Letter: Get involved with Eagle County Healthy Aging
I so appreciate the article in the Monday, Nov. 11 Vail Daily, on the rising percentage of seniors living in Eagle County.
In my 54 years of living in the valley, I have had the privilege of volunteering for many events and organizations. None have been as gratifying as my volunteer work with seniors through Eagle County’s Healthy Aging. For more than 20 years, I have been delivering meals to homebound seniors once a week, and I provide rides to seniors for medical appointments whenever I am able.
The reasons for these needs are many and varied: Just being home after surgery, living alone with health issues, a family member/caretaker not being available, and other issues limiting a senior’s independence, temporarily or ongoing. For some that I see regularly, I might be the only person they see during the week.
While our senior population is growing, many seniors do not know what services are available to them. And many others who are able and interested in volunteering to help meet senior needs might not know where to go to sign up. The scope of the commitment to volunteer is also varied: regular meal delivery, transportation depending on one’s availability, volunteering at the twice/week community meal at Minturn Senior Center and/or Eagle Senior Center, offering one’s unique skill pro bono (hairdressing, nails, exercise classes, computer knowledge, helping with tax returns, entertainment, to name a few).
If you are interested in either receiving services or volunteering, you can contact Eagle County Healthy Aging at healthyaging@eaglecounty.us or 970-328-8896.
Support Local Journalism
Paula Palmateer
Vail
