TARCOG’s longtime elder law attorney LaTanya Rhines has announced her retirement that will be effective at the end of September.
“It’s time,” LaTanya said. “I love what I do, and I am going to miss my clients and co-workers. I just feel like it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life, and I am excited to see what new adventures lie ahead.”
LaTanya will retire after 25 years with TARCOG, serving thousands of clients throughout northeast Alabama. Her accomplishments and contributions to her community and state are many. Highlights include in 2020, Governor Ivey appointed LaTanya to the Alabama Family Trust’s (AFT) Board of Trustees, she currently serves as the board’s secretary. She is a member of the Elder Law Section of the State Bar, and she serves as the chairman of the Guntersville Library Board, vice president of the Lakeview Community Civic Organization, and as clerk for her church.
Executive Director Michelle Jordan said the dedication and care that LaTanya has shown over the past 25years has been invaluable to the agency, but more importantly to the clients that TARCOG serves.
LaTanya will be missed, but to continue serving clients a search for a new elder law attorney is underway.
“We are in a hiring season, and this is just one of our openings,” Michelle said. “If you are a dedicated professional who enjoys helping others, TARCOG may have a job opportunity for your consideration.”
She said TARCOG eagerly welcomes problem solvers, creative thinkers, and service-minded team members to be a part of our mission and impact.
In addition to the elder law attorney, current job openings include:
Medicaid Waiver Case Manager
Grants Administrator
“At TARCOG, we do life-changing work every day,” Michelle said. “Our services improve the lives of over 700,000 residents throughout northeast Alabama.”
TARCOG strives for a supportive work environment dedicated to its core values:
Service
Initiative
Accountability
Transparent Communication
“We are striving to create a work environment at TARCOG that employees never want to leave,” Michelle says. Some of the benefits for all full-time employees include:
Health insurance that is 100 percent paid for employee. Family coverage options are available for an out-of-pocket cost.
Dental and Vision insurance options
Life insurance is 100 percent paid for employee
Retirement Plan options
Annual and Sick Leave
Flexibility for remote and hybrid work, eligibility varies
Ready to join a team where you truly make a difference? Explore our open positions and apply today on Indeed.com
The Limestone County Council on Aging and Limestone Manor will hold a free 2024 Health Fair — Treasure Your Health — on Friday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Central Church of Christ Gym, 320 Highway 31 N. in Athens.
As part of National Grandparents Month in September, St. Bartley P.B. Church will hold a National Grandparents Day Celebration at its Fellowship Hall, 3020 Belafonte Ave. NW in Huntsville on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Anyone with questions may contact Stephanie Daffin at daffinsr8@gmail.com or 256-468-2106.
The event is co-sponsored by TARCOG, AARP and the Alabama A&M and Auburn Extension Service. Click for more details.
Tickets are available to help STUDIO 60 celebrate 50 years of dedication and service to the community. Read more about this special celebration for STUDIO 60, which was incorporated in 1974 as the Huntsville-Madison County Senior Center. Three local agencies merged with the aim of providing services and social opportunities to area senior adults. Today, the 47,500-square-foot center located on Drake Avenue serves as a hub for various member activities, including exercise, dance, sports, creative arts, and learning.
These opportunities are free to residents of Huntsville and Madison County who are age 60 and above.
Where People and history come together in unexpected ways
Staff and seniors walk along Alabama Avenue to City Drug for ice cream.
Sitting on the front porch and waiting to die is not how 62-year-old Trelvis Barnhill wants to live, so he found the Bridgeport Senior Center, where he’s sitting down for lunch for the second time.
He’s new to the community he describes as laid-back. Coming from Atlanta, it’s a different pace for him and he’s trying to adjust.
“When my father got older, he sat on the front porch,” Trelvis said. “I remember visiting him and asking him what he was doing, and he said, ‘I’m sitting here waiting to die’ and that’s not me. I am waiting on the Lord.”
