Making a Difference

This month we recognize the volunteers of the Council on Aging - Orange County who were nominated by Lorie Eber: “Senator Correa: I am writing to nominate the more than 250 volunteers who improve the lives of the elderly through the programs offered by the Council on Aging - Orange County, as neighbors who are making a difference.” The Council on Aging - Orange County provides free services to seniors and their caregivers living in the 34th District and throughout Orange County. These trained volunteers make a difference in our community by helping seniors with the following programs and services:

• HICAP, the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, provides counselors to advise older adults and their families on their Medicare rights.
  
  
• Ombudsmen who act as advocates for the residents of assisted living and skilled nursing homes. These men and women also conduct investigations and assist in resolving complaints that arise in the facilities.
  
  
• The “Friendly Visitors” program provides regular visits to homebound seniors living in our community.

As we all know, the number of elderly in Orange County will increase dramatically in the years to come. SB 977, authored by Senator Correa and sponsored by the California Senior Legislature, seeks to assist in planning for this increase by requiring the CA Commission on Aging to conduct a review of data relating to the infrastructure needs of our senior citizens. For more information on this and other legislation, please visit www.leginfo.ca.gov.

If you are interested in learning more about the Council on Aging - Orange County, please call (714) 479-0107 or visit their website at www.coaoc.org.

If you know an individual or organization that is “Making a Difference” in our community, please let us know by emailing Senator Correa at Senator.Correa@senate.ca.gov or visiting his website at www.sen.ca.gov/correa.