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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:18 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Flint City manager has informed the Brennan Center that they are going to sell the building because the City is not making any money from them. Funny, how his guidance created a garbage crisis and payment battles. |
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:22 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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sschuch@mlive.com
Print Email Sarah Schuch | sschuch@mlive.com By Sarah Schuch | sschuch@mlive.com
on January 31, 2015 at 6:00 AM, updated January 31, 2015 at 10:36 AM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI - Genesee County is not getting any younger.
As the senior citizen population here continues to grow -- fueled by the aging Baby Boomer generation -- local health professionals are gearing up to take care of them with new centers, new programs and new approaches.
With each upgrade, local hospitals are trying to position themselves as the go-to medical care facility for a rapidly growing group of people who consume a large percentage of health care.
"The population is going to grow almost exponentially over the next few years," said Kathy Boles, executive director for the Valley Area Agency on Aging. "It's very smart (for the hospitals to starting thinking more about seniors). They know the population is aging and the needs are going to change and they're just preparing for what those needs will be in the future."
Over the past few years, the local hospitals -- Genesys Regional Medical Center, Hurley Medical Center and McLaren Flint -- have revamped programs, begun plans to build brand-new facilities and began new partnerships -- even memberships -- in order to make health care easier and less stressful for the county's senior citizens.
Even though Genesee County's overall population has shrunk 3 percent since 2000, the number of people 62 and older has increased from 60,376 to 74,866 people -- a 24 percent spike in that same time frame, according to new 2013 Census estimates released in December.
The 65 years and older population is growing by 1 percent a year, Boles said. And it was projected that the 55 and older age group should be 27.69 percent of the population by 2014, she said.
And that's something the county is preparing for. There are 15 senior centers throughout the county and a countywide senior millage to help fund services.
The hospitals have gradually been making changes to their health care models over the past few years.
The most recent examples of that would be Geneseys Health System's Program of all-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Center and Hurley's partnership with the Oak Street Senior Apartments in which each resident would receive a platinum ID card that would allow expedited registration for in- and outpatient services, along with other discounts and services.
Transitioning health care
Genesys officials say they are transitioning their entire health model. The focus is to move the care from outside the hospital and into the community, said Nick Evans, vice president for business development at Genesys.
Aside from the PACE center -- expected to be open by spring and serve up to 225 low-income seniors -- Genesys has focused a good deal of planning into a retirement village and expansion at the Genesys Health Park.
The first phase of the retirement village is a replacement facility for Genesys Convalescent Center.
The senior citizen retirement village will be in the southwest corner of the Genesys Health Park and would feature skilled nursing, memory care, independent living and assisted living. Plans call for the construction to begin on the 128-bed skilled nursing facility -- the first phase of the plan -- in April 2015.
With senior citizens being such a large group at the hospitals and in the county, it's important to not only help them when they are sick, but focus on being proactive and help them live healthier lives, said Evans.
"(It's about) providing the right care in the right place at the right time," Evans said. "We need to manage (that population) to optimize their care. It's not just about accepting the fact that they will come in and out of the hospital all the time."
It's also about finding ways to give senior citizens support and care while keeping costs low for the whole system, he said.
Evans said an average patient of the PACE Center could visit the emergency room 12 to 24 times a year -- but with the advent of centers like the PACE facility, they may visit the ER only once annually.
And it's much less expensive to take care of a senior citizen at home than it is in a nursing home, Boles said, which is why new programs outside of the hospital setting are important to the community.
Health professionals should - and are - focusing on health care for seniors in a different way. Getting them to be active participants in their health instead of waiting for their health to fail is important, Evans said.
"(It's about a) better quality of life, a much bigger focus of the wellness aspect of this," he said. "Wellness more than sickness. It's an entire movement."
Something that all hospitals help with and take advantage of is the Advanced Care Planning through the Greater Flint Health Coalition, as a way to get residents thinking about what to do next. It includes health screenings and support groups.
McLaren Flint officials say they are also focused on a full continuum of care, including physicians who specialize in geriatric medicine. McLaren has fitness centers in Flushing, Flint and Fenton for general fitness and rehabilitation, which many seniors use.
They also provide in-patient case management, which helps patients transition to next-level care after a hospital stay. The case management team works to reduce the need for readmission to the hospital. Home care services, a community-based home health care, including palliative care, hospice, home medical supplies and equipment, are also available, McLaren officials said.
Hurley officials say they're making health and wellness for seniors easy and as stress-free as possible with attention on how to care for seniors in and out of the hospital, said Angela Mitchell, service line administrator for geriatrics, oncology and renal transplant at Hurley.
