The Commission on Aging (COA) invited Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) President John Boccuzzi Sr to speak to them on the topic of ageism during their Monday, October 21 meeting.

Ageism refers to prejudice or discrimination towards other people based on their age. As COA Chair Anne Rothstein noted to The Newtown Bee, “ageism is not just about seniors, but [rather] that individuals have preconceived notions about any age group: young children, adolescents, young adults, etc.”

“We can find disparaging remarks about individuals at any age. So this is not just a senior citizen problem,” Rothstein continued.

While ageism is not an issue exclusive to one age group, that does not take away from its impact on senior citizens and on their relationship with aging.

During the meeting, Boccuzzi Sr said that “the research is clear” regarding the impact mental, physical, and emotional health had on a person’s lifespan and general well-being, and that one of the most striking factors affecting health is people’s attitude related to aging. He continued by saying that research spanning decades shows those with positive attitudes and healthier relationships with the aging process lead happier and healthier lives.

“Learning to deal positively with various losses, traumas, and change that life serves us towards both the mental and physical aspects can lead to a long, joyful, and productive life,” Boccuzzi Sr said.

To that end, he said that FONS proposes a series of workshops during 2025 that would be open to the general public and provide information to build positive attitudes and behaviors towards aging. FONS has already formed a partnership with C.H. Booth Library to work towards offering educational and motivational workshops, but also wants to collaborate with the COA to do so as well.

FONS has also had multiple discussions with researchers at universities in and beyond Connecticut according to Boccuzzi Sr. Together, they have worked to outline several goals, namely to mitigate the impact of negative aging stereotypes in the minds of older adults and to address how the pervasive acceptance of ageism, ideas, and stereotypes can help exacerbate the early physical and mental decline in many people throughout society.

With these goals in mind, Boccuzzi Sr said that FONS’s proposed workshops would allow them to reach a pretty broad population and “get people thinking about what ageism is about.”

“It could really get people thinking about the deleterious effects of having these negative stereotypes be so pervasive in our society,” Boccuzzi Sr continued. “We want to work toward building positive attitudes and help eliminate stereotypes [about senior citizens.”

Boccuzzi Sr said that he hopes to initiate these community efforts next spring, and that he brought it to the COA for their input and to hopefully have their blessing in “helping to make this thing happen.” If the COA wanted to help, they would then help FONS plan the workshops for next year and help spread the word about them.

“So that’s why we’re looking to build a partnership that includes the COA. We hope that, with a project of this scope and in this town, that it will not only affect many older adults, but also the general population,” Boccuzzi said.

He did note that the plan would require “a lot” of planning and effort, as well as some funding. As an example, FONS would pay one of the researchers from UConn that they have been working with to do a presentation. Boccuzzi Sr added that they want to hold the presentation at Edmond Town Hall to “make the presentation as professional and hard-hitting as it can be,” and that FONS is trying to tie it in to some of what ETH is already doing.

After a long period of discussion about the topic, Rothstein said she would send out an email asking commission members to weigh in on their feelings regarding the ageism plan. More specifically, she would ask them if they agree that they should support the effort, if the gift fund would be able to provide funding, and if they would like to be involved in the planning of activities leading up to the presentation next year.

Once she has received feedback from the other COA members, Rothstein said that she would send it to Boccuzzi Sr and let him know the outcome. Rothstein added that she has been in touch with local writer Andrea Zimmermann for funding, who works part time at C.H. Booth Library and is an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University. Zimmermann has been working with Boccuzzi Sr and FONS to support the effort, according to Rothstein.

The COA will discuss this topic further in their next meeting.

Director Report

During her monthly report, Director of Human Services Natalie Griffith addressed the Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging Title III grant they applied for earlier this year under FONS. With the grant, Griffith said that they hoped to have a dynamic nutrition program at the senior center, which would have had cooking demonstrations, and more.

She added that they unfortunately did not get the grant, as WCAAA “felt that it was too closely aligned to services they were already funding across the 41 towns it covers.” Griffith noted that there might be some overlap with services such as WCAAA’s congregate meal program, which has meal sites provide hot and nutritious meals to elderly or disabled adults.

Griffith said that WCAAA encouraged FONS to apply again next year based on their successful applications and various services they have been able to perform through Title III funds. This year, the Senior Center and Human Services has applied directly for the funds and were awarded $5,000 according to Griffith.

While they are out of the funds now, Griffith explained that they were able to use these funds to add several health and wellness classes to their programing throughout the year.

“We’re continuing those classes under our operating budget, but it was certainly very helpful to have the grant from WCAAA,” Griffith said. “So once the grant applications are announced for the Title III funds in January, we’ll have a collective conversation between the COA and FONS, and think about where it makes sense to apply and get the most impact for the dollars.”

Griffith also touched on questions from the last COA meeting as to how many members the Senior Center ended with last fiscal year. Having updated information to reflect current Senior Center numbers, Griffith said that they are “about 80 members shy of where we finished last membership year, which I think is very good for where we are.”

“We get membership rolling in all through the year,” Griffith added.

Griffith noted that they are still trying to work with MySeniorCenter, an organization that makes software for senior centers, to create an online application form for membership.

“I think that prevents a lot of our working seniors or those who aren’t engaged here on a daily basis from realizing that their membership is up and don’t make the trip here to do it,” Griffith said.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.