Aging in Hingham - Town of Hingham Massachusetts

alternatives for transportation, this woman had to schedule her dental work for a time when herdaughter could drive her, and struggled through another week in pain.Town offices and organizations work effectively together to support the older population.Without exception, each interviewed Town official described strong and effective workingrelationships with the Department of Elder Services staff. The informants discussed relationshipswith specific individuals in Elder Services, and described specific examples in which their officeshad worked well together. Communicating across offices to address residents’ concerns appearsto be the norm in Hingham; many of the interview subjects ascribe this to the community culture,which values strong community participation and support. The Town Administrator highlights thiscross-office collaboration as a valued goal, and describes ways he has supported this (e.g.,inviting staff from several different Town offices to serve together on committees). Severalexamples of the value of this communication and awareness were offered in conversation. Forexample, members of the Police Department described the popular Citizens Police Academyprogram they offer. Many of the participants in this program are seniors, and Senior Center spaceis used for some of the events. As another example, the Fire Chief described his positiveexperience with the property tax work-off program, which is administered by Elder Services. TheFire Department has saved money and benefitted from the experience and skills of the supportthey have obtained through that program.The Department of Elder Services is well known and working effectively, but faces somechallenges. Each of the informants reported favorably on the performance of the Department ofElder Services within the community. From these individuals’ perspectives, Elder Services plays avalued leadership role in addressing the issues and concerns of seniors in the community. Severalofficials specifically mentioned the multifaceted role played by the Department of Elder Services,citing both the social service aspect of its mission (e.g., providing information and referral;providing transportation services) as well as the broad activity and programmatic aspects (e.g.,offering fitness and educational programs designed for seniors). Some specific challenges for theDepartment of Elder Services were cited. One informant suggested that inadequate space andparking formed obstacles for expansion of Elder Services’ programming. Staffing shortfalls,especially around transportation services, were also mentioned as challenges.Hingham has a strong commitment to valuing and supporting Seniors in the community.Many of the individuals interviewed have been working and living in Hingham for many years. Thecore values of volunteerism, neighborliness, and collective support for community members arestrong among these individuals and the organizations they represent. They highlight theimportance of facilitating opportunities for residents of all ages to be involved in communitydecision-making as a key step in ensuring that residents’ needs are met. Despite theirunanimous commitment to seniors aging in Hingham, these informants offered no commonunderstanding about how best to generate and maintain Hingham as a community that effectivelysupports an expanding Senior population. Some Town offices anticipate growing demands forservices that may strain available resources. Others suggest that new ways of deliveringnecessary services may need to be devised. Balancing demands for services among differentTown constituencies, while adhering to Hingham’s core values and maintaining a strong financialfooting for the Town, may require thoughtful decision-making and being open to exploring newways of providing services to the community. Learning more about the evolving composition ofthe Senior population is an important step in this process.52