When I’m talking to members of the community about the Council on Aging of Martin County, one of the statistics I often tout is our record as the longest-standing organization in the county dedicated to serving seniors. I sometimes forget, however, to include what this accomplishment correlates to in actual years.
In 2019, I will not make that oversight. This year, the Council on Aging of Martin County celebrates its 45th anniversary of caring for seniors in this community. Though our history spans nearly half a century, it is still remarkable to me how far we have come since the first inkling of a senior-focused nonprofit organization.
It all started in 1974 with an ad in the local newspaper for a public meeting to discuss forming a non-profit organization to serve as a safety net for seniors. More than 200 people showed up. Even all those decades ago, this community recognized a massive gap in services for the aging population. By 1976, the Council on Aging began delivering Meals on Wheels to low-income, homebound seniors. Three years later, we achieved the “Lead Agency” designation for Martin County under the Community Care for the Elderly Act. We’ve held that designation ever since. In 1987, we opened the first state licensed adult day program in the county. For three decades, the Council on Aging provided essential services to frail seniors through Meals on Wheels, adult day care and case management services out of a converted church on East 10th Street in Stuart. Countless lives were improved—and in many cases saved—because of the existence of these programs.
By 2000, the population of Martin County residents aged 60 and older reached more than 43,000. (The entire population of Martin County in our founding year, 1974, was 46,300). The leadership of the Council realized that if we were to keep pace with the need for senior services, we needed a bold vision for the future. Once again, our generous community and the State of Florida stepped up to help us make that vision a reality: The Charles and Rae Kane Center—a state-of-the-art community center designed for all seniors from the active to the frail.
At our core are still the life-saving, life-improving programs this organization was built upon: Meals on Wheels, The Club and care management. Since opening the Kane Center in 2011, we’ve been able to grow and improve these programs in ways that were unimaginable in our old location. The Club has expanded capacity to care for up to 120 Club members per day. We’ve added a Memory Enhancement Center for early-stage memory loss and a weekly Parkinson’s program. More than 350 Meals on Wheels are made fresh and delivered daily from our own kitchen.
Beyond those flagship programs are services we could never have dreamed of on 10th Street. We began offering primary medical care in 2012, which by 2017 became the Joseph C. & Ann S. Day Medical Center. In the Kane Town Center and the Frances Langford Theater, we host dozens of social, wellness, educational, caregiver support and cultural programs each month. We have 635 active Kane Members. Last year, we welcomed Brain Matters Research into the Kane Center, opening the first Alzheimer’s disease research facility on the Treasure Coast. We also partnered with Alzheimer’s Community Care to launch Martin County HUGS, an initiative to make Martin County a dementia-friendly community.
These milestones represent only a fraction of the impact of our 45 years, and our work has only just begun. It’s well documented that as a society, we are living longer. The question we ask ourselves is: How well are we living those extra years? As Martin County’s experts on aging, we are here to help our community navigate and enhance the golden decades of their lives. As we approach a half-century of service, we are again looking to the future. We are now in an era where the “senior population” comprises two generations: the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers. Generation X is close on their heels. As an organization we must adjust to ensure each of these disparate groups have the support they need.
The Council on Aging was built and nurtured by the generosity of spirit that runs through our community. We have thrived during these 45 years because of many people and organizations: our army of volunteers, our corporate sponsors and community partners, and, of course, our donors. What will the next 45 years look like for seniors in Martin County? In the Council on Aging’s perfect world, Martin County will be the gold standard for living well at any age. With the continued support of our community, we will be here every day working toward that goal.