March 2011

SABINE COUNCIL ON AGING, INC.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
MARCH 24, 2011

For those of you looking for exercise that’s fun, I encourage you to join the Zumba class offered at the Legacy Building on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. Led by certified instructor, Yvonne Testa, it is an hour of lively music, easy dance steps and lots of laughter. We all feel so energized after this class and there is plenty of room for more participants. There is also a class offered at the SCOA Toledo Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 p.m. Please feel free to call either location to sign up for this exciting new class.

Our Food for Seniors distribution on February 25th went extremely well. In less than four hours we distributed 30,320 pounds of food to 379 seniors. There is currently a waiting list for this program, but we encourage all qualifying seniors to sign up to be included when the waiting period is lifted. The Council on Aging staff wish to thank Mr. Stanley Neal and the Sabine Detention Center trustees for their help with this event. Also, thanks go to our volunteers, J. C. Ashford, Gary Rigsby and Jamison Hedges for their continued support. We wouldn’t want to have to do this without your help! THANKS!!

Last week I was able to attend the Louisiana Aging Network Association conference which was held in Shreveport. This meeting was a great chance to become more informed about the many new initiatives being implemented throughout the state in an effort to support the Baby Boomers who are entering the retirement years. Many of the Councils on Aging are bringing this information to their seniors so they can make more informed choices concerning their future. The Sabine Council on Aging strives to stay abreast of these services and regularly schedules seminars and events with this in mind.

I would also like to remind everyone of our Caregiver’s Support Group which meets monthly at the SCOA Toledo Center. Our site manager, Sarah House, facilitates these sessions, which are confidential and beneficial to anyone dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease or any of the other many difficulties which caregivers face. Anyone interested in attending can call our center at (318) 256-0059 to find out when the next meeting will be held.

February was a short but busy month at the Council. We served 979 Congregate meals at our meal sites and delivered 3,498 meals to Home Bound seniors. We provided 55 units of homemaker service for our seniors, 192 hours of Caregiver services, and 78 contacts have been made for Outreach, Information & Assistance. We provided 429 units of transportation, 384 units of wellness, and 1,198 units of recreation.

Several new activities have been added to our site schedules. Be sure to check our April calendar for current events and special activities. A complete calendar, listing all the regularly scheduled activities is available by calling our office 256-4140 or checking out our website (www.sabinecoa.com ).

Respectfully submitted,
Linda Rigsby
Executive Director