One of the most recent developments is a pilot partnership with Oak Street Senior Apartments in Flint, in which all the residents receive a Hurley ID card -- like a membership card -- that holds their information and, in the future, gets them access to special discounts.
The hope is that the program will be expanded to all of Genesee County after the pilot program.
"We are gearing up for being able to take better care of seniors because we do have an aging community and the younger population are integrating out. It will be the seniors that will be in need of our services," Mitchell said.
Barbara Crawford, 59, has been living at Oak Street Senior Apartments since November and is happy to hear of the Hurley program for seniors.
It's good to see places in the community focusing on the aging population, she said.
If she does need medical care, Hurley is the place she visits, Crawford said, so having her information quickly accessible and having other discounts and benefits is nice.
"It will be great," Crawford said. "I'm glad they're doing what they're doing and offering help to seniors."
Hurley also started a fast-track emergency room back in 2012 for senior citizens, and in 2013 created an Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit -- a center within the hospital with a home-like setting that targets the needs of the elderly population.
The beds are lower to the ground, there is low glare and non-skid flooring and appropriate lighting to help prevent falling, among other things.
That mentality was carried out any time physical changes were done to parts of the hospital. Hand rails were put in, lights were brighter, the flooring was changed and noise was cut down, all with seniors in mind.
"As we see the baby boomer population age, they represent about 13 percent of our total population. And 40 percent of our adult admissions are age 65 and older," Mitchell said.
The goal is to make sure seniors in the community are taken care of, Mitchell said.
"If you've lived that long you ought to have earned something. You should have gotten a reward for something," she said.
Care requires a team effort
Genesee County is unique when it comes to its senior care, said Lynn Radzilowski, senior services director for Genesee County.
County residents passed a senior millage in 2006 that helps with home-delivered meals, in-home personal care, respite services, funding for the 15 senior centers, legal services, elder abuse prevention, case management and referral services and adult day care.
In 2014 that was renewed for another 10 years, set to expire in 2026.
All together the senior centers, the millage and its services and programs serve roughly 20,000 seniors.
The Valley Area Agency on Aging reaches out to roughly 4,500 senior citizens in Genesee County.
Unfortunately, Radzilowski and Boles agree on something. There isn't enough money to help everyone. So in order to truly take care of the growing elderly population in the county, it has to be a team effort, they said.
"There's definitely a need. Each day tens of thousands of people are turning 60 and older and are needing services," Radzilowski said. "Unfortunately there will never be enough money or enough services but that's why you need to continue to do future planning."
It's about organizations, health care providers and others in the community prioritizing what they are doing and what can be done with the resources they have, she said.
"The ultimate goal is to have the seniors stay in their home as long as they can safely. It's less expensive to keep them in their homes," said Radzilowski, adding that the hospitals are moving in the right direction.
The hospitals and health professionals working together is very important, Boles said.
"I do know that the population is going to grow. And I'm pretty sure we won't have enough funds to meet the needs of everyone," Boles said. "The hospitals have just been tremendous to work with. ... They totally get it. They know that they need to do whatever they can to take care of this aging population." |
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:23 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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With the poverty levels in Flint and an aging population, how can the City leaders decide to withdraw their support.? Don't complain about the State only thinking about money and creating the water crisis when the current administration is putting a price tag on our most vulnerable population?
The EM allowed the haskell Center to operate for the Pal Program and the Boys and Girls Club. The Pierce Center was given a long term commercial lease agreement, but there is little discussion on it's current status.
Agreements were finally made to lease the last two existing centers, Hasselbring and Brennan, for $1 a year. Since the City owns both buildings, the city is responsible for repairs over $1,000. The County Senior Millage pays for operation of the Centers. |
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:32 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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There were complaints over the financial instability of the nonprofit selected by the EM to operate the Hasselbring Center. They obviously failed as the Center is now operated by the East Side Center.
Complaints are this Center has fewer services than the county centers.Past break-ins at this Center eliminated many amenities. Also many county senior centers are partially supported by their local governments and gifts to the facilities.
The arguments about Hasselbring appear to be based along racial complaints that the county facilities offer more than the city facilities. Foundation grants and community gifts need to be sought. Increasing the numbers being served could also work to increase reimbursements.
The Brennan Center has their own 501(c)3 and keeps within their budget. The roof replacement has become a controvery for Hasselbring . The roof did not cost "hundreds of housands to repair" and the expense was covered by CDBG funds.
Remember the City used $almost $900,000 to demolish the Genesee Towers after the Downtown groups lied they had the funding when they got the building for a $1. |
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:45 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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With the secrecy and failure to follow established procedures of this administration, they need to come clean and say what this is really about.
Has someone expressed interest in one or both buildings? Is this an attempt to use race as a means of demanding more money from the senior millage.
