Area residents attend senior conference

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

By Steve Moyer

Two Vernon Countians attended Missouri's first "Show Me Summit" on Aging and Health. Tom and Virginia Pyle, Nevada, attended the summit which was formerly known as the Governor's Conference. Tom is the chairman of the executive board of the District III Area Agency on Aging and Virginia is the Vernon County representative of the Silver Haired Legislature.

In addition to seminars on cholesterol and obesity the two attended seminars on elder abuse, fraud and health care for seniors. "Con men like to take advantage of the elderly, sometimes it's hard to get help for someone until something bad happens. After listening to these seminars it's enough to frighten you." said Pyle. "One example they talked about was an elderly woman who had a man take her to the beautician every week. She paid him $350 every week to drive her there and it wasn't until her relatives looked into her finances they found out about it."

Tom Pyle said the information about elder abuse surprised him. "Institutional abuse is just the tip of the iceberg. Most elder abuse happens in the family home before the elderly even get to an institution."

Tom Pyle had some harsh words for the future of health care for the elderly. "We get lost when we talk about the elderly. The health care system has stuck its head in the sand. It's going to be a challenge to get ready for the needs of those coming in to the system. Where are we going with all the baby boomers coming into the system? We're not ready."

He saw some comfort from the seminars. "Missouri is a leader in getting things done. We can be proud of what has been accomplished but there's a lot more to get ready for."

One of the problems facing seniors is funding the programs. "How's it going to be funded? That's central to the issue. Government can't do everything for someone. That's where the community and family come into it."

Tom Pyle pointed to the cooperation between the city of Nevada and other governmental and non-governmental organizations as an example of groups working together to accomplish what one group couldn't do on its own.

"The city of Nevada owns the building and our (District III Agency on Aging) building board will lease it from them. We've had a lot of help from local groups and they've all worked together to make this a reality," said Tom Pyle.

He said the new center would be more accessible to seniors of all ages.

"One of the things we can look forward to here in Nevada is when we get into the new senior center. When it moves we can help a whole new clientele while still helping those we have before."

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