Commission on Aging director enjoys working with seniors

After a 25-year career as a doctor of audiology, Pamela Riley wanted a change.

“I had always worked with older people, and I liked them,” she said.

So, St. Joseph Commission on Aging was and is the perfect fit. She is the executive director.

“We have over 25 different services that we provide. Our top three are nutrition, home care, and life enrichment. The nutrition program has three different offerings: home delivery — commonly known as Meals on Wheels — and congregant meals at three different dining sites, which is nice because it’s not just about the meal, it’s socializing, too,” Riley said.

It has 13 restaurants where tickets can be bought monthly for donations; the suggested amount is $4 each. Some places have specific menus, while others allow seniors to order anything they like from the menu. Milk is included and people pay extra for other drinks.

“We’ve been doing this for ages. This is our 50th anniversary; all year we celebrate something to do with 50 each month. We’ll have a big picnic in July that will take everyone back to the ’70s,” Riley said.

Home care offers services, such as light housekeeping, assistance with personal care or respite care. Life enrichment classes are ballroom dancing, line dancing, and Zumba gold. There’s 14 different classes, high or low impact, focusing on balance, and strength training, plus things like painting.

“There are 20 some programs we do on top of that. Socializa- tion is so important, and we have some attendees who come and stay all day. Our Three Rivers location is unique in that 4 ½ years ago, we purchased a Holiday Inn. It had been vacant for 15 years, and was turned into 46 senior living apartments, while the other half is the senior center. The kitchen was perfect for the meal programs because we serve 300 to 400 meals a day,” Riley said.

The drivers are the connections to members, who don’t have anyone who comes to see them on a daily basis.

“The residents develop strong relationships with our drivers, who keep an eye on them, make sure they’re okay each day. Those who need home deliveries are most vulnerable. We take great pride in their ability to live independently,” she said.

Riley said while they have a wonderful staff, they also have lots of volunteers.

“We need them,” she said. “They do things like setting up and tearing down, they help clean, they decorate and take down when it’s time. They just see what needs to be done, and they enjoy doing it. Their suggestions are usually centered around improvements. In Sturgis, a lot of our people bike to spend the day at the facilities, and asked for a bike rack. There’s been requests for Mahjong, bridge, pickleball and shuffleboard, and that’s what we want for them — to be happy and be healthy and active.”

Riley said the agency has a few activities to do with grandchildren, things bridging the generational gap.

“We have comfort animals that come in, not just for the residents, but one in particular is in the 911 room because the work is so stressful,” said Riley.

She explained other offerings, such as programs for grand-

Rice & Rice —

parents raising grandchildren, caregivers, how to help those with diabetes or heart disease or dementia.

“If you’re engaged in your community, you’re more likely to stay, and we welcome the college students and other schools volunteering for projects,” Riley stated.