Senior services in Saline County will continue, but will look a little different.
The Arkansas Times received a call and email Tuesday from someone concerned about those services going away. We called CareLink, the nonprofit organization that oversees such care in the Central Arkansas area, to see what’s up.
The short version is that senior centers and all of the activities and services seniors have come to rely on in Saline County will continue operating, including Meals on Wheels, which delivers food to older residents and those who are unable to access food on their own.
But instead of CareLink running all of those services and programs, the city of Bryant has stepped up and will be handling them for half of the county.
Luke Mattingly, CEO of CareLink, said that until late 2024, senior services in Saline County were overseen by Central Arkansas Development Council. But that agency decided to focus on other programs it offered, spurring CareLink to take over the senior services portion, which includes the senior centers in the county.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure those services are happening and that they continue to happen,” Mattingly said.
But soon after, CareLink began looking for another provider – a local entity – to pick up the ball.
“As part of our policy, we try to develop local providers for programs so we started talking to the cities of Benton and Bryant,” said Michelle Gilbert, CareLink’s vice president of development. “Now, Bryant has made the decision to handle all Saline County senior services for about 48% of the county,” with CareLink continuing to oversee services for the other half.
Mattlingly said he will continue negotiations with the city of Benton.
“We’re still talking to them,” he said. “We just didn’t have the right fit for them right now.”
Consequently, today, June 30, will be the last day that CareLink runs the senior operation, and starting tomorrow, July 1, it’s Bryant’s, and Mayor Chris Treat says the city is ready.
“People don’t need to be afraid,” he said. “We are continuing the services and hope to expand them.
Treat, who grew up in Bryant, said he worked with Central Arkansas Development Council when he was head of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, and worked with CareLink when that agency took over.
“CareLink financially stabilized the program,” he said. “They did an amazing job of figuring out what it would cost to make sure that all of the senior services continued operating. We were able to take that data and come up with a plan. We don’t know how it will all shake out, but we didn’t want there to be any lapses. So all of the CareLink employees will work for the city tomorrow.”
Treat said the city has been spending about $30,000 a year on senior services. The tab will rise to $250,000 to $300,000, but most of that will be reimbursed by the federal government, through the Older Americans Act, and the state, leaving the city’s total outlay at about $60,000. He added, however, that he wasn’t sure how long senior service operators, like CareLink and Area Agency on Aging offices around the state, will continue being funded.
“I’m getting us prepared to be able to fund this with local money and not depend on the government, the way the trend is going,” Treat said. “I think we’ve got to step up. I really don’t know what that means yet, but we aren’t expecting to continue getting the funding.
Treat said he takes the welfare of seniors personally.
“These people depend on this for food and socialization,” he said. “It’s probably one of the most important things we do. These people raised us. Before there were cell phones, they’d be calling my parents to let them know what I was up to. I feel like this is a city service, no matter who is running it. The important part is that it continues. That’s non-negotiable. It has to happen.”
