Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

SIPS works to meet needs of area seniors

Members of the Prescott High Schools EAST Lab and representatives of the Seniors in Poverty program are hoping to meet up with every senior citizen in Nevada County over the next few weeks.

Joy Andrews and Chandra Zachery are spearheading the drive. At the top of their to do list is the creation of a database that will serve as a master list for the rest of the project  finding practical ways to meet the needs of seniors in the area.

What kinds of needs are Zachery and Andrews hoping to meet? According to Andrews, thats where the project becomes incredibly interesting.

Whatever their needs are, well find a resource or well find a way, Andrews said.

There are several major challenges facing those who are no longer in the workforce, according to Andrews. She said money is one. Loneliness and accomplishing relatively simple tasks are also sometimes very difficult.

Their light bill is the same as yours, Andrews said. Their water bill is the same is yours. But some of those seniors on fixed incomes have a total monthly income of $500 to $800 per month.

Andrews told the story of a woman shes met in Prescott who is in dire need of dentures. The woman receives some $500 per month and simply isnt in a position to save the money she needs fro the dentures. In this case, Andrews said the answer is relatively easy.

There is a source out there, Andrews said, adding that shed help the woman tap into that possibility. Well contact some doctors and explain the situation.

Andrews said at least part of the situation is made more difficult because this is a generation of people who were typically taught that they should never need help.

Were talking about people with pride, she said. They never thought it would come to a point where they had to ask for anything.

In those cases, simply discovering the needs may be as difficult as meeting them.

Food is a very basic need and Andrews said there are elderly people in the area who are not able to afford adequate food. One of the ways Andrews and her group plan to help meet those needs is by creating community gardens.

Theyve located two small tracts of land  on in Prescott and one in Oak Grove. The use of the garden sites are donated and anyone in the community who wants to help and needs the produce will be welcome. Zachery said shed spent a day recently gathering the supplies needed, including a tiller, a volunteer to help break the land and seeds. Theoretically, the community gardens could be used year after year to meet the food needs of those in that area.

Were not a band-aid service, Andrews said.

Zachery said the idea is to create on-going and long-term ways of helping those in need.

Even if this program ceases to exist, we want it to keep going, Zachery said.

One of the projects is the Vial of Life. Sponsored by Wal-Mart, participants are provided a vial that looks like a large medicine bottle. Inside, theres a sticker that is to be placed on the front door or window at the entryway to the house. If a situation arises in which emergency personnel are called to the residence, theyll see that sticker and know that they can find the vial inside the refrigerator. In the vial, theyll then find a list of medical conditions and current medications. The same list can be kept in the glove box for those who drive.

The Seniors in Poverty is also currently offering smoke detectors for those who need them. Smoke detectors are free and are provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Andrews said.

Andrews and Zachery both say they hope to see other local organizations get involved. >From providing transportation to those gathering information for the database to meeting needs of specific seniors, both say there are plenty of ways volunteers can help.

Prescott in itself has every resource that a big citys got, Andrews said. It just needs to come together.

Clothing and other donated items can be sent to the Seniors in Poverty at 203 W. Pine St., or by calling (903)244-4756 or 887-3718. Andrews said the donation of money and time are also needed.