Welcome to ECCOA Online!

Welcome to the first post on our new Emerald Coast Council on Aging Blog! We are so excited to have this new platform to share news and updates, tips, and wonderful and inspiring stories that celebrate life after 60 years of age.

About Us: Under the leadership of Director Alicia Brackins, the Emerald Coast Council of Aging, formerly known as the Walton Okaloosa Council on Aging, not only has a new name but the
organization has plans to expand and be more active in the Walton County communities. We are so proud to showcase our many services, activities, and success stories with our communitycitizens and surrounding areas. The ECCOA, located at 1154 Baldwin Ave. in DeFuniak Springs, has been providing services to senior citizens since 1967. What an honor it has been to assist some of the finest members of our communities. Seniors receiving services through our organization are all wonderful in their own unique way. One thing they all have in common is they need help to be able to live a quality life. That is what our organization is all about – our dedicated and impressive team work hard to supply those needs so our seniors can continue to live a quality life while remaining in their homes. Compassionate Care and Hope for the Future: With compassionate care being the focus of our quality services, we strive to give our senior members “Hope for the Future”. Our team of trained “Hope Peddlers” and team members work tirelessly to serve eligible seniors in need through specialty programs of Community Care for the Elderly, Older Americans Act, Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, and Home Care for the Elderly.

We serve hundreds of seniors in Walton County, FL with dedicated services such as Case Management, Homemaking, Companionship and Home Delivered Meals. We also serve Nutritional Hot Meals at our Community Senior Centers offering fellowship, educational programs, and fun activities in DeFuniak Springs, Paxton, Freeport, and South Walton. This is an incredible way for seniors who are still active to have a time of fellowship and social activities together outside the home. It is always a time of great joy and fun, and wonderful friendships are made within those attending. Currently, our Senior Centers are open Monday through Wednesday on a weekly basis. The Senior Center Managers open their Center doors with a smile to seniors attending at 10 a.m.

In-Home Service Team: The Emerald Coast Council on Aging Organization has its own In-Home Service Team that is made up of hard working and devoted workers who are all background screened and trained to provide the type of quality care that is so beneficial to seniors in need. Our services are designed to help older adults live independently and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. Our team members provide the necessary support to meet the clients’ physical, emotional, and social needs. Not only do our In-Home Service Team Members work to maintain order and cleanliness in our clients’ homes, but they also assist the clients with shopping, errands, and going to the doctor.

Case Managers: Case Managers work hard on the front lines to work directly with the seniors and make sure that they advocate for every service possible for their clients. Case Managers are the “Gate Keepers” and record keepers of the clients’ services and work hard to form a wonderful bond with each one that they serve. The Case Managers at ECCOA make sure they are also accessible to their clients, which creates more of a family relationship which is so important to the senior in need. For many of our senior clients, the Case Manager and In-Home Service Team might be the only people that they have in their lives, which is very important to their emotional well-being. This could mean the difference between life and death of many. The ECCOA Hope Peddlers work very hard to give their clients help and hope and for many – “Hope Can Be Everything!” We all need hope for the future and a purpose to keep going. It is such a privilege to work in this capacity and to offer a helping hand to those needing it the most.

Making a Difference and Funding: Many of our seniors are in crisis when they come to us for help. This is a growing need, and this is why we are now reaching out to share this need with others because we need community support moving forward. Our senior population is such a vital and important part of the community. Many senior citizens helped shape the community in the past and their lives and needs should not be forgotten. Unfortunately, many of our seniors have been forgotten and by the time that they come to us, they are in desperate need of help. Life is very fragile, and we are all just one fall or accident away from needing help ourselves. That is why we need to come together as a community and realize how important our mission is and how very important that all these services are moving forward to give Hope for their Future and a reason that they keep striving to live a more productive life. While our current services are funded through the Florida Department of Elder Affairs through the Older Americans Act and General Revenue, the ECCOA needs so much more help. This is why we are working hard to get the word out so our community members can be educated in what we do and how they can help in the future to “Make a Difference”. By working together so much more can be done to give a fulfilling quality of life to our seniors in need. We should never feel that we will never end up that way, for life can be humbling when we least expect it. Many of our seniors had wonderful happy lives and families and led active lives of service in the past only to now be totally alone with no sense of hope or even a will to live or keep going. Life can become a great struggle – especially when you are elderly and sick and alone. Again, this can happen to any of us – a happy life is not guaranteed! This is why we are now reaching out because this need is growing for our vulnerable seniors in Walton County.

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Saturday - March 15 (8:00 am to 1:00 pm) - To be more active in the community and to raise funds for the special projects needed currently, the ECCOA will participate in the DeFuniak Springs Farmers’ Market on Saturday, March 15 on Baldwin Ave. Come by and meet some of the ECCOA Team and be ready to buy some sweet treats that will give support to what we do. We do look forward to meeting you and thank you in advance for your gracious support.

Saturday – April 12 - Getting ready for Spring, Chick Day at Ace Hardware will be an event where we partner with Enforcement Firearms and Ace Hardware for an impressive raffle. Proceeds from this fun fundraising festivity will go to the ECCOA. You will not want to miss this event! Through your support another senior can receive the extra help that they so greatly need.

Saturday – May 10 - Lakefest! We are so thrilled to be taking part in this very important community event. We invite you to come to our tent and learn more about what we do. We will also have delicious treats available for purchase to benefit our mission and cause. We are currently working on other fun activities for that day so don’t miss coming by to meet our ECCOA Team and have some fun! We will have an impressive line-up of treats at this event so you will want to come by early and not miss out on all to be offered for sale on that day.

Remember, when you give to the ECCOA – another senior receives the help they deserve!

STAY CONNECTED AND VISIT US!

We encourage you to engage with our blog! Share your thoughts with us and feel free to reach out to us personally by calling our office at 850-892-8165. You can also fax us at 850-892-8169. We also invite you to come to our office at 1154 Baldwin Ave. and meet us in person. If you have a loved one 60 years of age and older in need of services, we have a variety of helpful resources we can share with you. We can also assist you with getting your senior in need enrolled on the DOEA waitlist which is the list from which all seniors are pulled for upcoming services available. Whether you need services for yourself or a loved one, or just want to help, let us hear from you!

IN CLOSING:
As we close out this first blog, we are so excited about our future moving forward with all of you! We feel we are stepping into a new stage of service which will be more enhanced and beneficial to so many senior citizens’ lives moving forward. Together, we can make such a great difference for the actual founders of all our lives and communities. We have so much more to say and share and we are so proud to now have this platform to express our views, services and needs. We will also be proud to share our success stories, and we have so many to tell. It is an honor to serve our senior citizens, and it is also a privilege to meet and work side by side with those of you who would like to make a difference too through financial support and volunteer services. We need your support, and we welcome you to join us on our important journey of service and growth in the future.

Written by Beverly Clifton