May 16, 2025 • 9 mins
We spoke with Executive Director Alison Dvorak about providing access to information and services to empower adults to live with dignity.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Alison de Vorgeacques. She is executive
director of Senior Resources Agency on Aging. You have a
great name, by the.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Way, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
It means little, truthful one. Did you know that I did?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
And Alison was never a name I heard anybody else
with before. But I'm so glad that now there are
so many wonderful ones of us in the world.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yes, I'm Ali. For the most part, everybody calls me
Ali unless they're aggravated then it's the full name. So
tell me. How did the Senior Resources Agency on Aging
come about?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
So we've been around for over fifty years. We were
actually part of the after the creation of the Older
Americans Act. They needed a way to focus on regions
and kind of boots on the ground services that helped
support seniors in the communities that they lived in. So
a lot of what we do is managing federal and
(00:57):
state funding that impacts older adults and caregivers right in
our eastern Connecticut region. And there is an Agency on
Aging everywhere across the state and they all have that
similar focus to them. We have that to not be
a government entity we're a private nonprofit and because of that,
(01:18):
we're able to work in different ways and advocate more
strongly for the needs of older adults and caregivers in
our region. And we're also able to kind of blend
and break different sources of funding to meet the needs
of whatever's going on in our region to best support people.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
What are some of those needs and how are you
able to assist them?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So, you know, every situation can be a little bit different,
but a lot of times as people are aging, they're
very concerned about finances and how are they going to
be able to continue to afford to live in the
home that they're in or the community that they're in.
How are they going to get around as far as transportation,
and also how are they going to get their healthcare
(02:01):
services or their insurance or their prescriptions covered. So a
lot of things that we work with and much more
than that. But the Senior Nutrition Program is an Older
American fact funded program that's meals on wheels or congregate meals,
and it's a healthy meal that's for anybody aged sixty
and over to get together at a senior center and
(02:22):
have lunch and learn some things and stay socially connected
with others. And then similarly to the meals on Wheels
program is really healthy for anybody with any kind of
chronic disease condition, including diabetes or high blood pressure, and
it helps to support them having a well balanced meal
in their home. So that's just one example. A lot
of what we do is that Medicare Education and Outreach.
(02:44):
We provide all of our services for free. We're never
selling anything, and it's really just to make sure that
people have access to good information. Actually, the eight hundred
number on the back of the Medicare and You book
brings you to our office because we answer any of
those questions that people just can't figure out how does
this apply to me, you know, and we understand their situation,
(03:08):
and then also kind of look through what are the
drug plans or supplemental plans that are available to them
that include their specific medications or their specific providers, and
then we give them the choice, you know, it's up
to them which one they want to sign up with.
And again we're not making any commission or anything off
of any of that information to people. Were just there
to help make sure they get the right information.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Well, it's extremely difficult to navigate.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh, it is it is, and even if you read
the book from cover to cover or go on the
website or you know, it can be confusing with what
you see in commercials on TV. And even if even
in a family, you know a husband and wife may
not the one plan may not be the best for
both of them. Or you talk with your neighbor and
they love theirs, but it may not apply to you.
(03:55):
So a lot of those things go on. As far
as in the medicare world, we also work with people
to prevent fraud and abuse in medicare, kind of educating
them on what to look out for, what not to
fall prey to. And then a lot of things that
we do are funding that supports community providers in areas
such as transportation or home care services. To some degree,
(04:18):
that's helping people with just that little bit of help
that they need to stay in their community, so that
they stay in their home or apartment where they want
to live. You know, sometimes we all need a little help.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Absolutely. What are some of the responses you've received from
people who've received these services?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Incredibly positive, So many people we've had people cry actually
that they just were so relieved to find find help
and find this information and the money saved for many
people is tremendous. We actually expanded a role of what
we call aging answers, which is kind of a combination
(04:55):
of whatever you're going to call us. You know, what
are you're calling us about with your questions is we
do have aging answers, And to that, we have a
few people that are specially trained more so as service navigators,
and they can they know what broad range of services
available to people, and they can kind of find a
solution when you just don't think any other solution can happen.
(05:18):
So we have We've posted some on our social media sites,
and we're working on a little more of that testimonial
type care. But people love to tell their friends about
us too, So a lot of times we hear from
people how did they hear about us? It's usually through
a friend saying, oh, you got to call them because
they can really help.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
And the family members and caregivers must feel so blessed
at how well you're helping these people.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, you know, I think it's such a hard aspect
of being a caregiver. So many feel like they're the
only one that's going through this. You know, we have
spouses that are taking care of their loved one with dementia,
and it's so isolating because you know, maybe their friend
group doesn't necessarily understand that what's going on anymore, or
(06:04):
it's awkward to go to the social engagements that they
used to go to. So it's really challenging for that caregiver.
And then when you know that, we have support groups
that help people with that kind of coaching them through
here's where you are now, what are the next steps coming?
