Submitted by Rosalie Gokee
Interim LCO Tribal Aging Director
I have taken on the role of Interim Tribal Aging Unit Director until the position is filled. It’s been a busy time here at the Elder Center with activities, budgets, home-delivered meals, coordination of services, and reports.
I am currently working on completing the Tribal Aging Plan for FY 2022-2024. I want to acknowledge Kassy Heard from GLITC for her assistance. I will also be working with GWAAR and the Compliance Department to have the budget completed for the Plan submission as required. The Plan is a three-year plan with specific goals, strategies, and action steps. The Plan is out for public comment with a hearing date of December 17, 2021, from 9:00-11:00 at the Elder Center with light refreshments available.
The Elder Transportation Grant Application is due this month so I have gained access to BlackCat and will be working to have that completed before the end of the year. This is the grant that funds our Transportation Driver to provide elders with non-medical transportation requests such as grocery shopping. Bob Trepania, our Transportation Driver, will schedule the shuttle for service so that we can plan for more activities in the coming year which we are all excited about. Bob had been helping with the home delivered meal route but is back to primarily transporting and has more time available. Call Bob at (715) 699-3529 to schedule a ride.
I received notice that the “AFCSP” Alzheimer’s Family Caregiver Support Program budget for FY 2022 was due on November 29, 2021. I revised the budget to allow for more program and supportive services and submitted the financial report by the deadline.
I was notified that the Aging Program was at risk of losing funding. I requested a meeting to include Compliance and we have resolved this issue by transferring funds to the Home Delivered Meals line. I was also notified that our Claims are not current so we are working to bring those up to date. This is how we receive reimbursement for the meals that are served by the Elder Center. We are going to have virtual meetings to resolve this issue.
We are currently hosting bingo at the Elder Center and have had good attendance. This is welcome by the community and Covid protocols are adhered to. We typically have 13 – 16 participants. The activity is to promote socialization which is good for physical and mental health. The next bingo session is scheduled for Friday, December 17, 2021, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The Elder Center is hosting “Cooking & Moving with Chef Al & Kim” on the third Wednesday of every month. The next scheduled date is Wednesday, December 15, 2021, starting as 12:30 p.m. This is a health promotion event which also provides socialization.
The Aging & Disabilities Services Department hosted a Medicare Outreach and Health Information event on December 1, 2021, at the Convention Center. The event was well attended as we had 52 participants! There were great presentations and information provided. This could not have been achieved without the staff here at the Elder Center.
The Aging & Disabilities Services Department looks forward to a robust year ahead as we will strive to meet the goals of Aging Plan and continue to provide much needed services to the community.