NCCOA President & CEO Janice Ancrum helps unload a truckload of restaurant meals in 2020, the result of a local partnership to feed seniors during the pandemic.
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By Janice Ancrum, NCCOA President & CEO
Starting in July, we began chronicling the first 50 years of your Nassau County Council on Aging through local media and agency communication channels. What began as a small group of dedicated citizens, led by George Crady, has evolved into a multifaceted service organization that anticipates and meets the needs of our Greatest Generation.
Our current decade – the 2020s – began on an extremely auspicious note. Covid-19 – The Pandemic – became a part of our vocabulary and our lives. Seniors, a vulnerable population, were faced with daily decisions involving nutrition, transportation and health care. With seniors hesitant to venture outside their homes, NCCOA provided boots-on-the-ground services throughout the county: Meals on Wheels and MOW for Pets, rides to critical medical appointments, and delivery of prescriptions and needed supplies. We also continued invaluable community partnerships to obtain restaurant meals, storage containers, masks and other PPE items. Even though our Life Centers were closed to the general public, we opened our minds and restored some semblance of normality for the elderly. We instituted virtual programming for our health and wellness classes, and offered new at-home learning tracks. For everyone, life activities beyond the norm became “business as unusual.”
Since reopening our doors and restarting our full complement of programs and services, NCCOA life has even picked up the pace (believe it or not). Both Senior Life Centers in Fernandina Beach and Hilliard have benefited from state appropriations for internal and exterior improvements. In turn, our seniors reap the benefits of safe and welcoming centers of activity for dining and socializing. The Club now has expanded offerings with proven therapies, new programming and caregiver services. In addition, an Advisory Council provides expertise and oversight for our seniors requiring extra assistance due to cognitive and/or physical challenges. NassauTRANSIT continues to be the only public transportation provider in Nassau County. (We will continue to offer this service until a new provider is named sometime in 2024.) Advocate Home Healthcare is on the verge of a rebuild, in order to attract new clients and home health caregivers. Be on the lookout for news and information next year.
While our first 50 years are now in the books, our story is far from finished. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the number of people over 65 years old will grow to comprise about 20% of the U.S. population by 2030. Nassau County is no different. Today, seniors comprise close to 30% of the population, and all indicators point to continued growth.
NCCOA will continue to evolve and grow, along with our senior population. Five areas, foundational to our mission, have our attention and help define our purpose:
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- Aging in Place – Being the thought leader and “go-to” resource for seniors whose goal is to live independently
- Home Health – Ensuring hands-on support for our seniors’ activities of daily living
- Wellness – Offering a strategic menu of classes, activities and programs that stimulate healthy minds and bodies
- Caregiver Resources – Providing support systems, education and outreach opportunities
- Technology – Answering the need of the increasing numbers of elder consumers of hi-tech devices and systems
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While these focal areas may morph with the times, one thing can be sure: NCCOA’s mission of helping seniors live happy, healthy lives will remain the same. Now and into the future.
NCCOA celebrates our 50th anniversary at the “Salute to Seniors’ Gala, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, 6-10 p.m., The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. Three-course dinner, dancing, open bar. Tickets are on sale – $250 per person, $2,500 per table of 10; http://bit.ly/3sp4kzZ. Questions? Contact us at 904-261-0701.
Sources: Nassau County, FL Government, Florida Department of Elder Affairs, National Institutes of Health