FY22 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT

Promote the independence, dignity & well-being of adults through & well-being of adults through & well-being of adults through service, education & advocacy. service, education & advocacy. service, education & advocacy.

Promote the independence, dignity

Promote the independence, dignity

"I just wanted to tell you what a blessing Ms. Presley has been for me and my parents. I am the only caretaker for both of them and I also have a disability and I'm trying my best to keep I am the only caretaker for both of them and I also have a disability and I'm trying my best to keep my parents out of a nursing home. my parents out of a nursing home. I did not know COA had funding to help me hire someone. I did not know COA had funding to help me hire someone. Because of the funding I was able to hire someone to help with the harder work that I cannot do. Because of the funding I was able to hire someone to help with the harder work that I cannot do. And that has made a big difference I can now concentrate on the other aspects of taking care of my And that has made a big difference I can now concentrate on the other aspects of taking care of my family and I also teach online which I was at risk of losing my job. family and I also teach online which I was at risk of losing my job I really do appreciate this I was I really do appreciate this I was literally at the end of my rope. Our own health has suffered a great deal trying to take care of both literally at the end of my rope. Our own health has suffered a great deal trying to take care of both of them. That is also improving. Again I really appreciate the help and services I have received." - of them. That is also improving. Again I really appreciate the help and services I have received."Family Caregiver Support Client Family Caregiver Support Client

"I just wanted to tell you what a blessing Ms. Presley has been for me and my parents.

"I wanted to put in a good word for the Benefits Enrollment Specialist, who was an incredible

"I wanted to put in a good word for the Benefits Enrollment Specialist, who was an incredible resource when I called in yesterday to ask about benefits for my mom. Unexpectedly, I fully broke resource when I called in yesterday to ask about benefits for my mom. Unexpectedly, I fully broke down crying as I have been quite stressed about her situation, and the Specialist could not have down crying as I have been quite stressed about her situation, and the Specialist could not have been kinder or more understanding. They handled this situation so well, and I felt very grateful for been kinder or more understanding. They handled this situation so well, and I felt very grateful for her compassionate response (along with the useful information she provided)." -Amy her compassionate response (along with the useful information she provided)." -Amy

Board of Directors

July 2021 - June 2022

Jackie Dula, Board Chair, Chief Customer Officer: Capstone Health Alliance

Andrew Celwyn, Vice Chair, Owner: Herbiary

Dean “Ted” Hill, Treasurer/Secretary, Retired: Corporate Tax Executive

Jonathan Allred, First Citizens Bank

Pastor Spencer Hardaway, Retired, Pastor

Perry Hendrix, Retired: Commercial Banking

Juanita Igo, Retired: Social Worker, COA Alumni

Brian Lawler, Attorney: Van Winkle Law Firm

Lee Scott, Treasurer and Director of Finance: The Biltmore Companies

Jaime Taylor, Business Analyst II: GPM

Laura Uherka, Co-Owner: SimplyChange, LLC

Broker: Keller Williams Real Estate

Tasha Woodall, Associate Director

Pharmacotherapy Geriatrics: MAHEC

Now is the time to connect even more with the aging adults in our community - their wisdom, their needs and their experiencesto meet the road ahead. We know that little by little, a little becomes a lot. I am inspired by our supporters, motivated by the opportunities we have been given and those we have the honor to care for. Thank you!

Chairman's Leadership Donor Circle

Individual Gifts of $1000 or more

Anonymous

Audrey Love Charitable Foundation

Heather Bauer

Ed and Donna Broadwell

This has been another incredible year for the Council on Aging. We are blessed to have Heather as our leader guiding the amazing leadership team. We have committed and talented leadership team that have moved the needle forward on work for the aging community in Western North Carolina. We have continued to broaden our partnerships to further our community outreach. I could not be more proud to share our annual report with the results of the team’s amazing work.

Kimberly Cantwell

Andrew Celwyn & Maia Toll

Elaine Cooke

Barbara DeLeo

James Hudock Trust

Jurgen Dierks

Lisa Glovan

Perry and Amelia Hendrix

Joyce Horn

Jeff Slosman

David Stagner

John and Edythe Wingerter

Thank you for choosing Council on Aging!

Jackie Dula

CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD

HeatherBauer

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Inc. is a charitable organization 501(c)(3) registered with the Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina.

& SERVICES

Community Services

RACHEL MILLER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES

Highlights in our resource coordination, care management and supportive services programming include

1 Physically identifying substandard housing and assisting with more than 100 repairs through two different programs, 2 providing information and assistance to over 15,000 tracked invididuals age 60+, 3. providing care management to clients for in-home aide services who received over 1900 hours of care with 100% of clients on waiting list receiving wraparound services 4 serving hundreds of caregivers through support groups and care management in Buncombe and Madison counties 5 increasing SNAP outreach to potential recipients, volunteers and partners during increased benefits access due to COVID-19 and 6 addressing elder justice needs for over 220 people with a focus on those living with cognitive impairment.

Senior Dining & Wellness

EMILY

CARLEO, DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATE NUTRITION

What a year in senior dining! We served over 35,000 meals thanks to consumer contributions, the block grant funding and COVID-19 funding to help us exceed our goals and serve more than 200 new participants and more than 800 with meals and fresh produce We continued to offer services in-person when possible, as well as with delivery and curbside pickup.

