The Commission on Aging recently held a Talbot County Council Candidate Roundtable Discussion at Brookletts Place in Easton on October 12 and 13 for the Democrat and Republican candidates running for Talbot County Council. The purpose of the discussion was for the County Council candidates to meet the Commission on Aging and learn more about the programs that the Talbot County Council supports for seniors in the county. Council candidates Pete Lesher, Scott Kane, Keasha Haythe, Phil Jackson, Michele Dappert, Wade Strictland, Dave Stepp, and Lynn Mielke attended.

Talbot County Council Candidates with members of the Talbot County Commission on Aging, who held a Talbot County Council Candidate Roundtable Discussion around senior issues in Talbot County.

The Talbot Commission on Aging was established in 2003 to advise the Talbot County Council on issues affecting seniors and to advocate for change. A member of the Talbot County Council sits on the Commission on Aging. Other members include Current members of the Commission are Jenna Marchi, Ellen Taggert, Lee Newcomb, Jennifer Pierson, Marion Donahue, Veda Gibson, Grace Lyons, Megan Murray, Rachel Smith, Kate Stinton, and Ex-Officios Frank Divilio, Andrew Hollis, and Childlene Brooks,

According to Jenna Marchi, Chairperson of the Commission on Aging, Talbot County’s population is aging. The county’s median age is 49.4 years of age while the state of Maryland’s median age is 38.3 years of age. The average age of the populations in Talbot, Kent, and Worcester counties are the oldest in the state of Maryland. She also reported that seven percent of seniors in Talbot County live below the poverty level.

“Talbot County has nearly twice as many seniors as it does children, but those seniors receive only a fraction of our resources. When it comes to ensuring that our seniors have adequate access to information and services, we want to make sure our elected officials understand their important needs and take them into account as they go about the business of government. All too often, our seniors get overlooked and we’re so glad that so many of those folks seeking seats on the County Council chose to participate and discuss these important issues,” Marchi adds.

The Commission shared recent data from a recent University of Maryland Shore Regional Health needs assessment, stating that area seniors identify availability and access to doctors’ offices, transportation, and housing/homelessness as the three most important socioeconomic issues currently facing seniors in Talbot County.

Talbot County Council Candidates with members of the Talbot County Commission on Aging, who held a Talbot County Council Candidate Roundtable Discussion around senior issues in Talbot County.

To address some of these needs, the Talbot County Council currently supports Upper Shore Aging, Inc., Talbot Senior Centers, Meals on Wheels, the Senior Care Program of the Talbot County Department of Health, and the Talbot County Department of Social Services. Information on these programs was shared with candidates.

Among other issues facing seniors today that were discussed with the candidates were COVID, increased isolation, less physical activity, reduced life expectancy (excess deaths due to COVID-19 and other causes in 2020 and 2021 led to an overall decline in life expectancy between 2019 and 2021 of 2.7 years for the total population, 3.1 years for males and 2.3 years for females), healthcare access, the increasing county population, closures, lack of providers accepting Medicare, and behavioral health resources (long waits and lack of providers).

Candidate suggestions included providing listening sessions on these issues, further utilizing Delmarva Community Transport with merchants to address the transportation issues, improving the delivery of healthcare in the county, and managing growth with the comprehensive plan.

For further information on the Talbot County Commission on Aging, visit talbotsenior.com.

Brookletts Place Senior Center recently hosted a presentation, “Getting Back Out There: How to Re-Engage After the Pandemic” at Brookletts Place at 400 Brookletts Avenue in Easton. The presentation explored elder abuse and social isolation, as well as how to re-engage seniors as a result of the pandemic. The panel of aging experts included Dr. Maggie Black, Partner of Shore Neurocognitive Health; Beth Parker O’Brien, LCSW-C, MPH, Founder/Partner of Shore Neurocognitive & Behavioral Health; Lee Newcomb, Adult Services Social Worker, Talbot County Department of Social Services; Mary Sellers, Upper Shore Aging, Inc., Guardianship and Family Caregiver Program; Dana Newman, Talbot County Free Library; and Kate Stinton, RN, LCSW, Talbot County Health Department.

