News Print Coverage

Plenty of questions about 'Blueprint for Aging'

Town hall participants discuss needs of older adults, families

By Liz Cobbs

News Staff Reporter

Ann Arbor News

June 23, 2005

How can older adults living in the rural areas of Washtenaw County who do not have relatives close by or transportation and want long-term care in the home get the services they need?

Could a “program on wheels,” modeled after the well-known Meals on Wheels, bring the services to their door?

If the supply could meet the demand for services to the county’s older adult population, where will the money come from the pay for it?

These were just a few of the many questions posed Wednesday at the first “Coming of Aging in Washtenaw County” town hall meeting attended by about 90 people.

The event was held by the Blueprint for Aging of Washtenaw County, a coalition of more than 40 public, private and nonprofit organizations and community members interested in or involved with older adult programs and services.

The organization has been working on plans for the past two years to help meet the needs of the county’s growing older adult population. A study by the Southeast Michigan council of Governments projects t hat the over-65 population in Washtenaw County will increase from 26,271 in 2000 to 72,631 in 2030.

Plans and recommendations in the areas of long-term care, family caregiver support, advocacy and technology were presented at Wednesday’s session.

Through small group sessions, audience members were asked to provide feedback and give their own suggestions and recommendations on what older adults and their families need.

“Many minds thinking about it produces a better plan than a few minds thinking about it,” Jill Kind, project director of Blueprint for Aging, told the audience.

Coming up with a comprehensive plan for a wide range of services for older adults is like building a dream home, said keynote speaker Bill Healy.

“You know what you want to have in the home, now you’re in the design phase,” said Healy, president and CEO of United Methodist Retirement Communities, which operates a facility in Detroit and a senior apartment complex in Chelsea.

Trends are showing that the private marketplace will design the system for older adults and governments will follow, Healy said. The primary payer for senior services and care will be the individual consumer and funding from such government programs as Medicaid and Medicare will decline, said Healy.

During small group sessions, participants discussed their concerns and gave their recommendations.

Michaelene Pawlak, administrator of the Chelsea Area Transportation System, a regional bus service in western Washtenaw County, suggested that the Blueprint look at the importance of transportation for older adults who want to stay in their homes.

Pawlak said that older adults, especially in the city of Chelsea, make up a large percentage of CATS ridership. CATS’ overall services have grown so much, she said, that the nonprofit organization is changing its name to Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express or WAVE, for short.

Lima Township resident Merrill Crockett posed the question of where older adults living on farms and in rural areas of the county would go for assistance in getting long-term, affordable care in their homes, as well as transportation services.

Ora Wright, a Coldwell Banker real estate agent, said she sees a need for emergency, transitional housing for older adults who have to move from their own homes unexpectedly and await a permanent place to stay, such as a n assisted living facility.

In addition, Wright said, she would like to see private group home housing for independent older adults and those needing in-home services.

Blueprint for Aging organizers say they will have other public meetings and will incorporate the comments into their planning.

Liz Cobbs can be reached at lcobbs@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6801.