PBS reports a special investigation on the Assisted Living industry.  If you miss the program on television, go to PBS.org and watch the full program entitled,”Life and Death in Assisted Living” at your convenience.  It’s a must see.

The Area Agency on Aging is pleased to announce its new dedicated Alzheimer’s helpline.  It provides free, trusted, unbiased information about services available in Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia Counties for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.  The phone is answered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on normal business days.  The service is provided in partnership with the Alzheimer’s &  Dementia Coalition of South Alabama.

I’ve had the privilege to work alongside Julie McGee lately and she is a game changer.  She knows her field of expertise and wields a powerful sword.  Yet, she carries herself with grace and has a calm presence.  You’d never know that she has a resume 4 pages long full of impressive accomplishments.

Julie has been diligently working for the betterment of Mobile residents since 1979.  Housed in the GM&O building downtown, she currently reigns as Area Agency on Aging Director for the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission.Under her leadership for the last 16 years, she has required excellence from her staff, which recently earned them an award given by the National Council on Aging to only three projects in the nation.  The benefits of this award will help the elderly and disabled of Alabama to achieve more economic security, move out of poverty, and be able to successfully remain in their own homes and live independently. This is just one of the many accomplishments that her local organization has achieved.

I’m writing this because Julie took the time to listen to a caregiver (me) who saw an unmet need in the community, organized a meeting of professionals in the dementia field to address that need and invited me along as well.  As a result, we have formed the Alzheimer and Dementia Coalition of South Alabama and created a helpline as a community resource for Alzheimer and dementia information.  What a privilege to come along and see how she gets things done.  You are the first to get a gold star, Julie McGee.  Thanks for making a difference.