WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING
Services are offered to all residents in Wexford County age 60 or older. Our mission is to collaboratively provide, manage, and source an integrated system of health and human services for Wexford County seniors and adults with chronic illness or disability. Deputy Director: Bonnie Forbes.
Main Office: 117 W. Cass St., Cadillac, MI 49601
Hours: 8:00 am to
4:00 pm Monday through Friday
(closed holidays)
Phone: (231) 775-0133 or toll
free at
1-800-882-9176
Fax:
(231) 775-9833
E-mail: wccoaseniors@hotmail.com
FOOT CARE CLINICS (Wexford County)
Manton Senior Center, 2nd
Monday each month. Call (231) 824-6961 for appointment & information.
Mesick Golden Agers, 3rd Tuesday of each month. Call (231) 885-1102 for
appointment & information.
Harrieta Area Retirees, last Thursday of each month. Call (231)
389-2385 for appointment & information.
Cadillac Senior Center, 2nd Wednesday of each month. Call (231) 779-9420
for appointment & information.
Lawn Mowing: 60 or older, registered client of Wexford County COA, and a resident of Wexford County. Call us.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Walk the Wex: The Civic Center is open for walking 9:30 - 3:30 Monday through Friday.
Interested in membership on the
WCCOA Board of
Directors? Receive an application by calling (231) 775-0133 or 1-800-882-9176.
Commission on Aging Board meetings each
month at the Elder Care Resource Center are open to the public. For more
information, call 775-0133 or 1 (800) 882-9176.
Stop in at Wexford County Council on Aging to pick up a free cell phone good for 911 calls only. Donations of cell phones for this program are accepted between 8:00 and 4:00 at 117 W. Cass.
The Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority is now offering a "Healthway Express" bus to provide non-emergency medical-related transportation for residents within Wexford County. The bus is lift-equipped. The service is available Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 5:30 pm. Seniors 55+ pay $1 one way for City Fares and $1.50 one way for Out-County citizens. Reservations needed on a first come, individual basis. Dispatch: 779-0123; TDD: 779-0124; Toll Free: 1-866-647-5465.
Senior Helping
Hands Program: Volunteers Needed
Assist with grocery shopping or other errands; offering a
lift to the doctor; sharing a meal; talking about old times and new challenges;
easing loneliness and/or providing short periods of relief to caregivers.
Please call to volunteer: 1-888-200-9335.
HOMEMAKING PROGRAM
Wexford County residents 60 years old and older may receive help around the house or assistance getting groceries and other necessities. We will provide a trained and screened homemaker who will come to your home and help you maintain a clean and healthy environment. A COA staff member will talk to you, and then a homemaker will be assigned to visit on a regular basis. The staff member will help you decide what needs to be done, and a list of tasks will be given to the homemaker for completion. Services include
NOTE: Homemaking does NOT include provision for
Home Chore or Personal Care tasks. See below for
those services.
MEDICATION ACCESS PROGRAM
If you can't afford prescription medicine, you may be
eligible to enroll in a program which provides medicine at low or no cost.
This program serves patients with incomes at or below 200% of
the federal poverty level. This is the same income guideline currently used by
the Cadillac Area Community Health Clinic.
IN-HOME RESPITE
Many seniors and disabled adults have the difficult task of taking care of a loved one who needs extra help or who cannot be left alone. The In-Home Respite Program will provide a trained health technician to come to your home and take care of your loved one. This will allow you time and security to run errands, shop, visit, or just relax. The health technician will stay with your loved one, ensure his or her safety, and provide companionship in a familiar environment.
PERSONAL CARE
Personal care services are also provided by a trained health technician to help those who experience difficulty with the activities of daily living. These services can include one or more of the following:
The loved one who needs in-home respite services may or may not also need personal care services. First, a pre-screen telephone interview will be conducted with a staff member. Then a registered nurse will come to your home by appointment to get acquainted and discuss your needs, and together you will decide appropriate arrangements and services.
PRIVATE DUTY NURSING
This service provides in-home services, including medication set-up and management, in the comfort of the client's home by a registered nurse. Additional services (over and above what the various funding programs offer) can be purchased through the COA by means of cost sharing.
HOME CHORE
Our home chore services involve odd jobs around the house that are intended to increase the safety of individuals in their home. There is a cost for labor and materials for this service. Odd jobs may include
LAWN MOWING AND SNOW PLOWING PROGRAM
NOTE: To
qualify, a senior needs to be a registered
client
of COA.