Presenter Kate Stinton reported that social isolation is an increasing problem across the United States with Medicare reporting that 1 in 5 people suffer health effects from social isolation and that the cost of these health effects is a big health concern. She added, “Social isolation is a lack of contact that involves loneliness, anxiety, and depression among other health conditions. Talbot County has a good network of social services. The Health Department has programs available to help, they can talk with physicians, conduct assessments, and make liaisons with customers to work through the issues. The department offers home visits with 1-to-1 staff, assessments to determine health and functional needs, food, and transportation, along with case management services. Seniors can also enroll in the Senior Call Check services which can help give them a feeling of security. They can help you understand loneliness and social isolation.”

“Some risk factors for social isolation are living alone, decreased mobility, not leaving the home, suffering a major loss, financial struggles, being a caregiver, memory loss, cognitive changes, limited social supports, and eating meals alone,” she added.

According to presenter Lee Newcomb, the Talbot County Department of Social Services provides services to the elderly and vulnerable adults over the age of 18. Additionally, they make assessments to determine what services are helpful.

“The definition of vulnerable is an individual who lacks the mental and/or physical capacity to take care of their daily needs. The majority of the referrals received by our department are for financial exploitation and self-neglect. Self-neglect is when one isn’t taking care of their daily needs. Financial exploitation involves a scam or fraud that involves the transfer of money. It can happen with a family member, a caregiver, or calls/texts on your phone. We try to educate victims on what has happened and how to prevent future exploitation in the future.”

Another role of the Department of Social Services is to determine whether the victims have diminished cognitive capacity. Newcomb adds, “If the individuals are of sound mind and are making poor decisions, services are not appropriate. Adults have the right to make poor decisions.”

For help in determining cognitive capacity, Shore Neurocognitive Health in Easton offers memory screening, neurocognitive testing, and psychotherapy with a focus on the aging population. They provide education regarding anxiety, depression, caregiver stress, and testing to determine if an adult is vulnerable and experiencing cognitive impairment. They also make referrals to the Department of Social Services and the Health Department.

Beth Parker O’Brien and Maggie Black commented, “We want to help families navigate these tough issues. Social isolation and memory are connected. If one had a good memory before COVID, but not now – we can help them figure out what has happened. The central isolation encountered during COVID was a major obstacle and didn’t help anyone as daily life was being impacted. Depression increased, anxiety increased, and memory was impacted. They are seeing that COVID has a memory impact even among younger people.”

Mary Sellers shared resources from Upper Shore Aging, Inc. which serves Caroline, Kent, and Talbot counties. Talbot county receives 44% of the budget which serves the frail and elderly through the Family Caregiver program which provides grants to families and caregivers, along with education to those 60 and above. Some grandparents and clients with dementia are also served. She explained how to tap into these resources, stating, “An individual needs an impairment in at least two activities of daily living, and income is not considered, however, a declaratory income statement is required. Home-delivered meals are very valuable in reducing social isolation as you see a volunteer face to face and they check on the individual during the delivery. The average age of people served through the program is 85 years age. We are also seeing an increase in younger disabled individuals trying to qualify for services along with relatives who have quit their jobs to care for their disabled family members.”

Stinton shared that families and friends are important to help with taking the small steps to make connections. The Senior Centers, community centers, churches, theaters, and libraries are all also places where one can make connections. Dana Newman shared resources from the Talbot County Free Library to help seniors stay connected and find information on such topics as medical concerns and potential scams. The library also has programs for engagement and staying connected with loved ones virtually through FaceTime and Zoom. Staff can assist and can offer WiFi hot spots for free that give Internet connections for two months (there are some data limitations). They have online programming, including an online resource arts and crafts class called Creative Bug and an Easton Book Club that meets once a month. The library’s My Tech program offers people the opportunity to have IT questions answered and to learn FaceTime and Zoom.

The panel ended by encouraging participants to look out for their neighbors to see if changes are occurring and to reach out to one of the resources mentioned if help is needed. The agencies represented at the event work cooperatively to help families navigate the resources they need to address these important aging issues. For further information, call Brookletts Place at 410-822-2869 or visit brooklettsplace.org.

Brookletts Place is a center for seniors to gather and socialize with each other. It provides an aspect of community engagement for individuals 60 or older through the Center’s facilities and various events throughout the year.

Beth Parker O’Brien, LCSW-C, MPH, Founder/Partner of Shore Neurocognitive & Behavioral Health, who will be one of the speakers at “Getting Back Out There: How to Re-Engage After the Pandemic”

According to the National Council on Aging, approximately one in 10 Americans aged 60 and older have experienced some form of elder abuse. Some estimates range as high as five million elders who are abused each year. One study estimated that only one in 24 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.

