Gulf Coast Senior Services is the only non-profit in South Alabama that provides education, support groups, dementia conference, case management, advocacy, and respite care services. We are a grassroots local agency, with a local board,all the money we raise stayslocally to help the Alzheimer's and Dementia population, and their loved ones living with all dementias. All of our services are at no cost, however there is an income qualification for respite care. Please visit us at www.gcseniorservices or call 251-421-4888.
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of Gulf Coast Senior Services, Inc (GCSS) is to provide services
allowing our elderly to Age in Place safely and healthy. Our services provide: Education Services, Dementia Respite Care
Services and Case Management/Care Advocacy Services, our focus is to meet the
unmet needs in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia community.
HISTORY
Ms. Germany has been
working with seniors for several decades and with non-profits her entire professional
career. She has seen the need for
Alzheimer’s and Dementia education, care and case management. Ms. Germany worked for Tulsa Area United Way
for many years and helped volunteers identify needs in the community and
provided appropriate funding to meet those needs. When Ms. Germany started working with the
elderly it was natural for her to see the need for Alzheimer’s and Dementia resources
in our community and to see that the need was not being met, but is enormous. Ms. Germany contacted her resources in the
community, Area Agency on Aging, the National Alzheimer’s Association, and the
local Alzheimer’s Foundation. To her
dismay, she was told there were not support services from AAA, Alzheimer’s
Association nor Alzheimer’s Foundation.
At one time in the far past there was a support group and walk put on by
the Alzheimer’s Foundation, but no phone calls were every returned. Ms. Germany also contact Alabama DETA in
Tuscaloosa, AL and tried to talked to
Dr. Powers to get in his program and was told there were individuals who have
been trained locally who could help.
When she called those individuals, no calls were answered nor contact
made by the DETA organization. Being a
problem solver, Ms. Germany started Gulf Coast Senior Services to focus on
Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
This organization was
created in 2012 with the mission to provide resources to senior and their
families, hence naming the organization Gulf Coast Senior Services allowing for
growth and expansion of services in the future.
The organization’s focus is providing resources to individuals and their
families affected by Alzheimer’s and Dementias.
When this organization
was developed there was no Alzheimer’s Foundation, nor Alzheimer’s Association
providing services to this area to date, since that time the Foundation has one
support group that meet monthly and the Association has just completed their
walk which all the money is sent to national.
Ms. Germany was implemental in partnering with the Area Agency on Aging
and help developed the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Hotline, which is supported by
the AAA.
Janet Rich Pittman, Dr.
Daniel Spriggs, Kyla Kelim, Richard Perry, and Gina Germany were the first
initial Board Members, to date we have 15 Board members please see the board roster. There is no staff at the current time however
there are plans to hire a Director once funds are in place to do so. All services are provided by the volunteer
board.