1 When asked about overall health 40% said their health was better since being part of the senior dining program, 99% said their health was the same or better 2 77% of respondents state that their intake of fruits and vegetables increased because of the hot meals and produce they receive from this program 3 Over half say the meal they received from the senior dining program is the main meal of their day. 4. In terms of meeting participants’ nutritional needs 97% say that it has helped 5 We support exercise programs provided at the sites 99% say simply attending senior dining their rate of exercise has increased 6 Attending senior dining has improved their mobility, endurance, and strength 64% said it had improved and 100% said it had either improved or stayed the same 7 One of the cornerstones of the senior dining programs is that it is more than just a meal When asked about socialization 84% say the program has given them more people to talk to.

FIGURE 1. REVENUE PROGRAMS & SUPPORT

Health Insurance Services

BRUCE BIRDSALL, DIRECTOR OF MEDICARE SERVICES

The most significant development has been the acquisition of an office space for a “Medicare Center,” a facility dedicated to the Medicare program. The space provides offices for staff and volunteers, as well as much needed space for client consultations and conferences The Council on Aging’s SHIIP Medicare program was the leading county in North Carolina for both client contacts and cost savings for 2021 We had over 3,100 client contacts and saved clients more than $1 6 million dollars Through our Benefits Enrollment Center for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, in 2021 we assisted nearly 700 individuals, helping them to apply for various low- income subsidy programs The total value of benefits for our clients exceeded $1 1 million dollars

SUSAN WILSON, AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PROGRAM DIRECTOR

A snapshot of the change in the Navigator program from FY 21 to FY 22 can be seen in the difference in the budgets In FY 21, COA was allocated $80,000 for the program and In FY 22, our budget was $337,000 This included new staff, equipment and opportunities for outreach as well as partnership with CareReach to serve McDowell Access to Care and Health (MATCH) and the Tow River Project Access (TRPA) as subgrantees We have been working with MATCH since its inception and TRPA for the past 3 year We added one bilingual Spanish speaking employee which allowed us to reach out to a new demographic within our area We had 569 appointments, 121 outreach events, and we were able to purchase advertising in several Western North Carolina Newspapers, including La Noticia for Spanish program coverage. We were also able to run several commercials emphasizing a new special enrollment period that was offered to low income working families. Previously we were only able to engage in free marketing on social media and using flyers These incredible milestones have allowed us to increase access to affordable insurance for adults of all ages in nine counties.

THE INFLUENCE Service, Education & Advocacy

We restructured our organization this year as a result of new and expanded programs, analyzing our internal capacities to address the high volume of community requests, and to enhance our outreach potential through a refreshed equity lens This restructuring occurred primarily from February - June 2022 We continue to provide service, education and advocacy within local, regional and state platforms to advance home and community based services Our partners this year were critical to these initiatives, including:

Private donors and sponsors, AdventHealth Age Friendly Hospitals, Land of Sky Regional Council, Buncombe County DHHS, National Church Residences, Age Friendly Buncombe, Dementia Friendly WNC, the Mercy Foundation through SIsters of Mercy, PACE services, Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community, Givens Estates, Weaverville First Baptist, Linwood Crump Shiloh Center, Lakeview Center for Active Aging, and Senior Opportunity Center, Moose Cafe, Wildwood Herbal, MANNA FoodBank, CareReach, Equal Plates for All, Spring Mountain Community Club, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Big Sandy UMC, Sandy Mush Community Center, MountainCare, Young HomeCare, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games, Premier Home Health, AllWays Caring, Bayada Home Care, NC Department of Insurance, the Social Security Administration, OLLI, GoodWill Industries, Karen Sanders Patient Advocacy, the Hearing Center, WNC Bridge Foundation, Community Foundation of WNC, Dogwood Health Trust, AARP, and WNC Nonprofit Pathways.

"Over the four or five years that I have asked for assistance and/or references from CoA you have ALWAYS come through with more than I could have imagined. My life has been improved because of your knowledge, professionalism and kindness.

Most recently, staff advocated on my behalf to get house cleaning help and a reduction of my monthly WIFI bill respectively. Yay!

While aging in place is wonderful for me and my independence, it seems issues pop up like mushrooms in the forest. I hope you do not mind my running by issues with you in the future.

I just love you all to pieces! Really!

I suspect there will be a day when I may be able to volunteer with you. I hope so. I'll need a couple of minutes to get my routine in order, but do not hesitate to ask. Especially if there is a one day event that requires an extra hand."

ResourceCoordination

CareManagementInsuranceServicesSeniorDiningGeneral/Admin/FundraisingSupportiveServices

Our organization has made great strides to increase private support as well as enhance our infrastructure to expand services, innovate programming outside of traditional government grants, and collaborate with grassroots organizations and other nonprofits We continue to “stand in the gap” of services for older adults in our service area Our personnel has grown over 30% over the last several years and we have completed our broad non-prescriptive 3-year strategic plan We are now a Living Wage certified employer through JustEconomics and further our efforts for program evaluation, diversity/equity/inclusion/accessibilit, a "hub and spoke" model of service, and integrating in cross-sector partnerships that include clinical settings.

FIGURE 2. PROGRAM EXPENSES