By Paula Day

Betsy Styles, Catholic Social Services’ program director for aging services since September 5, brings to the position a longtime interest and extensive experience in gerontology.

The 51-year-old mother of two grown children is a native Atlantan. She has a master of science degree in human resources from Georgia State University, as well as two certificates in gerontology. For the past 12 years she has been executive director of the Northside Shepherd’s Center located in the Tenth Street United Methodist Church. When it opened, the Center was one of a kind as an ecumenical, biracial, community-based center serving low-income seniors. Because of this it became a training ground for gerontology students from Georgia State and Mrs. Styles helped with the instruction.

Betsy Styles had lived in Japan, Turkey and England, as well as Texas and Maine, before her husband, Methodist minister James Styles, an Air Force chaplain, retired in 1976. During this time she came in contact with a variety of cultural attitudes toward aging and the aged.

She noted, for example, that the socialized system of medicine in England makes prospects of reaching retirement age less threatening since senior citizens’ basic medical needs are guaranteed. On the other hand, volunteerism is almost unheard of in England because all services are funded. She brings these and other insights about different cultures to her work at CSS.

Mrs. Styles pointed out that she will be building on a heritage left by her predecessor, Sister Teresa Termini, CSJ. This heritage includes information and referral services about nursing homes, in-home support care for the elderly and other topics; outreach in the parishes; a caregivers’ group and three independent homes for frail elderly. Under Sister Teresa, the program was known as services to elderly.

One of her goals will be to provide workshops for parish leadership at the parish, deanery and archdiocesan levels. The workshops would train these leaders in ways to tap the “rich resources” of older parishioners on the one hand, and to form programs to meet the needs of seniors on the other.

Mrs. Styles is also interested in “nurturing and initiating” intergenerational programs which could involve a variety of exchanges between young people and seniors. One such program, which is already in place, brings St. Pius X High School students and elderly persons together at Christmas for a meal, gifts and personal sharing.

A third goal is to find funding for a pilot in-home services program. The program involving Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Thomas More parishes, has been planned for more than two years and is ready for implementation. Volunteers would assist senior citizens with minor tasks: telephone reassurances, grocery shopping, transportation to doctor’s appointments, for example. A salaried person would coordinate tasks requiring more skill, such as home repairs, personal hygiene and medication management. The two parishes were selected because they have a high concentration of elderly.

Betsy Styles said she accepted the position of program director for Aging Services with a “sense of mission.” In pursuing her lay ministry goals in her Methodist congregation, she saw a need for programs for the elderly at the parish level. She believes she has “found the answer to what I was being led to do” at CSS.

“The needs are too great for one person to meet,” she explained. “I see myself as an enabler and facilitator; one who is aware of the needs and aware of the resources and helps bring them together.”