Legacy Link Annual Report 2023

Annual Report 2023

Message from the CEO

Despite continuing to navigate challenges in a postCOVID landscape, I am proud to say that Legacy Link is not only fulfilling our mission but striving for excellence in all that we do. We have updated a lot this year from our marketing materials to our core values. All of this was done with one thing in mind, capturing what makes Legacy Link unique: our passion for making life better for our clients, partners, and the communities that we serve. I hope these changes push us to continue to reach and expand our footprint.

Our updated mission statement is to support and advocate for aging adults and individuals with disabilities to be their link to a better life. This statement captures the heart of Legacy Link and our commitment to the community that we serve.

Legacy Link’s scope has dramatically grown since we were founded in 1997, and we want to make sure that we continue to be inclusive of all the vital services that we provide. Therefore, we have also updated our logo to represent all Legacy Link programs. This commitment to inclusion can also be seen with our new logo by including our new tag line of Your Link to a Better Life. Whether you are looking for senior centers, in-home care, case management, information and referral, senior employment, or other services, our goal is the same: to be your link to a better life.

Legacy Link has a deep sense of responsibility with all funding we receive. 93% of our funding goes to direct service. These funds make a significant impact within our community. I’m excited for you to learn more about how Legacy Link is making a difference in our community through this annual report.

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering commitment of our staff, Board of Directors, and community partners. Our staff’s daily commitment to the clients that we serve changes lives every single day and I am humbled to be a part of their team. Our Board of Director’s cast vision through their knowledge and guidance as they have the unique ability to see the world as they wish for it be and create a plan to get there. Legacy Link has the privilege of working with community partners that understand the larger mission and are already impacting clients’ lives daily. Working together we can truly change the world one person at a time.

As I look to next year, I am confident about the future. There is no challenge that we cannot overcome by working collaboratively together. I look forward to Legacy Link being your link to a better life for many years to come.

Melissa Armstrong CEO/AAA Director

Meet Our Team Board Members

Pamela Elfenbein Pat Rylee

Tony Nguyen

Chief Financial Officer

Finance Manager

Sid Jacobs Betty Fitts Tammy Owens Gail Lancaster Susan Lancaster

Amaury Romaguera

Ashley Pitts

Human Resources Director

Office Manager

Nerissa McPherson Lynn Duke Lamar Gailey

Elaine Harkins

Sandy Coker

Aging and Disability Resource Connection Director

MIS Director

Advisory Council

Amy Allen

Christine Osasu

Health Programs Director

Senior Community Service Employment Program Director

Chair Bill Miles Habersham County Vice Chair Susy Hollaway Forsyth County

Jessica Zagarella

Lisa Howard

Community Engagement Director

Contracts & Quality Director

Our Mission

Service Area All Programs

Our mission is to support and advocate for aging adults and individuals with disabilities to be their link to a better life.

Clients Served Overall

Legacy Link provides programs to supplement

181,773

community resources and boosts awareness to existing initiatives. Through active listening and empathy, we link individuals to resources within the community so they can have a better life.

In 2022,

33%

of adults 65 and older reported having a disability.

In 2022, people reaching 65 had an average life expectancy of an additional

That’s why linking people to the support they deserve is critical to our community!

18.9 years

*Source: https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Profile%20of%20OA/ACL_ProfileOlderAmericans2023_508.pdf

Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) Trained Intake Specialists provide anonymous and confidential access to information, referral, and assistance concerning services for seniors, family members and persons with disabilities.

3,440 270

4,630

Calls made into the ADRC

230 134 Care Consultation Clients Served

592 Veterans Served

13 Counties Served Across Georgia

233 164 Home & Community Based Services (HCBS) Case Management Clients Served

7

Money Follows the Person Transitions

Options Counseling Clients Served

10 Nursing Home Transitions

Were first time callers

With an unformal/suspected dementia diagnosis

With a formal dementia diagnosis

Health and Wellness Goals Our wellness programs are designed to help our clients live their best lives, including learning strategies for staying physically safe at home. A participant in our Bingocize class shared that she was able to catch herself and maintain her balance, preventing a fall in her kitchen using one of the exercises she learned in class.

