Blueprint for Aging;xNLx;Washtenaw County, Michigan;xNLx;;xNLx;The Blueprint for Aging strives to create and maintain positive community change to increase quality of life and independence for older adults and their allies in Washtenaw County through a community collaborative process.;xNLx;;xNLx;The Blueprint benefits from the support of Washtenaw Coordinated Funding, and receives planning and coordination funding from the United Way and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.
An early initiative for systems change began in 1998 when seven agencies serving the elderly joined forces to create an unmet needs fund which could quickly provide assistance to individuals to pay for medications, in-home care, utilities bills, and other emergency needs. Catholic Social Services served as the fiduciary and lead administrative agency. The other six core leadership members represented were: Area Agency on Aging 1-B, HelpSource, Housing Bureau for Seniors, Neighborhood Senior Services, University of Michigan Turner Geriatric Clinic, and Washtenaw County Health Organization-Community Support and Treatment Services. The partnership approached the Ann Arbor Community Foundation to fund this effort as an on-going program, a departure from their usual one-year competitive funding process. This fund is currently administered by Washtenaw County's Barrier Busters program and continues to provide assistance to hundreds of seniors effectively and efficiently.
This report is first time that a comprehensive compilation of government statistics on older adults was done-- Americans age 65 or older are an important and growing segment of our population. Many Federal agencies provide data on various aspects of the challenges confronting older Americans. Because these data come from multiple agencies, it is sometimes difficult to understand how this group is faring overall. In light of the anticipated growth of this segment of our population, it is increasingly important for policymakers and the general public to have an accessible, easy to understand portrait that shows how older Americans are doing. This new interagency report, Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being (Older Americans), provides a unified picture of the health and well-being of our older population.
Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being (Older Americans 2004) is the second in a series of reports produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum)that describe the overall status of the U.S. population age 65 and over. This report provides Federal statistics from over a dozen national data sources to monitor several important areas in the lives of older Americans -- population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care.
The original BASP consensus report created during the 2001 partnership forming laid the groundwork for a proposal submitted to the Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program (CPFOA) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Washtenaw County, MI – How is a diverse group of community members in Washtenaw County planning an elder friendly community? Those interested can find out by visiting www.BlueprintForAging.org. This newly launched website provides a unique and comprehensive look into the Blueprint for Aging, a diverse coalition of community members and representatives from over 40 public, private and nonprofit organizations.
The Blueprint for Aging was awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program (CPFOA) a $750,000 grant to improve long-term care and supportive services for at risk older adults in Washtenaw County by implementing the plans developed in 18-month period.
The Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging approved recognition to the Blueprint for Aging for completing an Elder-Friendly Community Assessment for Washtenaw County.
Washtenaw County has seemingly above-average transportation options in its more populated centers, yet county-wide focus groups, one-on-one interviews, community forums and surveys conducted by the Blueprint revealed transportation issues among the highest priorities for seniors (behind only affordable medical care and access to prescription drugs).
Curator’s Statement: The artists whose work was selected for this show answered the following call: How do you see aging as an experience, as a concept, and as a cultural phenomenon? The resulting artwork, submitted by artists from Washtenaw County, greater Michigan, and around the country, tackles the diversity of our individual and collective responses to growing older.
On May 2, the Blueprint for Aging hosted an opening night reception for the Michigan premiere of “Young @ Heart,” a new documentary that beautifully illustrates “Aging with Attitude.”
Jump aboard and catch the new wave. It’s creative, good for the environment, and an exciting return to an old tradition. On September 23rd and 25th, 2008, a groundbreaking two-part lecture series was held at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Auditorium. Community members had an opportunity to learn about natural burial options and land conservation as well as a variety of choices in natural and at-home funeral practices that can support the wishes and needs of families.
The Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging approved recognition to Washtenaw County for the Elder-Friendly Community Improvement completed by the Blueprint for Aging, "Aging With Attitude" Art Exhibit. Some of the strengths the Community for a Lifetime review panel noted included the following:
Improving Quality of Care for People with Dementia and Their Caregivers: An Exchange of Grass Roots Programs That Work, created by Ruth Campbell
The Blueprint for Aging shifted focus...
In Phase III, the Blueprint partnered with RideConnect, a county-wide transportation Information and Referral service, to test vouchers in a third innovative way.
The Blueprint for Aging compiled the first county data related to aging and older adults, including an analysis of the data. One of the significant findings of the report is that Washtenaw County’s Older Adult Population will double by Year 2025, making it vital to plan for an aging population and analyze and act on risks and impacts associated with an aging population.
Acknowledging that the majority of older adults would like to AGE IN PLACE, the Blueprint for Aging researched ways other communities had utilized the local community to assist older adults to age in place.
