Outreach worker making a difference for seniors

Robin Tobin credits her grandmother and mother for helping her to discover her passion for working with senior citizens and the disabled. The eldest of three sisters, Tobin grew up in Wrentham and was very close to her grandmother. Tobin’s mother was a health care professional who worked at nursing homes in the Wrentham and Foxboro communities and encouraged her daughter to volunteer when she was a teenager.

L-R: Robin Tobin, Diane Tynan and Dale Rushworth at the COA holiday party

Tobin did the laundry for residents and participated in activities with them. “I really have to thank my mother,” she said. “That’s when I fell in love with them. I wanted to go on to college and make a difference.”

Tobin is now making a difference for seniors and the disabled here in Canton in her position as the outreach worker for the Canton Council on Aging (COA), a role she began in September of 2011. She assesses the needs of and helps senior citizens aged 60 and older, as well as the disabled, the homeless, and people facing financial difficulties. The latter group includes people younger than 60 years of age.

In a typical day, Tobin works at the COA at 660 Washington Street to help people who are referred to her for any number of reasons or who have come by looking for help. She is currently in the midst of helping residents with fuel assistance applications for oil, gas or electricity.

“I’m inundated with applications,” she said, noting that she travels to residents’ homes to give them a hand with the paperwork.

She explains SNAP rules to those who qualify for the program’s nutrition program and encourages residents to apply for a free cell phone through SafeLink Wireless. Together Tobin and COA Director Diane Tynan have created a Friendly Visitors Program through which volunteers spend time with lonely seniors who are referred to them. Referrals come from a variety of sources, such as a concerned neighbor, Veterans Agent Tony Andreotti, or Public Health Nurse Terry Khoury. “The town of Canton is a big team,” Tobin said.

“It’s a pleasure to work with her,” Tynan said of Tobin. “She’s a team player. She’s concerned and really cares about the people we see.”

In an email, Tynan described what the COA does for residents. “Many people in the community believe that the Council on Aging only provides recreational activities,” she said. “We do provide those types of services but so much more.”

She went on to say that the council conducts more than 100 programs from information and referral, outreach, transportation, meals (congregate and/or home delivered) to health screening, health insurance information benefits counseling (SHINE), fitness, recreation, computer access, education/lifelong learning, caregiver’s support, and friendly visitor programs, among many others. They serve as the only public social service agency and assist numerous non-elders and elders in accessing public benefits.

Tynan also shared the response from one elder to a state survey of COAs conducted in November. “It is like a clearing house where I can always find advice, information and help with concerns that come up in regards to an ‘elderly’ person’s life and interests,” the senior said. “I am not sure where I would find all of that if it were not for a senior center.”

Tobin majored in art and social sciences at Lesley College and in her free time, she enjoys painting and drawing. She’s a longtime fan of the Patriots and the Red Sox, likes to exercise and loves to spend time with her family. She’s also a newlywed.

She works hard each day to reach a goal that she set for herself a long time ago. “If I could make one person smile each day,” she said, “I know I am doing my job.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Dec 27 2012. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.