Another client who has Parkinson’s Disease and takes a Matter of Balance classes at First United Methodist Church of Union County. She has fallen a few times since the class ended but she has been able to get herself up from the floor since being shown how by our Guest Healthcare Professional (PT/Rehab Director at Union General). She said her husband has been amazed at her getting herself up since learning the strategies shared in our class.

Legacy Link operates Towns and Union County Senior Centers.

Towns County

70 + 116 = 186 Through Congregate

Through Home Delivered Meals

Total Served

Union County

151 + 192 = 343 Through Congregate

Through Home Delivered Meals

Total Served

Through contracted services Legacy Link was able to provide the following services:

214 Clients Served through the Elderly Legal Assistance Program (ELAP)

33 Clients Served for Personal Care Assistance

91 Clients Served for Homemaker Services

424 Clients Served for Transportation Assistance

356,321

Meals were provided to 2,457 participants through Home Delivered Meals

64,782

Meals were provided to 1,346 participants attending 11 Senior Centers

Volunteers are Valuable Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is an AmeriCorps Seniors national program serving local communities. It is funded and administered by AmeriCorps, the Federal Agency for Volunteering and Service.

44,598

meals delivered to homebound older adults by 257 volunteers

816

Medicare beneficiaries counseled, and provided site and program assistance

12,639

hours served - worth $366,531 at GA Volunteer rate of $29/hour

This is George Jacobs.

He has been a volunteer Medicare counselor at Legacy Link since 2004.

He is a retired federal executive who worked for the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services as a statistician, and the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS). He also served as CMS Regional Administrator for New England.

George enjoys assisting people who are navigating the Medicare system. Besides his belief that each person has a responsibility to give back to the local community, he feels a great personal satisfaction in helping Medicare recipients understand their benefits and coverage options. He finds that each beneficiary story is unique and sometimes very intriguing. He enjoys that he “learns something new every day.”

Everyone in Medicare SHIP feels lucky to have George on their team. He is a wonderful resource who provides a wealth of information, both historical and timely as George is constantly investigating current information to stay abreast of the many changes that affect Medicare beneficiaries each year.

•

He wrote a book, Managing Your Medicare, based primarily on experiences as a Medicare counselor in north Georgia. George developed informational outreach

Fun Facts About George

sessions that he presents to groups in the service area.

•

During the pandemic, he developed online sessions about Medicare topics.

Now, he is back on the road presenting at libraries and senior centers, along with attending senior resource expos and doing individual Medicare counseling.

•

Over the years, George has donated over 3,500 hours of his time. This past year he donated 400 hours and counseled 199 Medicare beneficiaries.

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Trained staff and volunteers provide free, factual, and unbiased Medicare counseling, assist with enrollment in all Medicare Programs and provide community education on topics

834 Total Beneficiaries

including: • Medicare (Parts A and B) • Medicare supplemental insurance • Medicare Part D prescription plans • Fraud, abuse, and scams related to

365

Medicare • Identity theft

New Beneficiaries

380

Open Enrollment Beneficiaries

This project is supported by a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.

243

Under 65 Beneficiaries

94 Financial assistance applications made for beneficiaries (Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help)

$79,670.93 Cost savings for clients during open enrollment

Elderly & Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment (SOURCE) are part of the EDWP that provide in-home and community-based services as an alternative to a nursing home.

1,780

2.5

35

Total Number of EDWP Clients Served

Years is the Average Time Clients Stay in EDWP

Counties Served Across Georgia

Services Available Through EDWP Adult Day Health Alternative Living Services Case Management Consumer Direct Care Emergency Response Services Home Delivered Meals Personal Support Services Respite Care Skilled Nursing Services Structured Family Care

Rising Above Challenges EDWP case management was contacted late on a Wednesday afternoon regarding one of the local personal care homes that has been in business for over 40 years. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this home was set to close by 6 pm on Friday – only 48 hours away. Staff immediately began assisting in the placement of the clients we were residing in the facility.

With the help of Sonya Waren, Sheri Potters, Lora Thomas, Roxana Arias and LaDonne Merritt, all 26 clients were placed in alternate living arrangements by the 6pm Friday deadline. All 9 SOURCE clients were placed in personal care homes within our Legacy Link territory. Out of the 17 CCSP clients, 2 clients were placed into the nursing home, 2 clients were placed with family and personal support services to assist, and 12 clients were placed in personal care homes, all remaining within our Legacy Link territory.

