Council on Aging of Nassau County reports . . .

 Submitted by Gerry Clare

Council on Aging Executive Director Tom Moss

This article is based on an interview with Tom Moss, Executive Director COA

According to Tom Moss, Executive Director, COA has been in the business of serving seniors in this county for over 35 years and is not going anywhere.   While it may be misunderstood by a lot of county residents, just ask the seniors it serves, what it means to Nassau County.  Many think COA is a government agency.   It is actually a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that relies heavily on the local community to complete its mission.  It serves local seniors in five major areas: Meals-on-Wheels for homebound seniors, in-home service by Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA’s), care for clients with dementia in the Adult Day Healthcare Center (ADHC), county-wide transportation for seniors and other disadvantaged residents in the county, and operation of two senior centers, one in Fernandina and one in Hilliard. At these two centers, clients can come and socialize with their peers, participate in structured programs and receive a nutritious meal.

Senior Citizens Enjoy Bingo

Moss talked about the current status of COA and also about the outlook for the future.  “ We are currently experiencing a shortfall with expenses overtaking revenue as more and more seniors need our services.  Our budget is just like any household budget…we have to deal with high fuel costs, an older building needing extra maintenance repairs, increased insurance costs and taking care of our family (which we consider our seniors).  We do this despite not getting fully reimbursed for all those services because this is what COA is about!  As a result the Board of Directors has temporarily established new guidelines in all areas of service in order to bring in a balanced budget by year-end 2012.”

He continued, “While we are tightening our belts, we are also looking for a ‘second job’ and have a plan to increase revenue and have fun.  We have a number of fundraisers (including a recent golf tournament), a Walk-a-Thon, sponsored by Rotary Sunrise to benefit COA on September 8th and our 9th Annual Gala on October 7th.

Everyone involved with COA is looking forward to our new facility here in Fernandina

Exercising Seniors

Beach, which will be located on 14th Street, just north of Atlantic Avenue.  Our current facility is 35 years old and showing its age.  We currently have only one room to accommodate all of our senior’s activities. So, if someone wants to participate in a separate activity from that being offered in the main meeting room, such as playing cards or working on the computer, it is simply impossible. In our new facility we will have 6 to 9 Activity Rooms.  We also lease our current building in Fernandina Beach from Nassau Baptist and, while our lease actually ran out several years ago, they have been very generous…and extended our lease for the last 5 years for which we are grateful.  But now it is time to move and we want to provide the best possible facility and services for all our senior citizens, especially those who need our help the most.  COA will always be here for all Nassau County seniors.”

If you would like to help out COA, you can donate online at www.coanassau.com, by mail or in person at COA.  Supporting the fundraising efforts or being one of their volunteers can also help, as volunteers can help defray some expenses as well.  Today it may help to support a parent or grandparent, but one day it may be you.  Please help to keep the Council on Aging move forward.

September 7, 2012 7:30 a.m.