RCoA Programs | Special Program | RCoA Honors and Award | Senior Service Directory

Homebound Meal Programs - One of the services mandated by the Older Americans Act. All clients are interviewed in their home using the ranking system formulated by the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs to establish eligibility for the program. Meals are delivered to the door 250 days annually.

Medication Management - Booklets, magazines and pamphlets were furnished to seniors at more than 200 sessions on drug interaction, understanding a prescription, storage of medications and other important information. "Medication Management for the Elderly", published by the Council is presented at all sessions.

Information and Assistance - Clients are referred to the appropriate agency if a service is not offered by the Council. A follow-up call is made three (3) days from referral date to determine if the client was assisted. If the services is offered by the Council, clients are given an appointment for an interview to establish qualifications for the service.

Outreach - The Council has on-going programs to locate and assist the low income, minority, frail and isolated elderly clients by means of informal agreements with many local agencies that routinely refer clients to the Council.

Transportation - Seniors are transported to Senior Citizen's Centers and all senior events. They are also given the opportunity to go to the post office, grocery stores, banks, drug stores, libraries and other businesses as needed every day.

Chore Service - General housecleaning, moving furniture, and any task to assist elderly clients to maintain their house in a safe, clean and sanitary condition. All requests for security protection, including installation of locks and deadbolts, have priority and are provided first.

Pinegrove Apartment Complex - The Council's 78-unit apartment for the elderly officially opened in November, 1999. The $5.5 million facility is completely occupied and is operating at full capacity.

Oakwood Apartment Complex - The 20-unit $2.5 million apartment complex in Cheneyville officially opened in January, 2001 and is fully operating at full capacity.

The Community Police Station - Located in the Council Complex, the presence of the Alexandria Police Department continues to be a major factor for safety and has caused a dramatic change in the neighborhood.

The Senior News - the most widely read section of the Alexandria Town Talk, the Senior News continues to receive the highest reader approval rating in all annual reader surveys conducted by Gannet News Corporation, publisher of the Alexandria Town Talk. With a circulation of over 100,000, the Council has utilized the Senior News as a public relations tool to inform the community of the work of the Council and to publicize services and programs available to the elderly, not only from the Council but also from all other agencies in the aging service network.

Rapides Council provides guests for KALB-TV's "The Senior Report" aired at noon on the first Friday of each month. Guests are selected to discuss senior issues, programs, and events. Bettye DeKeyzer, Rapides Council executive director, has provided this service to the community since 1990.

Funded by CLECO customers, the energy assistance program has been administered by Rapides Council on Aging for 18 years. Funds are received from CLECO's corporate headquarters on a quarterly basis. Assistance with utility bills is provided to clients who must be 60 years of age and meet federal income guidelines. CLECO furnished $5,217.82 to the Council in 2007-2008 for utility assistance. More than 300 seniors received assistance from the program.

The Council has administered the Department of Agriculture Senior Nutrition Program in Rapides parish for nine years. The program provides seniors with fresh fruits and vegetables without cost. Seniors are furnished with Nutrition Coupons to use at state-approved farmer's markets and roadside stands. The Council processed 393 applications in 2008 for seniors in Rapides Parish.

Rapides Council partnered with Acadian Ambulance Company in 2000 to provide the Acadian On-Call Personal Emergency Response System to elderly citizens in Rapides parish. The Council provides initial assistance to elderly clients with applications and other information and in return Acadian Ambulance Company installs the Response System free of charge and deducts $10 from the monthly fee of $30 per month.

Rapides Council partnered with Allen Council on Aging Parish Transit to provide medical transport for elderly and at-risk clients in Rapides parish in 1999. The two-party agreement was entered into to provide efficient and safe transportation for elderly and at-risk clients in Rapides parish whose needs for medical transportation cannot be provided by any other means.

Homebound meals program clients receive cookies, snacks and toiletries to commemorate "Honor the Elderly Day" on April 4, 2008. A donation from the Food Bank of Central Louisiana enabled the Council to provide more than 500 homebound mean clients with packages of special products. The Louisiana Legislature proclaimed April 6 a special day in Louisiana to honor the elderly.

RSVP staff and Rapides Council honored all RSVP volunteers with an afternoon tea at the Sai Convention Center on April 28, 2008. State RSVP officials, and nearly 600 volunteers and representative of 90 nonprofit and governmental agencies where they serve attended the event during National Volunteer Week.

CLECO employees donated 71 electric fans to Rapides Council for distribution to low-income elderly in June, 2008. Teams of CLECO employees held fund-raising events and solicited funds from local businesses to purchase 1,050 electric fans that were delivered to 19 agencies in CLECO's service area.

 

• Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation Award
  The Council received an award of $6,515 that was "a monetary reflection of the Council's loyalty and commitment to ensuring a safe workplace." The amount of the award received is based on the Council's longevity with LCCC and receiving the award is determined by the Council's safety record over the last five years.
  
  
• AARP Service Award
  Mrs. Bettye DeKeyzer, Council executive director, received an award from AARP for her 20 years of service to AARP for assistance in publicizing their Safe Driver Program in her capacity as Editor of the Senior News.
  
  
• Legacy of Achievement Award for 2008
  The 2008 winner was Helen Mott, Rapides Senior Citizens Center. Mrs. Mott retired from Rapides Council after 20 years of service before accepting a position with the Rapides Senior Citizens Centers, Inc. Mrs. Mott also retired with 20 years of service from the Rapid Parish School Board
  
  Winners of the award are selected by a panel of judges from nominations submitted by employers in central Louisiana. The Awards are given based on years of experience, reliability, level of authority, a positive work ethic, good judgment and loyalty. All winners receive a plaque presented by the Governor of Louisiana and the Governors' Office of Elderly Affairs and gifts from the Council.
  
  
• Superior Rating Received from Louisiana Office of Public Health
  The Council is proud of its Superior rating from the Louisiana Office of Public Health which is posted on the state web site. The ratings are a summary of inspection reports conducted on the premises of all food providers. The web site offers the public a general description of the condition of a facility that is a factor in the rating system. The web site gives a full report on Louisiana's 30,000 retail food providers.