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Noah's Senior Center reports rising demand for meals, rides as SHINE and Medicare season fills up
Summary
Carrie McCarthy, director of Noah's Senior Center/Council on Aging, told the Select Board the center served up to 80 lunches a day, is seeing growing transportation demand and that SHINE (Medicare) open-enrollment is fully booked. She said the center maintains a $5 meal option and provides meals without question for those who cannot pay.
Carrie McCarthy, director of Noah's Senior Center and the town's Council on Aging, told the Select Board on Oct. 28 that demand for the center's services has increased and that staff are coping with heavier need for meals, rides and outreach. "We offer a nutritious freshly prepared meal 4 days a week, available for delivery, grab and go, and, to enjoy at the center," McCarthy said, and added that the Phoenix Academy teachers and students "prepare and serve as many as 80 meals a day."
McCarthy said the center keeps the price at $5 per meal and will not turn away anyone who needs food. "If somebody needs a meal, no questions asked, just let me know and we will not charge you," she told the board. She listed ancillary services including a daily cafe, weekly transportation to appointments and errands, legal clinics with MetroWest Legal Services, hearing and vaccine clinics, and periodic visits from Mass Save.
Board members pressed McCarthy for numbers and operational details. She said the center's drivers include one full-time driver and five per-diem drivers; the fleet consists of one bus, two medical vans and a sport-utility vehicle. McCarthy said much of the ride growth is medical in nature, including wound care, dialysis and physical therapy, and that wheelchair use has increased. "Most weeks, we're shutting down days because we just can't handle it," she said, describing high demand for out-of-town medical transport.
McCarthy also warned that SHINE (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) appointments for Medicare open enrollment were fully booked regionally: "We are completely booked. Every senior center within 30 miles of us is booked." She said the center continues free legal clinics, fuel-assistance help and an anti-scam task force, and that veterans from Norwood may receive a free lunch at the center during November if they notify staff.
Board members thanked McCarthy and her staff for outreach and the monthly newsletter; several elected members praised the transportation program and the center's responsiveness when residents need help getting to appointments. McCarthy urged anyone over 60 to visit the center and noted that programming is aimed broadly at active older adults, not only the frail or homebound.
Clarifying details provided to the board included the center's 80-meal daily cap (set for kitchen-preparation constraints), the transportation fleet (1 bus, 2 medical vans, 1 SUV), and staffing (1 full-time driver and 5 per-diem drivers). McCarthy said approximately 2,300 households in Norwood were on SNAP as of July and that about 4,000 individuals receive SNAP benefits in the town; she said the senior center maintains outreach for recertification and SNAP applications.
