WINTER 2015 A GING C ONNECTIO N Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging READY TO FACE AGING? Here are five facts that will surprise you! INSIDE THIS ISSUE… 1 2 2 3 4 5 5 6 Ready to face aging? Roundtable Discussion Older Americans Act Funds By the time we reach 2031, 25% of Minnesotans will be over the age of 65. At least 60,000 Minnesotans will turn 65 every year between now and 2031. That’s like a new city the size of Lakeville every year, populated entirely by seniors. The effects of the coming demographic shift will be wide-ranging and long-lasting. Older Americans Act Funds Staff Directory Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging Arrowhead Regional Development Commission 221 West First Street Duluth, MN 55802 (218) 722-5545 or (800) 232-0707 Senior LinkAge Line® (800) 333-2433 www.arrowheadaging.org www.ardc.org As baby boomers reach retirement age, Minnesota’s senior population will double. By 2020, there will be more seniors in Minnesota than school kids. If our student population increased as quickly, we would need 1,200 new classrooms and 1,200 new teachers every year. Create a continuum of senior care that lasts throughout our lifetimes. Long-term care isn’t about just nursing homes. From in-home support to assisted living to more intensive care environments, today’s long-term care provides options that let seniors and families preserve their quality of life for as long as possible. We are going to need more caregivers. Over the next decade, we will need another 1.3 million professional caregivers in our country, in large part to care for our growing senior population. In Minnesota, finding enough high-quality caregivers and paying them fairly are among the most important challenges that need addressing if we are going to care for today’s and tomorrow’s seniors. The people have spoken. In a statewide scientific survey, 91% of people agreed that the State of Minnesota should provide the funding needed for day-to-day services for older adults who cannot afford long-term care services on their own. It’s an issue that is on our minds and in our hearts—how can all aging Minnesotans receive the quality care they need? Go to FaceAgingMN.org and stay informed about the state of aging in Minnesota. Roundtable Discussion around Rural Healthcare for Older Adult Older adults living in rural Northeastern Minnesota face health care challenges from a lack of access to resources, shortage of medical staff and isolation in small towns, industry representatives told Sen. Al Franken on Saturday during a listening session in Duluth. Those challenges — and possible solutions — were laid out at the meeting with Franken, DMinn., co-chairman of the bipartisan Senate Rural Health Caucus, at the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission. Concerns expressed during the session included health care jobs going unfilled because skilled workers don’t want to move to rural Minnesota; inability to pay competitive wages to entice people to the health care industry; the need for broadband Internet in rural areas to communicate and use electronic health records; and the inability for some residents to receive services because of their distance from medical facilities. Skilled health care workers need to be drawn back to the rural areas where they grew up, said former state Rep. Tom Huntley of Duluth, who chaired the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Finance Committee. There’s a particular shortage of gerontologists in rural Minnesota, he added. Franken echoed that concern, pointing out that more gerontologists are going to be needed as the post-World War II baby boomer generation continues to age. Gerontology in rural areas isn’t seen as an attractive option for many people going to medical school, he said, adding, “Man, oh man, it’s ahuge need.” “The big message: You’ve got to grow your own,” Huntley said. Health care workers who didn’t grow up in a rural area often don’t want to move to rural Minnesota, he said, but it’s also difficult to convince people who grew up in rural areas to leave for schooling and then return home when they complete their education. Franken suggested student loan forgiveness to steer people into both a medical specialty such as gerontology, as well as specific geographic areas. Rural health care providers also often have a difficult time paying competitive wages for staff such as registered