This week, we will host our annual Santa for Seniors Holiday Lunch. This is an opportunity for people to bring new, unwrapped gifts that will be delivered to seniors during the holidays.
Gift suggestions for seniors:
Alarm clocks with big numbers
Flashlights with batteries
Gloves
Handkerchiefs or socks
Inexpensive CD players with CD’s
Hand or body cream
Items that are ergonomically designed like serving utensils or scissors
Magnifying glasses
Large print books
One size fits all robes
Personal fans
Packages of greeting cards
Radios
Reading lights that attach to books
Slip resistant cups, glasses and plates
Shave kits for men
Small throws and blankets
Writing pads with pens
Slippers that are slip resistant
Tote bags
Umbrellas
Scarves and hats for men
Stress balls for hand exercises
Gift wrappers are needed Wednesday, December 16 and Thursday, December 17. Phone 404-604-8450 if you are willing to donate an hour of your time.
by Steve Hargrove
Director of Events and Marketing
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Senior Population Exploding!
My teenage son enjoys studying social sciences, and specifically projections about future trends in America. When I informed him that SCS delivers the equivalent yearly meals-on-wheels weight equal to 10 elephants, and that our volunteers’ annual delivery routes span the mileage of four trips around the equator, his curiosity peeked to learn more about seniors. So, we turned to www.seniorjournal.com for more insight, and found these:
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that beginning in 2011, the population 65 and older will grow faster than the total population in every single state.
In 2030, 10 states are projected to have more people 65 and older than under 18.
The implications for social policy, social services, social justice, and charitable support are staggering. We at SCS are involved in our 5-year planning cycle to address how we may remain responsive to these trends. With your help and support, we can be ready for a bright future of caring for our senior citizens.
By Brad Catherman
Vice President of Gift Planning
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that beginning in 2011, the population 65 and older will grow faster than the total population in every single state.
In 2030, 10 states are projected to have more people 65 and older than under 18.
The implications for social policy, social services, social justice, and charitable support are staggering. We at SCS are involved in our 5-year planning cycle to address how we may remain responsive to these trends. With your help and support, we can be ready for a bright future of caring for our senior citizens.
By Brad Catherman
Vice President of Gift Planning
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Hunger in America
Hunger in America has recently been spotlighted in media. While this tends to be the season that hunger is identified and promoted as a social concern, it is dramatically highlighted with data that looked at Georgia and the 10-County ARC region.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia is ranked 13th in the nation when it comes to poverty levels, and 12.6% of Georgia’s senior population is living in poverty – that’s ranked 7th in the nation. Data from research on this project confirms that in Fulton County alone, 67% of seniors, age 65 and over are considered low-income, very low-income, or extremely low-income.
We often hear stories from clients who have to choose between spending their little amounts of income, some as low as $400 a month, on medication, utilities, insurance, or food. Oftentimes it is food that is cut out of their spending plan. With chronic diseases so many seniors have, eliminating food/nourishment is not the best plan of action.
Senior Citizen Services’ Meals On Wheels Atlanta program works to identify people and begin serving them with nutritious meals. The Urgent Meal program, a sub-program of Meals On Wheels Atlanta, strives to begin services to clients in dire need within 24 hours or less.
Meals On Wheels Atlanta has the capacity to serve more seniors in need but as always, we lack funding to support all who are in need. This causes us to have to rank in order of priority those who are in desperate need and those who can wait. Currently, we are serving 278 seniors – you can help us serve more.
During this holiday season, I ask that you consider giving a charitable monetary gift to SCS’ Meals On Wheels Atlanta program, or increase your annual gift. For a mere $150, one senior will receive meals for a month – join the ‘Fund a Month of Meals’ program. Contact us to learn more.
By Patrick O'Kane
Director of Operations
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia is ranked 13th in the nation when it comes to poverty levels, and 12.6% of Georgia’s senior population is living in poverty – that’s ranked 7th in the nation. Data from research on this project confirms that in Fulton County alone, 67% of seniors, age 65 and over are considered low-income, very low-income, or extremely low-income.
We often hear stories from clients who have to choose between spending their little amounts of income, some as low as $400 a month, on medication, utilities, insurance, or food. Oftentimes it is food that is cut out of their spending plan. With chronic diseases so many seniors have, eliminating food/nourishment is not the best plan of action.
