Category Archives for People

Mable Anderson was a True Advocate for Rhode Island’s Senior Population

Published in the Pawtucket Times on May 5, 2003

During her 7 years, Mabel Anderson wore many hats – teacher, dedicated wife to George, loving mother to her children Jon and Jane, state representative and writer of children’s books.

Mabel played a key role representing Pawtucket’s District 77. Once she was elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly, she would eventually be re-elected nine more times. She rose through the Democratic leadership ranks and ultimately would for 10 years as speaker pro-tem, sometimes presiding over  House legislative sessions.

As a state representative, Mabel used her growing power and influence to advocate for the needs of Ocean State seniors.

Her efforts led to the passage of legislation that would add a grandfather clause to drug-coverage provisions of insurance plans. Under the newly enacted law, any physician authorized by the Department of  Health to prescribe medicine would be allowed to prescribe medication previously on, or not on, the insurer’s formulary if it was deemed “medically necessary.”

To many, Mable was a tireless worker on behalf of Pawtucket’s elderly population. Joan Crawley, director of Pawtucket’s Leon Mathieu Senior Center, said Mabel possessed a rare quality for a politician.

“She wasn’t swayed by popular opinion and she never stopped to see which way the wind was blowing,” she said.

Mabel always voted her conscience, always striving to represent seniors in her legislative district, Crawley noted.

According to Crawley, her advocacy on behalf of senior transportation was relentless. “She called me late last Thursday afternoon when she heard the hospital’s contract to provide transportation for the RIDE program was in jeopardy. Even though she was no longer a lawmaker, Mabel told me she was willing to champion this cause.”

Crawley said she had called her to discuss the transportation issue on Friday at noon, just a few hours before her untimely death.

George Anderson, Mabel’s husband of more than 40 years, recalled his wife’s constituency work.

“Mabel worked hard to represent older constituents who were being ignored by the state’s bureaucracy,” he said.

Anderson remembered when Mabel was first elected and was relatively unrecognized. She would stand in line behind an older constituent. IF the person was not assisted, she would simply introduce herself as a state representative and any problems would be worked out, he said.

Often times, a quick trip to the grocery store turned into several hours. Anderson said, as constituents would come up to her along every aisle just to say “hello,” catch up or discuss problems.

And Mabel never forgot those close to her who needed assistance, Anderson said. When she went to Memorial Hospital to participate in a program to help her cope with arthritis, she asked her husband for a check. The amount just happened to cover the enrollment fee of two persons not one, he said, allowing a friend who was on a fixed income to participate.

Audrey Salvas, 67, a long-time Pawtucket resident knew who to call when she had problems.

“When we needed to find out something, all we had to do was call Mabel,” said Salvas.

Mabel quickly straightened out a drug problem in the Beverage Hill area, noted Salvas. She pushed to erect a fence around the Prospect Heights project, which ultimately reduced drug trafficking and noise.

Mary Francis Campbell, 89, a former educator and President of the Pawtucket Senior Citizens Council (PSCC), added that Mabel aways backed PSCC’s legislative proposals. “The Pawtucket lawmaker worked closely with PSCC in its 15 years of existence,” she said.

With a strong determination to remain independent, Mabel ultimately overcame a stroke she suffered in 1992 that temporary left her impaired  on her right side. Her love for public service gave her the needed energy to stay actively involved long past retirement, fighting for senior issues, the underdogs and for her beloved City of Pawtucket. It also enabled her to reach out the younger generations to develop new skills to learn.

Using the same veracity and gusto she used for all her other interests she held close to her heart; Mabel was not afraid to experience new things. With a passion for living, this former state representative was ready to enjoy and pursue new interests, such as learning how to use a computer to recalling her younger days on the family farm and turning these stories into children’s book.

The Best Of…Former Sen. Moss’ Advocacy Commitment Will Be Missed

Published on February 3, 2003

            Last Wednesday evening, former U.S. Sen. Frank Moss of Utah died.

            After he received his law degree in 1937 from Washington, DC-based George Washington University, Moss briefly worked on the legal staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

           Throughout his legal career, he would sharpen his legal skills by working in a variety of settings.  Initially, clerking at the Utah Supreme Court, he would ultimately win an election putting him on the bench of the Salt Lake City Municipal Court in 1940.

         During the World War II, he would serve on the Judge Advocate General’s staff of the U.S. Armory Corps in England.  After the war, Moss would be elected in 1950, reelected in 1954, to serve as Salt Lake County attorney.

         Two years after his unsuccessful bid for Utah Governor, in 1956, Moss would run for Senate and win, by less than 40 percent of the vote.

         Obituaries in newspapers stated that the liberal three-term Senate Democrat was best known for his environmental work that included the establishment of national parks and recreational areas in Utah.  Moss was also recognized for drafting a series of bill protecting consumers, ranging from mandating labeling on cigarette packages about the health hazards of smoking, banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to developing minimum safety requirements for automobiles.

           But for me and many of my colleagues in the field of aging, we will always remember Moss as being a true advocate for the nation’s elderly.

           Moss worked closely with President Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon Johnson, who would later become President, Hubert Humphrey and Claude Pepper getting Medicare and Medicaid enacted into law.

