Forsyth County Senior Services resumes in-person programming at their Sexton Hall location.  Activities begin during the week of April 12 with great opportunities to reconnect and gather safely while enjoying a variety of fun activities. They're planning for bingo, crafts, games and plenty of entertainment and laughter with friends!  See details for these in-person offerings by viewing page 2 of the Senior Services April/May Newsletter. 
 

In 2020, Age Well Forsyth provided to Forsyth County seniors the following:

* Dog and cat food for the participants of the Meals on Wheels program
* Incontinence products for those that requested them on the “Meals on Wheels” Program.
* Had a provider for cat and dog care at no expense to seniors on MOW program
* Provided Senior Center with quarterly grants for needed personal items for individual seniors such  as wheelchairs, walkers, insure, small repairs, fans, heaters, etc.
* Provided a quarterly grant open to all Forsyth County seniors Called “Helping Seniors Grant”.
This year, Age Well cut trees and did needed yard work for one senior, put gutters on one senior’s home, helped Hopewell Roofers put a roof on a seniors home that had been covered with a tarp for over a year, and replaced a garage door and window at a seniors home.
* “Sunshine Club” Alzheimer’s group support each year - curtailed due to Centers closing.
* Grants to the “Unfunded Meals on Wheels” program.  This year, due to the covid-19 pandemic, there was a greater response for meals, thus this fund had to be increased beyond the normal $5,000.
* Day trips and over- night trips at reduced cost for seniors. This was severely limited this year due to COVID-19.
* Valentine Party for the Seniors at Sexton Hall in February. There was entertainment, door prizes and food.  No cost to the seniors. This was the ONLY one we could have this year.
* Bought a new dishwasher for the center and matched a grant for silverware.
* In February, Age Well began to fund a breakfast program for the seniors at Charles Place.  This ended as the center was closed in March.
* Provided fresh produce to the “Meals on Wheels” participants that probably were staying at home afraid to go to the stores. This lasted most of the summer.
* Provided masks for the senior Center to give away to any senior that asked for one. These were paper and cloth.
* Two of Age Well’s board members always send something to the “Meals on Wheels” participants for every holiday.  They do this at their own cost.
* At Thanksgiving, Age Well provided a canned ham, canned green beans, canned potatoes, fresh lettuce and tomatoes for the” Meals on Wheels” participants and other needy seniors as per the Forsyth County Senior Center. Some received Ensure. Two of our board members sent  individual pies also.
* At Christmas, Age Well provided canned beef and gravy, black beans with rice and Christmas cards and candy canes to over 250 “Meals On Wheels” participants and other needy seniors.
 
 
 
 

Forsyth County has undertaken a large study on the issue of public transportation. Your feedback is very important, and there are several ways to share your thoughts, including a survey and a virtual public meeting. Although you may currently drive, have you considered your future transportation needs? There may come a time when you don't want to drive or when you will need alternate means of transportation. How will you get to and from your appointments and outings? Would you benefit from a more comprehensive public transportation system?

For more information about the study and to take the survey online, go to the Link Forsyth website by clicking HERE. English and Spanish options are available. 

You can also attend a Virtual Public Open House Transportation Meeting – they are Wednesday, August 12, 11 a.m. – noon, or Wednesday, August 12, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Click HERE for more information related to the virtual meetings, including the meeting link and phone number.

Due to high demand, we have reviewed and awarded small grants for the remainder of calendar year 2020. Submissions for 2021 will open on January 1, 2021.

Our Helping Seniors (Small Grant) program is intended to assist any private citizen or organization (student, civic, etc.) who wishes to assist an individual or group of seniors by completing a project that could improve their living conditions or quality of life. Examples might include building a handicap ramp at the private home of a senior; adding senior-friendly activity equipment at a local park; developing and provisioning an activity program for a senior living facility; repairing/improving in-home accessibility or outdoor safety at a home.

Last quarter's small grant assisted a senior citizen with roof repairs.

A single grant of up to $1000 will be awarded each quarter. For 2nd quarter 2020, the application period opens on April 1; completed applications should be returned by the May 15 deadline; submissions will be reviewed and one grant will be awarded by June 15. Any government or agency permissions required would also need to be obtained by the applying person/organization.

Download the application document here; complete and return either by mail to:
Small Grant Program - AgeWell Forsyth Small Grants, P.O. Box 2206, Cumming, GA, 30028;
​or by email to agewelllinda@gmail.com.

