Diana Whitlow speaks to fellow Rotarians about aging

Recently Diana Whitlow retired from her job with the Area Agency on Aging but not before telling fellow Rotarians in the Rotary Club of Scenic 7 what the agency does for seniors and their families.
The purpose of the Area Agency on Aging is to help seniors live independent, meaningful and dignified lives. The not-for-profit provides many kinds of help to seniors in Clark, Conway, Garland, Hot Spring, Johnson, Montgomery, Perry, Pike, Pope and Yell Counties.
The Agency connects seniors with the help they need. Agency case managers make free house calls to assess needs. These case managers know what services are available in the area and can match a senior with the right services. If a senior needs assistance with grooming, bathing, transferring and meal preparation, the Agency can find the right match. All care is supervised by a Registered Nurse visiting the home every 60 days to ensure the services remain appropriate for the senior’s needs.
Agency case managers can help seniors find home delivered meals, senior center services, senior companion volunteer opportunities, assistance with Medicare Part D, training in chronic disease management, help in finding services in another state, nursing home ombudsman, in-home respite care, monetary assistance for family care givers and personal emergency response systems.
There are five offices providing care in Central Arkansas, one in Russelville, Morrilton, Hot Springs, Malvern and Arkadelphia. Whitlow worked in the Hot Springs office.
She talked about the newest Agency program, the caregiver respite program.
Respite services are to relieve the caregiver from their responsibilities for short periods of time so they may have a respite to relax, conduct family business and participate in other activities. There is in-home respite, adult day care or institutional respite for all an overnight stay on an intermittent, occasional or emergency basis.
Participants must be 60 years of age or over. The caregiver and respite caregiver may be any age over 18.
For more information, call (800) 467-2170.
The Rotary Club of Scenic 7 meets on Thursdays at noon at Molly O’Brien’s on Highway 7. Anyone may attend. Lunch is available but must be paid for by the participant. The club will not meet Thursday, March 31.