Senior Citizens across the Midlands can get help covering expenses.

The Serving Our Seniors Program, offered by Central Midlands Council of Governments, the state Department of Aging, and the Administration for Community Living, provides residents that are 60 or older reimbursements for dental services, medication, hearing aids, glasses, wheelchair ramps and portable heating and air units.

“One of our departments is the aging department, which focuses on seniors, and that's what one of our focuses is – seniors are citizens, too,” Britt Poole, executive director for Central Midlands Council of Governments, told the Chronicle. “They have unique issues and so we want to do what we can to help address those issues. That's what our job is and our passion is.”

These reimbursements are made possible through $2.9 million in American Rescue Plan funds, Poole said. 

Mikaela Myers, program specialists/assessor for Central Midlands, told the Chronicle these funds need to be used by September of this year unless they are granted an extension, with Poole saying they’ve spent a little over $100,000 so far.

According to the program's flyer, those within the program can receive up to a $3,000 reimbursement per year on dental services, $1,500 on medication, $3,000 on hearing aids and $400 on glasses. The program can also supply people with wheelchair ramps and portable heating and A/C units, Myers added that they have spent roughly $86,000 on the units.

Myers said there is no limit to the amount of people that they can service, adding that the program is first-come-first-serve. She told the Chronicle that the program has been able to help around 180 seniors so far.

There are little to no requirements for participants in the program, just an assessment that has to be completed and that reimbursements are only given if the senior visits a licensed provider.

Poole said the amount that residents can be reimbursed has already been increased due to the amount of money that needs to be spent, adding that Central Midlands plans on spending some of the money on qualified, one-time expenses.

According to Poole, the program came to be due to the state’s aging office distributing the ARPA funds, with the agencies receiving the funds tasked with coming up with innovative ways to help seniors in their area.

“This isn't an income-based program, many seniors aren’t below the poverty level but they are dealing with increased costs due to the inflation that we've seen in recent years,” Poole said. “But they have fixed incomes, so they're less able to deal with the increased pressures that inflation puts on than other people.”

“This was an attempt to help them deal with that as it relates to medical generally. The air conditioner says it is not technically medical, but everything else is around the increase of medical costs,” he added.

Myers shared that the heating and A/C units being provided are from Lowe’s, with Poole adding that Central Midlands has agreements in place with a number of local contractors. When it comes to the wheelchair ramps, Poole said contractors go and survey the homes to determine the kind of ramp needed, adding that they deal with and pay the contractors directly.

This isn’t the only initiative that Central Midlands offers. Poole detailed that they provide funding for Meals on Wheels, an initiative that supplies meals to elderly citizens, and for senior citizens transportation needs. The group is also involved with the Seniors Raising Children program, Medicare counseling and more.

Those looking to take advantage of the services on offer can contact Myers at (803) 376-5390 x 346 or mmyers@centralmidlands.org.