Fountain Valley : Pacific Bell Gives $15,000 to College Seniors Classes

Pacific Bell has pledged $15,000 to the Emeritus Institute at Coastline Community College for use in developing the school’s “Seniors Serving Society” program.

The money will be used to train men and women, ages 55 and older, as teachers’ aides in the county’s elementary and secondary schools, and as teachers for basic skills programs, said Drew Simpson, spokesman for the Fountain Valley college.

The program also seeks to train men and women over 55 to serve as ombudsmen in senior health care facilities, college officials said. Last September, 41 students were graduated from its state-certified ombudsmen course, which trains volunteers to visit nursing and board-and-care homes and function as impartial mediators in resolving patient complaints.

Simpson said the role of ombudsman will become increasingly important as the number of older people living in nursing homes continues to grow. Federal studies have projected that more than 12% of the nation’s population will be 65 or older by 1990, with nearly 2 million living in nursing homes. Simpson said funds are urgently needed to attract more seniors into the program.