Quick Facts

2020 Quick FactsCOA Logo

  • 1,717 older adults served
  • 56,396 meals provided
  • 9,387 in-home care hours provided
  • 6,290 day care service hours provided
  • 2,152 hours provided by 151 community volunteers
  • 140 seniors received assistance in applying for a Personal Emergency Response System
  • $417,818 in federal & state grants written and received
  • $6,740 in emergency funding, including utility shut-off notices
  • Revenues of $1,721,777 supported all programs and expenses
  • Although the pandemic halted many activities, meals and in-home care continued to be provided
  • 100% of Barry County’s townships and municipalities receive services annually
2020 Challenges
The worldwide pandemic caused by COVID-19 resulted in challenges and opportunities in 2020.  From the onset, we knew that the older adults were at highest risk for contract and dying from the illness.

For the health and safety of our seniors and our staff, we temporarily paused Adult Day Services and in-person Senior Center Activities.  We instituted safety protocols and donned personal protective equipment in order to continue Homecare and Meals on Wheels.  We strengthened our social media and YouTube presence, and offered online learning.  We instituted drive-up meal services to our Congregate clients, broadened our restaurant dining program, and offered grocery shopping services to those hesitant to venture out.

We're extremely proud of the uot standing job our team of staff and volunteers undertook on behalf of Barry County's older adults at a ver difficult and dangerous time.
 

Adult Day Services
Adult Day Services provide relief to caregivers by providing nurse-supervised care to persons living with Alzheimer’s and related dementia diseases. Day Services are available at a very affordable cost and include transportation, medication administration, meals and snacks.

In 2020, our professional staff provided 6,289 hours of care to 18 caregiver families.

In-Home Services
Personal Care Services offer bath assistance and personal care to homebound elders, using the services of professional nurses’ aides. In 2020, we provided 3,102 hours of care to 81 individuals.

Homemaking Services include housework, errands, laundry and light meal preparation for older adults who have conditions that make it difficult for them to do the work for themselves. Experienced aides provided 5,270 hours of homemaking services to 164 individuals in 2020.

Respite Care provides supervised aide care for persons who require 24-hour care in their homes. This service is designed to provide caregivers “respite” away from their loved ones. This program offered 168 hours of care to 12 families in 2020. 

In-Home Assessments include home visits by our RN and staff to assess client needs. In 2020, 472 In-Home Assessments were provided to 369 individuals, for a total of 333 hours..  

Chore Services focus on safety and security, including the installation of smoke detectors, light bulbs and grab bars, repair of frayed electrical cords, repair of steps and other minor home repair tasks. In 2020, our Chore staff provided 514 hours of service to 148 clients.

Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program
The Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program, or MMAP,  provides free counseling to Barry County residents seeking help with these programs. Professionally trained volunteers can assist with questions and enrollment into the Medicare Part D Prescription program, health plans, Medicaid, the Extra Help program, Low Income Subsidy and Long-term Care Insurance Supplemental Polices. In 2020, our coordinator and 7 volunteers provided 452 hours of assistance to 252 individuals.

Senior Nutrition Programs
Meals on Wheels are tasty, nutritionally balanced meals delivered Monday through Friday to homebound older adults. Drivers check on the well-being of the seniors on their route while delivering a smile and a kind word or two. In 2020, staff and volunteers drove over 68,210 miles delivering 45,892 lunch, supper, weekend, and liquid Ensure meals to 374 homebound seniors.  

Congregate Dining is group dining available weekdays at centers located in Delton, Hastings, Nashville and Woodland. In addition to tasty, reasonably priced meals, participants enjoy fellowship, entertainment, and educational opportunities.  We wish to thank our Congregate Dining partners: Faith United Methodist Church in Delton, Mainstreet Banquet Hall in Nashville and the Eagles Club in Woodland. In 2020, we served 5,475 meals to 570 seniors.  Before the pandemic, all meals were enjoyed in one of four dining facililties, and after mid-March 2020, all meals were served on a pick-up basis and enjoyed at home.  

The Senior Meal Choice Program offers low cost dining at two designated restaurants. The program is available to Barry County seniors who live in townships that don’t have Congregate Dining available to them five days a week. In 2020, 3,664 meals were enjoyed by 281 eligible participants at the Thornapple Kitchen in Middleville, and Bowen’s Family Dining in Delton.  After March 13, 2020, restaurant meals were available for carry-out.  As restrictions loosened, restaurant dining resumed, but carry-out was still available.  

We are proud to partner with the Barry County Humane Society to deliver Pets Meals on Wheels to pet companions on our Meals on Wheels routes. In 2020, we delivered and distributed over 5,200 pet meals.   

In 2020, 2,760 Market Fresh Coupons were distributed to 253 qualified seniors allowing them to purchase Michigan-grown produce at authorized farmers’ markets and roadside stands throughout Michigan.

Volunteer Opportunities
We truly couldn’t do the amount of care or the quality of service without the faithful contribution of our many volunteers. In 2020, 151 volunteers contributed 2,152 hours of service to the COA, doing a wide array of tasks, including: delivering Meals on Wheels; entertaining at dining centers; preparing and serving food for parties; presenting educational programs; and assisting with fundraisers.

Fundraisers

Barry County is a giving community, and nowhere is that generosity more evident than in the support we receive for our fundraisers!  Fundraisers allow us to provide more service for our most important programs.

100% of the money raised goes into programs that serve the needs of Barry County’s older adults.