Jennifer Darby, Associate Director of Community Services regularly invites Council on Aging (COA) leaders from our service communities to meet with Springwell and each other.  “Each town has its own network, resources, ideas and housing and transportation challenges. At this gathering, they share ideas and discuss challenges with each other. Springwell also shares information about resources and services to help each Council meet the needs of their community,” notes Darby.

At the November meeting, the Newton COA was planning ahead for winter by seeking names to add to their list of snow removal services that would assist seniors. Springwell had representatives from our Information and Consultation Department come to talk with the group about Springwell’s Information and Consultation Services. The Information and Consultation Department is available to anyone. They are there to answer questions, talk about programs, providers and services that are available to assist those in need of them. Over the past three years, the department has been working on an easier way to share keep information current and to easily share it with others. The project has resulted in a searchable database organized by categories. The database includes 550 providers, agencies and services covering 135 different topics ranging from adult day health, medical transport, services for individuals younger than age 60 with disabilities, caregiver support, and mental health services.

The Information and Consultation specialists are constantly updating and adding new things to the database. There are criteria such as relevance, availability in the area and verified information about the resource that determine what can be included in the database. Self-determination is important to consumers so typically when asked for a resource, the specialists respond with three options so that people can decide on the best fit for them.

Springwell’s experienced Information & Consultation Specialists provide information about and referrals to private and public supportive services in the way that makes the most sense for you: services can be provided by phone, e-mail or face-to-face.