By Vicki Scott
This might seem like a soapbox that I might be getting on, but I’ve “gotta beef” and I feel the need to share something.
Our meal program here at George Wallace Senior Center in Glencoe is NOT a charity! We are here to help short or long-term if needed but we are more like a social club. We are not a nursing home! It is a place where seniors meet and enjoy fellowship with a meal. Our goal is to keep our seniors mentally and physically active. We want to keep our seniors OUT of a nursing home! When our seniors finish eating or whatever is going on here, they go home, where they live independently.
This morning I received that one call that set me off. We had to cancel a meal because they didn’t want it to look like they were a charity. Last week, I was reprimanded by a senior who had been in the hospital with himself and his wife. He stated that he was not ready for the grave. Well, I’m not ready for him to go to the grave. He was over the age of 60, and being that they had been in the hospital, he and his wife qualified for a homebound meal just until they got back in full swing. We can do that if we have homebound meals available. For our homebound meals, we can serve the Glencoe community if a person cannot leave due to a physical or mental disability and is over 60. It is not based on income, but need. Those seniors can enjoy a hot meal Monday through Friday, and we get a chance to visit their house five days a week!
We serve some of our meals here at the center, and we call these congregate meals. We’ve had several seniors that could not wait to turn 60 when they could come and eat with us. Our meal program is the only part of our program where you must be over 60, and we have several seniors that are not old enough to eat but come for the fellowship and activities. My husband doesn’t get excited about much but he is excited about turning 60, because he will be able to come and eat. He said he plans to eat every day, and I am perfectly okay with that. If I was not an employee, I would qualify to eat when he turns 60 if I come eat with him!
As if food and fellowship isn’t enough, we have different activities and speakers that at some point are sure to be fun and/or educational for everyone. On Monday, Nov. 13, we were visited by an audiologist, and he let us look inside our ears! He gave us tips and options concerning our hearing. This session was after exercise class that we hold regularly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are when we have line-dancing. Normally, every Wednesday we have bingo, but sometimes things come up, like attending a holiday luncheon in Gadsden on the 15th. All of these things are FREE to seniors!
We go places and we do things. It would be an honor to watch every senior in our community enjoy this center. I mean, it’s free, folks, but free doesn’t mean it’s a charity. We do accept donations. It is a constant fight to get the ladies and gentlemen of this “proud” generation to not see our center as a charity. I know that our “proud” generation of seniors worked for everything and I also know that many people were blessed by these same proud people. I wish they would let us bless them for a change.
In any case, thanks for letting me vent, and have a wonderful day, y’all!