Lawn Mowing Service
We
will mow your lawn/lot of up to 100 by 150 feet up to 3 times a month. Any
additional times, larger lawns, trimming, leaf removal, and grass removal could
be contracted by the mower at a reasonable cost to you. Any additional cost, if
you choose these extra services, will be collected by the contractor from you
directly. Mowers will not mow lawns when too wet or extremely dry.
Snow Plowing
Service
We plow snow from driveways up to 60 feet in length. We plow only after
it has snowed four inches or more. Plowers do not plow while it is still
storming. Any additional times or longer driveways could be contracted by the
plower at a reasonable cost to you. Any additional cost, if you choose these
extra services, will be collected by the contractor from you directly.
NOTE: For both lawn and snow services, we will send a contribution letter monthly. Contributions are voluntary and confidential. We appreciate any contribution; however, if you cannot afford a contribution, the service will not be stopped as long as millage dollars are available.
DAYBREAK--ADULT DAY CENTER
This service gives fragile elderly adults a place to have fun and enjoy life in a homelike atmosphere. The program gives full-time care partners relief and time for their many tasks or simply to relax. If a family member or friend is experiencing memory loss or physical disabilities, he or she may be eligible for this program. Many funding programs are available to help with cost.
Some of the services offered by DayBreak include
DayBreak is located in a safe, handicapped-accessible home near the hospital at 315 Whaley Road, Cadillac MI 49601. Their number is (231) 779-5274. For referrals or more information, call COA at (231) 775-0133.
Hours: M-Th
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
F 10:00 am - 2:00 pm (every other Friday)
SUPPORT GROUPS
Some of the following groups meet at Wexford COA (across from the Shay Locomotive) in the Eldercare Resource Room. Call Diane at 775-0133 or at 1-800-882-9176 for up-to-date information.
Alzheimer's Association Support Group.
If you
have taken on the role as caregiver or just want
to learn more about Alzheimer's
disease, join us on the
2nd Wednesday of each month from 2:00 - 3:30 pm.
Green Acres Retirement Living, 235 Pearl Street,
Cadillac, MI
Phone Diane Patterson (231) 779-9420 for more
details, or
call the Alzheimer's Association at (231)
929-3804.
Bereavement Support Groups:
McBain: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, 2:00
to 3:30 pm. Christian Reformed Church, 201 Sabrina St.
Cadillac: 3rd Tuesday of
each month, 2:30 to 4:00 pm.
Hospice of Michigan Office, 932 North Mitchell.
Cadillac Men's Group:
4th Wednesday of each month,
6:00 to 7:15 pm. Hospice of Northern Michigan, 932
North Mitchell.
For information or to register, call Cindy Bardenhagen
at Hospice of Michigan: 1-800-553-1924
Stroke
Club
Stroke survivors, caregivers, and interested individuals
may join us on the 4th Wednesday of each month at
2:00 - 3:30 pm. Call (231) 775-0133. COA
office, 117
W. Cass, Cadillac.
Low Vision Support Group
The visually
impaired and their caregivers are invited to
join us on the 2nd Monday of each
month at 10:00 to
11:30 am. Facilitator: Connie Payne.
Wexford County
COA Resource Room, 117 W. Cass, Cadillac.
Now you can arrange a ride by calling the CWTA at 779-0123
a few days in advance and asking for the special low vision support bus. Fare
each way is $1.
Parkinson's Support Group
The Cadillac Area Chapter meets in various
locations
Join them on the
3rd Wednesday of each month from
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Call Diane Patterson at
(231) 775-0133.
Location: Cadillac Senior Center, 601
Chestnut.
Recipient
of the Ellen Otto Award from the Michigan
Parkinson Foundation.
FREQUENTLY REQUESTED TELEPHONE NUMBERS
The following agencies are not affiliated with Wexford County Council on Aging.
Cadillac Senior Center 779-9450
Family Independence Agency
779-4500
Love
(Inc) In the Name of Christ
779-1888
Meals on Wheels (NW Human Services)
775-9781
Social Security Office
1-800-772-1213
Wexford Healthway Express
(medical appts.) 779-0123
Red Cross (out-of-county medical appts.)
775-5351
Wexford/Missaukee CWTA (was Dial-A-Ride) 779-0123
OUR FUNDING
Aside from funding through the Wexford County Council on Aging millage and private contributions, other sources include Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan, Northern Health Care Management, United Way of Wexford County, Office of Services for the Aging, and Family Independence Agency.
Subscriptions to COA's bimonthly newsletter can be made by calling COA at (231) 775-0133. The suggested donation for a yearly subscription is $10.