Support the Senior Needs Committee

To the Editor:

After so much rhetoric back and forth, there comes a time for some sensible dialogue.Sometimes as I have said, reasonable people can disagree. Sometimes those same disagreeably reasonable people can agree. Here in lies the starting point for a new tone of discussion as to the whole recreation project and meeting the needs of those seniors that deserve some long overdue attention. Don’t think I am appeasing or placating those folks that have been the object of my barbs on these pages. I am not. I will attempt however, to begin a dialogue in the spirit of controlled spending and moving forward with a reasonable solution to two challenges that need to be looked at… individually. I can accept that there may be some need for more recreation space. However I need to hear from someone out there that there is an equal or greater (or more urgent) need for space and programs for our senior citizens. I am defining seniors as they have not been defined in the past at least as far as the RSPT has defined them in Moultonboro. There are seniors that are maybe 60, 75 or even 90 that

are active enough for tennis, basketball, jogging or calisthenics. Good for them and God bless them for their fitness and gift of good health. These good folks are not the seniors of which I speak. These active adults are probably already part of the recreation department. I am concerned for those folks that have needs for a place to walk (not run), gather to network as to who their favorite orthopedic MD is,  have a low cost meal

at midday, have a place to be cared for while their “Family Caregiver” is working (yes, adult daycare) or have help with personal needs like writing checks and finding help with oil bills or just plain intellectual conversation. There are those that are well enough to live at home but may need a ride to the store or the doctor. I have not heard much of these seniors from those that would be combining senior needs and recreation into the single venue of the so-called “Community/Senior Center.” Presently, the Recreation Department has little or no time or space for these types of programs. Nor should they… and here is where we need to look at a split. In a recent conversation with Tom Howard, head of the RSPT, I believe we found some common ground. I will not attempt to quote him here for fear of misquoting or misrepresenting his thoughts. However, I was able to make the suggestion that these two venues be administered by different departments and for the most part occupy separate space. I would further suggest that we address our seniors’ needs and services prior to an expansion of the present recreation department. Those that run the recreation do a fine job designing and managing sports programs for youth and adults. They are not qualified for the needs of those seniors of which I speak. The fine job that the meals program does in administering both eat-in, and ‘meals-on-wheels’ should be continued and enhanced. The Lions Club building is not functionally obsolete, but does need updating and upgrading. I urge those “powers that be” to support the Senior Needs Committee as a stand-alone department that would deal with these critical needs for our aging seniors. I would further suggest that the “fix” for the recreation department be on a gradual scale with a large percent of the focus being on much more restrained and reasonable spending.

Rick Heath

Moultonboro

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