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Future of elder care looks positive in county

Community involvement good and getting better; need yet more involved

By Paul Forringer

Guest Writer

Ypsilanti Courier

May 12, 2005

Based on my experiences and my involvement with organizations in and around Ann Arbor, good things are happening with respect to care for the elderly. The Blueprint for Aging has made tremendous strides towards creating a community to deal wit this issue and has still more goals to reach, but like most social programs, the involvement of individual citizens is imperative.

My path towards The Blueprint for Aging was swift. In early 2000, while still living in Connecticut, my wife started showing signs of dementia. During our first visit to the family physician in Connecticut, which lasted only 20 minutes, I was told: “Paul, I am sorry to say that you are in deep trouble.” But what I did not receive was: “Here is what we are going to do, your first step should be, we are here to help you.” I was given some Zyprexa and told to see if it helps.

Prior to this diagnosis, we had decided that when I retired in 2001 we would buy a smaller home in Vermont. The dementia changed everything. Faced with inadequate care and no relatives to assist us, my daughter, who has lived in Ann Arbor since 1985, asked us to move here where she would be available to help with my wife’s care.

In the spring of 2002 we moved. It was the turning point of our lives. Ann Arbor, its residents, and its services welcomed us and gave us the support we needed. On our first doctor’s visit, the doctor took more than his allotted time and thoroughly examined my wife He called our Connecticut doctor; he called colleagues at the U of M. The compassion and dedicated care was tremendous. Most of the doctors thought that her quick memory loss was due to something else, not dementia. The recommendation was to have a more thorough exam by the U of M medical staff. On this first visit, they would not let me take her home. They had her admitted to the hospital, fully examined and declared her incompetent to make her own medical decisions.

We spent the next six months trying to comprehend this diagnosis and what it would mean for the future. Many people in the Ann Arbor area assisted with her care, which in turn, helped me. Some of the many organizations include, The Alzheimer’s Association, The University of Michigan’s doctors and support facilities, as well as Towsley Center at the Chelsea Retirement Community. They all gave excellent advice and assistance. We want to thank them, and all the others, too numerous to mention.

My wife died on April 26, 2004. After her death I was asked to join a group called the “Blueprint for Aging”. It has been difficult getting my mind to comprehend the vastness of its charter and the number of organizations that are supporting this initiative. However, its membership and its objectives represent what the Ann Arbor community proved to me when we arrived just a few years ago. We were in need and searching for help which we found in abundance.

The Blueprint for Aging is a partnership of community members and around fifty organizations in Washtenaw County that work together to identify gaps in long-term care and supportive services for older adults. It is part of the Community Partnerships for Older Adults national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Their goal is to foster community partnerships across the nation to meet the current and future needs of older adults.

I am a community member and co-leader of one of five groups working under the leadership steering committee. The group I represent is the “Family Caregiver Support Workgroup.” Our objective is to develop a comprehensive plan to support Washtenaw County Family Caregivers. Specifically, the group will identify needs and service gaps of Family Caregivers. We will be doing this by holding focus groups and conducting one-on-one interviews over the next few months.

As we all know the number of people who will be entering the “aging” generation is increasing rapidly. My generation had an easy time, the ratio of jobs to job seekers was excellent and the number of people taking care of the elderly was also high for someone born in 1935. But how about people who were born in 1945? The job is going to become more difficult. Will we be ready? We will be if we work together as we have in the past to develop and maintain excellent services for our older and less fortunate population. If what I see happening because of the Blueprint for Aging here in Washtenaw County is any indication, I think we will be okay. But everyone has to help. If you would like to learn more, please contact: Dana Bright at 734-712-3625 or dbright@csswashtenaw.org.

Reprinted with permission from the Ypsilanti Courier