Koep to chair state board on aging
Gov. Tim Pawlenty Thursday named Mary Koep, 74, of Brainerd to be chair of the Minnesota Board on Aging.
A fixture in public service in the Brainerd area for more than 30 years, Koep was appointed to the board by Pawlenty in November 2003, to fill out an unexpired term. In 2005 she was appointed to a four-year term that expires in January 2009. Earlier, Gov. Arne Carlson appointed Koep to serve on the board from June 1998 until January 2002.
Interviewed June 20, Koep said her experiences of caring for her own aging parents in Staples sparked her interest in public policies on aging.
"If you were a caregiver there was no help available to you," she recalled. "I became sad and frustrated. That person (the parent) is there and needs you, but that really made me think I'm going to try to find some way to make this situation better."
"We have to be prudent and judicious. And as I see it the frail and vulnerable among the elderly - they should be our first priority."
Mary Koep
Koep's mother, who was her only surviving parent at the time, died at age 90 in 1987.
It was a hard thing, she said.
"It was difficult. You didn't know where to turn."
In addition to serving on a regional board on aging, Koep served 16 years on the Crow Wing County Board. She decided not to run for re-election to her at-large Brainerd City Council seat in 2006 after one four-year term. Previously, she served a separate, 10-year stint on the council.
As chair of the 26-member Minnesota Board on Aging, Koep said she hopes to focus on setting legislative priorities and staying within the governor's budget restrictions. She also wants to increase the board's advocacy role on behalf of seniors. Koep said board members can speak to city councils, county boards and service groups about aging issues.
"It's my belief ... that as more people grow old the resources probably aren't going to expand significantly," she said. "We have to spend those available resources on the most frail and vulnerable of the elderly among us. Some programs that we're used to and we like and we think are good, are probably going to be secondary.
"We have to be prudent and judicious. And as I see it the frail and vulnerable among the elderly - they should be our first priority."
The Board on Aging, Koep said, is funded by both federal and state dollars. Its membership is geographically disbursed around the state.
She said she thinks there is a need for more ombudsman for the elderly, perhaps as many as six new ones, statewide.
While she's looking forward to her one-year appointment as chair, Koep repeated that resources might be limited for aging programs in the future.
"I think clearly we have to encourage people to ... assume more responsibility for themselves," she said. " I don't think the government money is going to be there and certainly not to the extent it is today."
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.