Ashburnham's COA preparing to help during emergencies
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Ashburnham's Council on Aging Director is trying to step a database of information on the town's more than 1,000 senior citizens.

Mary Lee Muesel said the goal is to have this information as part of an emergency preparedness plan. She said having information about the senior population in town will help to develop an emergency response plan in different situations.

"We want to be able to help the seniors," she said.

The surveys will be sent to all residents 60-years-old and older during the middle of August with a self-addressed (to the Senior Center) and stamped envelope. The survey will ask for information about current medication, ability to walk, whether a person lives alone or not and if there are neighbors who check in.

"They will be accessed to be put into a database, but the only person to access that database is the COA director," Muesel said.

The goal will be update the database once a year.

"We want to know if they think they are fine too," she said. "Then we know who not to worry about."

She said the issues that can arise in a community that need a response plan are many from snow emergencies and prolonged power outages to a pandemic flu outbreak

"We hear about this in the news," Muesel said. "It seems remote and distance when we are reading about it."

But she added things could happen anywhere at anytime.