Newspaper Page Text
CSRA'’s elderly nutrition
program receives high
marks in evaluation
For the 3,086 senior citizens in
- the 16-county CSRA who partici
-~ pate in a senior nutrition pro
.‘gram, the latest evaluation con
firms what they already know:
the program is crucial and is
~.doing a good job.
'+ A comprehensive evalua- A
" tion of the Older Americans £
* Act community nutrition
- program for seniors was fi%
' recently completed by
‘three federal agencies. Y
- The study found that "
nutritionally signifi- fßEeed
cant meals are pro
- vided in a cost-es- :
fective manner W-&
to the intended
-audience while working coopera
tively with health care providers.
The only negative report in the
national evaluationsisthat there
is amuch greater need for service
than can be met with current re
sources. In fact, four out of 10
nutrition programs have a wait
ing list with an average of 85
older people waiting up to two
months for meals. In the CSRA,
119 seniors are currently on a
waiting list for meal service, ei
ther home-delivered or congre
gate (delivered to a central loca
tion).
Local statistics show that the
85 and older group is the fastest
growing segment of Georgia’s
population. It is the 85 and older
population that is most likely to
need assistance in' activities of
daily living (bathing, eating and
dressing) from caregivers and/or
aging services.
National information reveals
that participants in the senior
nutrition program have between
two and three diagnosed chronic
health conditions. For many, the
availability of a home-delivered
meal is crucial to their ability to
function largely on their own.
Fewerthan halfleave their homes
CaseLLA Eve Center, P.C.
“SERVING AUGUSTA SINCE 1948”
DR. THOMAS V. CASELLA DR. VICTOR CASELLA
QUALITY EYECARE, SPECTACLES AND CONTACT LENSES AT AFFORDABLE
PRICES WITH AN ACCENT ON PERSONAL SERVICE AND ATTENTION
HOURS | 9AM-S:3OPM WE ACCEPT CONVENIENT
“we> | igisee | | Mevicaws | | PAMENT
TILL 2:OOPM & MEDICAID AVAILABLE
A REMINDER...THE RECORDS OF DR. BENJAMIN BOGLA, DR. JOSEPH SELDIN, DR. O.M. MURPHY,
DR. JOHN PAUL JONES AND HOTLZCLAW OPTICIANS REMAIN ON FILE AT CASELLA EYE CENTER
=
@ 722-0817 | £22-2428 o
767 BROAD ST. (1 BLOCK FROM RIVER WALK) BROAD @ Bth ST. :
FOCUS
on some
fine food.
Visit
BL's!
Augusta Focus
is a
Walker Group
Publication
even once a week and 77 percent
are unable to do at least one ev
eryday task without assistance.
The CSRA Regional Develop
ment Center’s Area Agency on
Aging is the lead agency in
the area for allocating funds
for nutrition services. The
B primary provider of meals
is the Senior Citizens
S Council of Greater Au
gt o gusta and the CSRA,
T GA Inc. which pro
. B 2 vides meals is the
e Senior Citizens
Council of
et Greater Au
- _ = gusta and the
CSRA, GA
Inc. which provides meals through
contracts with local governments.
More than 255,000 meals are
home-delivered each year while
more than 198,000 meals are
served at congregate sites. The
Area Agency on Aging adminis
ters $2.76 millionin federal , state
and local funding to pay for this
program.
Volunteers play an important
role in the success of nutrition
programs. Nationally, the value
of volunteer labor accounts for
about nine percent of meal costs.
Thirty-five percent of congregate
meal participants volunteer their
time to perform tasks, such as
delivering meals to the
homebound or setting up the meal
site. In the CSRA, more than 500
volunteers contribute their time
to ensuring a nutritious meal
reaches seniors in their area.
Despite the number of elderly
currently being reached by nu
trition programs, more are in
need. For information on nutri
tion programs or other senior
services available in you area,
call the Aging Connection of the
Area Agency on Aging at 667-
4695 in Augusta, or toll-free at
1-888-922-4464.
th .
Arc you imagining the worst? Peer pressure is a powerful force for wenagers, espe
cially during the summer when more free time can mean trouble. But there are
some things parents can do.
Get FOCUSED!
Subscribe to
Augusta’s
finest weekly
newspaper for
only $24.95
per year! Call
Augusta Focus
at 724-7855.
= Work with your teen to arrange productive summer activities with other adoles
cents you know.
» Decide, together, on the kinds of activities that are off-limits, regardless of what
friends may want.
= Discuss ways to say no.
= Always ask to meet new friends.
