When it comes time to seek in-home services for yourself or a loved one, go no further than picking up the phone and calling Coastline Elderly Services. Whether you are the caregiver or in need of direct services, Coastline can provide that link between need and service.
Established 45 years ago, New Bedford-based Coastline serves a large, southeastern Massachusetts region that includes the Tri-Towns of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester, where many hundreds of senior citizens now reside.
“The main thing to know is that we are an access point for services,” Coastline Executive Director Justin Lees told The Wanderer, noting that the agency is one of 24 area “aging access service points” in the Commonwealth. Together, these agencies function to connect seniors living independently with services that can and do extend their independent living status for as long as possible.
Lees explained that agencies such as Coastline were established after the federal government passed the Older American Act in 1965. This act established the Administration on Aging within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. To drive services deep into communities, regional access service points were established. Coastline receives funding from both the federal and state governments, Lees said.
Among the larger programs for which Coastline is responsible are nutrition related, such as Meals-on-Wheels. To provide meals, there must be cooks and chefs. Coastline has a program that marries seniors with food service employment opportunities. Like a two-for-one solution, the program provides meals to some and employment to others.
“We have three staff members employed because of grants from Coastline,” said Rochester Council on Aging Director Eric Poulin, who points to the daily breakfast café offered at the town’s Senior Center on Dexter Lane.
Poulin said that 90 percent of the monies generated from the café are held for the planned building expansion, while a Tuesday-Friday luncheon program is provided by Coastline. A $2 voluntary donation that goes to Coastline is requested, but “if someone can’t pay, they still get the meal,” he said. “We also receive grants for exercise programs through Coastline.”
Karen Gregory, Marion Council on Aging director, also lauded Coastline’s services. The COA’s lunch-program chef is funded through Coastline. “It’s a unique dining experience,” Gregory stated, bringing seniors together to share a meal and socialize. She also said Coastline has provided grants for exercise programs and prints the monthly newsletter distributed by senior centers.
Coastline gives elders the opportunity to take charge of their health and well being up to and including as their needs increase. If you take a quick trip around their website, you’ll find such services as connecting seniors to home health aides, food preparation, shopping, housekeeping, elder protective services, congregate housing programs and money management.
Digging a bit deeper, Coastline also provides or coordinates such important services as mobile dental hygiene, referral services for female-related health screenings and respite-care programs offering adult day care.
Coastline’s primary population served may indeed be senior citizens, but the agency also offers programing that serves adults with disabilities.
To learn more about Coastline Elderly Services, visit coastlinenb.org or call 508-999-6400. You may also contact your local Council on Aging for more details. For Rochester, call 508-763-8723; for Marion, call 508-748-3570 and for Mattapoisett, call 508-758-4110.
By Marilou Newell