People in their fifties, sixties and beyond make some of the best employees, but it isn’t always easy connecting them with prospective employers. That’s where the Older Kansans Employment Program can help.
La Rena Hildebrand from the SouthWest Kansas Area Agency on Aging office in Great Bend explained OKEP and other services when SWKAAA hosted the April 10 Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Coffee at the Chamber office. She was joined by Michelle Pantaleo, executive director of SWKAAA, with a home office in Dodge City.
“We have over 30 programs,” Pantaleo said. SWKAAA is a planning, coordinating and funding agency for services to older Kansans in the 28 counties of southwest Kansas. It receives its funding from various federal, state and county programs.
“If we don’t supply the service, we know who does and we can connect you with it,” she said.
OKEP is a successful program for its clients. Most are between the ages of 65 and 80, but the service is available to individuals 55 and older looking for full- or part-time employment, Hildebrand said.
“Sometimes people are ready to change careers, and I can help you with that.” She sometimes knocks on business doors to ask what is available.
“I have worked with people that have master’s degrees, all the way down to sixth-grade education,” she said. She can even find jobs that do not require a GED. “As long as the person is really willing to train and work hard, they’ll train you.”
The Older Kansans Employment Program has meetings at the Great Bend Senior Center every Wednesday from 10-11 a.m.
Hildebrand has a stack of job openings for this area, although seniors can be picky about the jobs they choose.
“They have a right to be picky. They’ve worked long and hard. Some of them have retired, and they’re just looking for income, some people are looking to keep busy. Some people are just looking to change, do something different,” she said. “If there are jobs to be had, older people are reliable. They have worked. They know how to get along with people. They know how to communicate with people, they know how to listen. They can be trained. And so it’s a very successful program, and I’m very glad to be a part of it.”
There are also opportunities for volunteers. Among those are Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) and transportation services.
“We have a Silver Sounds program where we have one staff person that calls folks that are lonely or needing to talk with somebody,” Pantaleo said. “They may not have anybody nearby to communicate with, and they might be homebound. We have one lady, she’s 75 years old, and she spends 40 hours a week talking to folks on the phone, but the demand is much higher than what one person can do. We’d love to bring out volunteers to do that as well.”
SKWAA has a long checklist of services it provides, from in-home care to Friendship Meals to legal advice to housing opportunities. They recently started a regional transportation program to get people to doctor visits in Hutchinson and Wichita, and a handyman service.
SWKAAA is part of the Kansas Department of Commerce and funding comes from the Older Americans Act. “Please talk to your representative about reauthorizing that; it is still sitting out there in limbo,” Pantaleo said. “We’re waiting for that to be reauthorized, but we have funding from the state too, for (things like) our Senior Care Act program, which is case management. We have caregiver funding from the State. We have a new Alzheimer’s respite care program (and) another caregiver program.”
Chamber announcements
• Wednesday, April 16, is the Grow Workforce Business & Career Expo, from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Great Bend Events Center.
• Wednesday is also Cornhole Night at the VFW Post 3111 at 7 p.m. and Smashburgers & Home Cut Fries Night at the American Legion at 5:30 p.m.
• Ellinwood Hospital & Clinic has started an Alzheimer’s Association Support Group that meets on the third Thursday of each month from 7-8 p.m. in the Education Room, 300 N. Park Ave., Ellinwood. Enter through the side door on the southeast side of the building. The topic of the April 17 meeting is “Ways to Find Joy.”
• Perks Coffee Shop, 1216 Main, has an Easter coloring contest for children under 12 years old. Coloring pages can be picked up at the coffee shop or downloaded on the website, PerksCoffeeShop.com. Colored pages can be redeemed for a free cookie and they are posted on the Perks Coffee Shop Facebook page.
• Saturday, April 12, is the “first annual” Rise and Run 5K for the Family Crisis Center. Registration will be accepted at the race, which starts at 7:30 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. Cost is $35.
• The Family Crisis Center will host a Child Abuse Prevention Month Community Event from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Kingdom Campus, 700 S. Patton Road. Celeste Edmunds, author of “Garbage Bag Girl,” will be there.
• The next Chamber Coffee will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 17, at Nex-Tech, 3700 10th St.
