Monroe at Home seeks feedback to improve senior service access

A group of Monroe residents is working to find ways to better support Monroe's senior and is seeking input from the community.

The group, led by longtime Monroe residents Bill and Carolyn Davisson, has been meeting on a volunteer basis for about six months, and is interested in the implementation of a concept known as Village to Village. The Village to Village concept involves supporting seniors through increased access to affordable services like transportation, home repairs and social activities, so they are able to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible.

The Davissons' group, called Monroe at Home, is working to determine if there is sufficient interest in the Monroe community. Monroe residents Chris Laxton, Dorothy Garrison, Sharon McGee and Diane Carlson joined the Davissons last week, to discuss the group's next steps.

Monroe at Home has identified deficiencies in the way information about senior services is distributed. They plan to spread the word about existing resources, including organizations like the East County Senior Center. Located on Sky River Parkway, the East County Senior Center provides its members with access to resources, meals, activities and a sense of community.

The senior center is active in the Monroe community, and recently won "Best NonprofitGÇ¥ in the Monroe Fair Days Parade. Every year before the parade, the senior center hosts a pancake breakfast, which has been a time-honored Monroe tradition for the past 42 years.

In July, Monroe at Home surveyed 30 members of the East County Senior Center, to see if they could discover what resources are needed the most. They asked about a range of services, including transportation, light home maintenance and repair, social support services, household help like decluttering, cleaning and meal preparation, and vetted referrals for professional services like plumbing and electrical work.

"It was pretty much half and half as to whether they would use services or not,GÇ¥ Carolyn said.

Overall, senior center members that responded to the survey were receptive of the idea of a group like Monroe at Home, and were supportive of the Village to Village concept.

Monroe at Home hopes to continue its fact-finding mission in order to gain a broader understanding of what services are most needed to help seniors remain as independent as possible. The group's goals are to facilitate better communication with local seniors and find ways to fill any existing gaps between Monroe's senior residents and local senior-oriented service organizations.-á -á

"The need that we have right now is to get information from people as to what it is they need,GÇ¥ Bill Davisson said.

Monroe at Home is interested in hearing from Monroe seniors and residents caring for elderly parents.

To reach out to Monroe at Home, email Carolyn Davisson at monroeathome@gmail.com or call 425-210-3672.