By Sophia Wiener
MIDDLETOWN – For months, representatives of the Monmouth County Senior Advisory Council, an arm of the Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans Services, have traveled throughout the county, inviting seniors to listening sessions where they answer questions and generate new ideas.
But “listening session” only partially describes last Friday’s event at the Middletown Senior Center, which was attended by over 30 seniors and caregivers from Middletown, Atlantic Highlands, Rumson, Red Bank, Fair Haven and Sea Bright. Nearly a dozen resource tables lined the meeting room, each hosting crucial senior services, and most were flooded with curious attendees at the meeting’s outset.
At one table, the Monmouth County Surrogate’s Office stressed the importance of a will to alleviate emotional and financial stress for grieving family members. Across the room, the Community Affairs and Resources Center helped connect lower-income seniors with resources that ensure the weatherization and safety of their homes. These resources were intended to assist in answering seniors’ questions, as well as supply them with help for problems they may not have realized they have.
“I’ve run senior centers in New Jersey and New York, and I’m so impressed with all of the services we have here in Monmouth County,” said event host Pat Bohse, Senior Advisory Council chair.
Housing took center stage for much of the morning, with attention drawn to property taxes and the high cost of living being a key factor in the “droves” of seniors leaving New Jersey, as one attendee put it. The nuances of signing up for Stay NJ, Senior Freeze and ANCHOR – tax relief programs intended to help seniors and Social Security Disability recipients stay in their homes – were discussed extensively.
The existence of these programs doesn’t always equate to their functioning as intended, some pointed out. Pamela G. Shultes of Red Bank said she tried to receive assistance from the Senior Freeze Program, but dozens of calls to that office resulted in long hold times and callback requests. It didn’t matter when she called, she said, the office was too understaffed to help.
Suellen Phair-Back from Middletown brought attention to another, often-overlooked flaw in many government safety nets. “From the time I retired, the worse I am (at computers). I mean, I’ve become a dinosaur. I’d be willing to go to training, but I have looked around to try to find somebody who would help me, and I cannot find that resource.” She said she wasn’t able to use ID.me, an identity network that allows users to provide proof of their legal identity online, to apply for ANCHOR because she needed to put a photo of herself on her computer, something she couldn’t figure out how to do. “I wound up over at Congressman Smith’s office, and they helped me. But I don’t want to be needy. I want to be as independent as I can be,” Phair-Back said. Bohse said the board would discuss implementing a computer training program with a partner like Brookdale Community College.
Susan Kiley, deputy director of the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners, attended the session as part of her duties as liaison to Health and Human Services. “This is gratifying, because these are very important people in our community,” she said. “When somebody retires, bosses always say, ‘My God, all that knowledge, all that experience, all that talent, is walking out the door.’ That’s what these people have, and we have to take advantage of it, if we can, and teach our young people how to do what they’ve done successfully.”
These programs, in her opinion, are part of what ensures that happens.
Celia von Oesen from Port Monmouth, who moved to New Jersey from North Carolina to live near her daughter three years ago, said, “I never saw anything like this (in North Carolina). It’s just wonderful.”
Her daughter Kathleen Martin agreed. She and her mother came for the resources rather than to speak about an issue, and were delighted by what they found. Martin said she wished she’d known about them when her husband, a veteran, was sick a few years ago, noting it would have helped tremendously. “A lot of the services that are offered here at the Middletown Senior Center, she’s not aware of, and more seniors need to know about these programs to take advantage of them,” Martin said.
The next Senior Advisory Council listening session will take place June 27 at Long Branch’s senior center. It is open to seniors, caregivers and advocates from Long Branch and adjacent municipalities. More information can be found at monmouthadvs.com/events.
The article originally appeared in the April 17 – 23, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
