InFocus featuring Westfield Council on Aging ED Mike Squindo

From the 22 News Plus studio, this is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Barry. >> Hello everyone and welcome to this edition of In Focus. We have a wonderful conversation today. Joining me across the desk is Michael Swindo. He is the executive director of the Westfield Council on Aging. and Mike and I today are going to talk about all the great things that are happening with our local seniors, but a lot of the issues facing our local seniors, which is why a your your uh your local senior center and Council on Aging can help all of those older loved ones that we each have. Mike, thank you so much for joining me today. Greatly appreciate it. Uh just a quick little background about you and and your your um your career working with I guess the umbrella term is elder services. Does that sound good? >> Older adults. >> Older adults. Okay. Yeah. >> Give us a little bit of background. >> Sure. So, I started in 2013 uh working at the East Long Meadow Senior Center. I was brought in part-time uh temporarily and long story short, ended up liking it, applied for a job, stayed, ended up with my master's degree and my boss at the time basically uh we joke all the time that she coached me out and sent me off to the next world which was outreach services in Long Meadow. >> Okay. >> Um I was there for about 2 years. Um, and then a position opened up at the Awam Senior Center. So, I applied, got that job, and I was the director at the Awam Senior Center for about 6 years before I came to Westfield, >> where I've been for 2 years. So, that's a very short version. >> That's the short version, but that's good. It just it shows that you've you know, you've been in multiple communities, which I always think is valuable because, you know, if you're in one community for your entire career, you sort of get the blinders on. So, but you've had that ability to work with multiple communities. So, you see the things that are common across communities, but what might be unique and things that you can bring from one community to the next. So, I I I think that's wonderful that you've you've kind of broadened your wings and and now that you're in Westfield, um Westfield obviously bigger than East Long Meadow, bigger than Long Meadow, bigger than Awam. What sort of challenges did that role bring to you that um uh that you enjoy? you know, some of the things that that Westfield being a bigger community, it's what the third largest in in Pioneer Valley. >> Well, I think the the larger the community, the more diverse the population, right? I just you don't know everybody. They have dramatically different needs. You know, Westfield is probably the most city-like community. I know we call these community cities, but people think city like, you know, New York City. Um, but Westfield being the biggest city that I've worked in, um, in the area, I think that you're balancing dramatically different interests among a wide swath of a subdemographic of seniors. And within that senior population, you're talking about three to four generations. You know, it it's interesting you say that because, you know, I I've talked to, you know, other uh people in your position and they go, you have to think about what a senior center who a senior center caters to. It's the 60-year-old, it's the 100redy old. That's a 40year difference. I don't think most people realize that huge generational difference, >> right? And I'll add in Westfield that as of January, the board uh this the Council on Aging Board of Directors included the 55 year olds. So, we actually go down 5 years from the what people think of when they think of older adults. >> So, now if if you're in Westfield and you're 55 years old, you can join the Westfield Senior Senior Center. >> Yeah, we So, I tell everybody if you're breathing and you're willing to play by our rules, you can join. We target 55 and older for programming and services. So, we try to understand that we need to recruit folks before they quote unquote need us, >> right? >> Um, you know, as we were talking before we started that if you wait until you're 75 or 80 that your life has has gotten to a point where it's much harder for you to engage that community if you're not already part of it. >> Okay. So, if we're providing services to the folks at 5560, which might be volunteering opportunities, then we're getting their foot in the door and they're getting introductions to the staff and to the community and and and realizing what we have to offer. So, what you're telling me is at 58 years old, I can now take part in my Westfield. I love it. I love it. So let's talk a little bit about, you know, through through your travels and your time dealing with older adults. What are some of the biggest issues that are facing older adults here, you know, in in mid 2020s? >> Yeah. So I I think Patrick, you you'd be not so surprised to hear that it's very similar to what most people are facing. We're just adding age to the conversation, right? So, okay, >> we're talking financial insecurity, housing issues, food security, most recently at the forefront of conversations in the last couple of months. >> Um, we're