
If you aren’t already caring for an elderly relative, you probably will be in the near future, with 10,000 people turning 65 every day for the next 15 years, CareLink President and CEO Luke Mattingly told the Little Rock Rotary Club on Tuesday.
CareLink is a nonprofit that provides resources for older people and their families in central Arkansas.
Mattingly said the organization, which has been in business for 38 years, operates on an annual budget of about $15.5 million in six counties, serving more than 15,000 people each year.
That money comes from all levels of the government, grants for various programs, insurers, fees for services and private donations, he said.
CareLink is also authorized to receive Older Americans Act funds and has 681 employees, Mattingly said.
He said it’s the largest Area Agency on Aging in the United States and has four facilities in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
Mattingly announced that, on May 8, a grand opening will be held for the new CareLink Fitness and Wellness Center at 1200 S. Cleveland St. in Little Rock.
The center will offer exercise classes and wellness programs for people over 50 and include an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Michelle Gilbert, outreach and marketing officer, also spoke the club on Tuesday. She said more than 300,000 Meals on Wheels had been delivered to the Little Rock, North Little Rock and Maumelle area last year.
But there’s more to Meals on Wheels than nutrition. Gilbert said the volunteer delivering the meals may be the only person that elderly individual sees in a day, so the program also helps stave off isolation and loneliness.
She also told them about a new Urgent Needs Fund the organization has that offers financial assistance to elderly people who may not be able to afford home repairs.