Senior issues newsletter [Vol. 35, No. 14 (July 31, 2014)]

Senior Issues Newsletter

2015 CO-AGE Legislative Priorities are Set!
Your ballots have been counted and the results are in. CO-AGE members selected three legislative priorities and voted to focus only on the perennial budget priority Funding for Home and Community Based Services.
Budget Priority: Funding for Home and Community Based Services
Legislative Priorities: Increased Elder Abuse Protections Georgia Adult & Aging Services Agency Family Care Act
The annual CO-AGE Priority Issues meeting was held July 10th in Macon. The meeting included presentations on proposed priority issues for the 2015 General Assembly Session. If you would like to view a video of the meeting, you will find it posted on the GCoA homepage at www.gcoa.org.
Every member had the chance to cast their vote. Ballots for priority selection went out on Tuesday, July 15th, to CO-AGE members who could not come to Macon. Thanks to all who participated in this important process! If you are not a CO-AGE member, don't wait another minute! We need you and you need to be part of this large advocacy partnership. Membership is free, but voluntary contributions are encouraged to support the vital work of CO-AGE for older adults in Georgia throughout the year. Call the Georgia Council on Aging office at 404/657-5343 for further information.
Annual Awards Presented at CO-AGE Meeting
Representative Tommy Benton (31st Jefferson) received the Outstanding Legislator Award in Macon in recognition of his dedication to some of Georgia's most vulnerable citizens. A dedicated legislator and chair of the Human Relations & Aging Committee, he worked tirelessly on the Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Task Force as one of the six-member task force created to look at this looming health crisis in Georgia. In his pivotal role as Chairman of the House Human Relations and Aging Committee he led hearings and lent his considerable influence in support of legislation that will directly benefit seniors. As House Sponsor of SB 292, which passed as HB966, he championed a new state Alzheimer's disease Registry. He also sponsored SR828 which creates a Joint Study Committee on Emergency Relocation of Abused Adults.

The Senior Issues Newsletter is a publication of the Georgia Council on Aging, and its partners in the Coalition of Advocates for Georgia's Elderly. Volume 34, No. 14 July 31, 2014

The Vita R. Ostrander Award honoring an older volunteer who has shown exceptional leadership in advocating for older adults was given to Rev. Dr. Wendell B. Phillips. Wendell began serving as a volunteer with AARP in 2003 and continues that work today! Wendell worked as the Public Policy Advocate representing the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, a governing body of the Presbyterian Church from 2007 2013. In that capacity, he was present daily at the Capitol during the General Assembly Session, meeting with legislators to advocate for funding and legislation, and becoming a wellknown and constant presence. Wendell continues to work for aging Georgians and their families.
Senator Renee Unterman Honored at GGS Conference
Senator Renee Unterman received the David L. Levine award at the Georgia Gerontology Conference on Monday, July 28. Jamie Cramer with Gwinnett Senior Services and Kathy Floyd, Georgia Council of Aging, nominated her and presented the award.
Mark Your Calendar for These Events
CO-AGE Fall Meeting: presentations on priorities and advocacy strategies Thursday, October 9, 2014 North Georgia Community Center Ellijay, GA For information, contact Eric Ryan at 404-657-5344 or joryan@dhr.state.ga.us. or Mary McCarthy at 404-657-5348 or mamccarthy@dhr.state.ga.us.
State Department Board Meetings
Board of Community Health, August 14, 2014, 10:30 a.m. 5th floor, 2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA
Board of Human Services, September 17, 2014, 1:00 p.m. 29th floor, 2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA
Board of Public Health, August 12, 2014, 1:00 p.m. 5th floor, 2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA
Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, August 28, 2014, 1:00-3:00 p.m. 24th floor, 2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA
View the July 10, 2014, CO-AGE meeting, held in Macon on the GCoA website Home Page at www.gcoa.org
The April 24, 2014 meeting continues to be posted on the CO-AGE page.