MARTHA MANUEL APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF ELDELRY AFFAIRS
Mrs. Martha Manuel, a native of Alexandria , received a statewide welcome on her appointment to the prestigious position of Executive Director, the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs (GOEA). Gov. Bobby Jindal announced the appointment in February , 2011 and her appointment was approved by the Louisiana State Legislature in July, 2011. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise gained by many years in elderly service and in several related fields.
She joined the GOEA staff in 1993 and served with distinction as Program Specialist, Contracts/Grants Reviewer, Field Representative and Administrative Specialist until 2001, As Director of East Baton Rouge Parish Health Unit, Office of Public Health, she continued to exhibit her exemplary leadership ability from 2001-2004. Mrs. Manuel was Program Manager for the Bureau of Community Supports and Services from 2004 until 2006. .
Answering a call to serve the citizens of Louisiana, she agreed to be a candidate for the Office of State Senator in 2007. Among her achievements are:
Authorship of the 1995 House Concurrent Resolution that established the Governor’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease; she then served as Chairman of that group 1997-1998.
Created and manned the “SAMS” Help Desk at GOEA
Developed and was Editor/Publisher of the “Louisiana SAMS Informer, a quarterly publication
Wrote and edited GOEA’s “New Director’s Handbook”
Her interest in public service is evidenced by the Boards and Organizations she supported. Among them are; Member, Board of Directors, Capital Area Agency On Aging and Pointe Coupee Council On Aging. She is also a Lector at St. Mary’s of False River, St. Francis Chapel and on Catholic Life Channel 15, Baton Rouge.
Mrs. Manuel, graduated from Providence High School, in Alexandria, attended LSU and completed numerous programs and courses in Public Management- LSU, Public Health Leadership Institute Program; , Public Information Officer Course, U. S. Department of Homeland Security and Public Health Law at Tulane University.
Mrs. Manuel is the daughter of James and Ruth Gabour, of Alexandria.
ANNUAL FLU AND PNEUMONIA SHOT CLINIC SEPT. 26
Rapides Council On Aging, Inc., will hold the Annual Flu and Pneumonia Shot Clinic on Monday, September 26 from 8:30am until 1 pm in the Auditorium at the Council Complex, 204 Chester Street, Alexandria. The clinic is staffed by registered nurses and Dr. Ann Zeditz, is on standby for any physician-related questions or emergencies.
Seasonal flu shots are $25 and payment may be made by cash, check, charge cards or Health Savings Accounts. There is no charge for Medicare Part B and other Medicare Advantage Insurance Programs. Some HMO programs require their members to go to their primary care physician for a vaccination at no charge.
Call 4445-7985 to place your name on the list for shots. Those who pre-register will be first in line for the shots.
AMERICAN GRANDPARENTS NUMBER 65 MILLION
According to a recent study the number of grandparents grew by 15 million to 65 million in a decade. It is projected that by the year 2020 more than 80 million people will be grandparents.
Additionally, more grandparents are raising or helping to raise grandchildren than ever before. According to 2010 U. S. Census data, one in 10 grandparents has at least one grandchild living with them.
Grandparents, over the age of 55, spent $7.6 billion on infant food, clothing, games and toys in 2009, up 71% from 1999.
LIFELINE PROVIDES FREE CELLPHONES
Many seniors in Rapides parish have contacted the Council to inquire about obtaining free cellphones and 100 minutes each month. Lifeline, a federally funded program administered by the Federal Communications Commission, provides cellphones and free minutes through a large number of telecommunication companies.
Rapides Council began furnishing information on the Lifeline Program several years ago. Applicants must meet low income guidelines and receive assistance from one of many different federal programs. Among approved assistance programs are: Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Section 8 Federal Housing, or low income home energy assistance (LIHEAP), free lunch program and SSI.
Assurance Wireless, offers a free wireless telephone and 200 minutes of nationwide wireless service to eligible customers. Their toll-free telephone number is 1-888-898-4888.
Reach Out Wireless provides telephones and 100 minutes are available. Call 1-877-870-9444 or www.reachoutwireless.com. Call the council Information and Assistance Desk for additional information on Lifeline.
DRIVERS CLASSES FOR SENIORS
The AARP Driver Safety Program and Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital will host a one-day, four-hour refresher course for individuals 50 years of age and older. The class will be held September 21 at The Power Shopping Center, 1804 MacArthur Drive, Alexandria, next to Office Depot.
Classes start at 8:30am. Cost for the four-hour course is $14 with a $2 discount for AARP members. Please bring a check or money order payable to AARP to cover the cost of the course and your AARP membership card to verify AARP membership number and to receive $2 discount. Call 448-6970 to pre-register.
AARP has offered the classroom course for the past 25 years. The course is designed to help drivers tune up their driving skills, update their knowledge of the rules of the road, and learn about age-related physical changes and how to adjust driving to allow for those changes.
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES ABD PROGRAMS
By Lisa LaCour
After six months of compiling, collating and cross-referencing data for a comprehensive Directory of Elderly Services and Programs, located both locally and through national programs, I still have not even scratched the surface of all the information that is available.
I have learned so much from the research that must be conducted to compile the Council’s Directory. There are so many people who desperately need assistance and so many sources for assistance that are unknown to those who need it the most.
My research has provided me with an added benefit: finding interesting and valuable resources that are of special interest to everyone. I have selected two for this column.
Food Calories and Nutrition Calculator can be found at www.caloriesperhour.com This website offers a calorie counter, nutrition facts, carbohydrate data, calculator for food calories and nutrition information to use in grocery stores, for fast food, restaurants and even vegetarian foods. It is possible to look up your favorite restaurant, then your favorite foods and find out the nutritional value and calories for everything on their menu.
The internet RX Drug Index can be found at Rxlist.com. Rx List is an online medical resource dedicated to offering details and current pharmaceutical information on an A-Z list of brand name and generic drugs. Also available is a complete list of Diseases and Conditions including symptoms, causes, cures and treatments.
CLECO FRANCHISE FEE AGREEMENT RENEWED FOR FIVE MORE YEARS
By Jamie Lawton Floyd
Vice-President, Rapides Parish Police Jury
The Cleco Franchise Fee Agreement has been in place for 25 years. It was put in place by a long-time parish administrator L. B. Henry. Set to expire November 1, 2011, it would have added four to five percent to the bills of all Cleco customers in the unincorporated areas of the parish.
Some of the Police Jury members said, “We won’t act and this will go into effect November 1, after the election, and we will have more money for the Police Jury.”
The billion dollar Rodemacher 3 Plant went online last year to save us 5%, but this savings would have been lost. The Police Jury is operating within its budget so why make Cleco, who pays more taxes and fees than all of the other companies put together, collect this for the Jury?
I made a motion at one of our meetings to renew it for 25 more years. I could not get a second. I did this several months then I started getting a second to my motion but that was all. After writing a letter to Reader’s Write in the Town Talk explaining the situation one Sunday in July, on the following Monday, the Jury voted to renew it for five more years. This will save a family about $1,000 over that time period.
This goes to show what one man standing up for the people can do and that there is greater power in the pen than in the sword.