By visiting the senior center, he said he enjoys the food and hopes to meet people and figure out something to do besides sitting on the porch.
Whether Trelvis knows it or not yet, while Bridgeport may have a laid-back feel with a friendly vibe, the small town of about 2,300 people is an historic town. Situated along the Tennessee River and less than 10 minutes from the Tennessee state line. The first railroad bridge over the Tennessee River was completed here in 1854. There’s now a walking bridge across the river and the seniors take a stroll there from time to time.
There is a walking bridge next to the railroad bridge across the Tennessee River in Bridgeport.
During the Civil War the town was a strategic site because of the rail line and the river. Today, the Bridgeport Depot Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. It’s just down the street from the senior center, which is on Alabama Avenue in the heart of the small downtown area.
The center is on Alabama Avenue, not far from the site of a deadly natural gas explosion in 1999 that forever changed the town. Three men died instantly and at least nine others were critically injured, with one more dying as a result of injuries in the spring of the following year. Three buildings were leveled, and several others were damaged.
The Town Park sits across the street from the Bridgeport Senior Center is an amphitheater, pavilion, fountain and playground.
The tragedy will never be forgotten and today the town continues to work on a revitalization plan. Across the street from the senior center, an amphitheater, pavilion, and a playground make up the Town Park. It is also where the annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride starts in Alabama each September.
Bridgeport and its residents embrace its historic highs and lows. And they share their stories at the senior center.
Sue Lokotar, 73, recently returned to the center following her husband Bob’s death. They started going to the center together about 10 years ago and attended regularly until he got sick.
One of the best parts about the Bridgeport Senior Center, she said, is the stories you hear.
“There are all kinds of stories,” she said. Including her own.
Sue Lokotar, Doris Clark and Ethel Ferguson share stories while working on a puzzle at the Bridgeport Senior Center.
Some 21 years ago, Sue was living in Canada and Bob was in Wisconsin when they met in an online chatroom while both were recovering from different surgeries. When they both healed enough to meet it person, it didn’t take long for them to tie the knot. After one winter together in Wisconsin, they agreed to look for a more tolerable climate and wound up purchasing property in Bridgeport.
Getting back to the Senior Center after Bob’s passing has been good for her spirits.
“I love it here,” Sue said. “The socialization with the little ladies here is amazing.”
According to U.S. Census Data, 22.4 percent of the town’s population is 65 and older. And several count on the Senior Center for food, fun and friends.
Mary Anne Tennant is the new manager of the Bridgeport Senior Center
Trelvis isn’t the only new face in town and the center either. Mary Anne Tennant became the center’s new director mid-July. She and her husband Larry moved to Bridgeport in December after he retired from the ministry.
“We were looking for a place we could afford, and this was the first place we looked, and we bought the second house we looked at – it’s a hobby farm,” she said. “And we love it here.”
A friend from church told Mary Anne about the opening at the senior center, thinking it would be a perfect fit for her. She agreed, applied and was hired.
“I’m excited about being here,” she said at the end of her first week on the job. There’s a small crowd on this July 19th morning, with games and conversation taking priority.
Hot meals are prepared for 15 at the center and another 33 homebound meals are delivered, said Linda Larcom, nutrition coordinator for the Jackson County Council on Aging who is at the center training Mary Anne.
Ethel Ferguson, 90, soon to be 91 in November, is thankful for a meal she doesn’t have to fix and the van ride that gets her to the center.
“I live by myself and it’s good to get out of the house, talk to people and get a hot meal that I don’t have to cook,” Ethel said. She doesn’t always feel like fixing a meal.
She’s been going to the center for 25-plus years. Ethel recalls growing up working on a farm and picking cotton and corn with a pickaxe and hoe. She left the farm for town started working at the hosiery mill a few weeks before she turned 16. She worked there until it closed and found a job at the sewing factory. A work injury forced her to retire early.
Ethel Ferguson has been a participant with the Bridgeport Senior Center’s longer than anyone else.
