FROM TERRI JOHNSON, COMMUNITY HEALTH AGING COORDINATOR/HeART PROJECT

On behalf of the HeART Project’s Senior Wellness Program Planning Group, I am thrilled to announce that we have an online “hub” of information to better connect Langlade County’s older adults and their families/caregivers to resources, programming and activities.

http://alcinfo.com/heart

It is one-stop for your questions about transportation, caregiving, nutrition, volunteering, and health services, including hospice and palliative care. You can find exercise classes, senior living options, educational opportunities, and grandparent resources.

We will also be using the Community Events Calendar, which lists all of the activities in Langlade County. We are working to “tag” all senior activity under “Senior Programs and Events” in order that you can easily find information.

Of course, this does not replace the wonderful online resources available through http://alcinfo.com/ or Aging & Disability Resource Center (http://www.adrc-cw.org/). But we believe we have come up with something that is easy to use and provides the most sought-after information.

We are grateful to Keri Beck, Langlade County Economic Development Corp, and Sarah Repp, Parks, Rec and Cemetery, City of Antigo, for their suggestion and subsequent assistance that we add our pages to the www.alcinfo.com website. Thanks, too, to Chad Cornelius, for his unlimited patience with this process.

I also want to thank ALL of the HeART coalition members and the Senior Wellness Program Planning Group for their suggestions for the site, as well as all the testing and editing. Special thanks to: Lacey Stensberg, Dominic Frandrup, Rose Prunty, Sue Mackowski, Linda Klopfer, Mary Lemke, Holly Swirkowski, Betsy Lane, Carrie Kubacki, Bonnie Hessedel, Paul Grinde, Jennifer Clark, Rachel Watkins-Petersen, and Julie St. Pierre.

Of course, we continue to fine tune it and we will work keep it updated. Please let us know if you see something missing. 715-627-6250

The next BIG question is: “What if I don’t have access to a computer or have a smart phone?” Right now, you can go to the library and use one of their public computers. The library staff can help you find www.alcinfo.com/heart and you can search from there.

Meanwhile, we are looking into ways to provide this material in other formats besides the internet. We know many of our older adults do not have access to the internet and we are determined to figure out how to connect them and their families to these resources. Stay tuned.