By Melanie Petrucci, Contributing Writer
Northborough – Kelly Burke, director of the Northborough Senior Center, appeared before the Board of Selectmen at its July 17 meeting. She brought with her the Innovator of the Year Award that Northborough received, along with Hudson and Marlborough, for their joint efforts on behalf of COME 2 B Dementia Friendly from the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging at their annual meeting in June.
Burke reported on the work that Northborough has done relevant to COME 2 B Dementia Friendly as she reminded them that she came before them in 2015 with the original concept.
“We’ve had great success with volunteers from the community to spread the word about dementia, Alzheimer’s, and how we can be a more friendly community,” she said.
Surveys were sent to every sector of the community with the results demonstrating the need for education about dementia and available resources. An information packet has since been created and Police Chief William Lyver has given his support and resources to help distribute them to local businesses.
Selectman Leslie Rutan inquired about what is in the packets and was informed that they included tips for businesses to use to recognize signs of dementia and ways to help those patrons. Businesses would also receive stickers to place on their windows letting the public know that they are a dementia-friendly place.
Burke then requested that board approve adjustments to the Senior Tax Work-off Program which has not been adjusted since 2003. This program allows for seniors who qualify, based on income, to work off a portion of their property taxes through service to the town in various town departments.
“This program works very well,” Burke said. “Seniors are screened and then are placed in various town departments. The Senior Center employs a lot of those seniors and benefits from them.”
The current pay rate is $9 an hour; the income eligibility is $25,000 for a single and $40,000 for a married couple. Qualified seniors would work approximately 84 hours to receive $750 in abatement. Burke proposed bumping the income eligibility up by $15,000 for both categories. She also recommended raising the abatement to $1,000 and the hourly rate of $11 per hour to match the minimum wage. Burke noted that there were about 15 slots that were available for qualifying seniors.
Town Administrator John Coderre remarked, “We benefit from this – I think this is a win all around for everybody. The delta here going from the $750 to $1,000 increase assuming 15 participants, inclusive of OBRA and Medicare, would be about $4,200. Our goal is to reach more people.”
The board was in unanimous agreement and voted in favor of this increase.