nurses and certified nursing assistants. Tony Sertich, president of the Duluth-based Northland Foundation, explained that in small towns, people may choose to work ata gas station instead of a health care provider because of the wages. The foundation operates three assisted-living facilities in small Northland communities and “we’ve burned through the potential employees in these small towns,” he said. Franken said after the session that if agas station is paying a higher wage than a skilled job, “we need to think about our priorities in America.” Access to broadband Internet in rural areas also should help rural health care by expanding and improving the ability for medical professionals to share information about a patient, said Toby Pearson of Care Providers of Minnesota. Some home-care providers and nursing homes can’t access electronic health records because of the cost of purchasing the needed software and the lack of broadband Internet, causing a breakdown of communication. If a senior citizen transitions from a hospital to a nursing home and there’s access to records and communication between the staff at the two facilities, it will create a smoother transition that will reduce the senior’s rate of readmission to the hospital, Pearson said. Huntley pointed out that when his wife needed to go to the emergency room following a surgery in Duluth, the emergency room staff in the hospital — 120 miles from Duluth — was able to communicate electronically with her surgeon. “That’s the way it ought to be, but it’s not like that in a lot of rural places in the state,” he said. Melissa Larson of Integrity Health Network added that communication networks 2 also need to be set up between a patient’s care providers and social workers who are linked into government assistance programs. OLDER AMERICANS ACT FUNDS HELP SENIORS LIVE INDEPENDENTLY ARDC’s Area Agency on Aging has made awards in 2015 to 16 organizations to provide services for persons age 60 or older and their family caregivers with Title III Federal Older Americans Act funding totaling over $1.8 million. These services are designed to help seniors in Northeastern Minnesota age well by maintaining their independence at home and in their communities. TITLE III-B SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Project: Senior LinkAge Line® Grantee: Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging Funded Services: Information & Assistance and Outreach Counties Served: Seven Arrowhead Counties Contact Person: Marjori Bottila Telephone: 1.800.333.2433 Project: Senior Citizens’ Law Project Grantee: Legal Aid Service of NE Minnesota Funded Services: Legal Assistance and Legal Education Counties Served: Seven Arrowhead Counties Contact Person: Kris Parendo Telephone: 218.623.8103 Project: Senior Wheels Grantee: ElderCircle Funded Service: Assisted Transportation County Served: Itasca County Contact Person: Kim Smith Telephone: 218.999.9233 Project: Communities Called to Care Program Grantee: Volunteer Services of Carlton County Funded Services: Assisted Transportation, Chore & Consultation Counties Served: Carlton and Southern St. Louis Counties Contact Person: Jill Hatfield Telephone: 218.879.9238 Project: 60+ Chore Service Grantee: Floodwood Services and Training Funded Service: Chore Areas Served: Floodwood, Brookston and Meadowlands Contact Person: Jim Taray Telephone: 218.476.2230 Project: Care Partners Senior Rides Program Grantee: North Shore Health Care Foundation Funded Service: Assisted Transportation County Served: Cook County Contact Persons: Kay Grindland & Debi LaMusga Telephone: 218.387.3788 TITLE III-B SUPPORTIVE SERVICES CONTINUED Project: Angel CARE Initiative Grantee: Aitkin County CARE, Inc. Funded Services: Assisted Transportation, Chore & Consultation County Served: Aitkin County Contact Person: Matthew Hill Telephone: 218.927.1383 Project: NP Volunteer Transportation Services Grantee: Northwoods Partners Funded Service: Assisted Transportation Area Served: Ely area Contact Person: Lisa Porthan Telephone: 218.365.8019 Project: Volunteer Driver Program Grantee: Community Partners Funded Service: Assisted Transportation Area Served: Two Harbors area Contact Person: Kirsten Cruikshank Telephone: 218.834.8024 Project: Title III Self-Directed Services Contractor: Consumer Directions, Inc. Funded Service: Title III-B Self-Directed Services Counties Served: Seven Arrowhead Counties