The Limestone County Council On Aging: Assistance With Medicare And More

The Limestone County Council on Aging (COA) is a department of the Limestone County Commission. Its services are also supported by Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments (TARCOG), the Area Agency on Aging, the City of Athens, and other local agencies. The COA is located at 912 West Pryor Street in Athens. The COA was designed to help seniors stay in their homes and be independent as long as they can. Through the COA, seniors are provided with services such as transportation, Meals on Wheels, homemaker services, SeniorX, SHIP (Medicare Part D. counseling), and legal assistance. Our services are offered at no charge to those 60 or older, although donations are always welcome.

There are seven senior centers throughout the county; Athens, East Limestone, Ardmore, Elkmont, Good Springs, Owens, and Tanner. All centers, except for Ardmore and Good Springs, serve a nutritionally balanced lunch five days per week. Each center offers daily activities for seniors such as exercise classes, music entertainment, games, etc. The centers also take fun trips throughout the year, and have done such things as attend picnics, musicals, visit the Amish community, and other community events. Just recently, they went on a trip to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens, which is an especially popular outing.

Transportation is provided to each center if needed. The COA also transports seniors to doctors’ appointments, grocery shopping, and errand routes are offered as well. Meals on Wheels are available for those 60 or older who are homebound and cannot prepare meals for themselves. Currently COA provides 14,000 meals a month to seniors of Limestone County! In-home services are offered to those who cannot perform daily housekeeping duties. The SeniorX Program assists those 55 or older, who meet the requirements for free or reduced prescription drugs. The COA also offers legal assistance to the seniors. The attorney assists with a variety of legal needs, such as powers of attorney, wills, consumer issues, and long term care. Medicare Part D/ SHIP counseling is available year round. We can help with Medicare questions, enrollment, and help for those who qualify.

Medicare Part D Open Enrollment begins October 15th, and will last until December 7th, 2016. The Limestone County Council on Aging provides free counseling sessions during this period, and usually averages seeing 400 or more clients. It is very important to remember that with the Medicare Open Enrollment campaign there are unfortunately a lot of scams that are run which are designed to part seniors from their money. Remember, no one from Medicare will come to your door, and they will not contact you by phone or email. Medicare always sends their correspondence the old fashioned way, by letter. DO NOT give ANYONE any of your financial information, Social Security number, or bank account numbers. If you have any questions, you need to make an appointment to see the trained counselors who know how to protect and defend seniors! All sessions, whether they are regarding Medicare in general, or possible scams, are by appointment only. Call (256) 233-6412 to set up your appointment as soon as possible.

The counselors are briefed each year on the latest changes and developments and can offer you updated information about changes in premiums, deductibles, etc. Call the COA at (256) 233-6412 for more information about various activities and programs. COA is always looking for volunteers to help with Meals on Wheels, educational and recreational programs, classes and special events. Any volunteers are appreciated.
By: Madison Curnutt