ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Many senior citizens look for some part-time work after retirement, and there is a great program in Kansas to help with just that.
“The main goal of the Older Kansans Employment Program (OKEP) is to help bring about that realization of how age should be seen not as a limitation, but a qualification, for people 55 years old and older who are looking for part-time work,” Southwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging Information & Assistance Specialist Kristina Lindow said. “Finding a new direction after retirement can be a massive challenge, and we at the SouthWest Kansas Area Agency on Aging work with multiple agencies and entities to help ensure these older workers have that access to those resources. And these people can be looking for work either for some extra income or just some time to get out of the house for a bit and be in the community, or whatever their circumstances are. We work to let employers know these people would be wonderful employees and still have a great work ethic and want to be out and about. These senior citizens have the experience and knowledge, and again, they're wanting to actually contribute. These older workers bring such a diverse array of skills that can help boost morale, and one of our main goals is to help address any training needs and reduce any barriers these older workers might experience when trying to re-enter the workforce.”
Lindow said it is a joy working with the program.
“I really enjoy just helping the senior citizens who end up being part of the program. I've worked in multiple programs and departments in my career, and I really like working with senior citizens and helping them with their needs,” Lindow said. “The senior citizens demographic tends to be rather misunderstood, and a lot of employers don't want to deal with them because they think they'll be slow and not know what's needed and all of that. But these seniors want to be active and out and about in their community, and having this part-time work would be an immense benefit for everyone.”
Lindow said SWKAAA does a lot of work to spread the word about the program and encourage senior citizens to participate.
“We've really stepped up our social media game, and we're looking at ways to get physical paper literature out to the public. We've also reached out to several county fair groups, health fair groups, non-profit groups, and multiple other entities, and they've been great to work with,” Lindow said. “It's been a lot of outreach, and that's what we mainly want to continue. There are some fairs and other community events we're looking forward to setting up at, and we hope we'll be able to reach a lot of people with the appearances we're currently planning. We are willing to help anyone who gives us a call, and people can get in touch with us at (620) 225-8230 or visit our Facebook page. These senior citizens who get in touch with us might not need extra money, they might just want to get out and about some and interact with the community. As people get older, a lot of times they stay mostly at home, so OKEP is a great way for us to help these senior citizens remain active and in touch with other people. We want to help these citizens remain active, we don't want them to become shut-ins.”
Lindow added there are benefits to OKEP for both employers and the senior citizen employees.
“Employers who are hiring these senior citizens are telling us they're happy to work with people with knowledge and skills that can be easily shown. Financially, I've seen what it costs for people to get on these insurance plans when they officially become senior citizens, and having some extra money can really help when it comes to all of that,” Lindow said. “I'm only 50 years old, and even people my age are finding it hard to find work even though they've got the necessary experience and qualifications and everything else, and I want to help with that. I actually had a 78-year-old lady in my office recently who's a retired nurse, and she's going out and doing caretaking in our community, and people love that because someone is coming into their home and helping them who's around their age. It's one of those situations where those people were thinking 'If SHE can do this, then I can do more!' And again, these people still have a great work ethic and are willing to work and remain active.”
Overall, Lindow said, she and her staff are willing to help anyone who calls about OKEP.
“If anyone anywhere has any questions about OKEP, they can give SWKAAA a call at (620) 225-8230 and talk to me, and they can also visit our Web site, swkaaa.org,” Lindow said. “We want to get the word out about this program as much as possible, and we are more than happy to help anyone who gets in touch with us.”
