At the 2012 annual meeting of the Aging Services of Washington, the Senior Foundation of Mercer Island received the 2012 Award for Public Trust. Board officers Alanna Burdell, Angela Decker, Barbar Levinski and Leslie Scott accepted the award on June 6 in Spokane.

The award is based on advocacy and education by the Senior Foundation for Island seniors in various projects, including the development of a Senior Commission; the need for a safer, improved intersection at 78th Avenue S.E. and S.E. 34th Street, which is now a four-way stop; and the purchase of supplies for 100 emergency preparedness kits to be distributed to seniors.

During its 10 years of operation, the Senior Foundation has given $60,000 to the community for programs such as Parkinson’s and low vision support groups, Senior Social program, services by Club 24 to help seniors living at home, grocery store gift certificates for low-income seniors, seed money for Sunday Suppers and Then Some — to name a few. The foundation has also sponsored four Island senior resource fairs and five events honoring Island seniors age 80 and above.

This year, the foundation will begin focusing on enabling Island seniors who are in need of respite care and services to remain at home. Those seniors dealing with diagnoses such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, MS or cardiac problems need specialized home care but also opportunities to socialize inside or outside the home when possible. Their families — often the principal caregivers — need time to get out of the home for a few hours or attend to family affairs for a few days. The foundation will research current programs and encourage others to create or expand respite care services.