talking about transportation needs. You know, these are these are things that I think everybody at some point in their life faces. But on top of all that, we're talking about the aging individual, right? So, our bodies are changing as we get older. We have more risks um for injury as we get older. So on top of all the things we face throughout our life, we're adding to that a body that is is shifting in a way that puts us at more risk as well as as our friends age with us as they pass on, as they move into nursing homes and we become more isolated. >> You know, we have that social determinant of health as well. >> And people are living longer today than than they ever have. >> So you've got to keep you got to keep active. You got to keep healthy. And and that's where your local senior center comes into play. >> Absolutely. 100%. So, we provide a myriad of services as as I say to everybody, we try to keep you young, okay? >> You know, we try to keep you young through mental engagement, through social engagement, through physical engagement, and then providing services to help with those tangible issues that are so hard to to understand and navigate when you have all these other things at play. >> Right. Right. We are up on our first commercial break. We we are going to get into some of those issues a little bit deeper when we come back. So, stay with us. This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Barry. [Music] This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Barry. Welcome back everyone to today's In Focus. We're here in the 22 News Plus studios. Mike Swindo from the Westfield Council on Aging is with me today talking about uh your local Council on Aging, your local senior center, some of the benefits that you, if you're now 55 and older, can can take advantage of. And 55 and older isn't every senior center. It's that just happens to be Westfield. Correct. There are a few in our area though that are 55 and older, you know, and I I've shared the story um I've shared with you and your predecessor Tina and a few of the others that I know in your world. You know, my mom when she was still alive, it took me years to convince her to go down and and and at least see the Westfield Senior Center and she was she I finally got her down there to the new one, which is not new anymore. It's what 10 years old. >> Um, >> but she was like, "Wow, this is a this is a great place." But at that point, she was in her late 80s, you know, so it was it's a shame that she missed like 20 years plus of taking advantage of it. But uh but they are such great resources for our older adults. You mentioned before we went to break some of the issues fa facing our seniors and you know let's let's check kind of if we can let's like tick through them. One the first one is probably the most important is financial. >> You know senior centers are great resources for free or no free or lowcost >> services. Walk me through some of the things. Let's talk about Westfield specifically that that seniors can take advantage of at the Westfield Senior Center. >> So, at the Westfield Senior Center, we have a lowcost nutrition program. Uh in-house, we provide meals daily. Uh 4 days a week is lunch, and on Fridays, we actually do a breakfast program. >> Okay? >> That's $4 if you dine in with us, $5 if you do takeout, and the takeout has some parameters to it. Um we also have partnered with the Highland Valley Elder Services Program to provide curbside lunches so we could continue that program. That's a $4 donation. So, we also try to be accessible financially in that regard. We offer um >> How popular are those are those lunches and breakfast? I mean, does does the senior center get crowded? You guys have a lot of meals. >> So, so we're kind of still working through that post-pandemic return to normal, right? And I think that was just a matter of some policy changes and and being able to offer those meals 5 days a week as we do now. But we're seeing growth. Uh we're up to probably an average of about 45 to 50 people daily. >> Wow. you know, depending on the meal and what the weather looks like >> of. Well, of course. Yeah. >> Um, and then similarly numbers outside on the curb. So, you know, you're talking between somewhere between 70 and 80 people daily on our nutrition program overall. >> That is fantastic. Now, what types of what types of meals are being provided? I mean, are they catered meals? Like, do do you have a kitchen? Do you have where do the meals come from, I guess? >> So, so we have a kitchen at the senior center. Um, it was built as part of the building. Uh we have two staff plus several volunteers that provide those meals in-house. >> Okay, those are completely what we call uh conventional cooked. So they're prepared on site. Uh we also through Highland Valley offer two choices of meals. So if you are a program participant at the Westfield Senior Center, you actually get a choice of up to three meals on a daily basis. >> Wow. >> You know, which I think is is phenomenal. I I've always had a vision and a goal of being able to offer two meals a day. Right. >> So with partnership to do three, >> that's fantastic. >> Is is pretty awesome. the