Elder abuse is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as an intentional act that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult, age 60 and older. Common types of elder abuse are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, or financial abuse.

Today, following the past few years of dealing with a COVID pandemic, more and more seniors are suffering from a lesser-known form of abuse or neglect – social isolation. In this case, family members and caregivers have an important role in recognizing the signs and symptoms to get the senior the help he or she needs.

Beth Parker O’Brien, LCSW-C, MPH, founder/partner with Shore Neurocognitive & Behavioral Health in Easton, has worked in the field of health and aging since 1980.  After attending a recent conference of the International Alzheimer’s Association, O’Brien observed that many presenters shared research on the impact of social isolation on today’s seniors.

“The conference brought home that everywhere in the world, people are struggling with this issue. I’ve seen a huge difference in my own office – an exacerbation of memory problems because of social isolation. A myriad of challenges has been identified during COVID, including isolation, less physical activity, and change in access to community resources that provide services to the older adult.  Many have difficulty getting to the grocery store, resulting in a poorer quality of diet.  These things either individually or combined have potentially compromised the older adults’ cognitive abilities,” O’Brien comments.

Signs and symptoms to look for in a loved one who might be struggling with social isolation are:

1. Increased word finding problems and increased language issues because people are not talking to other people.
2. Receptive language problems, meaning their ability to understand what you’re saying – this could also be related to a hearing loss which can contribute to memory problems.
3. Changes in sight – macular degeneration or glaucoma can leave a person feeling isolated.
4. Mobility issues, balance, or stumbling problems because they have lost muscle strength from being sedentary.
5. Weight loss indicating they may no longer be cooking meals.
6. Depression or anxiety symptoms – a lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy.
7. Losing some of their ability to do everyday tasks like grocery shopping, cleaning, or self-care.
8. Interruption of sleeping habits.

O’Brien credits telehealth and telephone visits with helping her as a practitioner identify some of these symptoms in people who are still afraid to go out and even visit a doctor’s office due to exposure to COVID.

“Even if you don’t get your eyes on a loved one, with a telephone visit you can still listen to his or her voice and pick up the depression and anxiety,” she adds.

O’Brien offers the following tips for helping seniors avoid feeling depressed and anxious:

1. Limiting the 24-hour news cycle on television and Facebook – hearing the same news over and over can affect a person’s outlook on life.
2. Acknowledge loss – a person may have lost a family member, friend, a home, or a spouse – all trigger grief.
3. Engage in some form of exercise – cardiac rehab or physical therapy provide both exercise and socialization.
4. Engage in community activities like playing cards, knitting groups, volunteer work, or attending a senior center.

“Another thing is with depression and anxiety in the older adult, it doesn’t mean that they have a memory problem, but their memory may be affected because of the depression and anxiety. So, it’s important to get help. It’s important to talk to your primary care provider and go in organized to better utilize his/her time. The primary care provider is important, not just a gate gatekeeper, but oftentimes, they are the first contact for getting you to memory testing or other providers that help older adults.”

“An article from 2021 from the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, said attachment to the community has been shown to reduce elder abuse. In the same article, it talked about during times of unrest, whether it be economic downturns, natural disasters, or something like COVID, there is an increase in interpersonal violence,” O’Brien adds.

Brookletts Place Senior Center is hosting a presentation, “Getting Back Out There: How to Re-Engage After the Pandemic,” on September 29 at 1 p.m. at Brookletts Place at 400 Brookletts Avenue in Easton. The presentation will explore elder abuse and social isolation, as well as how to re-engage seniors as a result of the pandemic. The panel of aging experts will include Dr. Maggie Black, Partner of Shore Neurocognitive Health; Beth Parker O’Brien, LCSW-C, MPH, Founder/Partner of Shore Neurocognitive & Behavioral Health; Lee Newcomb, Adult Services Social Worker, Talbot County Department of Social Services; Mary Sellers, Upper Shore Aging, Inc., Guardianship and Family Caregiver Program; Dana Newman, Talbot County Free Library; and Kate Stinton, RN, LCSW, Talbot County Health Department. For further information, call 410-822-2869 or visit https://www.brooklettsplace.org.

Brookletts Place is a center for seniors to gather and socialize with each other. It provides an aspect of community engagement for individuals 60 or older through the Center’s facilities and various events throughout the year.