The Mattapoisett Select Board meeting held on Tuesday, January 13 adjourned on a happy note. It was announced by Select Board Chairman Tyler Macallister that the town has received a federal grant of $3,500,000 for environmental work needed at Molly’s Cove. A culvert at that location has been failing for years, causing the marsh system to be ineffective, unable to flush water adequately, and hindering the nutritional needs of tidewaters and the ecosystem.

            A statement received from Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said, “…Mattapoisett received $3,653,381 from the Massachusetts Executive office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the Mattapoisett Neck Tidal Restoration.” Lorenco also noted that the efforts of the Mattapoisett Land Trust, Buzzards Bay Coalition, the Woods Hole Group and the town made filing the grant request possible. He said that the grant was “pass through” funds from NOAA’s office of Coastal Management.

            The board met briefly to accept final edits to the updated Waterfront Management Plan that the Marine Advisory Board has been working on for many months. The board thanked the MAB for their work, which in no small part included the efforts of the MAB Chairman Carlos DeSousa.

            A public hearing with Eversource representative Jessica Elder was held. The hearing was a request from the utility to install a new utility pole on Crystal Springs Road. Abutter David Lawrence of 32 Crystal Spring Road once again brought to the attention of Eversource the need for portable toilets at the construction site being discussed on this night. He stated that each time construction at this site resumed he had brought up the need for sanitary facilities. He said he lives next door to the site and will be vocal should this basic human need continue to be overlooked by the utility. Elder said she would contact the utility’s construction division and pass along the request. The Select Board also added a condition to their approval requiring portable toilets.

            The board also met with Roberta Gaspar, who is spearheading a 250th celebration for the town. She expressed that with only six volunteers it is difficult but proceeded to share fun and interesting activities that the small but mighty group has been working on. Such activities may include tours of historic locations throughout the town, a community picnic at Neds Point, a field of flags at Dunseith Park, and possibly a bonfire.

            If you are interested in helping the town organize the event, contact the Select Board office.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board will be held on January 27.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

            As birthrates fall and we live longer, western societies are aging. In the U.S., Canada and Britain, almost 20% of the population is over 65, while in Western Europe it ranges from 20 to 25%. Indeed, as baby boomers age, the fastest growing demographic is projected to be those 85+.

            While today’s seniors are healthier than the elderly were a generation ago, aging eventually leads to the loss of some ability to live independently.

            If an elder can no longer safely take a shower or grocery shop by themselves, what are their options?

            As the last resort, moving to a nursing home is an option but, when asked, most seniors strongly prefer to age in their own home.

            Besides being unappealing, nursing home care is expensive! In Massachusetts, a high cost of living state, the median cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home is $12,600 per month. Nationally, the median cost is $9555, which translates to $114,660 per year.

            Staying at home instead of a nursing home means that help in the home will be needed. This can be provided by some combination of friends, family and paid caregivers.

            Long-term, the U.S. must make policy decisions about how to cope with its aging population. In the immediate future, we need to provide more, and more affordable, help at home.

            In 2024, some 3.2 million people worked as home health aides and personal care aides. To meet the demand, experts say that another 750,000 will be needed over the next decade.

            Who are these people caring for our frail elders? Not surprisingly, almost 90% are women. About 30% are foreign-born, many from low-income countries such as the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti and the Philippines.

            Home health workers are poorly paid, averaging $17/hour, and there is very high turnover. At the same time, the cost to care-recipients is high, averaging $34/hour. The difference is the money made by the agencies that employ the workers.

            The agencies play a key role in vetting the home care workers. Given the possibility of physical abuse or theft by unknown individuals in the home of a dependent elder, hiring someone “off the street” is risky, yet keeping half of the cost seems excessive. If you or a loved one needs help at home, what are your options other than going through an agency?

            The ideal option would be word of mouth. If a friend or neighbor has had a home aide that has been reliable, hiring them directly is an option. You can pay them more than they would get from an agency and still save money.

            A better option would be for your state to set up a registry of vetted home health and personal care aides that individuals could access. The state could assume the responsibility for doing background checks and listing any complaints.

            Massachusetts has such a registry, but it is only accessible to employers, not the public. Ask your state legislators to open the registry for public access.

            The best fallback would be to call your local Visiting Nurse agency. They will either provide vetted home health aides or be able to direct you to a trusted local agency.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

            The Marion Planning Board met on Monday for a Continued Public Hearing on the proposed adoption of stormwater-management regulations to the Stormwater Management Bylaw and amending Subdivision Regulations §300-4.6.

            Due to some lighting issues in the Police Station’s conference room, Chair Andrew Daniel explained the meeting would be conducted nearly in the dark, with illumination from the hallway and the projector. This hearing had been continued from before the holidays at the Planning Board’s December 15 meeting.

            For their first major change, the board discussed and added a stipulation that would require inspection reports due to the Department of Public Works be required by end of year, or December 31. This would simplify the process and make it easier to remember for both the Planning Board and DPW. Daniel also recommended they follow suit with other towns where they put the fee schedule into their regulations, but said they would need a Public Hearing in order to make this change, as any alteration or approval of the fee schedule requires a hearing.

            The chair spoke on the eminent departure of Town Clerk Elizabeth “Lissa” Magauran, mentioning the town will have a new clerk “soon.”

            The board worked to make wording across the amendment uniform and consistent across, again spending much of the meeting clarifying grammatical discrepancies as they did at last month’s meeting.

            Daniel made a motion to approve of the changes made at this meeting, although discussion on the amendment itself will continue at future meetings. The chair also repeatedly thanked Senior Administrative Assistant Olivia Prior for her work on facilitating many of the changes made in the amendment.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20 at 7:00 pm. A location has not yet been set, as the Police Department’s conference room will be taken by the Select Board at that time.

Marion Planning Board

By Sam Bishop