Valley seniors meet with Direction Home of Eastern Ohio for focus group
Adults in the Mahoning Valley region aged 60-years-old or older were invited to a focus group discussion, hosted by Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, on Monday, March 9, to discuss community needs.
According to a flyer outlining the event, Monday was the final focus group of four different assessments across Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Ashtabula Counties.
The focus group aimed to give residents a chance to share perspectives and guide decisions on how Older Americans Act funding would support services provided by Direction Home of Eastern Ohio.
One resident from Youngstown, Lucia Yurco, says that the Austintown Senior Center, where the discussion was held, offers her a sense of community.
"I am one of the more fortunate people that lives within a very short distance, and I still drive, I drive myself wherever I need to go. So, coming here is easy for me, and there are so many activities, things that the senior center puts on for us seniors, and we all appreciate it," said Yurco.
However, although Yurco says that she is still able to drive herself, she thinks about what transportation would look like if she no longer could. She suggested funding of some kind for transportation.
She also suggested more senior centers in other areas of the region.
"I think that we need to get more [senior centers] in different counties. There may be smaller ones, but this is, by far, the best you're going to find in a 30-mile radius," said Yurco.
A resident of Boardman, Carol Linden, shared this opinion on the hope of having senior centers closer to where she and her family live.
"I was interested in senior centers more in the rural areas. We've got Poland, Canfield, Boardman, and then you've got some of the other communities. And there's nothing out our way. And this is a nice senior center in Austintown, but it is a distance for the older American," said Linden.
According to Direction Home of Eastern Ohio's website, the nonprofit aims to help older adults and people with disabilities "maintain their health, happiness and independence."
The organization serves over 166,000 clients in Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull Counties.
A full list of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio's programs can be found here.
The office can be found at 1030 North Meridian Road in Youngstown.
