Council on Aging holds meeting to develop three-year plan

The Hill County Council on Aging held a public meeting Tuesday at North Central Senior Citizens Center to get input on items for its three-year plan of services.

Information and Referral specialist Marci Bergren said during the meeting it is her job to tell people where to go for service.

She added that the Council on Aging is developing a three-year plan of services to submit to the Hill County commissioners and the state for what is needed at the center. She said the plan used to be a four-year plan but has recently changed to a three-year plan.

“We need to know what you guys think is your highest priorities out of any of these,” Bergren said. “What you would like to see more of.”

She said she is glad to hear any questions people have, and forms to fill out to show what people want in the plan are available at the Senior Center. Forms will be accepted until Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Another meeting will be scheduled once the data from the collected forms is compiled.

Bergren said in an interview that majority of the council’s funding is federal money and that funding is critical to its operation. The agency has to have a three-year plan in place to receive that funding.

The Council on Aging has partnerships with local businesses and organizations, she said during the meeting, such as United Way of Hill County. Through these partnerships, Bergren said, they are able to provide services such as disease prevention, health promotion, flu shots and pneumonia shots.

She said the council is working on creating an aging network which shows all the services available to help educate people as they age, becoming senior citizens.

This plan would also include case services for people who have parents or loved ones in long-term care to help them get information on financial assistance.

The plan also allows senior citizens to get assistance with transportation, and access to organized congregate meals and home-delivered meals, she said.

One thing the council is looking at for the future, she said, is an adult day care program for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

The form at the Senior Center lists what services are now provided through the existing plan of services as authorized by the Older Americans Act: supportive services; congregate meals; home-delivered meals; preventative health; family care giver support; elder abuse prevention and legal assistance, and long-term care ombudsmen to provide advocacy for residents of assisted living and nursing home facilities.

The questions listed on the form are:

If people have personally used or know anyone who has used Older American Act programs, what are their experiences with them?

What services would assist people in helping a family member or an acquaintance stay in their home, and what do people require to stay in a home?