Age Well is proud to continue helping our county's senior citizens in so many different ways, small and large. Read on for our Top Hit List of 2019:

Activities supporting Forsyth County Senior Services department include:
Continuing support for Meals on Wheels participants and/or individual seniors as requested, specifically for cat and dog food and incontinence products.

Yearly grant for extra food for seniors in need from the Food bank in Gainesville

$5,000 per year for unfunded Meals on Wheels’ new participants

$5,000 per year for expenses for “Sunshine Group” Alzheimer’s participants at Sexton Hall

$3,000 per quarter for needed purchases for Meals on Wheels recipients.  This may be a fan, a blanket, a heater, a walker, a wheel chair, or a repair.  Mr. Hill supervises this with Linda Ledbetter’s help.

Extra money for fresh fruit and breakfast foods for congregate at Charles Place

Dessert (pies) at the Thanksgiving Dinner at the Senior Center

Scholarships for seniors that cannot afford to take a class they wish to participate in at one of the Senior Centers.

A gambling day bus trip to N.C. every other month

On a continuing basis, two of our board members, out of their own pockets, provide Holiday treats from Age Well for every holiday.  These go to the Meals on Wheel participants and the congregate.

Each year, new needs arise for the Forsyth County Senior Center facilities. The ones funded this past year were an industrial dishwasher for Charles Place, and a matching grant for silverware at Charles Place.

A Valentine Party for seniors at Sexton Hall with music, entertainment and food.

A “Hoedown Party” at Sexton Hall for active seniors in the fall. Age Well provided the DJ music, entertainment, decorations, and food for everyone with the help of the Sexton Hall staff.

In November, Age Well provided a craft class free to all seniors at Charles Place and made bracelets. There were over 15 participants.

In December, Age Well offered a free craft class making Christmas ornaments.  There were over 20 participants.

Other activities focusing on seniors at large include:
     * Continuing support and participation with the Council on Aging in Atlanta.
     * Provides an extra bus for Senior Day at the Capitol if needed.
     * A funding sponsor for the yearly SENIOR EXPO at Lanier Tech.
     * “Grant for Seniors Program” - One grant per quarter for a qualifying senior who needs something
         they cannot do or provide for themselves.  The grants are from $500 to $1,000 per quarter.
         Age Well gave out 4 grants in 2019, one per quarter.
     * Age Well promoted rides to doctors for seniors and stands ready to help if the County’s new
​        Ride-Share pilot program needs assistance in any way.

To fund this wide range of support for seniors, Age Well Forsyth receives generous donations from local corporations, as well as generating revenue from services or activities including:

Age Well’s variety show at the Cumming Playhouse is the major fundraiser each year. There are many board members as well as volunteers who participate in this show. Cindy Bowman and Linda Ledbetter have directed it in years past and Ruthie Brew, the director for Senior Services, has been a volunteer!

Several low-cost overnight regional trip opportunities for seniors that wish to travel.

National and international trips; in 2019, these included Austria, Switzerland, and Bavaria, a trip to the National Parks, and Christmas on the Danube.  These trips, of course, vary every year depending on what people ask for.

At a recent Cumming City Council meeting, Age Well Forsyth presented an Award of Appreciation to members of the Mashburn family for their philanthropy and care for the elderly of Forsyth County. Read the speech we gave for the details:

"​On behalf of Age Well Forsyth, a local non-profit supporting County senior services and furthering senior issues, we would like to present these Awards of Appreciation to the Mashburn family, for once again considering the good of Forsyth County’s most vulnerable citizens, in preserving the affordable senior housing property that could have been included in the recent sale of family property bordering Veterans Memorial Parkway and Meadow Drive.
Doctor Mark Mashburn was well ahead of his time as a philanthropist, directing that housing’s original development in the 1950s. It is still one of the only available spaces for income-challenged seniors in the County. The Mashburns have protected and brought peace of mind to those residents, and Age Well and other senior-centric organizations in the County are very grateful for their action."

Many of you may have seen the coverage in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about problems in Assisted Living and Personal Care homes in Georgia. This coverage has created a plethora of responses and follow-up to this very important topic regarding the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable citizens. CO-AGE, a statewide advocacy group for the elderly, has made addressing these issues one of its top priorities in working with the state legislature for 2020. For links to the coverage, visit the CO-AGE website at  https://www.gcoa.org/