Strengthening the Care of Older Adults Through Education *Workshops running from March through September 2009* Understanding complex issues in aging is a challenge. Caring for an older person with Alzheimer’s, mental illness, or substance abuse issues requires knowledge and skills.
In the fall of 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed amongst three partners— the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the Joint Office of Community and Economic Development (representing Washtenaw County, City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw Urban County Executive Committee), and the United Way of Washtenaw County--to coordinate their leadership and funding of Washtenaw County human service programs between 2011-2013, in order to maximize the community impact of that funding.
New Volunteer Website Launched for Washtenaw County
The Coordinated Funders for Washtenaw County use the domains developed by the Blueprint for Aging in setting standards for evaluating proposals on services to seniors.
The Blueprint recognizes local heros like Joe "the Tax Man" McCadden who has been volunteering for the Catholic Social Services Tax Program for the past 18 years. Our Volunteer Washtenaw website has stories honoring local volunteers. Joe McCadden won the 2011 Governor's Service Award. Joe is truly a gift to the clients he serves.
The Blueprint for Aging reported as the Planning and Coordination group for services to seniors in Washtenaw County . Among the findings is the new Census data show a large increase in the number of poor Americans nationwide, specifically older adults. When the criteria for poverty includes out-of pocket health care costs, Americans 65 or older have the largest increase in poverty– nearly doubling to 15.9%, or 1 in 6.
"Because everyone needs a voice". This event increased awareness and understanding of what elder abuse is, its prevalence and what you can do to help seniors in our community. Featuring guest speaker, Paul Greenwood, an internationally recognized expert on elder abuse.
Washtenaw County is on the verge of tremendous change. By 2030 our population of adults over age 60 will triple. This shift, part of a national trend, will bring unprecedented challenges for our community. While current needs already far exceed current services, future needs of older adults and their caregivers will intensify dramatically, placing potentially overwhelming demands on support services and programs for seniors. Unless concerted, community-wide action is taken, older adults in Washtenaw County will face inadequate resources to support the aging process, a public that is out of touch with the needs of its seniors, and an ever-diminishing role in community life.
What is the state of law enforcement's experience with elder abuse in Washtenaw County?
BFA Project Manager, Elizabeth Hull, presents to the Saline City Council on services available for seniors in Saline.
In celebration of National Family Caregivers Month, Washtenaw County welcomes Mary Ellen Geist.
The United Way of Washtenaw launched its new Community Data Portal for Washtenaw County.
The Washtenaw County Elder Justice Coalition (WCEJC) is growing and now has an online presence on the Blueprint for Aging website.
For the first time, the Catholic Social Services Senior Resource Directory was made available as an online resource. The pages contain not only the name/phone number of local senior resources, but now also offers live links to agency websites, making information more accessible to seniors and caregivers near and far.
A new resource has been developed to provide caregivers with resources and tools to assist with daily caregiving issues.
The Washtenaw Coordinated Funders requested community-level outcome recommendations from Planning and Coordinating entities to inform the 2014-2016 funding cycle. Agencies applying for Coordinated Funding would be asked to align their programs with this community-level outcome. As the Planning and Coordinating entity for Aging Services, the BFA convened a group of key stakeholders to conduct literature reviews, identify potential community-level indicators and programming strategies, and discuss outcome metrics.
Featuring Michelle McCarthy, a nationally recognized Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Certified Therapy Animal Consultant, and Kit Fuller, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Samaritan Counseling Services of Ann Arbor, this unique event identified potential settings and populations where dogs may provide a therapeutic benefit and identified characteristics that make a good therapy dog.
The Blueprint for Aging revised its existing leadership structure in order to bring more community involvement into the group. The existing Core Leadership Team was disbanded and two new leadership groups established.
Washtenaw County’s overall population is growing older. 12.5% of Washtenaw County residents are age 60 or older (43,000) and 9,600 seniors of this total are age 80 or older. By 2020, this number is projected to grow to 22.1%.
On July 8, the Blueprint for Aging held its inaugural Community Leadership Council (CLC) meeting at the United Way of Washtenaw. 50 community members gathered to learn more about the CLC and to hear the initial results of the Washtenaw County 60+ Survey. Feedback from those in attendance demonstrated a need to conduct a second phase of data collection, focusing primarily on men, older adults who are working (part-time or full time), and older adults receiving rent assistance.
The Washtenaw County Elder Justice Coalition hosted a table at the annual Pittsfield Township National Night out event on August 6th. The WCEJC had the opportunity to pass out informational flyers about how to recognize elder abuse, as well as resources about who to contact if you believe a loved one is being abused. A huge thank you to the Area Agency on Aging 1-B for providing us with “No Excuse for Elder Abuse” stickers to pass out to all those in attendance!
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close