By Bill Van Tassel
NORWAY — The Seniors lus organization recently held an open house at its newest location, 9 Marston St. Several organization personnel were present to greet visitors at the site just off Main Street. SeniorsPlus had been hoping to get a site in Oxford County for some time to serve the area’s many senior citizens.
According to CEO Betsy Sawyer-Manter, the new location will help seniors with nutrition counseling, health information and occasional health checks as well as helping with socialization issues. All SeniorsPlus locations offer a variety of programs and services, including assistance for disabled senior citizens.
SeniorsPlus has been in operation as a nonprofit service organization since 1972. Started and headquartered in Lewiston, the organization assists the elderly and now serves areas of western Maine, including Oxford, Androscoggin and Franklin counties with a variety of programs.
SeniorsPlus coordinates with other organizations, such as Meals on Wheels, and provide counseling on Medicare and family decisions on whether an elderly parent can remain at their home or make a move to a more appropriate setting.
Dozens of local seniors and family caregivers attended the open house. One of the four rooms greeted them with a continental breakfast. They took advantage of the opportunity to chat with the many administrators and volunteers about their concerns and what services the Norway site could provide.
Ted and Susie Dickerson from Bryant Pond talked with Sawyer-Manter about their family member and the topic of when to stop driving the car yet still being able to get out and socialize. Some of their concerns included driving becoming an issue when vehicle operators can no longer make the quick decisions that sometimes arise on the road as well as the very bright headlights in the new cars today. How do you tell an aging parent they should not be driving anymore?
The Norway branch will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays with two staff members and two volunteers.
PHOTO: SeniorsPlus CEO Betsy Sawyer-Manter, right, talks with, from left, Ted Dickerson, Jayne Lapointe and Susie Dickerson during an open house at its new office in Norway. Lapointe is home and social dining director for the organization. (Bill Van Tassel photo)