“I miss working. I wish I could work now,” she added. “When I retired, I was home by myself.”
The Senior Center has been a mainstay of her weekday life.
“I enjoy associating with others because it helps get through the day,” Ethel said. “We’re real lucky to have a van, otherwise, I would not be able to come. I’ve been riding the van since it started, and it also takes me to the doctor, or the store and it really helps.”
Doris Clark, 86, has been attending the center for the past two years.
“I love playing BINGO, putting together puzzles, or whatever is going on,” she said.
Enjoying ice cream at “The Scoop” at City Drug in downtown Bridgeport.
A new ice cream stand at City Drug down the street is becoming a popular Friday after lunch excursion for center participants. They walk down Alabama Avenue to the store, so the extra calories don’t count as much.
Sherry Mitchell, 68, has been coming to the center since she was 50 as a volunteer, helping prepare meals, deliver meals and clean up.
“I knew all of the people here and I enjoy helping them,” she added.
Among those at the Bridgeport Senior Center on July 19 were from left, Sue Lokotar, Doris Clark, Sue Smith, Ethel Ferguson, Wanda Shavers, Mary Anne Tennant, Linda Larcom, and Brenda Robinson.
For the past 17 years, Brenda Robinson, 57, has been the van driver for the center. She also helps with lunches, plays games and just enjoys being with the older crowd.
“I enjoy watching them and sometimes I bring my granddaughter, Jelani, who is now five.,” Brenda said. “She’s been coming since she was born and they have all held her, fed her and changed her. She knows and loves them all.”
As Jelani grows older, Brenda said she gets in trouble for telling her granddaughter to stop asking so many questions.
“They love her too,” she said. “She has a lot of grandparents.”
Volunteer Sue Smith handling paperwork at the Bridgeport Senior Center.
Sue Smith, 64, stopped at the center eight months ago to volunteer. As a cancer survivor since 2013, she enjoys helping others following her experience.
“I would drive by the center and the Lord impressed me to stop and do something besides sitting at home in my chair doing nothing,” Sue said. “Now I’m enjoying giving back to the older generation, cheering them up and giving them love and attention and the Lord has blessed me tenfold for it.”
For more information about the Bridgeport Senior Center, contact Mary Anne Tennant at 256-495-3383 or just stop by the center at 411 Alabama Ave.
Tanner Senior Center participants on a recent Tennessee River outing.
Imagine a hot summer day, a pontoon boat on the Tennessee River, and fishing off its banks.
Participants at the Tanner Senior Center in Limestone County enjoyed an impromptu day like that recently at Joe Wheeler State Park, plus a group lunch outing at Fuqua’s Southern Soul Food in Rogersville.
“It was really nice,” said Martha McWilliams, 72. “And I caught a fish, or at least I thought I had a fish, for the first time — ever!”
Martha is one of the newer participants at the center, going for about a year now.
“I call ‘em old folks down here even though I’m older than most of the ones here,” Martha said laughing. “I don’t usually stay all day, but I like to get out of the house. I go to the gym and workout, and I come here to the center. I like Bingo and being around other people.
“And sometimes, I get them to dance,” Martha added.
Sitting next to her is Pat Southard, 70. She’s been going to the Tanner center for about two and a half years, but beforehand she went to the Athens center for nearly eight years until it changed to an Activity Center only.
“We have fun here,” Pat said. “We play cards, sing, dance, and meet and greet people.”
Pat Southard and Martha McWilliams at the Tanner Senior Center
She added that since Martha started coming, she’s the “clown of the center,” always bringing fun.
There’s a lot of fun-loving personalities that shine bright at the Tanner Senior Center. But a friendly competitive spirit emerges when the Bingo cards come out.
“I have to have one with a 66 or 7 on it,” Pat said.
“I gotta find me one with a 74 or 66 on it,” Martha added looking through the cards.
Those are their “winning” or “lucky” numbers. Janie Anders, 77, has a different strategy. She balanced her Bingo card on her knees and picked it to play as she worked a puzzle on the table.
