On my way to the post office a couple of weeks ago, I ran into Helen Reith Barr, a woman I have known since I first moved here 40 years ago. We chatted and caught up a little bit. We talked about the newspaper and what kinds of news the readers of The River Reporter needed. I later ran into her at Pete’s in Narrowsburg, and asked her what kind of news seniors need. 

She told me a story about being sick around the holidays and not knowing that she could get a ride to the doctor’s office. “Seniors don’t know what services are there for them,” she said.

And thus, this first section of Senior Living comes from that place of beginning. You might call it Introductory 101. Here is a curation of basic services that are available in Wayne and Pike Counties in Pennsylvania and Sullivan County in New York. You’ll also learn about Getting Older Together, a member-organization that is committed to creating community around helping each other stay in their homes. There are some nutrition tips from Barbara Griggs-Pratt, the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Wayne Memorial Hospital, because, well, everyone has to eat. And finally, you’ll find Helen Reith Barr’s reflection on getting older.

We’ll be publishing two more sections: June 21, which will explore some of the challenges that seniors face as they age in their homes; and the October 18 section will explore what’s being done now and who’s doing what in assisting seniors with their challenges.