Senior Citizen Services’ Meals On Wheels Atlanta program works to identify people and begin serving them with nutritious meals. The Urgent Meal program, a sub-program of Meals On Wheels Atlanta, strives to begin services to clients in dire need within 24 hours or less.
Meals On Wheels Atlanta has the capacity to serve more seniors in need but as always, we lack funding to support all who are in need. This causes us to have to rank in order of priority those who are in desperate need and those who can wait. Currently, we are serving 278 seniors – you can help us serve more.
During this holiday season, I ask that you consider giving a charitable monetary gift to SCS’ Meals On Wheels Atlanta program, or increase your annual gift. For a mere $150, one senior will receive meals for a month – join the ‘Fund a Month of Meals’ program. Contact us to learn more.
By Patrick O'Kane
Director of Operations
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Medicare Part D
Open enrollment for Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs, runs through December 31st. Here are some questions to consider as seniors make their plan selections:
Have my health care needs changed?
What is the total cost of the plan, including premiums, deductibles, and co-pays?
Is prescription by-mail an option?
Can you go to any pharmacy?
Are all your medications covered?
Additional information can be found at www.Medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-633-4227.
Plan ahead!
By Brad Catherman
Vice President of Gift Planning
Have my health care needs changed?
What is the total cost of the plan, including premiums, deductibles, and co-pays?
Is prescription by-mail an option?
Can you go to any pharmacy?
Are all your medications covered?
Additional information can be found at www.Medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-633-4227.
Plan ahead!
By Brad Catherman
Vice President of Gift Planning
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
United We Stand!
It is that time of year for many of us to listen to United Way representations as they make their annual appeal to organizations large and small across the country. The United Way has been a mainstay for decades, distributing local monies to charities of all sizes and missions. Senior Citizen Services is one such United Way agency, and our audited 2007-2008 annual report notes that we received $192,268 from this source, or 9.1% of our total funding. In fact, SCS was born out of the United Way in 1965. Did you know that you may direct a portion, or all, of your United Way contribution to Senior Citizen Services? Please ask your United Way representative, or your human resources department, for facts and forms to do this. Thank you for your consideration!
By Brad Catherman,
Vice President of Gift Planning
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Meal to Remember Raises Big Bucks
Last Friday, more than 300 guests gathered at the St. Regis Atlanta for the 22nd annual “A Meal to Remember.” The gala raised money for Meals On Wheels Atlanta and this year it raised more than $360,000.
A lot of time and effort goes into planning an event of this magnitude. Hopefully, by the time the guests arrive, everything runs smoothly and everyone has an enjoyable evening and doesn’t know about the “behind the scenes” problems that might occur.
Garnering the liquor license from the City of Atlanta is a feat unto itself. Dealing with last minute printing changes for the program can drive a person crazy. Discovering at 5:00 pm that every table is missing one place card is a problem. Ensuring that every auction item makes it to the hotel and gets placed with its appropriate sign and bid sheet takes an army of volunteers. Dealing with Atlanta traffic on a Friday evening makes guests, volunteers, and auctioneers run late. A flu epidemic forced some volunteers to stay home. A guest chef was “missing” the day before the event. Realizing on Friday afternoon that the sculptures for the guest chefs were never picked up and sending a staff member on a mad dash across town.
As you can see, a lot happens behind the scenes to ensure that our guests enjoy a fabulous gourmet meal paired with outstanding wines in a beautiful ballroom on a Friday night in November – all to make sure that seniors do not go hungry.
-- by Steve Hargrove, Director of Events and Marketing
A lot of time and effort goes into planning an event of this magnitude. Hopefully, by the time the guests arrive, everything runs smoothly and everyone has an enjoyable evening and doesn’t know about the “behind the scenes” problems that might occur.
Garnering the liquor license from the City of Atlanta is a feat unto itself. Dealing with last minute printing changes for the program can drive a person crazy. Discovering at 5:00 pm that every table is missing one place card is a problem. Ensuring that every auction item makes it to the hotel and gets placed with its appropriate sign and bid sheet takes an army of volunteers. Dealing with Atlanta traffic on a Friday evening makes guests, volunteers, and auctioneers run late. A flu epidemic forced some volunteers to stay home. A guest chef was “missing” the day before the event. Realizing on Friday afternoon that the sculptures for the guest chefs were never picked up and sending a staff member on a mad dash across town.
