Aging in Hingham - Town of Hingham Massachusetts

mechanisms were described by the group as being good programs but not as well known as theycould be.The group agreed that Hingham is a very supportive community, with good neighborhoods, whichmay account for the low level of isolation reported in the community survey. Yet they agreed thateven the few that are identified as isolated should be of concern. A challenge for the SeniorCenter moving forward is explaining to the larger community what the Senior Center offers. Groupmembers noted that Senior Centers are sometimes seen as “fluff”—a service that is nice to have,but not required—and that it is important to make the case for the value of the Senior Center tothe community. The group speculated that being social and active is beneficial for mental healthand healthy aging—one example of how benefits of the Senior Center could be highlighted.Results from the Key Informant InterviewsOne-on-one interviews were conducted with members of six Town offices and organizations: Mr.Ted Alexiades, the Town Administrator; Mr. Bruce Rabuffo from the Board of Selectmen; ChiefPeraino and Deputy Chief Olsson from the Police Department; Chief Duff from the FireDepartment; Ms. Kathy Crowley, Public Health Nurse; and Ms. Susan Kiernan, from the HinghamInterfaith Food Pantry. Each of these individuals generously shared their time and insights withthe researcher during interviews that lasted an hour or more.The purpose of conducting these interviews was to gain additional perspective on the impact ofthe aging of Hingham’s population on the community as a whole and to learn about how thecommunity is responding to the shifting age composition. Additional goals were to obtain input onhow other organizations in Hingham perceive the role played by the Department of Elder Services,and to identify any opportunities for the Town to improve its efforts to meet the needs of Seniorsin the community. Table 8 outlines some of the unique ways in which the aging of the populationimpacts each organization, as described by the informant. The summarization in this table isgenerated by the researcher based on the interview and is not a verbatim quote from theinformant. Each town official describes ways in which the aging of Hingham’s population hasimpacted his or her office, the Town, and/or the work that they do. The impact of thedemographic shifts in Hingham has been realized by Town organizations in somewhat uniqueways.Several cross-cutting themes are drawn from the interviews. A summary of these themes follows:Economic challenges and transportation barriers are key issues facing Hingham’s Seniors.Two key issues facing Seniors in Hingham were highlighted by the key informants: economicconcerns and transportation. These issues echo results from the community survey. Economicchallenges for seniors occur on two levels: at the macro level, broad economic challenges havethreatened the well-being of some seniors living on fixed incomes, while changes to Medicare andthe health care delivery system have resulted in greater difficulty paying for medical expenses. Atthe community level, the home values in Hingham and associated property tax expenses placefinancial pressure on those with fixed incomes as well. Transportation was also noted as an issuefor seniors in Hingham. Few viable alternatives to self-driving exist in Hingham, and the availableoptions can be expensive. The inability to find or afford transportation prevents some seniors fromaccessing needed services (such as coming to the Food Pantry), participating in the community50