Highland Valley meals in particular also follow a set of federal nutritional guidelines for older adults uh that have more dietary needs, >> right? >> Um and then the the meals inhouse, while they don't necessarily aren't as strict, we obviously try to recognize that we want to do as low sodium as possible. >> That makes sense. >> So that makes sense. >> So we offer those. >> It sounds like they're very healthy meals. >> Yeah. >> And and designed really >> for older adults. >> Overall they are. Overall they are. I I would say for those of us who have a sweet tooth, the in-house meals offer um a better traditional dessert. We we get donations from our local grocery stores and so we're able to give away >> those pies and cakes and fun things more more often. >> Um in addition to our nutrition program, we offer um exercise programs um at low cost. So we partner with various instructors either individually, we partner with the Westfield YMCA to offer some yoga classes. um we we contract with those services so that we're able to uh control the costs and keep our costs down. I think we're averaging somewhere between three and $5 a class. So we try to keep those down. Um and then for folks who are struggling even at those rates, we do have funding made available to us to try and offset some of those costs for seniors. >> Now do you I mean it's amazing that the the costs are that low, you know, just a few dollars for exercise and for food. Do you find in your travels in in talking with the folks that come through the door that that that finances are are really a hot button? >> Uh they are um in general, but I think with these particular programs, it's also a matter of priority, right? So if you're providing a service that people want, that people need, they're willing to pay what they can afford to pay. Okay? Um, and so really we're looking for that honest conversation of this is what we need in order to make this program run. But we also recognize that you have a budget and you can only afford what you can afford. So if you have an open communication with us because we control the fees and we we're not as dependent on outside grants and funding sources, we can work with those individuals to the best of our ability to make the cost even more effective for for others. So, are the programs that are available, are they dictated by by you and your staff or are is it a sort of a ground up? You know, the people that come in say, "Hey, we want to do this. We want to we want a cribage league or we want, you know, a different exercise class." Or do you guys say, "Hey, we're offering a cribage." >> That's that's a great question. And actually, we addressed this at our 10-year uh anniversary uh on October 26th. And we really are focused on what I call organic development from the ground up. We want to hear from our participants what's of interest to them. We want to run programs that they want. And I think part of that is also recognizing that, you know, I'm a numbers guy. So if the numbers aren't panning out that this is a successful program, that tells for itself. But I think when we talk about fees for service, we also have to recognize what are the prohibitive factors that might drive those numbers down. Um, a great example is our art classes. Um, we historically have offered art classes that partner with the Sarah Gilllet uh fund, okay, and foundation. And so depending on how that was funded, at part times of the year, it was a fee for service. Other times, it was free. Um, this year, we were able to get funding that allowed us to make it free for the whole year. And we've seen that basically max out our classes so far that we've offered. We've offered them uh since early fall, I believe, and they've maxed out at 16 people is what the room can accommodate with art supplies, >> really. and they've just been full. >> That is fantastic. So So the these classes that that you're doing, they're they're sort of multi-purpose, I guess, is the right word. It's it's like the art class or the the card games or whatever. It's it's it's keeping people active, keeping their minds active, but also doing things that they're interested in. >> Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So everything that we do at the senior center, first and foremost, I say to everybody, it's socialization, right? I think that's so important to understand that whether you're attending a fitness program, an art class or lunch, you're getting socialization. On top of that, to your point, whether you know, maang, art, card games, those all engage your brain in a way that I think, you know, some studies have shown, but I think we could do more understanding of it. The brain engagement is great for for helping to deter and prolong any onsets of memory issues. So, I think it's it is it's multifaceted. And then we also get to a place where uh you know as we talked about having multiple generations of seniors um we also have that's that in and of itself is an intergenerational opportunity. And so if we can bring in other generations you know the kids and the young adults that engage our seniors and our older adults that has a benefit for society for that socialization understanding