As you can see, a lot happens behind the scenes to ensure that our guests enjoy a fabulous gourmet meal paired with outstanding wines in a beautiful ballroom on a Friday night in November – all to make sure that seniors do not go hungry.
-- by Steve Hargrove, Director of Events and Marketing
Monday, October 5, 2009
City of Atlanta cuts 100% of Senior Citizen Services funding
My first job out of college was managing the Meals On Wheels Atlanta program, one of the programs that has lost the $30,000 it was granted last year from the City of Atlanta. Our Adult Day Care Center lost just as much. First, let me be clear: SCS has been very well managed financially and otherwise, and the base of funding is both broad and deep. Though the City of Atlanta is choosing not to support its senior citizens, we will not let them go. SCS will continue to be their safety net.
The reasoning for this decision is simply baffling to me. Is it possible that City staffers and elected officials are not as in touch with the dire needs of our neighbors? I lived in Atlanta for just seven years, four of those while in “the Emory bubble,” but the poverty that necessitates life-sustaining services is not foreign to me. I have walked up pathways to two-room homes housing eight people, wondering how the rundown shack was still considered safe to live in. I have delivered to apartment buildings where half of the roof had fallen in, resulting in an official condemnation. A few seniors were still living in the apartments that had most of their ceilings, because they had nowhere else to go. When I had trouble finding the building, I called the woman whose meal I was delivering. "You probably just passed it by," she said. "It doesn't look like anyone could live here, but we do."
Nearly 45 years ago, Mrs. S helped to found Senior Citizen Services. She has been coming to Adult Day Care every day for many years.
Our seniors have been good stewards of our communities, from raising families to building skyscrapers, and now is not the time to let them go. If the requested funding cut is approved
54 seniors will not receive Meals On Wheels Atlanta services next year
More than 9,300 meals will have to be cut from the program next year
28 seniors who receive critical Alzheimer’s support will be affected by the cuts
Seniors will lose more than 3,100 individual hours of support
20 memory-challenged seniors will lose financial assistance for their daily care
The cost burden will force many families to leave the program and deal with Alzheimer’s alone; families will be unable to maintain steady employment due to the added time required for elder care
Both programs serve seniors who are very low income and without adequate support systems to remain in their living situations without services. This will force these senior clients and their families into homelessness and/or institutionalization.
- by Jaclyn Barbarow
Grants and Database Manager
The reasoning for this decision is simply baffling to me. Is it possible that City staffers and elected officials are not as in touch with the dire needs of our neighbors? I lived in Atlanta for just seven years, four of those while in “the Emory bubble,” but the poverty that necessitates life-sustaining services is not foreign to me. I have walked up pathways to two-room homes housing eight people, wondering how the rundown shack was still considered safe to live in. I have delivered to apartment buildings where half of the roof had fallen in, resulting in an official condemnation. A few seniors were still living in the apartments that had most of their ceilings, because they had nowhere else to go. When I had trouble finding the building, I called the woman whose meal I was delivering. "You probably just passed it by," she said. "It doesn't look like anyone could live here, but we do."
Nearly 45 years ago, Mrs. S helped to found Senior Citizen Services. She has been coming to Adult Day Care every day for many years.
Our seniors have been good stewards of our communities, from raising families to building skyscrapers, and now is not the time to let them go. If the requested funding cut is approved
54 seniors will not receive Meals On Wheels Atlanta services next year
More than 9,300 meals will have to be cut from the program next year
28 seniors who receive critical Alzheimer’s support will be affected by the cuts
Seniors will lose more than 3,100 individual hours of support
20 memory-challenged seniors will lose financial assistance for their daily care
The cost burden will force many families to leave the program and deal with Alzheimer’s alone; families will be unable to maintain steady employment due to the added time required for elder care
Both programs serve seniors who are very low income and without adequate support systems to remain in their living situations without services. This will force these senior clients and their families into homelessness and/or institutionalization.
- by Jaclyn Barbarow
Grants and Database Manager
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