And also some financial assistance if that can give that
caregiver a break from that job because it's so important
(06:25):
that they're doing it, but they also need to have
their own doctor's appointments or their own just time to
relax and you know, enjoy some time on their own.
So we support caregivers in that and they just find
it to be a tremendous help to them keeping on
keeping on.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
You know, absolutely, caregivers get sick because you know, they're
taking care of everybody else and they come last.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yes, exactly. And there's so many ways that caregiver. You know,
that's part of the education that we support and provide
out to folks. But there's so many ways to be
a caregiver, and it doesn't mean that you're the family relative,
it doesn't mean that you're you know, a hired provider.
It's really anyone who cares. So it could be that
neighbor or just a friend, and you're making sure that
(07:12):
they're staying healthy in their community as long as they can.
So important for caregivers to be supported because they're doing
such tremendous amount of work and it can be very
stressful and very draining. So it's a wonderful part of
our jobs to know that we are supporting the good
work that they're doing.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Absolutely, So you decided to become a part of Birdie's
for Charities, one of the organizations through the Travelers. Why
did you decide to join up.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Well, it's a wonderful organization and it's just everything they
send out to us as nonprofit organizations, it's, you know,
tremendously professional and fun and interesting. What's a fantastic component
of it is that the Webster Bank offers the fifteen
percent match and they just make everything about donating so
easy for the people that are donating. So we really
(08:02):
appreciate that. It really makes every dollar go that much
further and get put to better use. And you know,
we tend to not be able to put a whole
lot of focus to our fundraising. That's not what our
agency is about. It's really about providing those direct services.
But having some fundraise dollars is really such a benefit
(08:23):
to what we can do because some things that people
need to stay in their community cannot be paid for
by some of the funding sources that we have, So
being able to have, you know, a little little pocket
of money that was created through fundraising, we can then
use that money in a way that helps support those people.
(08:45):
So really our fund anything that comes to us through
fundraising goes right back out to helping older adults and
caregivers stay in their community.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
So to break it down, for every dollar donated to
the Senior Resources Agency on Aging, Webster Bank will give
fifth cent, so they're basically getting a dollar fifteen. So
go to that website right now, Senior Resources ec dot
org and it'll take you right to the Travelers Championship
and you could donate that money. I'm speaking with Executive
(09:14):
director of the Senior Resources Agency on Aging, Alison de Vorgak.
Thank you so much for being here today, for caring
about our community. And taking such good care of them.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Thank you for having me, and thank you to Travelers
and Berdis for Charity for supporting us.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Alison de Vorgeacques. She is executive
director of Senior Resources Agency on Aging. You have a
great name, by the.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Way, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
It means little, truthful one. Did you know that I did?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
And Alison was never a name I heard anybody else
with before. But I'm so glad that now there are
so many wonderful ones of us in the world.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yes, I'm Ali. For the most part, everybody calls me
Ali unless they're aggravated then it's the full name. So
tell me. How did the Senior Resources Agency on Aging
come about?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
So we've been around for over fifty years. We were
actually part of the after the creation of the Older
Americans Act. They needed a way to focus on regions
and kind of boots on the ground services that helped
support seniors in the communities that they lived in. So
a lot of what we do is managing federal and
(00:57):
state funding that impacts older adults and caregivers right in
our eastern Connecticut region. And there is an Agency on
Aging everywhere across the state and they all have that
similar focus to them. We have that to not be
a government entity we're a private nonprofit and because of that,
(01:18):
we're able to work in different ways and advocate more
strongly for the needs of older adults and caregivers in
our region. And we're also able to kind of blend
and break different sources of funding to meet the needs
of whatever's going on in our region to best support people.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
What are some of those needs and how are you
able to assist them?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So, you know, every situation can be a little bit different,
but a lot of times as people are aging, they're
very concerned about finances and how are they going to
be able to continue to afford to live in the
home that they're in or the community that they're in.
How are they going to get around as far as transportation,
and also how are they going to get their healthcare
(02:01):
services or their insurance or their prescriptions covered. So a
lot of things that we work with and much more
than that. But the Senior Nutrition Program is an Older
American fact funded program that's meals on wheels or congregate meals,
and it's a healthy meal that's for anybody aged sixty
and over to get together at a senior center and
(02:22):
have lunch and learn some things and stay socially connected
with others. And then similarly to the meals on Wheels
program is really healthy for anybody with any kind of
chronic disease condition, including diabetes or high blood pressure, and
it helps to support them having a well balanced meal
in their home. So that's just one example. A lot
of what we do is that Medicare Education and Outreach.
(02:44):
We provide all of our services for free. We're never
selling anything, and it's really just to make sure that
people have access to good information. Actually, the eight hundred
number on the back of the Medicare and You book
brings you to our office because we answer any of
those questions that people just can't figure out how does
this apply to me, you know, and we understand their situation,
(03:08):
and then also kind of look through what are the
drug plans or supplemental plans that are available to them
that include their specific medications or their specific providers, and
then we give them the choice, you know, it's up
to them which one they want to sign up with.
