Chamber focuses on Harlan Senior Citizen's Center
Regular Meeting, April 12, 2006

    April's guest speaker was Georgianna Saylor-Milwee, director of the Harlan County Committee on Aging and the Harlan Senior Citizen's Center. March made her 20th year in the program.

    Formed in 1976, the Harlan County Committee on Aging was formed primarily to provide nutrition and recreation opportunities for seniors ages 60 and over. Over the years, other programs have been added to better serve Harlan County's seniors. In addition to offering daily meals at the center, the program operates five meal routes all over the county which deliver meals to seniors who can't leave their homes.


This year, the program has served 375 people and has a waiting list of 116 more.

"This is why we have pushed so hard for an increase in funding," said Saylor-Milwee. The center recieves funding to serve only 160 meals, but through local donations they are able to serve over 200 meals each day.

In additon to the Harlan Center, the agency also operates a nutrition site in Cumberland and in a couple of weeks will open another nutrition site in the Green Hill Community Center to serve seniors north of Pine Mountain. They are also looking at ways to involve more "young seniors" at the Center through ideas including excercise programs and card clubs.

• The non-profit agency is funded federally by the Older American's Act, Kentucky's Home Care Program, and a 15 percent match with local funds.
  
• According to 2002 Census data, Harlan County's population is 33,200, over 71 people per square mile.
  
• Eighteen percent, or 6,075, of these people are seniors.
  
• In the eight-county Cumberland Valley Area Development District, Harlan County is third in line for funding based on the percentage of elderly per county. Laurel County is first and Whitley County is second.
  
  
  

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