To care for our elders

Like most people of Beverly Domengeaux’s generation, she abstains from aggrandizing digressions when synopsizing her career and professional accomplishments.
To hear her tell it, she simply worked as a registered nurse, and in hospital administration for 50-plus years, before retiring. Though, one can imagine that there is truly more to the synopsis than such a streamlined offering.
It is this particular attribute of Domengeaux and her peers—call it ethics, which she says is the most frustrating obstruction to the educating of parish senior citizens about the St. Mary Council on Aging.
Created in 1972, SMCOA is a private, non-profit organization committed to serving the 60-plus year old citizens of St. Mary Parish, regardless of race, color, or national origin. However, Executive Director Domengeaux’s point is that the services provided by the council are often forfeited by those who need them most due to the adamant self-reliance which sets such seniors apart from consequent generations.
According to Domengeaux, the average senior in St. Mary Parish doesn’t believe in accepting “charity.” But, she quickly adds that SMCOA is not a charity, and that they accept every donation that is offered, however small it may seem to the donor. “I have one lady, when we bring her mail, she gives us 25 pennies, and that’s fine,” said Domengeaux.
All that SMCOA does, it does through donations, and Domengeaux says that even the donations from SMCOA service participants have diminished of late, due to the poor local economy. Although there are standing donors, aside from federal, state, and local municipalities, who assist in keeping SMCOA afloat, the organization is stretched thin these days, in terms of what they can afford to do.
They are currently in possession of their longest waiting list of applicants they have ever had, and of the 10,678 seniors that SMCOA serves, 74 percent of the octogenarians and older, are living below the poverty line.
Despite these circumstances, it has been approximately 10 years since SMCOA has seen any raise in federal funding, and that is not taking into account things like inflation, the raising of the minimum wage, increases in the senior to non-senior ratio in the parish and unemployment trends. In short, SMCOA needs donations, however large or small, and whether monetary or material.
Yet, even in the face of such growing financial instability, the spirit of SMCOA remains dissident to surrender.
Last year, the organization delivered 70,100 meals to the homes of needy seniors, prepared 11,440 meals to be served in congregate settings, provided 641 transportation trips with their two vans and provided 362 respite and sitter service calls for caretakers who needed breaks from looking after loved ones.
These are just some of the goods and services provided by SMCOA. There are also medical alert systems, activity and exercise facilities available, health services and monitoring provided by certified professionals, homemaker services and periodic field trips to be taken, when possible. The cost of all of which, is becoming somewhat untenable for the organization.
A little more than a year ago, in answer to their lack, and in an effort to take fundraising into their own hands, SMCOA opened their own thrift store located next to the Franklin Senior Center on Iberia Street. Every Wednesday and Saturday, the doors open for “Treasure under the Oaks,” and merchandise from ceramics to sports coats goes on sale, with all proceeds going to benefit and provide for beneficiaries of SMCOA programs.
The repurposed school gymnasium which houses the thrift store opens onto Iberia Street, and on entering, to the left and right there are two adjacent rooms off the entryway, which are concealed by two closed doors. That is because these rooms are not yet ready to be revealed for their purposes.
Those were described by Domengeaux and Chair of the Board of Directors Verline Keenze as yet to be unrealized “dreams of someday” such as office and coffee rooms. It is an endeavor that she speaks of in heartfelt tones.
As for the not-so-distant future, SMCOA plans to hold their annual membership meeting in September, as well as an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony for their new administrative offices at 613 Second St. in Franklin.
The word Domengeaux uses to describe SMCOA is “family”. But, even families must subsist on fuel. The fuel for the thrift store is the same as that for SMCOA. One can donate baby cribs or wheelchairs, record players or napkin holders. It all gets put to use for the operation of the council, and they are grateful to have it.
To contact the Franklin Senior Center at 302 Iberia Street, Franlin, Louisiana, 70538, call 337-828-1210.
To contact the Patterson Senior Center at 909 First Street, Patterson, Louisiana, 70392, call 985-395-4800.
To contact the Morgan City Nutrition Center at 301 Third Street, Morgan City, Louisiana, 70380, call 985-384-3324.