Page Title

Southwest Area

Description

Aging in Community Western Morton County is here to connect older adults to resources to improve quality of life.

Services Aging in Community (AIC) provides

• In-person assistance with accessing services
• Physical and cognitive fitness opportunities
• Food preparation and nutrition classes
• Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor
• Home adaptive solutions
• Social engagement opportunities
• Assistance with advanced care and end of life planning
• Fall prevention education
• Coordination of transportation options
• Powerful Tools for Caregivers (education for family caregivers)
• Connection to community resources for clients and caregivers

These free services are offered face to face or via phone call to our offices located in Marian Manor apartments, 704 E. Ash Avenue, Room 200, Glen Ullin, ND or 211 S Main, Hettinger ND.

Volunteer support drives this local program. To volunteer your time or to receive services please call 701-348-9907.

Meet our Staff

Kyla Sanders, Aging in Community SW Area Program Coordinator

Kyla, her husband Josh and their five children farm in rural Morton County. Kyla received her degree in registered nursing in her hometown of Miles City MT. After working in women’s health for 15 years she obtained her masters in Healthcare Administration and moved into healthcare leadership roles. Kyla joined Aging in Community in 2021 after experiencing difficulty in receiving services for aging family members in very rural locations. Kyla enjoys assisting older adults and caregivers to remain living in their rural homes safely. She is passionate about improving the quality of life for older adults in rural settings. Her experiences in family nursing and rural living make her uniquely qualified to coordinate the Aging in Community program.

Andi Diaz Gonzalez, Aging in Community Program Coordinator, Western Morton County, 701-348-9907

Andrea currently resides in the local Hebron/Glen Ullin area with her two children and husband. Andrea grew up in rural Morton County. Attending and graduating from Hebron High School, she went on to receive her registered nursing degree in Bismarck, ND from MedCenter One College of Nursing. During this time, she met her husband, Alberto. After 20 years of working in Oncology/Chemotherapy care, Andrea sought out a nursing role that would bring her closer to home and help extend services to those locally in rural areas that may find such extended help more difficult to obtain. Over the 20 years of caring for ones, she was aware of the difficulties a person faces in rural areas due to distance from travel and lack of services or awareness of services. She is committed to helping people feel more comfortable, confident, and safe in their own homes and with their own health. Under the partnership with Kyla, she has found Aging in Community to be an opportunity to improve the quality of life for many older adults in the rural setting.

Christi Schmitz, Aging in Community Program Coordinator, Adams County, 701-567-1520

Hi! My name is Christi Schmitz and I am so excited to be the Program Coordinator for Aging in Community in Adams County. I was born and raised in Hettinger and chose to come back here with my husband to raise our family. We have two kiddos, one freshman and one senior in High School (time please slow down!). We spend a lot of time traveling for volleyball, basketball, track, and golf and love every minute of it! When we are not following the kiddos around, we also love to spend time golfing or hanging at our lake cabin at Shadehill, SD. I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful program and can’t wait to be a part of its growth in Adams County and beyond.

Widgets

elderly women enjoying treats at a table at a Christmas party

2025 Christmas party

elderly women help children pot amaryllis plants

Growing Together is a therapeutic horticulture program that combined 16 third graders and 14 of our clients for a weekly 45 minute session. We grew Amaryllis bulbs, made a new friend from a different generation, learned about the connection between smells and memories and took time to focus on gratitude.

Senior citizens inside a bookmobile with shelves of books

Bookmobile- inside the book mobile with a few of our clients following a presentation on the Mandan Library and the services that the bookmobile can bring to Hebron.

Senior citizens playing Wheel of Fortune game on TV

2025 Hebron Wheel- picture of the first group that gathered for the spring Wheel of Fortune series at the Brick City activity Center.

Glen Ullin Nourish 2024- fall nourish class that focuses on healthy cooking for one or two

A group of senior citizens planting seeds

Photo Credit:

Spring Garden Group seed prep

Spring Garden group preparing seeds

Three uniformed veterans folding the American flag

Local veterans folding the flag in the meeting room. Local Veterans stop by to put a pin in the AIC map indicating the location that they attended basic training and places they were stationed during their military service.

Women gluing mosaic pieces on a sign for the library

Helping with construction of the glass mosaic sign for the Morton County Library.

senior citizen women waving "hi" on a bus

Field trip on the Glen Ullin City Bus to the library to make a mosaic sign.

A man and a woman with arms above heads and fingers touching

Aging Mastery Program is a 10 session course that provides wellness education on health at any age.

three senior citizens with their finished puzzle

Teams of two compete to assemble a 300 piece puzzle. In 2025 fastest time was 38 minutes.

NOURISH is a program in cooperation with Burleigh Morton EFNEP. Participants learn how nutrition affects different body systems and them prepare recipes that utilize specific ingredients that were highlighted in the lessons.

Senior citizens sitting at a table learning about bean nutrition

Bean workshop 7- dry edible bean workshop sponsored by the ND Dry Edible Bean producers. Held in Hebron. Participants made multiple bean based dishes and learned about better utilizing this low cost high nutritional value food.

senior citizens listening to a presenter who teaches how to avoid scams

Attendees of this presentation learned about recognizing scams and how to stop them from the ND Attorney Generals Office investigator- Tonya Hetzler. Event held in Glen Ullin

senior citizens listening to a speaker talking about depression in older adults

Aging Mastery participants in Glen Ullin learning how to recognize depression in older adults.

A woman stirring food in a crock pot while a senior citizen observes

Ground beef cook off held in Hettinger sponsored by the ND Cattle women. Isabel was the winning contestant with her amazing chili entry

Miss ND poses with the Beef Cook off participant

Miss ND stopped by to judge our Beef Cook off in Hebron

Student volunteers from Hebron high school helped to tidy up yards for older adults during the AIC Hebron clean up event held in conjunction with the beef cook off.

two senior citizens giving a TV interview

Sharon Bertsch and Laura Wehri sat down with the KFYR news team to talk about their love for the AIC program and how it has made the communities in Western Morton County better for older adults.

a senior citizen presented a prize for attending walking sessions

Indoor walking held at the Armory in Hettinger was a hit. The picture show Sandy Hied receiving a prize for attending every session of walking in 2026.

Tom Kalb, NDSU Extension horticulturist, stopped by to talk about tomatoes. The group absolutely loved his fun and engaging presentation.