Old Age: A New Look; City Services for Senior Citizens

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book is big yes chicago is my kind of town a town for people of all ages on its shoulder arrests a city built on its spirit that spirit that kind of spirit that make chicago what it is is an irritant billings linus magnificent schorr's gut is reflected in its people chicagoans who care it is the chicagoans senior citizens reflect his city's past present and future they are a blueprint of what our future holds the future we all have that stick to listen to old age and new look and i will give you a new outlook on life i think it's one of the greatest programs in inner city because well because there's intelligent accurate information to all our senior citizens it is an

opportunity to know where they can participate in a society in which oversaw remember i'd urge everyone can only the senior citizens that i worked the entire population to listen and to become familiar and to become interested in the activity recent mixes and bridges warning as participating in the activities of senior citizens in new york chicago and jupiter's prominent political figures such as mayor richard j daley had appraised old age and you lock wonder what so special about this program just listen the fact that the

services are available if a tremendous beginning and they are implementing them all the time you know we really aren't aware of what is that if we only knew what we could take advantage of it that we'd all be feeling very much that's for sure particularly over again also pushed out of the media and voters may be used to know referred to anyone but the communication and ferrets open open to everyone we can contact if we'd have been needed for their own and i'm certain that those who have had need for it making these calls have had a satisfactory answer is very amazing thing is that at that office the concern and the caring that is their you know they just going to take excellent care of you know they're wonderful people the clinic in a building

and we have a doctor and mary and grant them to go to a clinic if they have something that they can't control and kidnapped her i as i understand it about the only for the thing that is being done now and so far the district uses that as of january first the transfer news from ten cents to five cents for a rewrite well i think you know perhaps a good start has been made in service since of our department of insurance and i don't think it has been implemented and not feel that even in a community where there is a are the kind of advance information had not been told the only so that they can avail themselves of the opportunity it would over share wishes are being offered those are chicagoans wonder what they're talking about they're talking about city services offered to seniors have you ever wanted to develop your

own guide to city services search no more stop flipping through endless pages and phone box discover that city services are at your fingertips all you have to do is listen since it's the purpose of old age a new look to form a platform of ideas your questions on city services will be examined in this program entitled city services for senior citizens and the determination is only marked by the stride taken by its people people from all walks of life serving their part in providing an important thing that put their cities wheels in motion wonder what drives each of its people decides because yes this city only moved by the dedication of those reserves chicago is at that place and with numerous city services are offered to see you this

program in city services for senior citizens will give you a guide to city services available to seniors and i can only do you need to request information from services throughout the city well the office of inquiry and information at city hall will try to answer these questions and we for your calls to the necessary agency organization or department involved mr michael cummings director of the office of inquiry and information described the office and explains how it works with other departments or other agencies in the city the office has created nineteen fifty five shortly after being a male is her first elected in the primary purpose of the officers to receive citizens request for city services complaints for general information and there is a direct link between the season in the mayor's office we received calls complaints

requests for services be an city government over we receive these write him off in for and the appropriate agency so in essence we are somewhat of a referral office they know for all agency we do we're in of course can't that with a number of the arms because obviously the complaints were receiving our concern in each and every department that offers a service and receive calls from people looking for a jab surfer sills service received calls concerning a fraudulent their practices in a supermarket or refer to consume sale so it totally a working relationship with almost every state department we do follow up and we give some complaints a priority on the basis of the investigation or the nature of the complaints are well and the accuracy is this in the new year looking for programs are heavy human wish to call them as officers senior citizen seven for four or one sect or do you have a complaint any nature involved in city service would

be a big building a big garbage pickup for a neighbor or a building it's not picking up their garbage tree except that you can call so for forty three so now we take any and all complaints concerned that all the sisters and so on is a complaint about streep has the whole mystique many of the streets is city and unbeknown to more serious and i met the city's responsibility the responsibility of the calming or stay here assisting those in our book because our office will refer to the appropriate agency that funds this you probably have many complaints our winter eating listen as mr michael cummings director of the office of inquiry and information talks about the frequent calls received regarding winter heating complaints are all in admission coordinates the city's emergency program and this is a program where there's a city ordinance

which states the degrees which must be maintained in a home when there's a violation the sassoon can call seven four four three three seven all those ups inquiry information report this violation we then write this up for the billing apartment building inspector goes out even verifies the violation or if there is no violation and we don't go quite simple it get out there is a violation of pain upon the degree of the violation the case came to you referred to court or the owners given a warning it as the common or appear before a in house court where he shows that he's taking steps to correct that and a very good situations we have class unfortunately and forced to move immediately more people from which we go to

