Senior News September, 2003 Vol. 24. No. 7

 

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Two chances to attend open houses this fall

Wine, cheese and older workers get better with age

New directory lists senior and caregiver resources

Mary Dennison works on many levels for seniors

Del Norte writers honor heroes

New nonprofit forming to focus on Fortuna senior needs

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Celebrating a hero
Mary Dennison works on many levels for seniors
by Thea Gast

    For the past three years, Mary Dennison and I have been working together in the California Senior Legislature (CSL), Mary as the CSL senator and I as the CSL assembly member representing Humboldt and Del Norte counties. From being with Mary during this time, I have observed how much time, energy and money she has spent to advocate for seniors. So that others could understand and appreciate the work Mary does for seniors, I decided to interview her. The following is a result of that interview.
Mary became active in senior issues in 1982 when she was Director of Pubic Health Nursing and approaching retirement. She served on the committee that wrote the grant application for the Preventative Health Care for the Aging (PHCA) program and on the CSL from 1982-84 and from 1998 to the present.
    She has been a member of the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council for six years, two as president. She took a mandatory year off and now has begun another term. As Advisory Council president, Mary participated in Sacramento meetings of the Triple-A Council of California (TACC).
Since 2000, she has had a second job-she was appointed by Governor Davis to the California Commission on Aging (CCoA). "As provided for in state legislation, the CCoA is to act as the principal advocate on behalf of the more than four million seniors living in California. The 25-member commission is made up of 19 governor appointees, three by the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and three by the speaker of the assembly."
    During this past year, CCoA has been preparing its Strategic Plan, done every five years. It has conducted meetings with hearings in four parts of the state to gather information on the needs and issues that affect seniors. The first meeting, thanks to Mary's invitation, was held in Eureka last November and was well attended by local senior service providers. The areas the CCoA is focusing on this year are housing, health care, transportation and planning and service system designs.
    Mary, a retired nurse, serves on the Health Committee of the CCoA. She has two goals for improving the health of seniors. One is to have the state require general practitioners and internal medicine doctors to be educated in the use of psychotropic drugs so that they would better understand proper medications and dosages for seniors with mental health problems. The other is to get a PHCA program into every county in California. Only 16 counties have such programs now, and with the current budget crisis it may be a while for this goal to be reached.
    But we here in Humboldt County can be grateful to have a Preventative Health Care for the Aging program and need to take advantage of it. Sign up for one in your area soon. (See clinic schedule, page 13.)
    Mary serves on many local committees, attends meetings and hearings, listens to and acts on the needs of seniors. I think you'll agree with me that Mary Dennison is a senior advocate extraordinaire.
Thea Gast is the California Senior Assembly Member representing Humboldt and Del Norte counties. For information, call Mary Dennison at 707-442-3164 or Thea at 707-822-4705.