Category: News

Reposted from the Bend Bulletin, Written by Suzanne Roig, Photos by Dean Guernsey For the first time in two years, the Council on Aging is hosting in-person lunches for seniors in its newly renovated Bend facility. Meals will be served at the council’s Senior Services Center, 1036 NE Fifth St., to anyone over 60 on…

Council on Aging of Central Oregon The Council on Aging provides a variety of resources and programs to support the changing needs of people as they age. The Council also provides support for caregivers through respite grants and support groups. Contact: 541-678-5483, Website Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon (ADRC) ADRC provides connections to…

Written by Laurie Weber with input from Wes Vaughn Every November, National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM) is a time to recognize the role of family caregivers. Also known as unpaid caregivers, their roles and contributions are vital to our aging society and deserve to be supported at each step in their caregiving journey. Caregivers can…

On August 16, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration’s regulations for over-the-counter hearing aids finally expanded the options available to the 40 million Americans with hearing loss, many of whom put off buying hearing aids due to the exorbitant costs involved. In addition to cost, the Food and Drug Administration said the new regulations also…

Scams targeting older adults are costly, widespread, and on the rise. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 2021 there were 92,371 older victims of fraud resulting in $1.7 billion in losses. That’s a 74% increase in losses compared to 2020. Why are older adults a common target for fraudsters? They often have…

When asking people to describe Medicare or Medicaid, most people are at best not sure and at worst confused. Let’s start with Medicare. It’s a federal insurance program available for most people over 65 regardless of income, younger people with disabilities, and dialysis patients. Medicaid is an assistance program. It serves low-income people of all…

As reported in the Bend Bulletin on June 7th, Bend resident Robert Weed recently finished his final courses for a Bachelor of Science in liberal studies from Oregon State University-Cascades, nearly 70 years after taking his first stab at higher education at Oregon State in the 1950s. According to a university spokesperson, he is the…

Meet Marianne McClure, our volunteer manager. She manages the fantastic volunteers who give their time to support much-needed services for seniors in our community. Without volunteers, we couldn’t begin to meet the needs of our senior neighbors. Marianne is passionate that our aging population, especially those living alone, deserve a support system that helps them manage…

Research shows that many seniors are affected by social isolation – the absence of meaningful social relationships. Studies found that older adults who describe themselves as lonely face a 59% greater risk of functional decline and a 45% greater risk of death.

Meet our March volunteer of the month for the Council on Aging (CoA), Sally is our SHIBA Medicare Counselor extraordinaire! Recently, we sat down with Sally to find out why she chose to volunteer for the CoA. Why did you decide to volunteer for the Council on Aging (CoA)? Before I retired, I read about…

This year, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the federal Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program, which partially funds public-private organizations like Meals on Wheels. The government relies on agencies across the country to make these programs work. The Council of Aging of Central Oregon (CoA) and our local partners have managed the Meals on…