catholic at the program we involve corporation counsel a year the courts the urban renewal for relocation assistance the building upon the impulse polio received the office of inquiry in information is not the only place to find out about city activities and services due on specialize information and senior citizen services around the city if so you'll find yourself dialing the information and referral number at the mayor's office for senior citizens eight mayor's office for senior citizens this is mr shannon algeo yes what an idea for you i see yes we we do have a nutrition program here in chicago we have approximately sixty seven locations that serve low cost hot meals each day in the city and what i'd like to do is malian the entire list of the locations and of course you can go into

the closest location to your home and all i see another richard you're unable to to really go out and visit the locations where you know we do have transportation to and from the nutrition sides of that would be what it would be helpful to be in shape ok then i then i might suggest this we also have what's called our home delivered meals programme we do serve meals delivered to the home each day we deliver to meals when it's hot as consumers at the time of delivery and the other is it's cold and store in the refrigerator for later use must be unable to prepare your own meals and you must be unable to to go out and get meals so i think that and in this case you you probably would be eligible for home delivered meals that was mr fred sherman staff member for the information and referrals service of the mayor's office for senior citizens counseling seniors by phone and services available to seniors

french german comment on the i in our system and how it works in conjunction with the other departments to provide information for seeing the mayor's office for senior citizens have divided chicago into five service areas where we actually deliver the direct services at the office provides now of course it's it's always important and will always be important that the central office have a source of information or furloughs well we do have a number of clients that visit our main office of three thirty self wells each day and we want to make sure that we have a trained staff here ready to assist them but what you're seeing a latina event green and i've heard people talk about me as they hope they get in and i was really needed help didn't return just to come hear that i have

and thats it to purchase cheaper they'll have to move from there because i'm sitting with someone that we were sharing everything so i may be able to stay there if i did it didn't have enough money to buy food would have to rank very cheap and it's a city that i don't have enough money and you wrote would you prefer to stay then if he if you could make something better at it but i can't i can't okay let me tell you a little bit about the housing situation right now because it is it is a rather difficult situation and you know we can talk about that afterwards on this senior housing program which is which is administered by the chicago housing authority president has a bow twelve thousand people waiting on the weight is anywhere from three to five years so so really in terms of your immediate problem on

yeah that probably know investigation what kind of what kind of income do you have a lot of money that that is your total income than you you really don't have any other any other checks coming in from any other no i don't you know have any relatives that that helped me out every now and then ok ask you do we have a bank account lesson than fifteen hundred dollars in the bank and i say ok then in from from what you're telling me you would be eligible for or a couple of programs that are they're administered down one by the social security administration has called supplemental security income on anyone who is receiving less than one seventy seven seventy a month and that's one person of course with andy you are staying by yourself and has assets less than fifteen hundred dollars is eligible for for what's called ssi and

ssi a war supplemental security income is administered by the social security administration and the best thing the best thing for you do would be to contact them and you'd want to have to go into the office and bring statements indicating your income and you're assets not yet the bank book that shows ten dollars than you should should really hadn't been there and then the banks since olivia dollars more now and that kind of anger ok if you know if you can find those things are you can you can contact that the social security administration at two three nine one two hundred that that's two three nine one two hundred and one am you know they can directly to the closest social security district office if if you get home and you decide you don't really tired today don't feel like going over there you can call me at seven four four four or one

six and i'll be glad to direct you to the closest location to your home of course that the number of calls we receive each month also necessitate a central source of information on you might your audience might be interested that we we do receive about two thousand contacts per month in central iran are alone and that's of course i'm not counting the the i in our center offices that are located throughout the city there are a number of things that we we do in central information or for all we respond to two written correspondence from the major newspapers are the action lines for example the various columns off from the major newspapers and of course all week we do handle special requests from other departments in city government and we you do handle many inquiries directly at the central office but for multi problems and four

individuals requiring direct services we of course are referred them to the information or for all centers which are are conveniently located throughout the city here are comments from seniors in chicago well i think there are also approached i've been made on all the primarily all of the obstinately example counseling only various clinics pertaining to blood pressure diabetes and other ailments and i think it puts that has been made in that there are actually the main area so both in chicago my beautiful chicago has everything available it's here for everyone to participate young and oh it's a precious place to be living in a three for sure since the senior is most interested in the clinics and services offered by the chicago department of health <unk> larry sure i'm an assistant director for adult health and ageing of talks about this very topic really

well on our own which we have five the present time we have five neighborhood health centers which do see senior citizens the houses or will we call a comparable we like to call a comprehensive medical health center provides care for the attrition attorney all went through adult care and senior citizens that our specialty areas such as archaeology ophthalmology dentistry and various adult services they can be acquired at the house turns out we do have patient advocates are social workers at the clinics that help them and possibly filling out forms thing and maybe getting around the clinic in the writing of the clinic at our house her fifty six or seven self left inside the scene uses a very small clinic it's kind of a storefront and then the patients are sort of special they're

