By Al Brandenburg
At the Senior Info/Expo Jan. 20, we had hundreds of seniors (and several children of seniors) stop by our Maricopa Multi-Cultural Consortium table to talk with us about the need for improved coordination and distribution of senior services as well as a senior center in Maricopa.
MMCC was formed to help Maricopa get its act together for seniors. We recognize Maricopa’s seniors are missing out on some programs and services from the county and state because there is no senior center here, no place for those programs and services to land. Sure, we’d love to have a senior center– something like the senior center Florence built into its central library. Perhaps we can do the same when Maricopa builds its central library. But that’s several years down the road and, unfortunately, beyond the life expectancy of many of today’s seniors.
We recognize we need at least an interim solution: a place for today’s senior programs and services to land and a person to manage their distribution – services such as legal assistance, health counseling and Meals on Wheels, to name just a few. These services are provided in one form or another throughout Pinal County, but not in Maricopa.
Several seniors at the Expo were quite vocal about our situation – one woman pounding her fist on our table, saying in a forceful voice: “Darn right, we need a senior center.” Many others expressed frustration more services for seniors were not provided locally. Some people with senior parents said they would consider moving to Maricopa if only there were somewhere their parents could go and spend their time.
If you’re a senior living in the Maricopa area or if you have senior parents who live here, please contact me at the MMCC so we can put you on our email list and keep you informed.
Al Brandenburg is a board member of Maricopa Multi-Cultural Consortium.
[email protected]
This column appears in the March issue of InMaricopa.
