Safety No. 1 concern for Lynn elderly

LYNN – Many senior citizens living in the city’s five elderly housing developments say safety ranks as their No. 1 concern.A new survey by the North Shore Chapter of the Mass Senior Action Council shows some city residents of golden age won’t walk on Lynn Common, day or night. Others avoid ATM kiosks surrounded by glass walls.According to Pam Edwards, a community organizer at the council, safety was overwhelmingly rated as a top concern for seniors. Edwards quoted a senior citizen who said, “I will not walk in the Common at anytime of the day, I just don’t feel safe.”Fear of being targeted by criminals has impacted the lifestyle of many local seniors. As one put it, “I stopped using ATM machines in the glass booths because someone came in behind me, waited for me to get cash and then demanded money. I live on a fixed pension, I need every dime of my monthly check to live.”The robbery victim was joined by several others in the survey who expressed concern about criminals in the city. Edwards said several seniors in the Pleasant Street neighborhood fear going out after dark. “Gunshots are a common sound in our neighborhood. Most of us are afraid to use our balconies in the evenings, let alone trying to take a walk after dinner,” one resident told Edwards.The survey, taken last December, also found that transportation is a tough issue for area seniors. Most feel Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s “The Ride” program works well and that the drivers do a commendable job, Edwards said.However, she noted that not everyone qualifies for The Ride, a state-subsidized program.The 89 survey respondents indicated they would like the city to work on expanding the availability of public transportation. Several seniors asked why more bus stops are not located near the elderly housing developments. They cited Pleasant Street, Bond Street, and the high-rise at 50 Lynnway as examples.Residents like Kiki Chaiton, who lives in the Ocean Shores development near the Nahant traffic circle, complained that state Motor Vehicle Registry officials are attempting to take away their driver’s license as they age, but doing little to provide public transportation. “The state is trying to take our license and the city wants us elders to walk 10 blocks to get a bus,” she said. “Don’t they think of us? How are we supposed to get around?”Edwards said the situation for those living at Ocean Shores in compounded in winter by snow-clogged sidewalks. “The seniors who live at Ocean Shores at the Nahant rotary have to walk all the way to Central Square in downtown Lynn to get a bus. That’s hard enough and doesn’t even get into the fact that the city doesn’t make the yacht clubs or the Porthole Pub clean their sidewalks in winter,” she said. “It’s very difficult for older people to walk through slush.”Chaiton agreed. “Our apartments are lovely, but we can’t get a bus. It’s like Alcatraz. You can’t get off the island if you don’t drive your own car,” she said.Hoping to call attention to their plight, the local Mass Senior Action Council will meet with Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy on Tuesday, April 20, at Wall Plaza, in the community room at 10:30 a.m.”The survey shines some light on our problems,” said Edwards, adding that as a democratic, grassroots senior-run organization, the council is committed to empowering seniors to act collectively to promote their rights and well being. “Our first step will be to host a public meeting to discuss the problems with the mayor and find out how we can fix our neighborhoods.”Edwards said the meeting agenda is designed to give the mayor a sense of the predicament elders face each day in Lynn. “We have a new mayor and we’re going to give her a break. We’re not confrontational. But we had no relationship whatsoever with former Mayor Clancy. He didn’t come to our meetings,” she said. “We just want her to listen to our needs and concerns and hear what ideas she may have.”In addition to Wall Towers and Ocean Shores, senior citiz