Jan 2011

SABINE COUNCIL ON AGING, INC.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
January 27, 2011

A new year! Time to gather our thoughts, thank God for our past successes, and pray for wisdom in all our future endeavors. We have so much to be thankful for and so much we still need to accomplish with the resources with which we have been entrusted. The Sabine Council on Aging continues to serve the seniors of Sabine Parish with a whole spectrum of needs, from food and shelter (Food for Seniors program, Utility Assistance, Meals on Wheels, and Homemaker service) to the enjoyment of everyday living (Congregate Meal sites, Recreation, Public Education, Transportation, and Wellness Activities). Our services help seniors make good choices in their efforts to continue living and enjoying active, independent lives.

Ms. Camille Spilker, from the Louisiana Technical College, brought students to the Legacy Building for two days this week to perform free EKGs for our seniors. The students were very professional and not only made the seniors feel comfortable throughout the procedure, but gave them a free readout of their test to take to their doctor. This collaboration gave the students much needed practice and gave the seniors who participated the opportunity to have a test that they otherwise would not have had. The testing was a trial run for the students as well as the SCOA. We plan to continue working closely with the Technical College for activities such as this which we can offer to our seniors. Thank you Camille, Louisiana Technical College and students!!

The SCOA four year Area Plan has been submitted to the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs and now the Council will begin the Procurement phase of the process. We will be closely reviewing our performance from the last four years, fine tuning our projections, and carefully budgeting our financial resources as well as our planned units of service.

Even with all the holidays, December was a busy month for our seniors and the Council on Aging. During December we served 992 Congregate meals at our meal sites and delivered 3,684 meals to Home Bound seniors. We provided 155 units of homemaker service for our seniors, 84 hours of Caregiver services, and 21 contacts have been made for Outreach, Information & Assistance. We provided 498 units of transportation, 357 units of wellness, and 1,127 units of recreation.

Upcoming events to look forward to in February include Valentine parties, book reviews, music mornings, movies and guest speakers. All of this is in addition to the regularly scheduled activities at each center. Be sure to check your February calendars for specific activities and dates. A complete calendar listing all the regularly scheduled activities is available by calling our office 256-4140.

Respectfully submitted,
Linda Rigsby
Executive Director