SENIORS IN CRISIS: ST. CHARLES COUNTY SENIOR CARE PROFESSIONALS GATHER TO DISCUSS CARE ISSUES AND WORK TOWARD COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS – Suburban Journals

On February 11, a group of concerned citizens and senior care professionals gathered at Community Commons in Spencer Library in St. Peters to discuss current issues in senior care in St. Charles County and worked together to brainstorm solutions, facilitated by Laura McCoy with Home Instead Senior Care.  O’Fallon Mayor Bill Hennessy attended and participated in the conversation (several local elected officials were scheduled and invited but did not attend).  Those in attendance represented all levels of senior care ranging from independent living to hospice and many other senior services.  Among the issues addressed was the trend toward the area population having more seniors over the age of 65 than people younger than 18, this gap continuing to widen as time goes on, which means there will be more seniors needing care and fewer people to care for them.  Our senior population continues to have more complex care issues, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia care, requiring more educated caregivers to give them the proper care they need.  Also addressed was the need to expose young people to elders and change the mindset around aging so that elders are respected and revered for their experiences and wisdom, and ways to make caring for them part of community service, via schools and public campaigns. Laura McCoy with Home Instead said “I was so impressed with the passion for care from everyone in attendance.  These senior care professionals and providers sacrificed time from very busy schedules to take part in this discussion, and it was incredibly powerful to see so many dedicated individuals working together to find solutions and hopefully prevent more problems in the future.”   The morning opened with speakers addressing staffing and other issues, including Nicole Phillips with Envision Home Health, Nancy Young with the Alzheimer’s Association, Jennifer Gettman with McClay Senior Care, Chris Keidel with Seasons Hospice, Carmen Worley with Transitions for Senior Living, Shelly Roy with the Bev Roy Hope Foundation, Jen Ryan Galantowicz with SRZ Reach LTC, and Latonya Thomas with Love is and Action.  Then the room moved to table discussions, focusing on positive solutions.  The group adjourned after agreeing to take actions in their respective areas to bring attention to issues facing senior care and to schedule future gatherings to continue the conversation.