community
june16
2016
Community Action Team: The First 50 Years
3
Part 2: Helping Seniors Keep
their Independence and Health
vices, recreation, transportation, hous- and observations.
ing, and preventative health education.
Shelbia Adams is often sur-
The plan will be submitted to the state in rounded by friends and neighbors at her
early October and goes into effect Janu- apartment in Scappoose. With a south-
By Leanne Murray
ary 1 st .
ern accent that belies the Alabama roots
To
illustrate
the
impact
CAT
she left behind 61 years ago, she quickly
When Community Action Team
services
have
on
older
residents,
three
charms her way into a newcomer’s heart.
(CAT) was created in 1966, one of the
original programs was set up to serve CAT clients shared their experiences Adams has lived alone since 2002 when
her husband of 47 years, Roger,
the older residents of Columbia
passed away. After a hospital stay
County. Fifty years later, senior
in 2014, her home-visiting physi-
programs are still at the heart of
cal therapist put her in touch with
their community service work.
CAT. Staff came to her home to
In most cases, CAT performs its
meet her and assess her particular
work with older adults as the des-
needs, and then enrolled her in a
ignated Area Agency on Aging
program called Oregon Project
(AAA). Each county in Oregon
Independence (OPI).
has an AAA; some are stand-
OPI funds allow clients who are
alone organizations and some are
at least 60 years old to hire home
housed within another agency as
care workers for a variety of ser-
is the case in Columbia County.
vices that help them maintain in-
22% of Columbia County
dependence in their home. Some-
residents are currently 60 years
old or more and the percentage is 79 year old Shelbia Adams continues to live independently one may be ineligible to receive
in her own apartment with assistance from CAT.
anticipated to increase to almost
continued on page 9
30% by 2020. In order to plan for
serving this growing population, CAT
recently conducted an extensive survey
and hosted town hall meetings in order
to gather input from the community at
Vernonia Public Library
large and then prioritize the services
made available to seniors. The data gath-
Thursday, June 23, 6 pm
ered will be incorporated into a four-year
plan, but will also be shared with other
organizations throughout the county so
they may also address the community
feedback. Topics covered included com-
munity supports and services, health,
mental health, and substance abuse ser-
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