Concord Quarterly Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting consists of 8 Meetings: Birmingham, Concord, Goshen, Middletown, West Chester, Westtown, Willistown and Wilmington. Included in Concord’s October 2016 newsletter was an article authored by Pam Leland, the executive director of The Hickman who wrote about the New York Yearly Meeting program – ARCH (Aging, Resources, Consultation, Help). The article inspired members of Concord Quarterly Meeting to create their own group meeting around mutual interest in aging issues. The initial group of 11 began meeting in May of 2017. By June of 2017, the group was led by their first Clerk, Rich Ailes and officially became known as the Concord Quarter Working Group on Aging.
Lynne Piersol, who previously served as the Concord Quarter Coordinator, pursued funding through Friends Foundation for the Aging to support a weekend of training for members of Concord Quarterly Meeting and other PYM Quarter representatives led by ARCH facilitators. Invited presenters included Callie Janoff, ARCH Coordinator and George Schaefer, a member of Abington Meeting, who previously served Philadelphia Yearly Meeting from 2009 to 2022 as Care and Aging Coordinator. The weekend event was held at The Hickman in April 2018. Six months later, Callie returned to reinforce key learnings and provided guidance for continued improvements for aging programming.
The Concord Quarter Working Group on Aging created its own approach to ARCH. Rich Ailes noted the group’s focus on a broader effort to be a touch point for resources and information for senior members. Aging Concerns — Concord Quarterly Meeting created tools including the “At Your Fingertips” resource, as well as informative education programs beneficial to the aging community of Friends. The group continues to value and prioritize information sharing which takes place almost monthly where participants talk about aging concerns in their individual meetings and in their own lives. Also, a sub-group still gathers once a month to discuss choosing senior housing, the financial ramifications of spending down resources and how to apply for PA Medical Assistance Grants, Medical Assistance and payment of Long Term Care. Through the Concord Quarter Working Group’s education programs, Senior Friends have learned the importance of down-sizing, decluttering and responsibilities of appointed Powers of Attorney.
In September, Sheila Sorkin, PYM Aging Support Coordinator attended the Concord Quarter Working Group’s September meeting and was immediately inspired by the vitality of the group. With care for each other, the attendees shared news of Friends’ health, volunteer experiences, news from Meetings intergenerational efforts, PYM committee roles, search for long term living arrangements and report on home visits to Friends in their Quarter. Sheila found listening in on the sharing invigorating. The Concord Quarter Working Group reached out to Sheila who shared additional resources for caregivers of those with dementia from Penn Memory Center. Rich and Lynne both emphasized and recognized the pivotal role adult children play in caregiving for aging parents and hope to address support initiatives for this key group in future meetings.
Additional links are available within the Quaker Aging Resource section on Memory Loss and Dementia.
Stay connected for follow-up stories showcasing Seniors helping Seniors at Haddonfield and Third Haven monthly meetings.
This article was prepared by Sheila Sorkin, PYM, Aging Support Coordinator in collaboration with Tiffanie McKinnon, PYM Senior Content Manager. This article is to provide support, resources and engage the aging community of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting as part of the “To Brighten Your Day” series.
