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It's no secret, but it is not widely known either,
that the Lt. Governor's Office on Aging has a
significant role in our state's disaster planning.
We always staff shifts at the State Emergency
Operations Center during crisis situations.
And recently when hurricanes threatened our coasts,
we were prepared to link up with the Area Agencies
on Aging and the county Councils on Aging to
go into impacted areas to restore services to
seniors. We also maintained a presence in the
reception center that welcomed Katrina evacuees,
making sure that the elderly's needs were met and
helping reunite families. Just as the reception
center closed down permanently late last week, we
learned that an 84-year-old Kingstree man was
trying to bring his 90-year-old sister home.
She had lived in New Orleans, and had been evacuated
to a Baton Rouge nursing home with only a
nightgown to her name. The SC Bar Association
was willing to finance the trip, but there
were some legitimate concerns about her
traveling alone.
It was no small task, but a chain of caring watched
over Lucinda Drayton every step of the way.
The nursing home's social worker in Louisiana shared
her clothing sizes so people half a continent
away could take up a collection to fill two
small suitcases with new clothes to give her on her
arrival here in South Carolina. Our friends at
AARP South Carolina donated a toiletry selection.
Capital Senior Center located a wheelchair.
Continental Airlines was a guardian angel from
arrival to departure with a change of planes in
between; and the Columbia Airport bent over
backwards to help this reunion take place amid
camera flashes. Onlookers, when told the
story, wept. We welcomed her to Columbia, and
helped the reunited family travel home to Kingstree
in my car.
This story is a great story, not just because it
reunited brother and sister, not just because
it helped one senior left devastated by natural
disaster find security and hope in a new home,
and not just because it reveals the depth of
caring and concern that links all of us.
It is a great story because it also illustrates the
reality that one senior is often the caregiver
to another. This is an enduring image in our
senior community. Professional care-giving
businesses and organizations provide excellent
services, but caregiving is and largely has been
about families.
· one out of every four US households is
involved in caring for a mature adult
· 85% of all home care is provided by
families
· 83% of families and friends caring for
seniors are mature adults themselves
In fact, November will be Family Caregiver month in
South Carolina and the theme of this year's
Family Caregiver Support Program annual meeting set
for Oct. 19th is "Focusing on the Caregiver:
Planning for a Future of Caring." Email me if
you wish more information.
Meantime, here are a couple of links so you can see
the coverage of Mr. Abie Wilson's reunion with
his sister Lucinda Drayton.
Will Frampton's coverage with video link for Channel
19, WLTX:
http://www.wltx.com/news/news19.aspx?storyid=30950
James Hammond's coverage for The State:
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/12768477.htm
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