And again we're not making any commission or anything off
of any of that information to people. Were just there
to help make sure they get the right information.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Well, it's extremely difficult to navigate.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh, it is it is, and even if you read
the book from cover to cover or go on the
website or you know, it can be confusing with what
you see in commercials on TV. And even if even
in a family, you know a husband and wife may
not the one plan may not be the best for
both of them. Or you talk with your neighbor and
they love theirs, but it may not apply to you.
(03:55):
So a lot of those things go on. As far
as in the medicare world, we also work with people
to prevent fraud and abuse in medicare, kind of educating
them on what to look out for, what not to
fall prey to. And then a lot of things that
we do are funding that supports community providers in areas
such as transportation or home care services. To some degree,
(04:18):
that's helping people with just that little bit of help
that they need to stay in their community, so that
they stay in their home or apartment where they want
to live. You know, sometimes we all need a little help.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Absolutely. What are some of the responses you've received from
people who've received these services?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Incredibly positive, So many people we've had people cry actually
that they just were so relieved to find find help
and find this information and the money saved for many
people is tremendous. We actually expanded a role of what
we call aging answers, which is kind of a combination
(04:55):
of whatever you're going to call us. You know, what
are you're calling us about with your questions is we
do have aging answers, And to that, we have a
few people that are specially trained more so as service navigators,
and they can they know what broad range of services
available to people, and they can kind of find a
solution when you just don't think any other solution can happen.
(05:18):
So we have We've posted some on our social media sites,
and we're working on a little more of that testimonial
type care. But people love to tell their friends about
us too, So a lot of times we hear from
people how did they hear about us? It's usually through
a friend saying, oh, you got to call them because
they can really help.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
And the family members and caregivers must feel so blessed
at how well you're helping these people.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, you know, I think it's such a hard aspect
of being a caregiver. So many feel like they're the
only one that's going through this. You know, we have
spouses that are taking care of their loved one with dementia,
and it's so isolating because you know, maybe their friend
group doesn't necessarily understand that what's going on anymore, or
(06:04):
it's awkward to go to the social engagements that they
used to go to. So it's really challenging for that caregiver.
And then when you know that, we have support groups
that help people with that kind of coaching them through
here's where you are now, what are the next steps coming?
And also some financial assistance if that can give that
caregiver a break from that job because it's so important
(06:25):
that they're doing it, but they also need to have
their own doctor's appointments or their own just time to
relax and you know, enjoy some time on their own.
So we support caregivers in that and they just find
it to be a tremendous help to them keeping on
keeping on.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
You know, absolutely, caregivers get sick because you know, they're
taking care of everybody else and they come last.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yes, exactly. And there's so many ways that caregiver. You know,
that's part of the education that we support and provide
out to folks. But there's so many ways to be
a caregiver, and it doesn't mean that you're the family relative,
it doesn't mean that you're you know, a hired provider.
It's really anyone who cares. So it could be that
neighbor or just a friend, and you're making sure that
(07:12):
they're staying healthy in their community as long as they can.
So important for caregivers to be supported because they're doing
such tremendous amount of work and it can be very
stressful and very draining. So it's a wonderful part of
our jobs to know that we are supporting the good
work that they're doing.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Absolutely, So you decided to become a part of Birdie's
for Charities, one of the organizations through the Travelers. Why
did you decide to join up.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Well, it's a wonderful organization and it's just everything they
send out to us as nonprofit organizations, it's, you know,
tremendously professional and fun and interesting. What's a fantastic component
of it is that the Webster Bank offers the fifteen
percent match and they just make everything about donating so
easy for the people that are donating. So we really
(08:02):
appreciate that. It really makes every dollar go that much
further and get put to better use. And you know,
we tend to not be able to put a whole
lot of focus to our fundraising. That's not what our
agency is about. It's really about providing those direct services.
But having some fundraise dollars is really such a benefit
(08:23):
to what we can do because some things that people
need to stay in their community cannot be paid for
by some of the funding sources that we have, So
being able to have, you know, a little little pocket
of money that was created through fundraising, we can then
use that money in a way that helps support those people.
(08:45):
So really our fund anything that comes to us through
fundraising goes right back out to helping older adults and
caregivers stay in their community.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
So to break it down, for every dollar donated to
the Senior Resources Agency on Aging, Webster Bank will give
fifth cent, so they're basically getting a dollar fifteen. So
go to that website right now, Senior Resources ec dot
org and it'll take you right to the Travelers Championship
and you could donate that money. I'm speaking with Executive
(09:14):
director of the Senior Resources Agency on Aging, Alison de Vorgak.
Thank you so much for being here today, for caring
about our community. And taking such good care of them.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Thank you for having me, and thank you to Travelers
and Berdis for Charity for supporting us.
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