Caring for aging parents: Riverhead Town offers a wealth of resources

For those that are caring for an elderly or sick parent, there are more than a few resources that are provided by the Town of Riverhead’s senior services department to help both you and your parent.

Recently, RiverheadLOCAL sat down with Judy Doll, head of the senior department, to learn more about the programs and assistance that is available.

Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels, said Judy Doll is a program that is a lifeline to many of the area’s homebound seniors.

“A lot of the time, a meal from Meals on Wheels is the only meal some seniors get in a day,” said Doll, adding, that sometimes the meals on wheel’s driver is also the only person that a program participant may even talk to in a day.

“The program truly is a lifeline for many,” she said.

According to Doll, Meals on Wheels is a short-term, county-funded assistance program that is available to senior citizens 60 and over who are recovering from an illness or are unable to cook for themselves.

To benefit from the program, potential participants, Doll said, must participate in an assessment process in which someone will come to their house to determine if they are eligible.

Once approved, participants will get a hot meal 5 days a week that is cooked at the Riverhead Senior Center. Participants are asked to pay a $3.50 suggested donation, but will not be turned away, if they can’t pay.

The meals, Doll said follow the senior center’s regular meal menu and include milk, bread a meat or fish, a vegetable and a dessert.

Currently, Doll said there are 115 area residents who receive the service.

Helping hands

For those who need the help in their homes with basics including food shopping, housekeeping and laundry, Doll said the Riverhead Senior Center administers a home aid program for the county, however, she said, it is a difficult program to get into.

“It is a very basic program, but unfortunately there is a waiting list,” said Doll.

According to Doll, those who would like to enroll, but first contact Suffolk County, which will assign a case manager, who will assess the need for a home aid. If accepted into the program, one of four aids from Riverhead will provide services.

Right now, Doll said there are 20 area residents who are enrolled in the program.

Trips to the supermarket

For area seniors, who can’t drive themselves to the Supermarket, the Riverhead Senior Center provides transportation once a week. The program, said Doll, is available to anyone who can’t drive and runs routes every Tuesday, rotating each week to one of Riverhead’s many supermarkets

“We pick them up and they can spend an hour and 20 minutes shopping,” said Doll, who said that the senior center bus can take as many as 15 seniors at a time to a supermarket.

A ride to the doctor’s office

With so many area seniors unable to drive themselves to a medial appointment, Doll said that the senior center’s medical appointment transportation program continues to grow — last month alone, the center made 324 one-way trips.

To get a ride to a doctor’s office, Doll said it just takes a phone call to the senior center, which will then arrange for a car to pick them up and drop them at an appointment. Once they are finished with their appointment, they can call for a ride to be picked up and dropped back off at home. Doll just asks that those looking for a ride to a doctor’s office call as soon as an appointment is made for scheduling purposes.

Socialization at the senior center

Since it is so important for the mental health of seniors to get out and socialize, Doll recommends that seniors take advantage of the daily lunches, events and programs at the senior center, including planting projects, lunch and dances, trips, weekly movie showings and lunch conversation tables. The senior center, she said also now has Google tablets that seniors can use to do research or reach out to family and friends. Transportation to and from the senior center is also available.

For more information on the Riverhead Senior Center’s programs, call (631) 722-4444 or attend the senior’s information open house on June 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Riverhead Senior Center, 60 Shade Tree Lane. The cost: $3 for Riverhead residents.