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Area agency on aging outlines services in Chilton County, requests staffing support
Summary
M4A executive director Carolyn Fortner presented county-level statistics on aging services, described program demand (Medicaid waiver, meals, SHIP counseling), and said the agency will seek county funding to add a full‑time staff person to expand services.
Carolyn Fortner, executive director of M4A (an area agency on aging serving Chilton and neighboring counties), presented data showing high service demand among older residents and asked commissioners to consider funding a full‑time staff position in Chilton County.
Fortner said approximately 25% of Chilton County’s population is age 60 or older and that the agency served between 90 and 94 people on the Medicaid waiver program in Chilton County last year to help older adults remain at home. "Approximately 25% of Chilton County's population is age 60 and older," she said. Fortner reported M4A provided about 8,000 hot meals to roughly 768 Chilton County residents last year and spent more than $600,000 on that program locally.
Fortner explained the agency’s services include homemaker and respite services (limited by workforce shortages in rural counties), Medicare counseling through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), medication assistance (42 Chilton County residents last year, with 145 prescriptions saved about $93,000 total), veterans‑directed care and other support that can reduce nursing‑home placement. She said the agency wants additional county funding to hire a full‑time staff member to expand outreach and assistance in Chilton County.
Commissioners thanked Fortner and said they would consider the request as part of budget discussions. Fortner provided a packet of local statistics and program descriptions and encouraged officials to contact M4A for referrals and program details; she said the agency is one of 13 area agencies on aging in Alabama and one of more than 600 nationwide.
