Public Hearing -- Albany
 

There will be a Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 1:30pm at the Albany Senior Center Site #1 -- located at 311 Pine Avenue, Albany, Georgia.

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Public Hearing -- Cairo
 

There will be a Public Hearing in Cairo on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 1:00pm at the Grady County Senior Center -- located at 33 17th Avenue, Cairo, Georgia.

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Albany Mayor Willie Adams Wins Prestigious Award
 

The Georgia Council on Aging on Aging (GCOA) has awarded Mayor Willie Adams, Jr. of Albany, Georgia as winner of the 2011 “Martha Eaves Advocating for Positive Change” Award. This prestigious award was presented to Mayor Adams on April 28, 2011 at the Georgia Council on Aging meeting held at the South Georgia Technical College in Americus, Ga.. The GCOA is an organization that was created in 1977 through state legislation(PDF) to:

• Advocate with and on behalf of aging Georgians and their families to improve their quality of life
• Educate, advise, inform and make recommendations concerning programs for the elderly in Georgia
• Serve in an advisory capacity on aging issues to the Governor, General Assembly, Board of Human Services, and all other state agencies

The criteria for the Positive Change award is to recognize older adults, (60 and above) from across the State who have devoted time and energy advocating for positive change at the local, state or federal level. By creating this award and recognizing role models for local involvement, it is hoped that others will be encouraged to become advocates for issues concerning older adults in their own communities.

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SOWEGA Council on Aging Names New Board President
 

ALBANY (GA) - The Board of Directors of the SOWEGA Council on Aging recently voted Lorie Farkas as their new President. Lorie has been on the Board of Directors for over 10 years and has worked tirelessly to further the cause for senior citizens in our region of Georgia with the Council. Ms. Farkas takes over the helm after immediate past President Reba Stewart’s term ended.

Lorie Farkas’ family has lived in Albany for six generations. Lorie has been with the Water, Gas & Light Commission for 24 years. Lorie became the first woman to earn the position of Assistant General Manager for the Water, Gas & Light Commission.

Water, Gas, & Light is the largest public utility in Georgia, in the largest state east of the Mississippi.

There was no community involvement or educational programs at WG&L until Lorie was hired and began creating programs. She has twice been sent personal letters of commendation from former President Bush, as well as Oprah Winfrey, for programs she created that have garnered national attention.

Lorie has been named Who’s Who in Energy Management and Who’s Who in International Professionals. The Governor of Georgia recognized her efforts by presenting her with an award for her long and dedicated community service. Lorie also received the coveted “Edward A. Freeman” leadership award, which is the highest award for leadership given in Albany.

Lorie was the first female chairman in the 78-year history of the American Red Cross.

Her motto is: “Community service is the rent we pay for living”

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MISLEADING POSTCARDS ARE NOT FROM MEDICARE!
 

ATLANTA (GA) - The Department of Human Services urges older adults to be on the alert for misleading post cards titled "Important: Projected Medicare Changes." The cards are sent on behalf of insurance salespeople and are not endorsed by Medicare.

"Private insurance companies request signatures, ages, and other details on these post cards and then use the information to make sales calls and visits to people’s homes," said Dr. James J. Bulot, Director of the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Aging Services. "If consumers have questions about Medicare changes, they should contact the GeorgiaCares network."

The GeorgiaCares State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers individuals free, one-on-one help provided by trained local counselors. The program is managed statewide by the DHS Division of Aging Services and Georgia’s 12 Area Agencies on Aging. To contact GeorgiaCares, call 1-800-669-8387 toll-free or visit www.MyGeorgiaCares.org.

Callers may request personalized information about Medicare, Medicaid and Medigap matters, including long-term care insurance, claims, the resolution of billing problems, information and referral on public benefit programs aimed at those with limited incomes and assets, and other health care insurance information.

The GeorgiaCares team is ready to answer questions now about open enrollment for Medicare Part C (prescription drug coverage) and Part D (Medicare Advantage plans). Enrollment begins November 15, and recipients will have until December 31, 2010, to make their choices. After this period, beneficiaries may make limited changes during the annual Disenrollment Period of January 1 - February 15th of each year. Beneficiaries who do not want to make a change can remain in their plan from 2010.

