Council on Aging outlines services and hindrances

St. Mary Council on Aging Executive Director Beverly Domengeaux cleared up a matter that she said parish council members likely received phone calls about.
“I understand that ya’ll have been getting phone calls from an individual about home-delivered meals,” Domengeaux said. “I have an agreement with the federal and state government that I am the only agency in St. Mary Parish that can deliver meals. We’re not Meals on Wheels. They (state and federal government) set the numbers that I can deliver 250 days a year, and I can deliver 152 home-delivered meals throughout the parish. I can feed 37 in my three sites, based on our senior population, so they say.”
With the state of the economy and younger individuals leaving the parish, many seniors “have no one to take care of them. Right now, for the first time in 15 years since I took over, I have 30 people on the waiting list, and 15 waiting to be assessed.”
Federal law mandates that a recipient cannot be able to cook for themselves and there is no one in their home or in their family that can help with meals. “I don’t take the place of the family, they have the priority to take care of their seniors,” she said. “But there’s a lot of them that don’t have any family left.”
The assessment form is 16 pages long, she said.
COA asks for a $2 donation for home-delivered meals. “We’re not getting that anymore,” Domengeaux said. “We’re doing good to get 35- or 50-cents. Some people can’t.”
Cost of a meal is $3.58.
The phone calls, she said, came from a couple who relocated from one municipality to another “where I didn’t have any space” for service. They have since moved back to their home, but on that route there is also no opening.
Domengeaux said she did speak to the former clients again and explained her situation.
Assessments include local and family environment. Demographics are also at play, she said, and meals must be delivered within two hours of leaving the sight to maintain temperature.
“We do look at the need, not the want,” Domengeaux said. “I even go out and look myself to see if they really don’t have any help.”
Domengeaux said all funds provided by parish government goes to the seniors, not the staff. COA gets $40,000 in funding from the parish; federal funds for the senior centers; and state money for services.
The council’s thrift store generates income that helps, and community support from fundraisers does as well. “We raised $30,000 to pay for extra (seniors),” Domengeaux said.
She said it would take another $22,000 to service those on the waiting list and those yet to be assessed.
Seniors who are still able to drive are required to go to the center for meals.
In other business, an ordinance was introduced by Councilman Dale Rogers that would set the annual salary of the parish president at $78,000 effective January, 2020. It also designates that the position is full-time.
Also Wednesday:
—Ordinances were introduced for two zoning map adjustments; amending the boundaris of Recreation Dist. 3; and abolishing Sewer Districts 5 and 8.
—Resolutions were adopted for a change order on shredder enhancements at the landfill in Berwick, as well as a substantial completion certificate on the same project; an agreement with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for the Burns Point Fishing Pier Project; a contract authorization to the parish president for drainage improvements in the Boudreaux and Gilmore streets area of Berwick; and requests for proposals for auditing services in a 2-year engagement. Council members Dale Rogers, Sterling Fryou and Paul Naquin voted against that measure.
—Jeremy Chesteen was appointed to the parish planning and zoning commission.
—An allocation of no more than $10,000 was approved for an engineer study regarding a boat ramp and dock at the end of Roseville Street in Franklin from the Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 10 3/10 percent sales tax fund.