Cass County Board: Central Minnesota Council on Aging continues focus on helping senior citizens

WILSON TOWNSHIP — The Central Minnesota Council on Getting older continues to advocate for seniors residing in Cass County.

Lori Vrolson, representing Central Minnesota Council on Getting older, offered the group’s annual report back to Cass County commissioners on the common board assembly Tuesday, June 21.

Through the presentation Vrolson stated the Central Minnesota Council on Getting older is dedicated to sustaining the best stage of independence of older individuals by creating and coordinating group care, lowering isolation and enhancing entry to providers.

Because of the pandemic and the rise of federal funds, the group was in a position to make the most of roughly $5 million regionally in 2021 examine to the approximate $3 million it acquired in 2019. Of this funding, Vrolson stated Cass County acquired 6% of Central Minnesota Council on Getting older funding towards packages. A number of the packages Central Minnesota Council on Getting older supplies to individuals 60 years previous and older are congregate meals, residence delivered meals, assisted transportation, helping in chores, homemaker assist, caregiver consulting, respite care and authorized help.

One program Vrolson targeted on was the senior meals program, which at present affords low revenue seniors as much as 20 frozen meals monthly. When requested the place seniors can purchase this meals bundle, Vrolson stated the Central Minnesota Council on Getting older is specializing in offering it on the Diet Help Program for Seniors websites relatively than native meals cabinets as a result of the meals are solely out there to individuals over the age of 60. When youthful households would go to the meals shelf, they might query why this was not out there to them, she stated.

One other program mentioned was assisted transportation and the dearth of volunteers. Throughout COVID, most volunteers had been reluctant to drive individuals to and from appointments or purchasing journeys. At the moment the issue discovering volunteers to drive is as a result of improve of gasoline costs.

In different enterprise:

County Engineer Darrick Anderson requested the board undertake a decision to authorize affords of compensation to landowners for easements required for the County Freeway 70 challenge that can present a brand new river crossing in East Gull Lake and substitute the prevailing dam crossing.

The following conferences are as follows: commissioner’s board assembly 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 5, on the boardroom within the courthouse annex in Walker; and commissioner’s board assembly 6 p.m. July 19 at Birch Lake Township, 3611 fortieth Ave NW, Hackensack.