NISC Programs of Excellence 

• Year Awarded: 2023
• Programs of Excellence Name: Senior Advocate Program
• Hosting Organization: McMinn Senior Activity Center, Athens, Tennessee
• McMinn County Population: 55,678
• 60+ Population: 15,033
• Senior Center Members: 562

About the Senior Advocate Program

Everyone deserves sufficient resources to be able to keep a roof over their heads, pay for food and medicine, and meet their other basic needs. But one in three adults 65+ in McMinn County have neglected basic needs such as food, utilities, clothing, or medication due to cost.

Since 2019, the Senior Advocate (SA) has helped hundreds of at-risk older adults access vital resources and has overseen the Senior Safe at Home program since 2023, a new program that grew out of a direct need that was seen as the Senior Advocate Program grew.

The Senior Safe at Home Program is designed to financially assist economically disadvantaged older adults by providing funding assistance to help cover the costs associated with three main financial burdens: food insecurity, safety, and home repairs. In several cases, older adults have applied for services or resources, but, because of financial reasons or age restrictions, they do not qualify for assistance. Senior Safe at Home will pay up to 25% of any older adult's financial needs that fall into this "hole."

While the McMinn Senior Activity Center (MSAC) works with several state and national senior advocacy groups, such as the Southeast TN Area Agency on Aging and Disability, the Tennessee Federation for the Aging, and NCOA, what makes the Senior Advocate Program unique is how it works at a grassroots level. MSAC's Senior Advocate Program is one of only three of its kind in the entire state of Tennessee that has a dedicated staff member to help older adults cut through the "red tape" of life, and it is the only one of its kind in East Tennessee. The center's Senior Advocate works together with local and state resources to help find resources and services for older adults in the community and often receives referrals from the Social Security Office, the Veterans Affairs Office, and other providers of social services.

Since the Senior Safe at Home Program, which is overseen by MSAC's Senior Advocate, began, the McMinn Senior Activity Center has helped older adults in the community purchase new hearing aids, purchased bicycles for people who were unable to afford a car, provided cellphone minutes for a veteran who is homeless whom the Advocate helped find lodging until he could find more permanent housing, paid for an increase in the cost of gas to warm an older adult's home this past winter, and paid for older adults who were waiting to be qualified to ride for the SE TN Human Resource bus to come to the MSAC for a nutritious meal and vital social interaction with others.

The MSAC Senior Advocate keeps records on those she has assisted. But she doesn't just leave them to their own devices once their need is taken care of. She keeps tabs on them with follow-up calls and visits if needed. She gives older adults in the community the tools they need to age successfully to live happier and longer lives.

Since the program began in 2019, a few of the services completed by the Senior Advocate include: 27 new ramps built or replaced, 57 in-person wellness checks, 9 applications for home renovations for veterans, a dozen United Way applications, 17 applications for SETHRA Energy Assistance, 131 bi-weekly food staple deliveries, 17 Thanksgiving meals, 62 Christmas dinner boxes delivered that were provided by the Friendly Fellows, and 1,300 free rides on the SETHRA bus were arranged for older adults. The MSAC even has one gentleman who comes by the center once a week, and she reads his mail to him and helps sort through anything that needs to be taken care of because he never learned to read. And that is with the Senior Advocate only working two days a week.

The Senior Advocate Program was able to form key partnerships within the community to further the mission of the McMinn Senior Activity Center to help older adults age successfully by partnering with the housing authority, the Veteran's Administration, AARP, the Tennessee State Health Insurance Program (SHIP), the local Social Security office, the regional Agency on Aging and Disability, local food banks, other nonprofit agencies such as the United Way, as well as assisted living facilities and local businesses like the automotive mechanic who was able to do repair work at reduced costs, and individuals within the community who made financial contributions to help fund projects that were larger than what the Senior Safe at Home program could fund. The Senior Advocate has developed relationships with repairmen and contractors who have helped repair HVAC units as well as build new wheelchair ramps or made homes wheelchair-accessible at little to no cost.

Key takeaways from the Senior Advocate Program:

• A dedicated staff member helps older adults cut through the "red tape" of life.
• Older adults who may not qualify for traditional assistance can get help with food, safety, and/or home repairs.
• A Senior Advocate keeps in touch with those who have gotten assistance to ensure they are thriving.

About the McMinn Senior Activity Center

Since 1974, the McMinn Senior Activity Center (MSAC) has worked to become the trusted resource for senior care and social services in McMinn County, Tennessee. Staff and volunteers work to empower older adults to age successfully through various programs and services, including congregate meals, social programs and activities, health education and screening events, and access to resources that they might not know about or have access to. The MSAC continually works to improve and add relevant programs as older adults' needs change to promote wellness and encourage a healthy and active lifestyle for those age 50 and up.