Working to Help Seniors Help Themselves

I’ve had a lot of jobs and several careers over my lifetime. Each has had their own challenges and rewards. For the most part I’ve spent my professional career trying to minimize the challenges and maximize the rewards that each of those jobs provided. That’s a nice way of saying that I always choose the job that paid the most with the least amount of headaches.    

I’m sure that I’m not alone. Most people would probably admit to approaching their careers this way. At least that is what I once thought. It’s not a bad plan. It always paid the bills and I have to say that for the most part I’ve always been happy.

But life has a way of messing up even the best laid plans. As Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Not long ago I took that punch in the face. It was a bit of a wake-up call and now my life is much different than I ever thought it would be. I have a new career and a new life.   

I’m now in the service industry, more specifically, the senior service industry. And more importantly, I now have a new approach to my new career. This industry seems to be nothing but headaches, or what I now call challenges. The challenges that I used to minimize or avoid are now the challenges that I seek out, and the challenges that I can overcome are now my rewards. These rewards mean so much more than any pay check ever did.

I view my current position as one where I get to help others. One way to help others is to show them how they can help themselves. There are many programs and government agencies out there that are in place to help seniors but what I am finding is that many seniors don’t know that they exist.

One such place is the Suffolk County Office for the Aging. The office is located right here in Hauppauge. I recently stopped by the office and picked up a copy of their program and services guide for senior citizens. This booklet contains 23 pages of social, recreational and assistance programs that are available to seniors in Suffolk County. 

Health insurance counseling, legal assistance, senior day care, transportation programs, nutrition programs, residential repair programs and home care services are just some of the programs one can find at Suffolk County’s Office of the Aging.  These programs and more allow seniors to live independently and actively in their communities. For more information visit their website, or give a call to their Hauppauge location 631-853-8200 or Riverhead location 631-852-1420.

It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no man can
sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Disclosure: Anthony D`Amico is the owner of Always Best Care of Central Suffolk, a non-medical home care & assisted living placement agency.