Contact Person: Shantel Jaszcak Telephone: 1.800.400.4670 Project: AgeWell at Home Contractor: Age Well Arrowhead Funded Service: Chore, Consultation, Homemaker Area Served: Duluth Area Contact Person: Becky Perrett Telephone: 218.481.3150 TITLE III-C SENIOR NUTRITION SERVICES Project: Senior Nutrition Program Contractor: Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) Funded Services: Congregate and Home Delivered Meals Counties Served: Seven Arrowhead Counties Contact Person: Marilyn Ocepek Telephone: 218.748.7325 3 TITLE III-D DISEASE PREVENTION & HEALTH PROMOTION Project: Carlton County Medication Therapy Management Contractor: Community Memorial Hospital Funded Service: Medication Management and Therapy Area Served: Carlton County Contact Person: Megan Undeberg Telephone: 218.879.4641 Project: Health CARE Education Grantee: Aitkin County CARE, Inc. Funded Service: Evidence-Based Matter of Balance County Served: Aitkin County Contact Person: Matthew Hill Telephone: 218.927.1383 Project: A Matter of Balance Grantee: Northwoods Partners Funded Service: Evidence-Based Matter of Balance Area Served: Ely area Contact Person: Lisa Porthan Telephone: 218.365.8019 Grantee: Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging Funded Service: Evidence-Based Health Promotion County Served: Seven Arrowhead Counties Contact Person: Debra Laine Telephone: 218.529.7534 Project: Aging Well Grantee: ElderCircle Funded Service: Evidence-Based Matter of Balance, Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, & Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program County Served: Itasca County Contact Person: Robyn Gunnerson Telephone: 218.999-9233 TITLE III-E CAREGIVER SUPPORT SERVICES Project: Caregiver Support Contractor: Age Well Arrowhead Funded Service: Caregiver Counseling Area Served: Duluth area Contact Person: Becky Perrett Telephone: 218.481.3150 Project: Care for the Caregiver Grantee: Aitkin County CARE, Inc. Funded Services: Respite and Caregiver Counseling County Served: Aitkin County Contact Persons: Tricia Martin and Callie Taylor Telephone: 218.927.1383 and 877.810.7776 TITLE III-E CAREGIVER SUPPORT SERVICES CONTINUED Project: Care Partners Caregiver Support Grantee: North Shore Health Care Foundation Funded Service: Caregiver Counseling County Served: Cook County Contact Persons: Kay Grindland and Jeannette Lindgren Telephone: 218.387.3788 Project: Caregiver Support Program Grantee: Community Partners Funded Services: Respite, Caregiver Counseling, Education and Support Groups Area Served: Two Harbors area Contact Person: Linda Kinnunen Telephone: 218.834.8024 Project: Respite Program Grantee: ElderCircle Funded Service: Respite County Served: Itasca County Contact Person: Linda Barth Telephone: 218.999.9233 Project: Caregiver Support Program Grantee: Floodwood Services and Training, Inc. Funded Services: Respite and Caregiver Counseling Areas Served: Floodwood, Brookston and Meadowlands areas Contact Persons: Donna Tracy and Stacy Stevens Telephone: 218.476.2230 Project: Koochiching Caregiver Support Program Grantee: Koochiching Aging Options Funded Service: Caregiver Counseling, & Info Events County Served: Koochiching County Contact Person: Doug Skrief Telephone: 218.283.7030 Project: Caregiver Support and Respite Services Grantee: Lutheran Social Services of MN Funded Service: Respite County Served: St. Louis and Carlton Counties Contact Person: Peg Kirsch Lee Telephone: 218.724.0648 Project: Range Respite Contractor: Range Respite, Inc. Funded Service: Respite County Served: Northern St. Louis County Contact Person: Linda Kolocek Telephone: 218.749.5051 Project: DayBreak In-Home and Group Respite Program Grantee: Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. Funded Services: Respite and Caregiver Counseling County Served: Carlton County Contact Persons: Cari Terrior-Johnson and Kris Dwyer Telephone: 218.879.9238 (respite); 218.393.7003 (counseling) 4 AREA AGENCY ON AGING STAFF DIRECTORY CALENDAR OF EVENTS 1-800-232-0707 OR 218-722-5545 Advisory Committee on Aging Meetings March 10, 2015and May 12, 2015—12:30 p.m. ARDC-221 West First Street, Duluth, MN Arnold, Alicia Information & Assistance and Counseling Specialist, ext. 526 Bottila, Marjori Contact Center Coordinator and Information & Assistance and Counseling Specialist, ext. 538 Casey, Hannah Information & Assistance and Counseling Specialist, ext.523 On-Site Health Insurance