Staff at Detroit-based Hannan Center do “reassurance checks” each week, chatting with seniors and connecting them with help if they don’t know where to turn for it.
- Michigan providers offer older meals, rides, companionship and in-home care across the state, but it can be difficult finding them
- Area Agencies on Aging and local senior centers are a great first step in tapping into programs
- As Bridge examines issues in aging, we want to hear from you
Sometimes the biggest hurdle in finding help is knowing where to start.
Michigan has several networks of service providers for older residents and caregivers — from large, multimillion-dollar senior centers to small programs run by volunteers on a shoestring budget.
Here are some places to start:
For general info on services
Contact the Area Agencies on Aging.
These agencies support Michiganders 60 and older and are part of a federally funded network of more than 600 across the US.
Funded by Older Americans Act dollars, the 16 Area Agencies on Aging in Michigan primarily serve those who desire to maintain as much independence as possible through services such as home-delivered meals, group meals served at designated sites and assistance finding transportation, in-home help and other services.
Michigan’s network of help for older Michiganders and caregivers includes hyper-local programs such as Dementia Friendly Saline, which offers afternoon movie theater screenings tailored to people with dementia and their caregivers. Here, it’s OK — even encouraged — that movie-goers wander, nap, talk back to the movie screen, or dance in the aisles. Jim Mangi launched the efforts for his wife, Kathleen, who was deep in dementia when — during a tense silver screen standoff in a movie theater one day — she yelled “Oh, just shoot the bastards!” (Josh Boland for Bridge Michigan)
But the agencies designed in 1974 to help older Americans and their caregivers “live quality lives with independence and dignity” are unknown to more than half of older Americans, according to the national Healthy Aging poll at University of Michigan.
Michiganders can find their Area Agency on Aging, along with contact information, through this online tool, which is searchable by zip code.
If you’re looking for a senior center
The state is also served by a network of senior centers, which provide services and opportunities for social connections. Senior centers near you can be found with this online locator.
Where to find transportation
Transportation resources vary widely across the state. In some communities, local taxes are earmarked for transportation.
Some services end at the curb, but other services allow their drivers to assist older residents from their door to the curb.
For a monthly fee, GoGoGrandparent can arrange transportation like Lyft and Uber for older residents who don’t or can not use the apps to beckon rides. GoGoGrandparent operators also can arrange delivery of groceries or medications, too. Call (855) 464-6872 to order rides, groceries, prescription medications, meals, home chores, and more. The service fee begins at about $12 a month. Costs also include a surcharge for each ride in addition to the cost of the Lyft or Uber ride.
Related:
- Whitmer proposes more money for Michigan's aging crisis. Is it enough?
- How to plan for aging in Michigan or take care of others: What to know
- Crush of retirees a crisis in Michigan. State unprepared to meet their needs
- Experts: Michigan lawmakers should make 6 fixes to improve senior care
- Unlocking the secrets of Michigan’s ‘superagers,’ who defy golden years
- Watch Bridge Lunch Break on the challenges of aging in Michigan
Area Agencies on Aging can help direct older passengers to services.
The state also offers transportation resources at this webpage here.
For information on dementia and caregiver support
The Michigan chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association offers information and resources for people diagnosed with dementia and their loved ones. It hosts an online community, ALZConnected, and offers dozens of weekly support groups that meet throughout the state.
Experts in dementia can offer confidential emotional support, local resources and other assistance round-the-clock at the Alzheimer's Association help line, 800-272-3900.
The National Council on Dementia Minds is a national organization based in Michigan. Its goal is to give a greater voice to people with dementia. Like the Alzheimer’s Association, it offers support groups.
Dementia Friendly Saline coordinates activities in Saline for people with dementia and their loved ones, including special movie events. With a grant from the Health Endowment Fund, it is expected to expand the dementia-friendly movies to at least 10 other Michigan cities in the coming years.
For information on long-term care, Medicare and Medicaid
The state call center (800-803-7174) already assists Michigan residents navigating Medicare and Medicaid, but long-term care needs often fall outside that coverage.
The state plans to launch an expanded call center in June to help Michiganders navigate the complicated array of long-term care programs and services and the eligibility rules around them.
Free or low-cost meals for older Michiganders are covered by a variety of funding sources. Diane DeCoster, a food service aide in Macomb County, offered up soup, salad and a smile recently at a recreation center in Roseville.
Call takers at the expanded center will be able make referrals to Area Agencies and to other local organizations providing a broad range of services to older Michiganders.
