A savvy advocate for Utah elderly

When Salt Lake County aging officials were searching for an ambassador or spokesperson, they knew they wanted someone with homespun appeal, political savvy and devotion to civic service.

They feel they found the perfect fit with former Utah first lady Norma Matheson, who has logged 30 years of service related to seniors and aging issues.

When her late husband, Scott, was serving his two terms as governor, Norma Matheson said, she visited nearly every senior center in the state, many of them several times.

"It was a great way to get to know the issues and to meet all those people of the greater generation."

She went on to serve nine years on the State Board of Aging and now serves on the board of the Office of Public Guardian.

"I've tried to stay in touch with older Americans all these years; it grew out of the early days of the campaign," she said.

It is that grass-roots involvement of the former first lady that county aging officials hope will help raise awareness of issues facing the state's senior population and their caregivers and the urgent need for help, particularly in Salt Lake County, where the senior population is expected to nearly triple in the next 20 years.

"There's no one I would rather having representing our Aging Services Division," said Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.

A particular emphasis in her approach will be to tap the spirit of voluntarism in residents, urging people to join the ranks of the estimated 4,000 volunteers in aging services who gave more than 500,000 hours last year.

The service ranges from seniors who drive older seniors to doctor appointments, serve as "companions" to help frail seniors remain in their homes or spend time as foster grandparents to children with special needs.

With an anticipation by officials that the county's senior population of 111,000 today will grow to 275,000 by 2030, an increase of 150 percent, the need for more volunteers and more services is escalating rapidly.

The demand, Matheson said, will increase for neighbors and grandchildren to check on the elderly, for the middle-aged to "parent" their parents and for community and religious organizations to become even more involved.

"The opportunities are so varied, from as little as maybe just checking in on them to taking someone to the grocery store," she said.

Volunteers, for example, are the backbone of a bare-bones office of just three paid staff members in the office of the county's long-term care ombudsmen, who are responsible for responding to complaints in 80 nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Salt Lake County.

"The agencies do as much as they can, but their resources are going to continue to be stretched," Matheson said.