Counseling If you need help with Medicare or insurance paperwork, ENIOR LINKAGEfor LINE LOOKING FOR callS1-800-333-2433 an ® appointment at oneVOLUNTEERS of these sites. Volunteer opportunities for persons interested in becoming a State Health Insurance & Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor. Attend a three-day training in Carlton, MN. Volunteer opportunities exist in your community to work with seniors, their families and caregivers. Caskey, Barb—EDP Coordinator, ext. 536 Conkins, Cindy Aging Services Planner, ext. 542 Edwards, Kara—Secretary, ext. 520 Laine, Debra Special Projects Coordinator, ext. 534 Tuesday, March 17—Thursday, March 19, 2015 9:30 a.m.—4:00 p.m. each day Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. 199 Chestnut Avenue, Ste. 3 Carlton, MN 55718 Pre-registration is required by contacting Lee Swenson at 1-800-333-2433, ext. 81019 or [email protected]. Larsen, Stephanie Community Living Specialist 800-333-2433 ext. 81005 Loney, Shelley Community Living Specialist 800-333-2433 ext. 82075 Olson, Allison Pre-Admissions Screening Specialist ext. 525 Peterson, Laura Pre-Admissions Screening Specialist ext. 519 Prosen, Sara Aging Services Planner, ext. 550 Sampson, Catherine—Director, ext. 540 Sauve, Leslie Community Living Specialist, ext. 537 Stillwell, Heather EDP Program Developer, ext. 524 Swenson, Lee Volunteer Coordinator, ext. 539 Tveit, Karen Information & Assistance and Counseling Specialist—Koochiching County, 218-2859156 Walters, Gloria Information & Assistance and Counseling Specialist, ext. 521 On-Site Health Insurance Counseling If you need help with Medicare or insurance paperwork, call 1-800-333-2433 for an appointment at one of these sites. AEOA—Virginia, MN Age Well Arrowhead—Duluth, MN Aitkin Co. CARE—Aitkin, MN ARDC—Duluth, MN Big Falls Community Bldg.—Big Falls, MN Bois Forte—Nett Lake and Tower, MN C.A.I.R—Cloquet, MN Cook Hospital—Cook, MN Cook County Senior Center—Grand Marais, MN ElderCircle Office—Grand Rapids, MN Fond du Lac—Cloquet, MN Grand Itasca Hospital Patient Resource Center—Grand Rapids, MN Gitchi Onigaming Community Center– Grand Portage, MN Lake County—Silver Bay & Two Harbors, MN Littlefork Medical Center—Littlefork, MN Northome Resource Center—Northome, MN Our Savior’s Lutheran Church—Duluth, MN Volunteer Services of Carlton Co.—Carlton, MN 5 Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 721 DULUTH, MN 221 West First Street Duluth, MN 55802 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED * * * * * THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! Thank you to our Senior LinkAge Line® volunteers who provided 1,800 hours of volunteer time in 2014. Each volunteer serves in the way that best suits them. Some took time to provide in-person Medicare counseling assisting in completing forms and paperwork and understanding the multiple, available healthcare options for Medicare beneficiaries. Others lead community presentations on Fraud Awareness, taught computer and Internet skills classes through the Senior Surf Day class, provided needed support in the office or presented educational/informational presentations to groups throughout our region. Many spent time attending training throughout the year. Some of our volunteers staffed the Area Agency on Aging booth at various events in the region throughout the year such as health fairs, conferences or expos. Each volunteer worked to make a difference in our communities. The Area Agency on Aging always welcomes new volunteers with the Senior LinkAge Line®. Visit our Volunteer Opportunities page, on the Arrowhead Area Agency in Aging website (www.arrowheadaging.org), or contact Lee Swenson, Volunteer Coordinator, directly at the Senior LinkAge Line® 1-800-333-2433, x81019 or direct at 218-529-7539. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has published their 2016 Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting applicants for the Live Well at Home Grant, previously known as the Community Service/Services Development (CS/ SD) grant program. The complete Request for Proposal, including online application and directions, is available on the DHS Live Well at Home Grants website at http:// www.mn.gov/dhs/live-well. Final proposals are due at DHS on March 27, 2015. To register for the Responder's Webinar on February 19 and for other grant details, go to http://www.mn.gov/ dhs/live-well. 6
© Copyright 2024