Services

Transportation  
Local transportation to the doctor’s office, grocery store, pharmacy, personal shopping, post office, bank, and other errands.

 

 

 

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation: The Council provides non-emergency medical transportation in Sabine Parish to all doctors and medical facilities each day.  We provide medical transportation to Natchitoches Parish one day per month.  Parish-wide dialysis transportation is offered five days per week.  Transportation is also provided to Caddo and Bossier medical facilities every Tuesday and Thursday.  Although priority is given to clients over the age of sixty, we also transport Medicaid participants to doctors and medical facilities. Non-Emergency medical transportation averages 328 trips per month.

Non-Medical Transportation: The Council provides approximately 300 units of non-medical transportation each month.  A unit is one person, one ride.  We have eight shopping routes per month and we provide general transportation to many locations in the parish such as pharmacies, banks, the Post Office, groceries stores and shopping centers.  We also plan day trips for our seniors on a monthly basis.

 

Information, Assistance & Outreach: When a client or family member requests services a trained outreach worker goes into the client’s home and fills out an assessment form provided to all Councils on Aging by the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs.  This helps the council know what services the client needs.  The client is re-assessed at least annually or more often if the client’s condition changes or new services are requested.  We average assessing or re-assessing approximately seventy-nine clients per month.

 

Meal Services:        MENUS

Congregate Meals: Sabine Parish has five congregate meal sites.  They are located in Many, Toledo Town, Zwolle, Converse and Pleasant Hill.  We are in the process of increasing participation at each of our meal sites by adding programs and activities to make the sites more attractive to the younger seniors.  At the present time we are averaging 967 meals per month at our congregate sites.

 

Home Delivered Meals: The number of requests for home delivered meals is increasing daily.   Meals are delivered in Many (three routes), Florien, Toledo Town, Converse, Pleasant Hill and two routes in Zwolle.  We have expanded our delivery area coverage and try not to turn down any qualified senior requesting home delivered meals. At this time, we average 3,780 meals per month through our homebound meal program.

 

Emergency Food Bank: The Council houses an emergency food bank.  This service is open to anyone in the parish over the age of 18 years.  Any resident of the parish having difficulty buying food may come to the Council and receive emergency staples.  Our Emergency Food Bank is supported by donations.

 

Nutrition Education: Nutrition Education programs are given at least once per month at each meal site.  Mrs. Amie Mitchell, our nutritionist, oversees this service.

Telephone Assurance: Elderly homebound clients are called each day to provide them with contact and reassurance.  Approximately one hundred telephone calls are made each month by our staff and volunteers.

Recreation: Recreation is provided at each meal site each day.  Examples of recreation are bingo, quilting, crafts, games, etc. We are currently adding many new activities such as computer classes, photography classes, woodworking, scrapbooking, and painting in an effort to encourage more participation from our senior population.

 

Wellness: Programs to enhance the wellness of our clients are held each week.  Examples are providing blood pressure checks (by volunteers), blood sugar checks and programs/talks given by individuals from medical facilities.  Each  year we conduct or refer seniors to a Health Fair in the parish where they may receive such services as cholesterol and lipid profile testing, blood pressure testing, and other health related tests. Daily exercise classes are encouraged at each site as well. We are enhancing the quality of life in the area with these important services.

 

Medical Alert System: Units are now provided by an ambulance service that contracts with the state.  Sabine Council on Aging cooperates in every way to assist this service in seeing that residents of our parish have the opportunity to receive one of these units.  The cost of these units is $20.00 per month.  A client receives a necklace or bracelet that can be activated if that client falls or needs other help.  Approximately sixty-three parish seniors have one of these units.  We try to make as many referrals to the ambulance service as possible through our agency, which saves the individual the $25.00 installation fee.

Homemaker: We have homemakers that go into clients’ homes to provide housekeeping services.  We have recently stepped up our efforts in this area, attempting to serve all seniors who qualify and request this service.

 

Emergency Utility Assistance: Our participation in this program assists seniors having difficulty paying their utility bills.  This service is directed and funded by Entergy and Cleco.

 

Legal Services: The Council contracts with a legal firm to provide legal services free of charge to parish seniors.  Our contract for this plan period (until June 30, 2008) is with Legal Services of Northwest Louisiana.

 

Caregiver Program: This program provides respite services for senior caregivers as well as caregivers of seniors.  We also provide public education, material aid and other supplemental services to caregivers.

Other services provided by the Council on Aging include supervised medication management and loan of medical equipment to those in need.

 

Other services provided by the Council on Aging include supervised medication management and loan of medical equipment to those in need.