Rosanne DiStefano with her mother Jennie DiStefano

As Rosanne J. DiStefano prepares for the next adventure of her own life-long journey, she leaves her position of Executive Director of Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley with the satisfaction of knowing the agency she built over the last 32 years is financially stable, is a regional institution, and has a national reputation as a leader and innovator in aging policy and community-based programs.

 

And when she walks out the door for the last time, past a portrait of her grandfather who inspired her work in the field of aging, she leaves the reins in the competent hands of her deputy Joan Hatem-Roy, elected by the Board of Directors after 10-month national search.

 

"As I look back over my career, in some ways it is a big blur," she said. "But when I reflect on all that we have done, I think it is the credibility and trust we have helped to build in this field that makes me most proud. We made a conscious decision to look for and embrace programs and methods which were new, but now truly do make the day-to-day lives of seniors and their families better. And we brought to the table a level of business acumen, a sense of excellence, and discipline that really didn't exist yet in what was then a young field."

 

When DiStefano joined Elder Services in 1975 as a case manager, fresh out of Merrimack College, the staff numbered 30 and the budget was just under $3 million. Today the agency employs an ethnically and culturally diverse workforce of 335 and DiStefano manages a budget that topped $60 million last year. Funding, which came from the state, federal and local governments, is now a combination of that, matched by grants along with corporate and individual contributions.

 

"Our first big innovation, one that still makes me proud was the move to push for the licensure of social workers." DiStefano said. "The state didn't tell us we had to do that. Instead, we recognized that if we wanted to raise the level of professionalism of our staff, this was something we needed to support."

 

Furthermore, DiStefano said, she discovered that one innovation bred the next.

 

"When you prove yourself in one area, people notice and then come to you to solve the next problem," she observed. "It might be new to you. However, they trust you can do it because you have been down that road before."  For example, when the Senior Care Options program was first proposed by Medicare, DiStefano said there was a lot of anxiety because it appeared the definition of the program would restrict choices for beneficiaries and diminish the role of the care manager.

 

"Our leadership team saw an opportunity for us to help shape the direction of that program," she recalled proudly. "Our involvement allowed us to build new relationships and that put us in a better negotiating position to provide a good alternative to those elders who qualify. Now, more than 10 years later, it is hard to imagine a world without the Senior Care Options program."

 

As a leader, DiStefano said she always saw her role as one of a cheerleader, who offered tools and guidance but let her staff explore and expand their own creative interests and capacities.

 

"I can't help but be proud when members of my staff tell me they love working here because we have created both an environment and culture of mutual respect," she said. "The work is hard. We often are dealing with people in crisis. So we have to promote a climate that allows staff to de-compress so they enjoy coming to work, avoid burn-out and keep a good watch on the importance of work-life balance."

 

Even programs that have failed have offered important opportunities for learning and advancement, she said.

 

"The Care Transitions program we instituted a few years ago is a good example," DiStefano said. "As a former hospital trustee I saw a lot of benefit in matching seniors, who were being discharged from the hospital, with a transitions coach. But the model proved unwieldy and was discontinued. In the last several years however, working closely with the hospitals in our region, we developed a better understanding of the challenges they were faced with. This has also given them an opportunity to understand our agency and what we have to offer. The Care Transitions program may have failed for the moment, but it really launched us into another arena we can build on."

 

While DiStefano looks forward to having more time to paint and travel, she won't stray too far from the field she helped shape over the last 40 years. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has tapped her to be an inaugural member of his new Governor's Council to Address Aging.

 

"It is hard to believe today, but back in the 70s, we had to literally go knocking door-to-door to find elders who needed help," she said. "Now the pressure on families is so much greater and our clients' needs are more significant and certainly complex. Daughters, who could once be counted on to provide care, are now in the workforce full time. More often than not, families live further apart. And, perhaps, most importantly, we are all living longer and we all want those years to be healthy and active. So for me, this new role will be an opportunity to share all I have learned, personally and well as professionally."

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On April 12th at the MIT AgeLab in Cambridge, Governor Charlie Baker signed an Executive Order establishing the state's first Governor's Council to Address Aging in Massachusetts. Rosanne DiStefano, Executive Director at Elder Services, is among the first members appointed to the State's first Advisory Council on Aging. The Council will develop a plan to improve public and private efforts to support healthy aging and achieve the goal of making the Commonwealth the most age-friendly state for people of all ages. Older adults are the largest and fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and they will make up 23% of the Commonwealth's population by 2035.    

 

"The notion that people are fully retired at the age of 65 is inconsistent with what I see around Massachusetts every day," said Governor Baker.  "Many of our older adults still have ample time, energy and talent available to start a second or third career, volunteer in their community, become a mentor or pursue an unfulfilled passion. I look forward to the council's work considering ways for the state to improve public and private means for supporting and engaging with older adults."

 

The Khmer New Year is an exciting annual event that celebrates Lowell's Cambodian community with food, live entertainment, and traditional Cambodian dance. This event supports the Cambodian community, the largest ethnic group in Lowell, encouraging residents to connect with each other over shared values and traditions. This year, Elder Services supported the event as a Gold Sponsor which offered an opportunity for Elder Services' staff - Lena Sarunn, Sanary Phen, and Linda Chhun, to speak with elders in Khmer, along with Nandi Munson to share community-focused resources that support healthy aging and independence.