By Grace Allen

A familiar face has taken over the helm of the Norfolk Council on Aging.

Karen Edwards started in her official capacity in July after the previous director, Sherry Norman, retired. Edwards is no stranger to the Senior Center, however. She served on the Council on Aging Board for the last three years and she has called Norfolk home for most of her life.

Edwards was the Program Manager of Volunteer Services at Natick’s Senior Center, where she’s worked since 2011, and she brings a wealth of diverse experience to her new role. At Natick’s COA, she was responsible for coordinating the volunteers for the center’s numerous activities and programs, including Meals on Wheels. She also ran the property tax work-off program for seniors.

She is trained in evidence-based programming like Powerful Tools for Caregivers and is a certified trainer for UCLA’s Memory Training program, which teaches memory enhancing techniques and practical strategies to boost memory functioning. 

Edwards says she has always enjoyed working with seniors and has developed a deep understanding of their unique needs. Her parents were 52 and 42 when she was born, so she was surrounded by older people while growing up. As her parents aged, she became their caretaker, all while working for Natick’s COA.

“I could appreciate the things I saw my parents go through and the things I could help them with,” Edwards said. “So many times I thought, wow, if I didn’t work in senior services, I wouldn’t know about the services available for them.”

Now she is tasked with managing and promoting those services for Norfolk’s older residents. As the COA director, she oversees the center’s physical building as well as its programs, outreach, and budget.

“I see my role as making life better for the senior citizens in Norfolk,” said Edward. “And I just enjoy being around people, which is also what you need to do this job.”

One of Edward’s goals is to grow the center’s volunteer programs. Some ideas include recruiting people to perform simple jobs for seniors, like putting in air conditioners—basic chores that older people could do on their own when they were younger but cannot anymore. 

“It’s another way to help keep seniors in their homes, which is what most people would prefer,” explained Edwards. “Similar to the Meals on Wheels program.”

Natick’s COA ran a fall-raking program, which Edwards would like to start in Norfolk, too. Volunteers in Natick--Scouts, church groups, and high school service groups, among others—are paired up with seniors who can no longer rake their own yards. 

Edwards, 58, also hopes to introduce more baby boomers to COA programming. That demographic, born between 1946 and 1964, has different needs and interests than other senior generational groups.

“I love the seniors here and I want to continue all the programming they enjoy, but I’d also like to attract some younger seniors we don’t see a lot of,” she said. “They have a lot to offer and they want to use their experience and knowledge to give back and remain relevant.”

Edwards, who studied sociology and social work in college, is currently attending UMASS Boston, working towards a master’s degree in Management of Aging Services. She and her husband have two daughters, ages 26 and 23.

As a member of the sandwich generation, Edwards is uniquely poised to understand the needs of both seniors and the families struggling to care for them. Before she passed away in 2018, her own mother spent time at the very center Edwards is now in charge of.

COVID has introduced many challenges to community-based organizations but Edwards says her objective is to get more seniors to feel safe enough to return to Norfolk’s senior center while also encouraging new people to come and check it out. She notes that the center offers classes like yoga, meditation, and tai chi—programs that might appeal to younger seniors, too. Some of those programs are hybrid.

She also wants people to know that the COA can help families struggling, sometimes from afar, to take care of a senior.

“We’re here to help,” Edwards said. “Call and talk to us and we can connect you to services you might not be aware of. People might not think of us as a resource, but we are.”

Visit the Council on Aging page on the town’s website (norfolk.ma.us) for more information about the Senior Center, including its programs and the latest newsletter. You can also call the Senior Center at 508-528-4430 and ask to be put on the email or paper mailing list, or drop by in person to pick up a newsletter. The Senior Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.