Janie Anders
Why do people come?
Thomas Kirk, 77, and his wife Martha, 72, have been coming to the center for about two years.
“We just came to the center one day and kept coming back,” Thomas said. “We have a good time and I like everybody here.”
Thomas and Martha Kirk
Sitting with the Kirks is Greg Whittier, 64, who has been a center participant for four years, following a brain injury.
“Coming here gives me something that I can do,” Greg said. “It’s a good place.”
He enjoys working on puzzles, playing solitaire and games on the computer.
“I enjoy the food,” Greg added.
Greg Whittier
Rhonda Barbour, 70, said her daughter-in-law suggested going to the center might be good for her.
“Now I look forward to coming and I try to come all the time,” Wanda said. “I don’t get to see anybody at home and coming here is being with friends.”
Retirement and food
Rhonda Barbour
Smiling, Annie Swinney said at one time she was 55 and now she’s up to 73 years old.
Annie has been attending the Tanner Center for 10 years. She started after she retired.
Annie Swinney
“When the plant closed, I started coming here,” she said. “I enjoy coming together, having friends, playing games, especially Bingo. But there’s a lot of activity here.”
Mary Jane Hammer, 75, said she enjoys the food and especially the group trips to restaurants.
“I love going to Mildred’s in Ardmore,” Mary Jane said. “But the fact is, we have plenty of food here, every day!”
Mary Jane Hammer
About the center
Sharon Davis has been the center manager for three and a half years but has a long history in Tanner where she has also worked as a bus driver and homemaker.
“I know everyone from driving the bus and I love them, and I love it here,” Sharon said. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had.”
Each weekday, the center provides 15 to 20 hot meals, and another 40 Meals on Wheels are delivered through a dedicated network of volunteers from the Mental Health Center, Birdie Thornton Center, retirees and homeschooled students.
Sharon said the center features a variety of activities, like the recent outing to Joe Wheeler State Park, which was organized by the Limestone County Council on Aging.
She said newcomers are always welcome at the Tanner Senior Center.
“Just call or better yet just stop by.”
Tanner Senior Center, 13589 Lucas Ferry Road, Athens, 256-230-6400
Sharon Davis, manager, Tanner Senior Center
Bus drivers Cathy Robertson and Leslie Williams help transport participants to and from the Tanner Senior Center.
A game of Skyjo underway at the Tanner Senior Center
TARCOG has some ideas on healthy living to share in a new community awareness campaign it will launch at a 10 a.m. news conference on Thursday, July 11, at the Madison Senior Center, 1282 Hughes Road.
TARCOG’s Director of Aging Programs Sheila Dessau-Ivey said the information in this campaign applies to anyone but it is focused on the aging population.
“To my understanding, we haven’t done anything like this in a long time, if ever,” Dessau-Ivey said. “We are excited to bring this information to everyone in the community in an easy-to-use format and we believe it will be useful on many levels.”
In the coming months, TARCOG case managers will present the information to clients, now totaling more than 1,000. The program information will be presented to each Council on Aging in the region, and educational material will be provided at outreach events throughout the region attended by TARCOG staff.
As part of the program, a short video is featured thanks to several of the City of Madison’s Senior Center participants and its manager Levoneia “Bonnie” Ayers. The video highlights aspects of the campaign such as staying active, socialization and eating healthy meals. TARCOG appreciates the center’s help to create a visual message for everyone in DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Marshall counties — and beyond.
“This is useful information, and we encourage people to use it so that we may all live and live well,” Dessau-Ivey added.
It’s also easy to access on the TARCOG website at www.tarcog.us. Just look for the Live and Live Well button on the top left of the site, under the agency logo — or under the Serving People tab.
More information is available by contacting 256-830-0818.
Plan to spend three hours learning about ways to protect yourself from fraudsters at the upcoming TARCOG Scam Summit 2024.