other people than ourselves >> and socialization has been proven that it it helps with longevity. >> Absolutely. social socialization or the lack thereof is as much a social determinant of health as smoking or not smoking as overdrinking as exercise and dieting properly. So uh I just had a conversation with a group of colleagues about this relative to you know how we market ourselves at the state level. And I think one of the things we need to do a better job of is explaining that we're not just a recreational facility in the sense that all we do is socialize. We have to recognize that that socialization is a key component of health for our older adults and people. >> Well, it's socialization, um, nutrition, information. There's you get a wealth of information from the from the different um, things that you can find at your senior center. And we are up on our next commercial break. We'll talk more about that when we come back after this. >> This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Barry. [Music] This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Barry. Welcome back everyone. Today uh on this edition of In Focus, we are talking about your local senior center, your local council on Aging. Joining me across the desk is Mike Swindo, the executive director of the Westfield Council on Aging. Michael, thank you so very much for joining me. Greatly appreciate your time. Uh before we went to break, we talked about some of the additional programs and services that a local senior center can provide. You we're talking spec specifically about Westfield, but contact your local senior center wherever whatever town you live in because some of these programs might be available aside from the nutrition, aside from the socialization, there's information. What are some of the things people can get from the Westfield Senior Center to help them in their life? >> Sure. So, uh right off the bat, it's Medicare open enrollment season. Uh so we have a uh we actually have two Shine counselors. One is a staff member um and one is a volunteer. Uh so they'll help you kind of navigate the whole world of insurance whether you're new to Medicare turning you know 65 or you're returning and just looking for review. We offer other state benefit assistance um through our offices. We offer various levels of case management assistance. And then we have programs that are kind of more periodic depending on the year. So, we've got the ARP tax program coming up in the upcoming tax season. So, you can have your taxes prepared at no cost if you're low to moderate income. >> Um, you we have the senior workoff program that if you're an individual living in Westfield and needing help with getting a abatement uh on your taxes, provide a little bit of volunteer to the city and have some reduction in your taxes. >> Really? Yes. Do some volunteer work for the city and you have your your property taxes reduced a certain amount. >> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, Westfield reduces them for seniors at $800 less applicable taxes. Wow. >> Um, and then for veterans, I believe it's 1,500. >> Wow. Any seniors out there complaining about your property taxes or veterans, go contact your senior center, have it knocked down a little bit. >> Yeah. Um, so I'm trying So, um, we also, we're in a hiatus right now, but we're hoping to bring back uh the foot care program where we provide lowcost foot uh, toenail trimmings to individuals. But you speaking of healthcare. >> Yes. >> In foot care and eye care and and all of that. >> You explain to me what a shine counselor does. Shine is an acronym for something. I have no idea what it is, but >> serving health insurance needs of everyone dot dot dot on Medicare. Um and to some degree those on Mass Health. >> Okay. Um, and so really what they do is they spend 40 hours in their initial training period to learn all about the the the different parts of Medicare and the the chaos of insurance. So I want to stop you there because >> the the the frustrating thing about Medicare is it is extremely complicated. >> Yes. >> And our older adults, it's nothing against you folks watching, it's just a nature of life and aging. we start to lose some of our cognitive ability. So they create this health care plan that is so confusing and give it to our older adults that are have a more difficult time understanding understanding the nuances and that's where the your shine counselor is are invaluable and and I say that as a former shine counselor and somebody who's clearly not an older adult yet. It's confusing to me and it changes every year. So what worked for you for the last 5 years might not work for you tomorrow. Okay. And so that's why I say to everybody talk to a shine counselor. >> And even though open enrollment is every fall, >> people turn 65 in June, in April, in August. So that shine counselor is available all year long. >> Those shine counselors are generally available all year round. Again, depending on the senior center will change, you know, to what degree. >> Um, but there are I'll call them county agencies that provide the shine counseling year. So, if you're new to Medicare because you're turning 65 or you're 