Bennett County Senior Citizens Center Association

Programs: Title iii, ci, congregate meals-this program served 130 people a nutritious dinner monday - friday. There were 32468 meals provided during this fiscal year. Everyone is given the opportunity to confidentially contribute what each can afford for their meal. No senior is refused a meal if they cannot or will not contribute. The only requirement to participate in this program is that a person be at least 60 years of age and/or have a handicap. The meal is served at a site where the people come together at a central location to share the meal and interact with peers. Throughout the year there are some educational presentations and handouts to help the participants learn and understand healthy aging. Some of the presentations during the past years included demonstrations of age appropriate exercises, making wise food choices, better understanding of medicare part d and where to go for help to choose the best policy for themselves, and tips for keeping leftover foods safe to eat. Most sites offer recreational opportunities such as card games and bingo for the people to enjoy. Some sites keep a jigsaw puzzle going. Others participate in a daily exercise program. We encourage all of the participants to use their minds by having a variety of word search, crosswords, quizzes, etc. Available that they can either take home or do together. A couple sites have a computer with internet access available so seniors can use the internet.

title iii, c2, home-delivered meals-this program provides a hot meal monday - friday to individuals unable to come to the meal site. During this fiscal year 144 individuals received 35273 meals that were delivered to their homes. The meals are delivered by paid staff and volunteers. Again, no one is refused a meal if they cannot contribute anything. To receive a meal at their home, the individual must be confined to the home and unable to leave due to health reasons. In the case of a couple, one of the couple must be home-bound. The spouse is then eligible to also receive their meal at home. Normally, people receiving meals through the home-delivered program are frail and vulnerable to illness. Often, the only person these individuals see during the day is the person bringing the meal. Volunteers and staff are asked to make contact with the person receiving the meal when delivering to make sure the person is responsive and doing okay. Should they notice anything wrong or different from the norm, they are to let the cook or site manager know so that a contact person can be notified to further check on the individual. No meal is left if an individual does not answer the door and has not made prior arrangements for the meal to be left. In this case, a contact person is always notified that the door was not answered and a meal was not left. Frozen and shelf stable meals are also available to home-delivered participants so that there is some food available over the weekend or in the case of an unexpected site closing due to an emergency (weather, etc. )

title iii b, transporation services for the elderly-two of the sites provide transportation for seniors. During this fiscal year approximately 5 different people received 1041 units of service. A unit of service is defined as each time a rider gets off the bus. One person may accrue several units of service during one trip. For example, a rider who get off at the senior center, post office, grocery store, doctor's office and home would have 5 units of service. The majority of our units of service are for seniors getting off for the noon meal at the congregate dining site. Riders are encouraged to contribute for their ride, but no one is refused service if they cannot contribute. One site has a mini-van that provides trips out of town. These trips are usually to doctor appointments. The longest trip is 125 -150 miles and the closest is 50 miles. Most seniors that use the mini-van also make other stops once they get to their doctor appointment. Stops at wal-mart, shopping malls, etc. Are common as there is very limited shopping in the small towns we serve and virtually no stores in which to purchase items like clothing, house hold items (like blankets, rugs) etc. Seniors feel strongly about supporting the local businesses in the town where they live, but really appreciate the opportunity to shop for things not available to them otherwise. All of these services help senior citizens remain living in their homes with independence and dignity. The ability to contribute what each can afford allows seniors with very little money to access services that otherwise might not be available to them.