WESTFIELD – Tina Gorman, executive director of the Council on Aging reported to her board yesterday that she is extending the search for a activities aide to assist at the Senior Center.
Gorman said she advertised the position in July, seeking candidates for the 14-hour-per-week post to assist with the planning and implementation of a variety of activities for seniors, and received a number of responses.
However, Gorman said that the majority of those respondents have a nursing home background and that the Senior Center deals with a very different demographic than nursing homes, including an increasing number of “boomers who don’t want to sit around playing bingo.”
Gorman said that she is seeking a candidate who “thinks outside” the traditional geriatrics service box. The starting hourly rate is $13 per hour, but could grow into a position of greater responsibility when the new senior center is constructed and programming expanded.
“I don’t want somebody who comes in with preconceived ideas of what seniors can or can’t do,” Gorman said. “Our members are a very diverse group. I want somebody who is a creative thinker, who can motivate older adults to try things they’ve never tried before.”
Gorman said he plans to re-advertise the position to increase the candidate pool.
In other business, Gorman said the COA is partnering with the Arbors at Westfield, located at 40 Court Street, to conduct a Memory Walk to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association next month.
Senior Center members and staff used to participate in the Memory Walk held by the regional Alzheimer’s Association at Stanley Park until the event was moved to Holyoke Community College on Homestead Avenue and transportation logistics became too complicated.
“We haven’t done it in several years,” Gorman said. “This year we wanted to do something locally.”
The Arbors, which has residents with Alzheimer’s, also wanted to conduct an event to raise funding for the Alzheimer’s Association programs, which include research and outreach.
“We want it to be visible, so we’re doing it at the (Park Square) Green at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5,” Gorman said. “Participants will walk around the green and receive pledges for each circuit.”
