The Friends of the Harwich Council on Aging is providing financial support to  the Harwich Council on Aging as they  undertake a needs assessment for the older adults of Harwich this Fall. A needs assessment is a systematic process for determining the needs of a community and identifying gaps between the current conditions and the desired conditions. The objective is to learn more about what older adults in Harwich need, want, and believe to be important. The COA can then develop strategic goals to better serve our residents.

The entire process will take approximately one year and will be carried out by the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston. There will be several phases of the project, and within each phase, feedback from as many community members as possible is needed.  At the end of the yearlong process, the results will be shared with the community. In October or early November, a postcard announcing the upcoming survey will be mailed.  The actual survey will  be delivered to residences a week or two later. The survey will be detailed, but it should take less than 10 minutes to complete. The COA hopes you will take the time to share your thoughts and opinions—you will be helping to shape the future of the COA!

Needs Assessment