <strong>of</strong>these three years.Additional statistics provided by Elder Services <strong>in</strong>dicate that about 70% <strong>of</strong> the Senior Centerparticipants are women. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the 2010 Census, 59% <strong>of</strong> the population aged 60 and older<strong>in</strong> H<strong>in</strong>gham is female, suggest<strong>in</strong>g that women are disproportionately represented among SeniorCenter participants. Elder Services data also suggest that approximately 46% <strong>of</strong> Senior Centerparticipants are over the age <strong>of</strong> 75. The 2010 Census shows that 43% <strong>of</strong> the Senior population <strong>in</strong>H<strong>in</strong>gham is aged 75 and older, suggest<strong>in</strong>g that residents under and over age 75 are participat<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> the Senior Center at levels consistent with their numbers <strong>in</strong> the community.Table 4: Usage statistics, <strong>Town</strong> <strong>of</strong> H<strong>in</strong>gham Elder Services, 2010-2012FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 Change, 2010-2012Unduplicated seniorsparticipat<strong>in</strong>g1,828 1,780 1,892 +3.5%Units <strong>of</strong> service 23,475 21,335 25,619 +9.1%<strong>Town</strong> population aged60+5,297* 5,735** 5,735** +8.3%Ratio <strong>of</strong> service units tounduplicated seniorsparticipat<strong>in</strong>gEstimated percentage <strong>of</strong>population aged 60+participat<strong>in</strong>g12.8 12.0 13.534.5% 31.0% 33.0%Source: H<strong>in</strong>gham Department <strong>of</strong> Elder Services.*Based on <strong>Town</strong> census**Based on 2010 U.S. CensusFigure 8 shows units <strong>of</strong> service by program for the most recent year with complete data available,FY2012. The programs with the highest volume <strong>of</strong> participation are fitness and exercise25