New networking group has a noble goal

February 19, 2007 11:34 am

— It’s no secret that Clinton, like the rest of the state, has an aging population. It should be no surprise then that there will continue to be an increase in services that will be needed by this growing segment of our population.
But getting the services to those who need them — that’s not exactly been without some twitches.
Chad Haskell, community relations director with Bickford Cottage in Clinton, knows very well the struggle area senior citizens have faced when seeking services they need.
He joined forces with other agencies in the community last week to talk about how those groups can network with each other to answer questions from residents and direct them to people and organizations that can help them.
About 20 representatives of area businesses and agencies that serve the needs of local senior citizens attended the meeting to brainstorm. Representatives from housing to nursing care to medical devices took part.
The group also offered up ideas of others who should be invited, such as legislators, pharmacists, clergy and Department of Human Services workers and also agreed to spread the word to organizations they believe would benefit from such a network.
This a great idea for many reasons, to see who is offering what services, how people can be directed to them and even to see where duplication exists.
But most importantly it will help seniors get connected with what they need.
It’s a way that an answer can be provided to a caller — an answer that goes beyond “We can’t help you here” or “We don’t know.”