Helpful Resources for Older Adults

By Tim Morris

Senior Service programs have been around since the mid-60s. Going back even further, groups of seniors would meet in a community building in their area to sew, socialize, and bring a potluck lunch to share. These informal groups conversed and shared recipes for their favorite foods and desserts.

In 1965, the federal government created the Older Americans Act to provide funding for agencies to establish programs for people ages 60 and older who are homebound and in need of helpful services.

Through this Act, the National Aging Network was created, comprising the Administration on Aging. The National Aging Network provides funding for nutrition and supportive home and community-based services, disease prevention/healthy promotion services, elder rights programs, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the Native American Caregiver Support Program. Funding is primarily based on the percentage of citizens who are 60 or older in an area’s population.

Cherokee County is part of the Atlanta Regional Commission, which is responsible for the distribution of federal and state dollars to fund programs in all 10 counties within its region. Through this funding, Cherokee County Senior Services is able to provide home delivered meals, homemaker service, Senior Center nutrition sites, case management, transportation, caregiver support groups, information and assistance, and help with other necessary resources for the elderly population in our county.

Home Delivered Meals is one of the larger programs in Cherokee, serving over 40,000 meals to homebound seniors annually. The program consists of four staff members and more than 20 volunteers who help make deliveries to seniors each week. The meals are sent out in either a five- or seven-day frozen box to each client. Each client is case managed before starting services, and the program currently has a waiting list. Normally, clients enjoy their weekly interactions with staff and volunteers, but due to the current pandemic, those delivering meals are not allowed to enter clients’ homes. If a box must be put inside the house, volunteers must follow a specific safety plan.

Senior Center Nutrition Sites offer programs for socialization and nutrition at the Canton Senior Center (daily), the Ball Ground Senior Center (three days a week), and the Waleska Community Center (once a week). The senior centers provide monthly calendars with activities such as card games, guest speakers, health related programs, musical entertainment, trips, and arts and crafts. The senior centers serve a hot lunch daily to older adults who are members of each site. Transportation is provided to the Canton Senior Center for those who no longer drive. Socialization is the most important part of visiting these centers, as it is proven to enhance a person’s physical and mental well-being. Unfortunately, the centers have been closed since March 17. Safety modifications have been made for when facilities reopen, but in the meantime, staff members have been delivering meals to clients twice a week. The activity coordinator also puts together crafts as well as jigsaw and crossword puzzles for seniors to do at home.

Homemaker Services provides light housekeeping for homebound seniors once every two weeks for two hours, but sometimes, depending on the situation, it may be once a week. Homemaker aides can do some shopping for their clients. All homemaker clients are managed by the case management staff. At the beginning of the pandemic, this service was halted for almost a month to ensure the safety of homemaker aides and their clients. Several safety measures were put in place before home cleaning was resumed, and aides are now seeing 100% of their clients.

Transportation is an important program within Senior Services, with a variety of trips offered. The Unified System with CATS (Cherokee Area Transportation Service) provides trips within Cherokee County to senior centers, medical appointments, grocery stores, and pharmacies. Senior Services also provides a voucher program for seniors to schedule their own trips with a list of drivers for many other places they need to go. In addition, a volunteer driver program is available, which is made up of people who can take seniors for essential trips. The voucher program and volunteer driver program currently have a waiting list. To maintain health and safety, CATS has made additional modifications to continue to provide transportation to doctor appointments and grocery stores for those who feel comfortable going. The voucher and volunteer driver programs are providing service to a reduced client load.

Active Adult Programming was taken over by Senior Services within the last year. Intended for active adults in Cherokee County, normal programming includes exercise classes, pickle ball, and the Silver Roamers group, which offers day and overnight trips, among other activities. At this time, the only activity that is being offered is virtual BINGO, which is conducted over the phone Monday-Friday at 1:00pm. Winners will receive prizes when the centers reopen.

Case Management, provided by Senior Services to in-home service clients, includes sharing information and answering general questions, taking care of needs, and assisting with in-home services sign ups. A full-time resource coordinator works with groups in the community to better serve older adults. The Volunteer Aging Council is one organization that Senior Services works closely with to assist clients who may need help with repairs or past-due utility bills.

Please contact Senior Services for more information about any of these programs as well as specific details about current pandemic-related modifications.

Tim Morris is the director of Cherokee County Senior Services. 1001 Univeter Road, Canton. 770-479-7438. CherokeeGa.com/Senior-Services