U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton visited the Peabody Council on Aging on Tuesday, Oct. 1 to meet with seniors from across the region to discuss how loneliness and social isolation impact their lives.
His goal is to talk with seniors and hear how, as a policy maker, he can address the “epidemic of loneliness in our communities,” Moulton said.
He cited statistics to help convey the dangers of loneliness and prove the mass amount of seniors who are faced with loneliness across the nation.
Moulton offered the floor to the seniors who attended the discussion and sought their advice.
Joe Colella, a Salem resident, shared the importance of promoting spaces, such as the Peabody Council on Aging, for senior citizens to gather and interact with one another.
He also recommended the need to provide services for homeless veterans.
Moulton asked Colella if he finds it most helpful to interact with people his own age at the Council on Aging, or interacting with the staff, who are younger.
The combination of activities with both peers and staff is what works, Colella said.
Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said the community is always searching for new ways to improve the Council on Aging and make it more accessible and affordable to residents.
Moulton and the attendees shared ideas on how to promote social life for senior citizens and make the Council on Aging, and other spaces like it, affordable and welcoming.