It truly takes a village sometimes. In this case, our team held others up by tirelessly working and advocating for our clients during a crisis beyond their control.

Senior Community Service Employment Program The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a federally funded employment training program for limited-income seniors, aged 55 or older, who wish to re-enter the workforce.

The SCSEP program helps limited-income seniors refresh their job skills through a paid training assignment at a local non-profit or government agency. The goal of the SCSEP program is gainful employment for mature workers.

435,636 Labor Hours Worked

$3,158,361 Financial Infusion into Counties in Georgia

$13,853,224.80 Value of Time

*Based on Independent Sector Value of Volunteer Time $31.80 Per Hour

602

150

40

106

Limited Income Job Seeking Seniors Received Paid Job Training for up to 29 Hours Per Week

Nonprofit and Government Agencies that Received Valuable Community Service

Seniors Achieved Gainful Employment

Counties Served Across Georgia

SCSEP Success Story This is Towana Stark.

Grandma, Mom, Sister, Wife—Towana has many cherished titles. After four years in Legacy Link’s Senior Job Training Program, she is proud to add yet another title to her list, Administrative Assistant. In her new role she will be conducting special projects, record keeping, clerical tasks, office inventory, and more.

While job training, she seized the opportunity to expand her knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Google Sheets. She learned how to cultivate the spirit of patience and professionalism when working with difficult clients. She learned how to be flexible and work independently while navigating hybrid work supervisors and instruction.

She made the most of SCSEP training and built herself into a highly marketable employment candidate.

Towana rises to meet challenges with determination, kindness, and wisdom. After a series of surgeries to fix her bad knee resulted in an infection that led to the amputation of her left leg, many practitioners expected her to be down. She said she wasn’t going to let any grass grow under her feet. She left the hospital, went to rehab for five days and then kept moving. She spent almost 6 months without a prosthetic learning how to navigate the world in new ways. Towana says there are so many challenges in this life, but you can’t sit down and let anything hold you back.

Challenges continued. Car troubles, housing issues, and the inflated cost of prosthetic repairs loomed heavy over Towana. No matter the struggle she was facing, she came to job training with dutiful diligence and persistence and rose to the top of the training cohort. She became the statewide recertification participant assistant, training directly under the program director. She excelled in her role and improved the recertification process so much so that the program remained in full compliance, with income recertifications always being completed ahead of schedule under the system she helped develop.

Financial Summary REVENUE & SUPPORT

2023

FEDERAL & NON-FEDERAL GRANTS/CONTRIBUTIONS/IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS

13,868,581

CONTRACTUAL SERVICES

4,845,185

OTHER INCOME

2,351

TOTAL PUBLIC SUPPORT & REVENUE

18,716,117

$615,110

$2,351

$638,918

$3,107,921

TOTAL $18,716,117

$9,506,632

$4,845,185

Interest Income

In-Kind

Contractual Services

Local Share Income/Senior Centers

State Grant Contracts

Federal Grant Contracts

EXPENSES

2023

PROGRAM SERVICES

16,611,804

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

1,831,701

TOTAL EXPENSES

18,443,505

CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

272,612

NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR

4,409,592

NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR

4,682,204

$1,831,701

TOTAL $18,443,505

$16,611,804 Administrative Support

Aging Program Services

Linking People to the Support they Deserve

Give The funds we raise directly benefit Legacy Link’s operations and clients. You can scan the QR code to make a tax-deductible contribution or send a check to: P.O. Box 1480, Oakwood, GA 30566

Fulfill our Amazon Wish List

Learn how you can get involved!

You can purchase much-needed items from

As a non-profit organization, there

and materials help our team provide a better

are many ways that you can help

life to our clients. Scan the QR code to access

us achieve our mission to support

the list.

Legacy Link’s Amazon Wish List. These tools

and advocate for aging adults and individuals with disabilities to be their link to a better life.

Volunteer Legacy Link offers volunteer positions with various programs for those who want to give of their time.

Required skills, training, and commitment level differ for each position. You can learn more on our website.

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770-538-2650 or 855-266-4283 www.LegacyLink.org 4080 Mundy Mill Road Oakwood, GA 30566