® Don't hesitate to communicate with your teen when you think a friend is out-of
line, but be prepared to listen.
= Provide a stable and supportive home environment.
If your teenager seems to be influenced too much by others, you may want to bring
him in for an assessment. Sometimes just knowing you're aware of what's happen
ing, and ready to do something about it, will be enough to help your teen get things
straight. To make an appointment, call 1-800-CHARTER.
Charter Augusta
: Behavioral Health System
3100 Perimeter Parkway / Augusta, GA 30909 :
The days have almost been forgotten
when there were pitched battles over
whether or not communities should fluo
ridate their water. Today, fluoride is so
accepted as an additive necessary for grow
ing and protecting teeth that many of us
don’t even give it a second thought. How
ever, parents of young children should be
aware of the fluoride their youngsters
either are or aren’t exposed to. While too
little has been clearly demonstrated to be
a danger, too much fluoride may be a
hazard as well. “Fluorosis” is the condi
tion that occurs when there is a fluoride
overdose. The chief symptom is a discolor
ation of the teeth, usually with white or
5. Synergic Health Centre
q Gerald D. Oliver, M.D.
Internal Medicine and Pediatric Medicine
Focus on fluoride
fii Adortion Opportunities
DHR As provided by the Georgia Department of Human Resources
and your local Department of Family and Children Services.
GEORGIA
DEPARTMENT OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
il i
What is a good foster parent?
There are many reasons people become foster or adoptive parents. The reason most frequently
given is a love of children. Other reasons would be an opportunity to share talents and blessings, to
meet a need in the community or to make a meaningful contribution to a child’s life.
These are wonderful reasons, but a foster parent has to be willing to accept that. The ultimate
goal of foster care is to reunite the child with his parents. The foster parent must always support the
child’s love for his family while helping the child deal with separation, anxiety, grief;for their lost
parent, guilt, anger and confusion. :
To be an adoptive parent one must be willing to assume full responsibility for a child who will
not be able to return to their birth families. Foster and adoptive parents must be assertive. They are
advocates for the children and work as a team with DFCS, the school system, doctors, therapists,
other foster parents or sometimes the birth parents to provide the best care possible for the chil
dren.
Some of the most important qualities a foster or adoptive parent must have are patience, consis
tency, energy, flexibility and a sense of humor.
Foster and adoptive parents can’t change the world. These children have been. hurt, physically
and emotionally. Their trust is hard to gain and may never develop. Being a foster or adoptive
parent is a demanding job and the rewards are often not obvious but if a foster or adoptive parent
can make a difference in one child’s life or help one child reach his potential it is all worthwhile.
If you think you could be a foster or adoptive parent, please call Brenda W. Brown at the McDuffie
County Department of Family and Children Services, (706) 595-2946 or your local Department of
Family and Children Services. For adoption only, you may call Bonnie Kirschling at 1-888-460-
2467.
brown spots appearing on emerging teeth.
Regularly using more than a pea-size glob
of fluoridated toothpaste could cause a
toddler to develop fluorosis.
If you're concerned that your child is not
gettingenough fluorideorisgettingtoomuch,
call SYNERGIC HEALTH CENTRE at 648-
3500. As pediatricspecialists, we provide care
forinfants and children in the areas of growth
and development counseling, childhood dis
eases and illnesses, and injuries. Located at
1055-A Silver Bluffßoad, our office hours are
by appointment. This information has been
presented to the residents of Aiken for the
betterunderstandingoftheirchildren’shealth
issues.
T T e
e eet N
: ' Has . . i 5 v
R o S
g B PRuSE D e 3 R R % :
B i :
PR o R SO B SR R R
o i
e e et :
L 2 22
% 3 e : : :
e # Re e R R R i %
R . .
: G CoGeamEß a :
g g R 'gg:::;gfi;;g::-': % :35?:-« v
%% 2 BN & F
H S
‘:3'-. )53
% 24
; :
:
. &
o ‘
b 2
,( 3
&:’
: ;55:5:355?. o »:i':?: ; .zi:
e
R O 3
L
p da
/o} B E &
i . Ry
B g AN | it
gl SR 3
: oM fiff. N _
IR i
E 3
A f
O Y
.
i Fo .
-_.‘ . o "
7 ; ::s:' - p
7 i ' ) iy ik
; 5 s g
5 \ \—/ Fd
; i o
b ¥
N [ .A
? ’ J' ».( i
X gt § ; : :
\,, ] re N
Y g' %A( [
B . R "’ [
AUGUSTA FOCUS JULY 31,1997
&
NS ==
f
E
g
11A
