Directory Guides Senior Citizens

Thu., June 1, 2000

By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com (509) 459-5454

Seniors and their families can discover plenty of information about managing their lives in the latest edition of a directory for elders.

The free 184-page paperback book is available at Valley Hospital and Medical Center and at other health facilities in the area.

“Probably the easiest way to obtain one of these is to go to the nearest hospital,” said Gail Goeller, editor of the publication.

She and her husband, John, started the directory in 1994 after struggling through the problems of advanced aging with their parents.

“We were so confused and overwhelmed,” Gail Goeller said.

The directory was created to help other people who are facing similar problems.

The Complete Directory for Seniors and Their Families is now in its fifth edition.

It is sponsored jointly by Providence Services Eastern Washington and Empire Health Services.

This year’s edition was published by the Mature Matters Publishing division of Lawton Printing Inc., of Spokane.

The Goellers sold the printing rights to Lawton last year, and Lawton is seeking to expand the directory to other communities in the Pacific Northwest, Gail Goeller said.

There were 15,000 directories printed for Spokane.

Goeller said seniors and their family members will find the book useful for all kinds of issues ranging from housing to health care to financial affairs.

“People in their 60s are taking care of 90-year-old relatives,” she said. “There are some grandkids who are taking care of their grandparents.”

A lengthy chapter on money and legal issues is titled “Taking Charge.”

Another chapter on housing needs lists retirement centers and other options available, and explains how they operate.

The directory devotes another chapter to helping seniors find help for their problems. A fourth chapter is on healthy living.

The information in the directory can be found on the Internet at www.usadirectory.com.

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