there they all of their children run around they are treated like two very confident that the positions and they have a good report with a senior citizen not many compliments on the site of last year and we hope that with cooperation to be near the officer senior citizens within the near future that we will have six additional sites that would include comprehensive care in the sense that it would have the mayor's office for senior citizens i and i agency the board of health and mental health all under one building and in the five service areas that the mayor's office for senior citizens have established so this would be a grand total of fix senior citizen clinics just for seniors says we strongly suggest that the un department of health that any senior citizen in the city of chicago it's interested in have no matter what their income that they call the mayor's office for senior citizens that number is seven four four

four one sixth of their central office from their them as alice can direct them through needed to the new service here are some comments from seniors in chicago i am thought very grateful for the reduced fares have made it possible for me to go home very many more places my i live on the floor shall security check and means my funds are limited and i do not ask for special discrimination against any group if this all children have the reduced rates i guess that for the elderly however i do i am not asking for a free transportation on i think that is also good step and perhaps even with the cpa in the art he bought the one that i think perhaps that we should even go one step further and reduce the rates for that then

they're being have been reduced to twenty cents for the sioux nation are in some of the city's united states mentioning just a few philadelphia denver whitey there is no cost at all for the seniors are lining up for the competition and with a city like chicago i'm sure that something can be done to work out something like that to that extent at at as senior citizens we board a cpa with our reduced fares listen as eileen durham and a staff member of the mayor's office for senior citizens comments on the sea at a reduced their program well as you probably know the mayor's office for senior citizens hands i've been involved in leaks a sting

a program to produce cares for the elderly which began in nineteen sixty nine at that time he reduced their program was available only during a non peak hours but fortunately was extended to a twenty four hour program in nineteen seventy two arm we're very supportive of this program because of weak field that seniors who live on meat you sting comes can we get reduced their program take advantage services throughout the city or personal needs and in short it allows seniors to get around the city at a price which they can afford to pay as you know the beat used for programs program for the elderly is going to be expanded or

modified somewhat price of that transfer for the elderly will go down from ten cents to five cents the way the program works now is that senior citizen girl who has a reduced their permit case twenty cents as a post forty five seconds of the transfer is an additional ten cents is the ct a reduced care program offered to the handicapped or leaned your arm and a staff member of the mayor's office for senior citizens explains the ct a reduced fair for the handicapped in addition the program will be expanded to the handicapped on nh comprehensive basis their structure will be identical to that offer seniors are handicapped individuals will pay twenty cents for the basic fare plus five cents for a

transfer the handicap will have to present some medical certificate the tv in fact that they have difficulty climbing stairs walking a certain distance you know any type of difficulty in getting around here are some comments from seniors in chicago many of the problems are in the public parks that have a golf courses and over to get a senior citizen program started the crinkly i like to reduce emissions and play golf you have to maybe you know there will be restored within that village had no previous time i had participated in and the programs available are tremendous the problem is to get people to come and participate they have exercise groups that have dancing groups they have all sorts of

things which are hidden field houses they have jewelry making and up to create a creative things where people can participate and really have the satisfaction from the things they make it's really tremendous the possible culprit why not give yourself some fun and relaxation while enjoying the company of other seniors in various activities at the chicago park district offerings for senior citizens mary lyn mcguire assistant coordinator for special recreation activity describe the chicago park district and explains how the district works in conjunction with other agencies to provide excellent recreational activities the chicago park district provides a varied and comprehensive recreational program for chicago senior citizens had approximately sixty centers throughout the city activities range from art craft projects such as knitting crocheting painting are the weight social activities parties monthly birthday parties are room dancing

square dancing special events weekly excursions and many centers trips to places of local interest oftentimes out of the city we deal with any city agencies that provide services for senior citizens such as the mayor's office for senior citizens the department of human resources model cities and on any other agency that could serve the needs of chicago senior citizens since winter is upon us marilyn mcguire chicago park district comments on whether programs for seniors chicago park district senior citizen program operates year round so that i one or programs would be similar to summer spring and fall programs the only difference would be an emphasis on interactivity rather than outdoor activity you know that all of our activities are free of charge the program is offered to any senior citizen who would like to attend there is no caucus so when are

your thoughts automatically go to the holidays thanksgiving and christmas and of course this is an important segment of our program we always have thanksgiving and christmas parties for senior citizens often there's choral singing usually they'll have a luncheon or a dinner at a restaurant or have caterers come into the park they big things themselves make christmas presents have grab bags and is generally a festive place for our seniors around the holidays she got offers a potpourri of activities and services for seniors treat yourself to services throughout the city you'll be doing yourself a favor to know next week for our program and titled welcome to the club it's been on the pages but it's

huge on new book is a special series of programs devoted exclusively to senior citizens the series is brought to you by wbez in cooperation with the mayor's office for senior citizens special credit should be given to robert j errands director of the mayor's office for senior citizens and to his staff for their excellent technical assistance and cooperation narration was provided by sandra bear this program was recorded and written and produced by cathy gorman this is it