County senior services survive

Darby Prater
The Enquirer

MARSHALL — County senior services will continue at a similar level in 2008, since the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a recommendation to appropriate $2.663 million to fund those services.

The Senior Millage Allocation Committee recommended the board appropriate $2.65 million toward senior services, but the commission added an additional $13,000 at the request of Linda Grap, Senior Health Partners director. Grap explained the $13,000 would allow the Whole Person Wellness program to continue to operate once a week at 10 sites, including Homer, Tekonsha and Clarence Township. As part of the program, a nurse and an exercise specialist travel to those communities and others in Albion, Battle Creek and Marshall to provide chronic disease prevention and management as well as exercise sessions.

"Eliminating these services (in Homer, Tekonsha and Clarence Township) would be a loss to about 43 seniors, most of which suffer from chronic health problems and could really use access to a nurse," Grap told the board before the vote. "These services are vital especially to those in rural areas that have less access to medical care."

Board Chairwoman Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) proposed an amendment to add the $13,000 from the fund balance. The board unanimously approved the amendment.

In addition, the board approved the funding of five new programs: Specialty transportation for Forks Senior Center in Albion ($5,000); overnight respite care at the Calhoun County Medical Care Facility ($10,000); Senior Health Partners fall prevention ($5,000); and a health assistance fund ($10,000) and basic insurance coverage for the uninsured ($73,365) for Calhoun Health Plan.

Thirty-seven proposals from 16 agencies amounted to nearly $3.6 million in requested funding.

Some significant services that were not funded at the requested level included home-heating assistance and elder-abuse prevention. The Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan requested $200,000 for home-heating assistance, but was allocated $150,000. Elder-abuse prevention programs did not receive any funding.

"This recommendation includes stable levels of funding to organizations which are already providing services," said Karla Fales, county senior services manager. "We aren't expecting huge cuts in services. Things are going to be a little tighter because they're tighter everywhere."

Darby Prater can be reached at 966-0589 or dprater@battlecr.gannett.com.

Originally published November 2, 2007
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