          Moreover, Moss will always be remembered for being the driving force behind the establishment of the Senate Special Committee on Aging in 1961.

          He also played a major role in establishing the House Committee on Aging with the late Rep. Claude Pepper.  The two special committees would later put the spotlight on aging policy issues, generating both the public and political will to bring about the needed policy changes.

          Throughout his Senate Career, in addition to authoring legislation that would require federal minimum standards for nursing homes and helping to create  the Medicare and Medicaid home health care benefits. Moss held the first hearing on hospice care and introduced legislation authorizing payment for hospice care.

           More than 40 years ago, the Special Committee on Aging, chaired by Moss, began to hold a series of hearing s on nursing homes.  It became extremely clear to his committee through its hearings, generating 1,300 pages of testimony, that both nursing home standards and enforcement by state regulatory agencies varied drastically.  Moss noted that these hearings helped to shape the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and that they also lead to series of reforms in 1967.

         Ultimately, a series of 30 hearings held between 1969 and 1976 eventually lead to the publication of a 12-volume report, entitled “Nursing Home Care in the United States: Failure in Public Policy.”

        In 1977, Moss, with coauthor Val Halmandaris (who at the time was responsible for research of the Subcommittee of Long-Term Care, but now serves as executive director of the National Association of Home Care) wrote “Too Old, Too Sick, Too Bad: Nursing Homes in America,” detailing the plight of America’s elderly.

       More than 10 years later, in a 1998 speech to the National Council on Aging, Moss expressed his concerns that American’s elderly were losing ground from all the gains they had achieved in the late 1960s and 1970s.  Congress has yet to enact a pharmaceutical drug program to put the brakes on spiraling drug costs.  Elder abuse is still running rampant throughout the nation.  Medicare expenditures are being slashed to nursing homes, home and hospice care.

        It is now time for Congress to get serious about tackling the multitude of problems thrust upon the nation by an aging society.  Moss’ advocacy comment to the nation’s elderly will be sorely missed, and his shoes will be hard to fill.

        Herb Weiss is a Pawtucket-based freelance writer who writes about aging, health care and medical issues.  He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.

Sarah Gauvin Gets Prestigious AARP Andrus Award

Published in Pawtucket Times on November 25, 2002

People have different perceptions of how retirees spend their time.

Some see retirees traveling across the nation in RVs, working part-time jobs to make ends meet, going for the “big win” at Foxwoods on the one-armed bandits.

Or perhaps retirees are not out and about working or traveling, but instead are sitting on a rocker on the porch, disengaged from the community-at-large.

Not so for Sarah Gauvin, who remembers retiring from her bookkeeping job at age 65 to put more time and energy into her volunteer efforts.

The now 80-year-old Pawtucket resident has been a card-carrying member in AARP’s Chapter 1192 for the last 15 years – serving three years as the group’s vice president and two years as president.

Gauvin has also been extremely active in the aging advocacy group’s efforts of pushing for a drug benefit in Medicare.

However, Gauvin does not limit his volunteer work to just AARP-RI activities – she also uses her time to support other worthy local causes.

As a member of the St. Vicent de Paul Society at St. Edward’s Church in Pawtucket, she assists Rhode Islanders in paying their rent and activities.

On most Wednesdays, you can always find Gauvin working at the Blackstone Valley Emergency Food Center (BVEFC), passing out bags of food. She is a charter member of BVEFC and also sits on the Pawtucket Senior Center Council.

Ten years ago, Gauvin signed up with Literacy Volunteers of America to help teach adults the skill of reading. Ultimately, over this period of time, she would tutor a young woman who was returned to the community after years of being institutionalized in a facility that is now closed.

Before she met Gauvin, she could not read one single word. Today, this woman, now in her 40s, can read at a sixth-grade level.

Last week, at the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown, more  than 80 seniors and AARP Rhode Island staff gathered to celebrate the importance of volunteerism.

They came to recognize Gauvin and other senior volunteers for their strong commitment efforts and dedication to make the Ocean State a better place to live.

Gauvin became the 2002 recipient of AARP-RI’s Andrus Award, the nonprofit group’s most prestigious volunteer award.

Each year, AARP-RI and other state chapters recognize an outstanding member and volunteer who is making a powerful difference to their community in ways that are consistent with AARP’s mission, vision, values and strategic direction.

State Director Kathleen S. Connell called Garvin’s efforts “inspirational” to many because of her selfless giving.

“In her own quiet way, she has profoundly affected the lives of many others and continues to do so. I hope that when I am her age. I can be half as energetic and contribute as much as does,” Connell says.

Phil Zarlengo, 64, president of AARP-RI, tells All About Seniors, that Gauvin’s sterling track record as a volunteer dispels the myth that seniors lie  life of leisure, not wishing to get involved in their later years with life’s major issues and concerns.

“She has a lifetime commitment to community service at all levels,” he adds.

According to Zarlengo, hundreds of AARP volunteers also exemplify Gauvin’s commitment to the community.

“We are highly dependent upon these volunteers to really fulfill AARP RI’s mission,” that is enhancing the quality of life for all ages, to lead positive social change and to deliver value to members through information , advocacy and service.

Gauvin is sold on the positives of being a volunteer.

“Get involved,” she urged “because it makes your life brighter, if you help somebody else.”