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BUFFALO — Some local seniors will have the opportunity to voice their opinions, concerns and ideas about services for the elderly in Union County when Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell brings his “Face of Aging” tour to the Buffalo Senior Citizens Center on Wednesday.

McConnell is traveling throughout South Carolina visiting nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and seniors citizens centers to assess existing services for the elderly and gather suggestions for improvement from seniors, adults living with disabilities, service providers, caregivers, residents and community leaders.

The tour includes an open forum that will begin today at 5:30 p.m. in the Barnes Theater at the Baxter Hood Center, York Technical College campus in Rock Hill.

The public is invited to attend the forum and voice their concerns about services for the elderly.

On Wednesday, McConnell will be in Buffalo where he will tour the Buffalo Senior Citizens Center at 10 a.m. and then address the seniors present at 10:30 a.m.

After his visit to the center, McConnell will assist Earl Black, director the Union County Council on Aging, in delivering meals to seniors in the Buffalo area. He will then visit some local nursing homes.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Office On Aging

McConnell is over the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging which was established in 2004 when the responsibility for South Carolina’s Older American Act programs was transferred to the lieutenant governor’s office.

According to its website, “the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging is the statewide leader for advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with individuals and communities to meet the present and future needs of over 717,000 older South Carolinians and their caregivers; to develop and coordinate a comprehensive continuum of care system; and to promote education, research and training in the field of gerontology.”

Its mission “is to enhance the quality of life for seniors through advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with state and local governments, non-profits and the private sector, individuals and advocates to meet the present and future aspirations of the growing senior population.”

The Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging serves as South Carolina’s “State Unit on Aging,” administering federal funds received through the Older Americans Act. In this capacity it is responsible for the “oversight of home and community-based services funded through federal and state sources that are not specifically under the jurisdiction of another state agency. These include primarily programs funded through the federal Older Americans Act and various state-funded programs.”

For more information about the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging call (800) 868-9095 or email askus@aging.sc.gov. The office’s web address is www.aging.sc.gov.

Union County Council On Aging

There are slightly more than 6,000 senior citizens living in Union County. They are provided with a number of services by the Union County Council on Aging including:

• Opportunities for socializing and meals served at the senior citizens centers in Buffalo, Union, and Jonesville.

• Meals delivered to the elderly who are unable to leave their homes.

• Boxes of food needy senior citizens provided through the council’s partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank and distributed a community organizations.

• Exercise programs offered through the exercise rooms at the Union and Jonesville centers.

• Home care services that enable senior citizens to remain in their homes.

• Transportation to and from the grocery store and the senior citizens centers.

For more information about the Union County Council on Aging and the services it provides, call 429-1682.