Ethan Myers: Everyday People: Outreach guides seniors to services
May 16—WARRENTON — When Suzanne Bjaranson meets with someone — typically a senior, or sometimes a caregiver or family member — she starts with one question: "What is it you want to accomplish?"
Bjaranson, the community program supervisor at NorthWest Senior and Disability Services, then takes steps to help them achieve their goals, whether it be to move into an assisted living facility, enhance in-home care or seek other options.
Now in her seventh year at the organization, Bjaranson oversees an extensive number of programs and courses that the group — which serves Clatsop, Tillamook, Polk, Marion and Yamhill counties — has to offer.
"Whether you've got resources or not, we can help break down what your options are and where to turn to, because it can be overwhelming," Bjaranson said.
Outside of counseling on options and resources, other programs, funded through the Older Americans Act and Medicaid, include caregiver support, fall prevention, Medicare counseling, mentoring for seniors suffering from anxiety or depression and several more.
Led by Bjaranson, the Clatsop County branch also offers a number of health education classes, such as overviews on chronic conditions, diabetes prevention and exercise.
But perhaps the organization's most impactful work, Bjaranson said, is through the home delivery meal program.
"There is such a need for it," she said. "Transportation can be very tricky in this county for a lot of seniors, so having that program available is really huge."
NorthWest Senior and Disability Services also has three meal sites in the county — in Warrenton, Seaside and Svensen — where seniors can get together to to eat and interact. With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, the sites have evolved into curbside pickup.
"The congregate is so valuable for people to connect and be with one another, and that stopped," Bjaranson said. "We can see that there is a need for that again. People are wanting to gather and be with their friends again."
Throughout the pandemic, Bjaranson saw firsthand the impacts COVID-19 had on seniors.
"The concern for our seniors in isolation was huge in making sure they got the care they needed, because a lot of people were fearful of going in and out and seeing people or caring for people, or seniors being concerned of people coming into their homes," she said. "Some of the stuff had to halt and we had to take a lot more precautions — rightfully so."
While seniors adjusted their day-to-day lives to protect their health, Bjaranson and NorthWest Senior and Disability Services had to make adjustments of their own, shifting programs away from in-person and offering classes via Zoom.
As face-to-face interactions became limited, Bjaranson said, older generations have embraced remote communication and in turn, the organization's outreach has extended and reached wider audiences.
"A lot of the people that I have dealt with are ready to be out and about again," she said. "We do run into some people that are apprehensive but ... people are really eager to see one another again and get the help they need."
When Bjaranson came to the North Coast a decade ago, she did marketing for an assisted living facility and saw the many challenges that seniors face on a daily basis with health, access and transportation.
As a self-described people person, Bjaranson developed a passion for working with seniors and hearing a lifetime of stories.
"It's so fun working with seniors because they love to talk to people," she said. " ... People need help and they don't know where to turn to, so I am more than happy to do the research and find out.
"It just became really rewarding to help people and connect the dots so they can visually see it and plan for their future and life."
