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Show Aging Planner Berates Council for Inaction Linda llolVling, Aging Planner Plan-ner for the District VII Division of Aging, Price, charged this week that the Grand County Council on Aging received a grant to operate aging services between July 1 , 1975 and June 30, 1976, yet no action by the Council has been undertaken to accept the grant and provide subsequent services to the aging. She specified five steps which must be taken before the funds can be released to the Council: 1. The Council must conduct monthly meetings, with the Council membership to be separate from the existing "Moabites" senior citizens organization. The members must have low income and be older citizens who are concerned concern-ed about the needs of the aged. 2. The Council must state how it will provide services within Grand County. 3. The Council must establish estab-lish an adequate accounting system. 4- The Council must conduct a public hearing on the proposed services. 5. The Council must sign the grant and return it to the Utah State Division of Aging. Mrs. Hofelini stated that a study of aging services in Grand County was conducted in April of this year to identify the needs of the aged and resources available within the county to fill those needs. Four needs identified were concluded to be the highest priority in Grand County. They were to provide transpor-tatin transpor-tatin for the elderly, to hire a coordinatordirector to organize organ-ize and develop services, to provide weekly nutritional noon meals, and to obtain funds for services to the aged. From this study, Mrs. Hofeling said, a plan was developed and funded to organize a mobile meals project, nutritional dinners and transportation. This plan w as thereafter turned dow n by the Grand County Commission, Commis-sion, senior citizens group and Allen Memorial Hospital, w hich had been designated to provide the meals. The Council, according to Mis. Hofeling, has not taken the initiative to follow up on the study or to implement the delivery of services contained in the plan. Federal and Slate funds, she-said, she-said, under the Older Americans Americ-ans Act, are designed to develop, at the local level, a system of coordinated and comprehensive social services for older persons, services which will enable older persons per-sons to live in their own homes as long as possible, to promote independent living, and to prevent or delay institutionalization. institutional-ization. Social services, she explained, explain-ed, are identified as coordinated coordinat-ed activities which link together togeth-er resources to improve, expand or initiate services needed by older persons, help individuals in obtaining needed need-ed assistance, particularly the hard-to-reach, isolated low income persons, provide transportation trans-portation in order to receive community services, provide escort, counseling and health related services, provide preventive prev-entive services such as home-maker, home-maker, homemaker and home health aide, chore services, friendly visiting, telephone reassurance, continuing education, educ-ation, legal services, nutrition and employment counseling. There seems to be some misunderstanding of the role and function for which the Grand County Council on Aging w as established in 1971 , said Mrs. Hofeling. Their primary function, she said, is to act as advocates for the elderly in all aspects with special emphasis on low imcome and minority participants. particip-ants. There will not be a means test administered or a membership fee required in order for a prospective participant partic-ipant to receive services, she pointed out. The Council is to serve all elderly persons as a distinct agency and additional agency apart from other local and national organizations. She concluded, if people feel there are needs of the elderly which are not being met or should be improved, they should make their feelings known in person at the Grand County Commission meeting Aug. 18 at 10:30 a.m. in the Courthouse. "As the Aging Planner for Southeastern Utah, Ut-ah, I am w illing and anxious to assist genuinely concerned persons to develope a coordinated coordin-ated delivery of services to the elderly in Grand County," said Mrs. Hofeling. |