If we're the only smile that somebody gets in a day, I think that's we're doing, our job. I think being able to build those relationships is important. People may present in one way, and when you kind of really get to know them, and the deeper levels of what's going on at home, when you build that trust, people are willing to share more things. But I think just being able to provide a space that folks feel comfortable is very important.”

Lauren Monticello

September has been a busy month for Lauren Monticello, who took over for retired Council on Aging director Beverly Bisch last month. Monticello, an Acushnet native who most recently served as director of senior services in that town, worked with Bisch for a week in late August before starting solo at the beginning of February. Though she said there’s lots to learn about heading one of Westport’s most important departments, the role feels familiar to her and she said she is excited to help shape the department. She spent a few minutes last Friday talking about the job

What’s it been like so far?

Busy! I worked with Bev, just to get up to speed and learn. It’s been great so far.

Westport is a lot larger than Acushnet. What was the clientele like there?  Was it as busy as here?

Oh, it would depend. We had a number of different exercise classes and we could see as many as, you know, 30 to 35, ladies coming in for one of our classes. If we had bingo, our large function hall could hold about 65 or so. I haven't had a chance to dive into the statistics here yet. But I do know that we do have a wait list for the classes, and that's just due to the limited amount of  space that we have.

How did you get into this field? Personal experiences?

Yes, absolutely. I think I've just always gravitated towards the senior population. I did spend a lot of time with my grandparents and my great-grandparents growing up. So I think I just always had a special place in my heart for seniors.

How did that manifest itself?

I got my CNA license in high school, so I started early on.caring for seniors and I did that all through college. And then when I graduated with my bachelor's degree from Bridgewater State I started working at Coastline Elderly as a case manager. So I was there for about three years. I had a dual role where I did home care, case management, where I would go out, do home visits, and, set services up for seniors to keep them in their home as safely, and as long as they could. And then I also would go into the nursing homes. I was assigned to a select number of nursing homes in the area. And I would hope the social workers with this church planning, so a lot of times, I was the first kind of face that somebody would meet from coastline. And we would have services lined up for when that individual would come home into the community.

How long did that last?

I was there for about three years, and I wanted to go back to school. So I went for my master's in health care administration. And at the time, there just wasn't a management role that was available. So I went to Compass Medical in Taunton. I was there for two years as their site supervisor, so along with the practice manager. From there, I started working at a local group home where we cared for individuals with acquired brain injuries. And I was there for a brief amount of time, and then the position in Acushnet had become available.

Did you jump at it?

Yes! It was kind of a homecoming, in a sense, of getting back into the community that I felt as though shaped me into who I was. And it was just a perfect fit. I have a lot of different components of my background, but I feel like they all still are kind of inclusive of the role of what we're trying to do and giving back to the community and our seniors.

What kind of challenges does working with seniors bring?

Sometimes when you identify a concern or an issue or what we feel is an issue and getting seniors to be on board with things that we're trying to help them with. Sometimes it's hard to get them to recognize potential concerns or, just getting them to accept help — people are prideful. They don't want to take on, or be a burden, for anyone. So getting them to realize that there are resources in the community that are here to help, can be challenging. I think just getting them on board with that and kind of building those relationships helps. You know, it's scary letting people into your home and giving up your control into your independence.

How about the joys of the job?

I've mentioned multiple times that if we're the only smile that somebody gets in a day, I think that's we're doing, our job. I think being able to build those relationships is important. People may present in one way, and when you kind of really get to know them, and the deeper levels of what's going on at home, when you build that trust, people are willing to share more things. But I think just being able to provide a space that folks feel comfortable is very important.

Thoughts on the operation Bev Bisch left behind?

It's really well run, everything that I've seen — it's a well-oiled machine. Each department knows what they're doing, how to do it, and is doing it well. I think that's helping me kind of transition and kind of really focus in on the nitty gritty of the finances and learning kind of the background side of things. Not to say that I'm not going to jump into the exercise classes and greet everybody that way, but it seems as though everything's running smoothly. And we have some great staff here. So, things are moving in the right direction.

Bev Bisch was known for her uncanny ability to win grants, a huge thing in Westport where a majority of the COA budget is funded by donations and grants. What’s your experience in this area?

Actually, a few of the grants are the same, so I’m actually familiar with the reporting system and some of them. As long as we just keep trying and putting our name out there, making connections with our community resources and state representatives and, really just trying to get involved in the community and making the COA known, as I know that Bev has done, we will be successful. She's done a great job of putting a name out there for the Westport COA so I think just trying to continue in her footsteps and keeping up with that is important.