Sell the buildings and the furniture and other amenities belong to the county as the millage paid for them. Force them to pay for an expensive move and building rental and they will be forced to reduce services any more.
Or is this a power move to take control of Hasselbring? Actually the East Side Group looks impressive on paper.
Arguments that those opposed to this move are "Weaver Haters" is childish. Since when do peoplle who support our seniors hve to be haters of the administration and her "unpaid volunteers". Remember how Rutherford tried using his friends to help run City hall and the Sate appointed EM threw them out. These volunteers are not indemnified and should not be working in City hall. |
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:55 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sally Haywood
Yesterday at 11:08am · Flint ·
Senior Centers are not for making money! The rumors that Flint's Two remaining centers may be up for sale to the highest bidder are disturbing. Contracts made by the Emergency Managers cannot be altered and the State made sure of that.
How many times have you worried about a senior you know? It doesn't have to be a family member, it could be the kind neighbor down the street. Citizens need a new vision of what it means to get older and that is where our senior centers come in.
Today's Senior Centers offer so much more than just a sedentary life watching TV and eating microwave meals.At a center, seniors get to interact socially and engage in programs that promote a healthier life style. Research shows
how even short regular visits to a center can help our seniors have more satisfaction in their lives.
There is a broad range of services such as transportation, health information, social nutrition, education and recreational opportunities hat are meant to enrich and uplift the lives of our seniors.
Alfino Donastorg ·
The state hopes to shut down the nucleus of Flint and take it over. There are so many ways this is happening. 1. Shut down access to grocery outlets. 2. Poison the water to further drive down home values to nothing amongst several other reasons. 3. Ignore infrastructure (Roads are horrible in neighborhoods) businesses don't want to invest when infrastructure is decimated. I have many more theories but I'll stop to say, our seniors need these centers to stay involved in our political and community lives . Shutting down and selling the Senior Centers will further harm the sanctity of our community.
AC Dumas The residents of the City of Flint are paying a great price for the sr. centers because Flint centers aren't getting its fair share of the Sr. Milleage money, although we pay the most to the Genesee County Sr. Milleage! Remember the EM leased the 2 buildings for $1.00 per year! Case in point, the City of Flint is responsible for all repairs over $1,000.00 which is in one of the 10 YEAR LEASE! $10.00 for 10 AYEARS! To replace the roof at Brennan Sr. Community Center it cost Flint taxpayers in the hundreds of thousands of dollars! Yes, hundreds of thousands of dollars! The nonprofit only pays $1.00 per year! Recently at Hassellbring Senior Community Center the concrete sidewalk was done at the cost of thousands of dollars! I'm an ACTIVE member at Hassellbring! Hassellbring doesn't have many activities like those centers outside the city which are WHITE owned and operated getting the bulk of our Milleage dollars! Those leases need to be renegotiated by the City and the nonprofits that run the centers through taxpayers dollars! Remember we get $1.00 for rent per year and pay for ALL repairs over $1,000.00!
Sally Haywood The Brennan Center is working within their budget from the Senior Millage. If more people participated, the millage would be increased. The roof at he Brennan Center was paid for with CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) federal funds and was not n the Flint taxpayers. Where was the outrage when the EM paid (illegally I believe) gave the downtown shadow government almost $900,000 in CDBG funds to tear down the Genesee Towers? The only reason they pay $1.00 is that the EM got flak for selling all of Flint's assets .
Sally Haywood And the cost was not the multiples of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the roof. After all the City still owns the building and do you want leaks to ruin it, like the Kennedy Pool and Kennedy Center disintegrated under City control. Both are torn down.
Sally Haywood What about the lease at the Pierce Center since one of the original lease holders is deceased? What about the Boys and Girls (PALS) group at Haskell?
Sally Haywood Sylvester Jones has told the centers of the intent to sell the buildings. All of the furnishings belong to the County because they were paid for with County funds. The county centers can offer more because some, lie the East Side group have large donations and gifts. Some are even supported in part by the community they serve.
Sally Haywood So after making a series of bad decisions, Weaver and her band of misfits now want to pay for them on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens? When Rutherford had a group of unpaid volunteers running around City hall, the first thing that happened was the State threw them out.
Sally Haywood No one who is not indemnified by the City should be making any decisions for the City. Yes the city can have informal advisory groups, but they cannot hold City meetings and make City decisions. Council still has to approve appointments.
Sally Haywood Dumas, you and I had this discussion yesterday about Gilcreast and Your comments about him working 24/7 for the Mayor is just wrong. No wonder the July story about Gilcreast's presence i City hall is recirculating.
Sally Haywood Maybe the recall being advocated is the right call. |
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Sun Nov 06, 2016 6:06 pm |
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