This week, I had a great discussion with some folks from RSVP, Twin Pines, the Northeast Missouri Agency on Aging, and In-Home Services about senior issues. We met in the RSVP office and I listened to their concerns for about an hour. Their biggest concern centered around the lack of things for seniors to do in Kirksville, particularly a civic center or some common place to meet. They said they don’t want to have to join some club or organization to do an activity – they just want a place to hang out, play cards, etc, during the daytime. They also want more (and safer) walking trails and bike paths.
They also told me that seniors often “fly south” when Kirksville gets boring during the winter. I definitely understood this, since my own grandparents in the tiny Illinois town of Waterman had a second place down in Tuscon they would leave for during winters. This is troubling enough from a humanistic standpoint. However, for the rest of us, it’s also a significant economic loss. Since so much of our senior population is living on pensions or social security, they bring lots of outside money into the community. Wouldn’t it be better if they spent it in town instead of in Arizona?
We’re not just missing out economically. Seniors do so much for this community. The Kirksville-based RSVP alone has over 600 members who contribute more than 100,000 volunteer hourse at more than 60 work sites per year. Like all of our citizens, we need to help them feel appreciated and give them reasons to stay.
Overall, I get the feeling that seniors feel they’ve been gently ignored lately and have lost their voice on city issues. I’m going to continue to meet with seniors and listen to their concerns. I don’t think they’re asking for much.
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