By Roberta Michelle Cykon

Special to The Tribune Chronicle

I am currently serving my second three-year term to the Trumbull County Senior Service Advisory Council.

Having been chosen by the county commissioners, my role is to assist the commissioners in making important decisions affecting our county’s older adults.

I want to share some of my experiences on this council, and I’m deeply humbled and honored to have this opportunity.

With Election Day around the corner, I want to emphasize how vital your “Yes” vote is to helping us assist older adults in Trumbull County.

This council position is the first position I’ve had that involves government.

From day one, my mentor, administrator Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic, has told me to make sure I listen to the commissioners’ meetings so I can learn how county government is run, along with how decisions are made for county residents.

When I began the council, it was all new to me.

At our first meeting, I remember being the one that was frowned upon.

I voted “No” for a council member to be chair of the council because I could hear in their voice that they could not make the effort to be the chair.

Immediately, I felt like an outcast.

After a beat, that person said that I was right, and they wouldn’t be able to make the time commitment to the role.

I was proud of myself for making that decision because a few months later, they no longer had any involvement with the council. Over the years, I have learned an enormous amount about how our tax dollars are used to help our elderly in need.

Many of our senior centers use county funding to help provide the programs and services that they do.

Meal programs offered in the county have a higher number of older adults on waiting lists as well as chore services, which include cutting grass and plowing snow, as well as home care.

I know of one woman who has been on a waiting list for almost two years to receive home care services, even as simply as the wards that we assist through various adult guardianship programs in receiving protective services.

There’s another way to look at this.

Have you ever looked at your actual tax bill? Until I had the opportunity to be a part of this council, I never even looked at the bottom of my tax bill to see where my funds went annually.

Just as we start a family, our children grow and start education.

We begin with the school levy, and, as our children become adults, we no longer use the school system to assist the school thrive.

It is the same as our senior services portion of our tax dollars. We don’t start as an older adult in life. We become an older adult and eventually down the road one of your family members or yourself as you age will need help with services.

You may need transportation, it could be needing meals, needing home care for personal care, going to a senior center. These are a few of the services that is offered.

I can say firsthand as I write this, how invaluable these services can be.

My mother recently transitioned to hospice care, and I’ve been focusing on her while she gets acclimated.

Just something as simple as extra care can help keep the older adult safe and healthy and give the caregiver a short break.

My mother is on a meal program and waits for her meals Monday through Friday. She wouldn’t have access to this kind of assistance if it weren’t for the senior levy.

Please vote “Yes” on Nov. 5 for the county’s senior citizen replacement levy.

Roberta Cykon, a Youngstown State University graduate, is a licensed social worker and gerontologist. If you have any topics or questions you would like Roberta to discuss email her at rmcykon01@gmail.com.