The event is scheduled on Thursday, Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bob Harrison Wellness and Advocacy Center, 6156 Pulaski Pike, in Huntsville.
The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at TARCOG empowers and assists Medicare beneficiaries their families and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors and abuse. The Scam Summit will also provide an overview of scams and fraud in Alabama and cover topics like:
· Cyber security
· Financial scams
· Consumer fraud
· Legal implications
In addition, exhibitors from state programs, community partners, nonprofit and community organizations and area businesses in the TARCOG region from DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Marshall counties will be there to share educational information and valuable resources to attendees. For more information contact 256-830-0818 or email Teresa Hazzard at teresa.hazzard@tarcog.us
Celebrating the impact of Independence Day, Older Americans Act,Americans with Disabilities Act, Medicare and Medicaid & How TARCOG Helps
The Fourth of July may be one of the oldest celebrations for the entire country, but there have been other significant actions that are also important to recognize because of the impact on the nation’s older people and those with disabilities.
These laws and programs are among the reasons TARCOG exists to provide services to help the communities of DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Marshall counties.
59th Anniversary of the Older Americans Act
On July 14, 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act authorizes a wide array of service programs through a nationwide network of Area Agencies on Aging (like Aging and Disability Services) and is a major source of federal funding.
The OAA, last amended and reauthorized on March 25, 2020, helps millions of our most vulnerable elders rely on the OAA for their health, economic security, and independence every year. Services include home-delivered and congregate meals; information and referral, counseling, and respite care for family caregivers; preventive health services; personal and home care services; transportation; legal assistance; elder abuse prevention; and other programs that help people grow old in their own homes. That’s where the majority of people want to live as they age.
The OAA is currently being discussed in Congress for reauthorization. With so many older adults in our population today and forecast in the next decade, more funding is needed.
34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. The ADA is an important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs and services, and has led to greater societal understanding of disability, though there is still more to do to ensure all people with disabilities have equal access to everything enjoyed by people without disabilities.
Ever since July 1990, July has been known as Disability Pride Month. It is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community.
59th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law legislation that established the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which protect the health and wellbeing of millions of families throughout our country and improve the economic security of our nation.
Medicare
Medicare is a health insurance program for people aged 65 or older as well as some who are younger who have permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. To sign up, go to ssa.gov/benefits/medicare and select “Apply for Medicare Only.”
For those with a disability, you have to sign up for Social Security Disability (SSD). Social Security has to approve you for a disability. Then once approved for SSD and after two years of being on disability you automatically will receive a Medicare card.
Medicaid
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides low- or no-cost health insurance benefits for low-income people of all ages. Medicaid is solely based on a person’s income and assets.
The Alabama Medicaid Agency began operations on Jan. 1, 1970. It is a state and federal program that pays for medical and long-term care services for low-income pregnant women, children, certain people on Medicare, disabled individuals and nursing home residents. The individuals must meet certain income and other requirements. Many of the programs have transformed over the years, but the state’s vision and values have remained the same.
TARCOG
TARCOG was created in 1968. A year later when the Alabama State Legislature authorized creation of substate regional planing and development communions, the TARCOG area was already formed and functioning. In 1970, TARCOG became the sixth of 12 regional councils to have an Area Agency on Aging.
TARCOG can help you! How? Apply for Medicaid Waiver Services by calling TARCOG at 256-830-0818.
If you are a Personal Choices Program participant, TARCOG is offering in-person, one-on-one, training sessions on the Acumen DCI Time Entry Training for Employers and Employees.
Each training session covers time entry and management options in the mobile app, web portal, mobile web, and phone (IVR).
If you would like to participate in the training, no reservations are required. Stop by the TARCOG office any time between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, June 17. A Personal Choices Counselor will conduct the training on a first-come, first-served basis.
The TARCOG office is located in the Research Park Office Center, 7037 Old Madison Pike, Suite 450, Huntsville. The trainings will take place in the Large Conference Room at the office entrance.
