Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
A public hearing has been scheduled by Advantage Aging Solutions for Wednesday, April 1, to share information on local senior services they are providing and to allow for public input on needs of the elderly in our area.
The health-fair-style event, designed to provide two-way communication about services for Jefferson County senior adults, will last from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Monticello Opera House, located at 185 W. Washington St. on Courthouse Circle.
Lisa Bretz, executive director for The Agency on Aging for North Florida, Inc. d/b/a Advantage Aging Solutions in Jefferson County, says the purposes of the hearing are as follows:
- To share information about Older Americans Act supportive services and nutrition programs available to senior adults (60 years of age and older) residing in Jefferson County.
- To highlight the coordination of and provision of direct services by the Agency under an emergency waiver since September 2025. Services include screening/assessment for program enrollment, meal services, transportation, recreation, education and telephone reassurance.
- To provide the opportunity for public input regarding known or perceived needs and/or interests of seniors and their caregivers in the community.
Documents related to the public hearing will be available at the Opera House during the hearing and on the website www.advantageaging.org/ under News & Updates. Hard copies may be requested by emailing the Area Agency on Aging for North Florida at info@advantageaging.org.
Bretz invites community liaisons and partners to work with Advantage Aging Solutions as it moves forward with senior services for Jefferson County.
“It is important to us that the community organizations that have been contributing their time, talents and resources to seniors in Jefferson County are encouraged to continue to do so; therefore, we are requesting an opportunity to meet with you and begin identifying how we can all best work together,” Bretz wrote in a March 13 email addressed to Community Partners. “... I hope we can count on your support."
In the email, Bretz also summarized her agency's involvement: “We were the primary funding source of the programs and services that were being coordinated by the Jefferson Senior Citizens Center for over 40 years. As of September 8, 2025, Advantage Aging Solutions has been coordinating programming and providing direct services to seniors under an emergency waiver from our funder, the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Initially, we kept our program operating at the senior center to ensure a smooth transition and grant the wishes of our clients. Since leaving the Senior Center in January, we have spent a significant amount of time trying to identify available space to revive in-person programming.”
Services that have continued in the interim, are as follows:
• Meals through home delivery with a new food vendor, with weekly calls to each senior participant for feedback regarding the taste and overall quality of meals
• Activities to engage seniors at the public library, such as BINGO
• Coordination of emergency home energy assistance with electric bills
• Coordination with Big Bend Transit to meet transportation needs of older adults
Now Advantage Aging Solutions has officially forged a new partnership with the UF/IFAS Extension in Jefferson County, which will be providing a facility at its West Washington Street location for senior services, according to a memorandum of understanding signed this month by the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners.
“We have found a new home to provide in-person meals, education and enrichment activities,” Bretz announced in her email to Community Partners. “It is time to leave the past where it belongs and begin the rejuvenation of our programs and partnerships for the shared mission of meeting the needs of senior adults.”
Updates on preparation of this site for resumption of in-person services for Jefferson County senior adults can be expected at the April 1 public hearing.