GeorgiaCares SHIP counselors will answer hotline calls from individuals and provide community education sessions for any group throughout the state to help beneficiaries understand their options for next year. Beneficiaries can call GeorgiaCares toll-free at 1-800-669-8387 or Medicare at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.

GeorgiaCares SHIP urges everyone to review their coverage and make sure that any changes to the plan for 2011 will still meet their needs. Beneficiaries who want to consider all of their options will have access to help from many sources, including a notice of any coverage changes from their drug plan; the enhanced Medicare Drug Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov; the Medicare & You 2011 annual handbook that explains Medicare coverage; 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227), which will be available 24/7; and GeorgiaCares - Local Help for People with Medicare, 1-800-669-8387.

For more information about services available to older Georgians and their families, visit the DHS Division of Aging Services at http://www.aging.dhr.georgia.gov or call (866) 55-AGING (552-4464).

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Kay Hind "Women of Distinction" 2010
 

Recipients: Kay Hind & Annette Bowling

Kay Hind, ED of the SCOA, along with Annette Bowling, ED of Albany Advocacy Resource Center were chosen by the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia as Women of Distinction for 2010.

An event was held at the Doublegate Country Club in Albany, Georgia, to honor these 2 accomplished women of southwest Georgia. Kay has been ED of SCOA over 40 years. She is active in state, regional and national affairs as Chair of the Georgia Council on Aging and has served as a representative from Region IV on the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Mrs. Hind was a delegate to the White House conference on Aging in 1971, 1981, 1995 and 2005. Mrs. Hind is a charter member of the Southern Gerontological Society and past President. She currently serves as a board member for the Georgia Gerontology Society.

Kay H. Hind is pictured at the right.

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Older Worker of the Year for southwest Georgia
 

Press Release

Date:   September 22, 2011

Contact:

Sue Corbin

Public Relations

SOWEGA Council on Aging

229-432-1124

suewcorbin@gmail.com

www.sowegacoa.org

Re:                  Older Worker of the Year Selected

Georgia’s Older Worker Network recently announced that Dr. Egbert J. Bacon of Albany, Georgia has been selected as Older Worker of the Year for southwest Georgia. Dr. Bacon has been in the workforce for over 50 years and is currently employed by Temple B’Nai Israel here in Albany and St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Tifton.  As Older Worker of the Year for southwest Georgia Dr. Bacon is invited to attend the Georgia Older Worker Awards luncheon to be held in Macon, Georgia on October 13, 2011 where award winners from around the state will be honored, and one will be selected as Georgia’s Older Worker of the Year for the State of Georgia.

This event is presented annually by Georgia’s Older Worker Network (Ga’s OWN), and sponsored by the SOWEGA Council on Aging, Experience Works, the Division of Aging Services and the Division of Rehabilitation Services of the Georgia Department of Human Services, and the Job Training Division of the Georgia Department of Labor.

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Georgia Commission on Family Violence Appointment
 

Press Release

Date:                        September 29, 2011

Re:    Georgia Commission on Family Violence Appointment

On September 9, 2011 Elaine Wilson, long time Ombudsman for the SOWEGA Council on Aging, was appointed to the Commission on Family Violence by Governor Nathan Deal. Kay Hind, Executive Director of the SOWEGA Council on Aging said “Elaine has been a true advocate for the rights of residents in nursing homes and personal care homes and has been Lead Ombudsman for the Council since 1997.”  Elaine also serves on the state long-term care advisory board.

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence believes that a coordinated community response is the best way to address the problem of family violence. Coordinated community response means that every segment of the community - including judges, advocates, law enforcement, medical professionals, educators, and concerned citizens - is responsible for helping to end family violence. In other words, everyone, including you, can be a part of the solution. The Georgia Commission on Family Violence works with communities and systems across the state to provide leadership in strengthening Georgia's families by ending family violence.

¨   From 2003 through 2010, at least 962 Georgia citizens lost their lives due to domestic violence.

¨   Georgia was recently ranked 10th in the nation for its rate of men killing women.

¨   In 43% of the cases studied through Georgia’s Domestic Vio- lence Fatality Review Project,

children were present during the domestic violence killing.

¨   Firearms were the cause of death in 76% of the domestic violence fatalities in both 2009 and 2010.

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