68 and retiring from your job and now it's time to start looking at that, they're available for you and they'll walk you through the details of that process. >> Um, they're nonbiased. They don't get paid for what they're doing. They don't get commissions for what they're doing. They just exist to serve the needs of people getting on or already on Medicare. >> So, but Westfield Shine Counselor is an employee of the city of Westfield. They're not they're not getting any kickback from any insurance companies. >> Oh, yeah. She she's a volunteer for the Shine program, if you will. But Lynn Hills is our Westfield Shine counselor. >> Okay. >> And she is phenomenal. We actually with this year and with the addition of our new volunteer shine counselor, we're actually scheduled we're trying to schedule right now we're booked out of close to 300 individuals. >> Holy smokes. >> Oh yeah. >> Wow. >> So, and and we're way um there's a lot of people that we're having to direct to other locations. So, the need is much higher than we're able to meet. >> Right. Right. Right. >> We recognize that. >> So that's the healthcare side, but I also want to throw in in Westfield, if I understand correctly, the veteran services officer is also located in the senior center. Correct. >> Yeah. We are one-stop shop for many, many people. And I think that's a best practice for senior centers. In my experience, I've had senior centers I've worked in that have the VSOs, the veteran service officers. >> I've worked in senior centers where they're not in the building. And there's a lot of overlap in our population. And to be able to just say right down the hall, we can connect you with the veteran service officers. and we have a phenomenal team here in Westfield. So, if you're a veteran in Westfield, definitely check out our veteran service officers, Julie and James. >> You know, one of the things I learned through my father aging. Um, and and I've shared this with other VSOs, you know, in Chap and other towns or whatever. I remember my father saying, "I don't need those benefits. Save them for the next person." And what a lot of folks and and I've been kind of using my position here at 22 News as sort of a pull pit to tell people veterans specifically, >> they're for you. They're not for you to pass on. So take advantage of those veterans benefits. Um you can go see your VSO in Westfield, any community. Every community by law in the state of Massachusetts, every community has a VSO. So there are benefits out there for you. And if I could just add on to that very quickly, I also tell both the veterans and the seniors when it comes to those types of entitlement programs, you've put into them either directly through finance or through service or both. So if you don't take advantage of them, it's just money sitting there. >> And I'm glad you used the word entitlement because a lot of times entitlement has a negative connotation, but you you served our country. You know, you paid money into these programs. Reap the benefits. Don't don't complain that you're not getting things because you know uh but you paid for those who you served our country so take advantage. Um other things that that you can get from your senior center I I I know some senior centers do trips like travel. Do does Westfield do anything like that? >> So we don't directly we have um a volunteer. So our our whip city travelers um have uh disbanded their formal group. They're still working with the agency that they had partnered with through a volunteer that provides some trips. It's a development that we're waiting to see how that plays out um just at the end of this year whether or not that agency is still able to provide services or not. >> Okay. So, uh what else am I missing uh as far as Westfield goes? I know there's there's a lot >> Westfield goes. Well, let's see. We've got three beautiful billiards tables for the folks who like to play pool. >> Okay. >> Um and I will tell everybody now that I I categorize that as a fitness program. There was a >> Oh, absolutely. There was an article not long ago in the local a couple years ago that talked about in average game of billiards you're walking a mile. >> Well, not only that, think about bending over, you know, lining up your shot, your shoulder movements, you know, lubing your lubricating your joints by taking the shot. Oh, absolutely. >> And the mental the mental exercises of of thinking about the geometric shapes to get the balls to roll the right way. You know, it's all the stuff that we don't think about. >> Well, not only the mental, you know, you got to you got to you got to trash talk the guy you're playing or woman you're playing against, too. That's all fun. >> Even as a bystander, I trash talk my seniors. You know, they love it. It's it's a communal opportunity. >> Absolutely. Unfortunately, Mike, we are out of time, but I want to thank you so very much for joining me. Folks, go down to uh find out where your local senior center is and your council on aging. Take advantage of those services. They are wonderful organizations. Mike, thank you so much. >> Thank you, Patrick. >> This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Barry. [Music]