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Show Recent Budget Cuts Affeet Senior Centers Recent budget cuts threaten senior citizen centers with closure unless participation increases quickly said Garfield County Senior Citizen Coordinator Deon Alvey after a recent meeting of coordinators from a five-county area that included Iron, Washington, Beaver, Kane and Garfield counties. There are Senior Centers in Panguitch, Henrieville and Escalante. Nutrition budget cuts are making some changes in the senior citizen meals program. Faced with four options, closing, cutting the number of days meals are served, raising donations, or taking a month off each year, Garfield County centers will take the equivalent of one month by closing on certain days throughout the year. Locally, centers closed July 4, and will be closed July 20 and July 27. They will also close Thanksgiving Thanks-giving week and for two weeks in December at Christmas. The price of senior meals remains a suggested donation of $2 per meal. They are available to those age 60 and older. The meals are specially planned to be well balanced and nutritionally sound. Dietician Gloria Neilsen regularly cooks in each of the county's three centers are specially trained. "Our centers provide good food, good associations, and good fun," said Alvey who also pointed out that special services such as health education lectures, and information for better living for seniors, such as the recent fraud prevention series. Birthdays are celebrated one day each month and many other activities include craft classes, blood pressure checks, hearing tests, etc. The centers provide special transportation to get seniors to the centers, deliver meals at home to those who are bedridden, take seniors to medical appointments, help them get their mail, etc. They have also regularly attended the Hale Theater productions for five different plays in Graver. Seniors are currently readying for a three-day trip to the Vernal area for Butch Cassidy, Flaming Gorge, and Dinosaurland activities, just one of the many special events, including day trips, that are in the works. Information is available from Alvey at 826-4317 or 826-4323 in Escalante, in Panguitch at 676- |
