5Q: Tina Pearl

 / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
/ PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

1 What type of resources does The POINT offer elderly adults with disabilities and their caregivers?

Everyone at The POINT is a senior health insurance program counselor. … We help with Medicare counseling and comparisons, Medicaid questions and applications, home and community care, SNAP and short-term case management. … This isn’t a resource focused only on low-income seniors; this is for everyone.

2 As a new program manager, what are your goals?

My ultimate goal is bringing The POINT to every senior and disabled adult in Rhode Island. Too many don’t know about the services we provide and, often, individuals don’t reach us until making a number of calls from one agency to another. By the time some find us, they’re in a crisis that may have been prevented.

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3 What are the challenges of supporting aging populations in an increasingly independent, technology-focused era?

Although those we work with may be independent, barriers, particularly to technology, remain. As more programs move online, people need to understand technology doesn’t work for everyone, especially seniors – who may not own a computer or be comfortable with the internet. The personal connection of a phone conversation or face-to-face meeting is important.

4 Rhode Island has the highest proportion of residents aged 85-plus in the nation and those aged 60-plus are projected to increase from [217,000 to 264,138] by 2040. Do you think the state has the mechanisms in place to support them?

I believe our state has the initial wheel in place. … Services need to expand to coincide with the national and state goal of aging in place. Few people want to leave their home for a nursing home and many may need assistance to help pay for a nursing home. … It’s vital we look at the state’s entire infrastructure, from the ground up, to create the most successful social-services system we can.

5 How will The POINT collaborate to ensure the best care reaches aging Rhode Islanders?

The POINT has great relationships with partners across the state that enable us to deliver [our] services. That said … no one agency has the means or capacity to do [all that is needed] on their own. It remains a priority to continue building relationships with every possible community agency while educating the public. •

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