Welcome to our family!

2020- 21 was different from any other year I've experienced at ACOA! We worked hard and preparing for a new facility and in getting grants and donations to furnish the new Senior Center and then the COVID pandemic hit! Although the Senior Center was closed for most of the year due to the pandemic, our staff worked tirelessly to meet the needs and increase demand of other services. Meals on Wheels more than doubled the number of seniors on the delivery routes. The in home aide programs also had an increase an request for services. Families were isolated from their senior loved ones and dependent on ACOA more than ever before to help their senior family members in the home. As you can imagine, the call for grocery shopping, drugstore pick-up, an ETC. Increased dramatically. This made for a record number breaking year for service! The health care landscape is changing rapidly as a result of dramatic growth in the 60 and over age group as well as the COVID pandemic. The need for home and community based services, like Meals on Wheels and in own home aid is rising. Becoming familiar with and understanding the health care marketplace and developing partnership with other service agencies both in Allegany County and surrounding counties are essential to our program sustainability. ACOA Committed to meeting the various needs of Allegany's rapidly growing aging population. As we move forward, we are keenly aware of the economic uncertainties facing our state end county. The accomplishments we are able to claim in the next year will largely rest on our success an fostering and supporting creative ideas, leveraging resources, and building partnerships, both state and local. We will need to enhance collaborations and target available resources. We must focus on enhancing services for those who are most vulnerable.

Karon W. Edwards, Director