Help for East Windsor Seniors is Defeated

A proposal that would have established a pilot program to help East Windsor’s senior citizens with the challenges of aging was defeated by just two votes at a town meeting in early September.

"This is an initiative that would have directly helped our communities’ vulnerable seniors at a time when social safety net programs that are so critical to their well-being, such as Medicare and Medicaid are under assault from federal officials,” First Selectman Jason Bowsza said. “To see Keith Yagaloff, Heather Spencer and Bob Leach, all candidates for the Board of Selectmen, lead the opposition to a program to help the elderly is unconscionable.”

East Windsor doesn’t currently have a professional social worker focused only on the challenges related to aging, such as social isolation, mental health issues, and complex care needs. The result is often an increased reliance on emergency services and missed opportunities for early intervention.

The proposal for contracted geriatric social work services for the town’s aging population would establish a pilot program using $200,000 in interest from the town’s American Rescue Act (ARPA) federal grant. No local tax dollars would be used to pay for the program. Funding would be available on a draw-down basis, billed hourly over a three-year period, or until the funds were depleted. Some of the anticipated issues and services that a dedicated geriatric social worker could address include individualized assessments and care planning, crisis intervention, advocacy and family support, and helping seniors access state and federal resources.

“According to state data, East Windsor’s population is twenty percent older than the state average, which proves that local services need to shift to support older residents. Now, thanks to the political opportunism of the Republican candidates for the Board of Selectmen, the town will have one less tool to help those senior citizens with the greatest needs,” Bowsza added.

The Board of Finance approved the proposal on August 20th.