TCOG’s ADRC Announces New Educational Series

SHERMAN, JUNE 6, 2018 – Dr. Susan Thomas, Executive Director of Texoma Council of Governments (TCOG), announced today the start of a new educational series provided by TCOG’s Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). By featuring unique resources each month, the ADRC of Texoma brings value to the community by educating older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers and professionals about resources that benefit them and relieve their families.

To kick off the series, the ADRC facilitated a presentation and live demo, showcasing captioning telephones, special telephones that ensure phone conversations are clearly understood, by displaying text of conversations in near real-time on a large color touchscreens while also amplifying voice so users can see and hear what callers are saying.

“Phone conversations for people with hearing loss can be frustrating,” said Thomas. “ADRC has teamed up with ClearCaptions to improve the accessibility of captioning telephones so that people may access this resource with greater ease.”

“Connecting services and options to those who most need them is a multi-step process,” said ADRC Program Manager Janet Karam, “It involves scouting for resources, building them into our database, assisting callers, providing referrals, and educating the public.”

The ADRC fosters strong partnerships with providers of services and options benefiting older adults, caregivers, Veterans and people with disabilities. To learn more and get involved, contact the ADRC at (855) 937-2372.

The next meeting in this series is . It will be held on from – at TCOG’s offices in Sherman.

The Texoma Council of Governments is a voluntary association of the local governments in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson Counties. Established in 1968, the Texoma Council of Governments promotes economy and efficiency in the coordinated planning and development of the tri-county region through its community and economic development activities. Either directly, or through contractors, the Council provides housing, utility assistance, and weatherization services for low-income citizens in the region and assists the elderly through a variety of Area Agency on Aging programs. The Council also facilitates the delivery of grant funding for homeland security and criminal justice.

SHERMAN, TX – The Texoma Council of Governments in Sherman could soon become a Regional Aging Resource Center for several counties.

The Texoma Council of Governments has applied for a major grant in hopes of making Texoma the home of a new Aging and Disability Resource Center.

It would help individuals from 12 counties access a number of services under one roof.

“It bridges the gap for individuals who have to go from one service to another and it streamlines the efficiency so these individuals can just go to one access,” said Karen Bray, aging services department director.

T.C.O.G. provides services to seniors who are 60-years or older, individuals with disabilities and veterans.

Usually, to get those services they have to meet with several agencies and fill out lengthy forms for each service.

But if T.C.O.G. is selected to become the new regional aging and disability resource center that will change.

“This approach would streamline and make all of these programs efficient in that. It would be one area that they could come to access information to all these different services,” said Bray.

Executive Director of T.C.O.G., Susan Thomas, said the grant application is all about making life easier for those they serve.

“So they’re not being bounced from agency to agency, place to place, phone number to phone number. They can sit down and have somebody review all of those resources with them and get that done in one spot. That’s a tremendous benefit to those folks,” said Thomas.

T.C.O.G. is competing with the Ark-Tex Council of Governments for the grant.

But only one agency will be selected to be the lead agency for the Aging and Disability Resource Center.

T.C.O.G. will be notified by early August if they are selected.

Source: http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/TCOG–266531411.html