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Council on Aging tells Indian Trail council ARPA funds bolstered services but waiting list remains
Summary
Council on Aging executive director Andrew Friend briefed the Indian Trail Town Council on growth in senior services funded in part by Indian Trail ARPA interest; the nonprofit said demand outpaces available funding and 30–35 Indian Trail residents remain on a waiting list for in-home care.
Andrew Friend, executive director of the Council on Aging in Union County, told the Indian Trail Town Council on April 8 that the nonprofit has expanded programs using local American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) interest earned by the town but still faces capacity limits.
"We have a team of 20 in-home caregivers ... as well as 4 nurses that are caring for over 250 people on a weekly basis, all at no cost to them," Friend said, describing in-home care, next-door clubhouse services, medical-equipment lending, and fall-prevention work his organization provides.
The presentation, which the council received as an informational item, emphasized demographic trends in Union County drawn from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data. Friend said the county’s population ages 60 and older is projected to grow substantially over the next 20 years, and that the council’s funding from federal and state sources has been largely flat while demand rises.
Friend gave program metrics: incontinence supplies distributed rose from about 5,300 packages two years ago to a projected 12,000 this year; durable medical equipment distributions rose from 830 two years ago to 1,400 last year and are expected to reach 1,600 this year; and the next-door clubhouse provides about 10,000 hours of care annually. He said the in-home services program is the organization’s largest and that Council on Aging projects delivering about 23,000 hours of care this fiscal year but still maintains a waiting list of about 90 people countywide — roughly 30 to 35 of whom live in Indian Trail.
Friend thanked the town for using ARPA interest to buy grab bars and other home-safety equipment and said volunteers have installed devices and delivered medical-alert buttons; he reported 25 life-saving uses of those buttons since the program began. He asked the council to consider continued partnership and additional support to help reduce the waiting list.
Council members and residents responded with questions about donations and volunteer opportunities. Friend outlined multiple ways to support the nonprofit, including an annual fundraising breakfast and his organization’s website for donations.
As an informational presentation, the council did not take formal action on the Council on Aging request during the April 8 meeting.
