Attached is the updated DAAA Eldercare Directory and a flyer on the Community Navigators.
Archive | 2014
An Advocate’s Guide to New Consumer Rights in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services
New federal Medicaid rules, for the first time, set standards to ensure that Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) are provided in settings that are non-institutional in nature. These standards, which took effect in March 2014, apply to residential settings, such as houses, apartments, and residential care facilities like assisted living facilities. The standards also apply to non-residential settings, such as adult day health care programs.
The National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) has developed a guide to the new rules, entitled Just Like Home: An Advocate’s Guide to Consumer Rights in Medicaid HCBS. The Guide’s discussion and analysis include the rules themselves, along with commentary and subsequently-issued guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and will be updated as further information becomes available.
Importantly, many details remain to be determined by individual states, subject to review and approval by the federal government. Stakeholder involvement and advocacy will be critical as state Medicaid programs transition through implementation of the new rules. Throughout the transition process, both the states and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must accept and consider recommendations from consumers and other stakeholders.
NSCLC is available to assist consumer advocates in thinking through the issues and developing state-specific recommendations. Under Medicaid law, HCBS funding exists to give consumers the ability to receive necessary long-term services and supports without moving into a nursing home or other healthcare institution. The value of the HCBS alternative would be destroyed or diluted if HCBS were provided in institution-like settings.
Information about Mariners Inn
Information regarding Mariners Inn in Detroit.
Meet Regina McIver
By Steven Villareal
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6.”
Regina McIver’s career as a social worker has been guided by her Christian faith, and this verse from the Bible, is one that she often goes back to throughout her life. It has been with her since she started her social work career in the military. She was a social worker in the military for 20 years, and retired in 1997 with the rank of Major. She then proceeded to use what she learned in the military to work for Detroit Public Schools as a school social worker until 2013. She dedicated these years to working with children who were on the brink of being expelled from school, she then retired.
At this point she could have enjoyed life being retired spending it with her husband, but she felt that she had more to give, another career in her that was waiting to come out. This is when she applied to be a site coordinator at River Town Assisted Living. Now, she has had a career working with diverse populations, from people in the military to students in Detroit and so her career would not be complete without a time of working with older adults. She took an interest of working with older adults when her mother became sick twelve years ago, as she had to learn about caregiving and dementia and even earned a certificate in care for patients with dementia.
Now, at River Town Assisted Living since fall of 2013, Regina is a social worker who helps to make sure that residents are receiving what they need to live the kind of independent life that they want. In the brief time that she has been here she is already trying to form a resident council so that the residents can learn how to advocate for themselves. She enjoys working here and particularly likes the staff because she can tell that they enjoy their work. She takes a creative approach to getting clients involved in residential activities and helping them to make healthy choices about their lives.
During her time off, Regina enjoys the festivals that Detroit has to offer. She and her husband are looking forward to going to “Concert of Colors”, the Jazz Festival in Hart Plaza, and the Detroit Techno Festival. Additionally, they enjoy going to car shows and in fact, own two classic cars, a Delta 1988 and a 1978 Oldsmobile. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority since her college years, she is still a very active member and volunteers in community service and mentoring of the younger Deltas. She looks forward to working at the River Town Independent Living building when it is finished.
Here to Help Foundation
The programs of the Here to Help Foundation assist those who are facing an emergency situation and are at a tipping point. Here to Help provides a bridge to assist individuals to keep moving forward and maintain their self-sufficiency and independence.
Applicants are referred to us from over 200 non-profits and governmental agencies. Our programs at Here to Help have been able to assist more than 3500 individuals in our community who were facing a critical point in their life and needed help in weathering a crisis.
The website is: http://www.heretohelpfoundation.org/activek/content.asp?catid=2
Meet Janet Mills
By Dorinda Stephens
I had the pleasure of interviewing Janet Mills Service Coordinator at Belleville Co-op in the city of Belleville and Whispering Willows Co-op in Romulus. Janet has been a Service Coordinator with Hannan since January 2014. She works part-time at both locations. Janet is passionate about working with vulnerable seniors, which inspired her to become a service coordinator and go back to school. In December 2013 she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Marygrove College. In addition, she has an Associates degree in Gerontology from Wayne County Community College. Prior to completing her Bachelor degree, she worked at Focus Hope in Detroit for eight-years as a Senior Outreach Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator. Janet assisted seniors who had limited resources for food by identifying and setting up miniature distributions food sites. Also, she conducted tours, presentations about Focus Hope facility, and trained new volunteers to help serve individuals suffering from hunger within the metropolitan area. She works closely with seniors at her church while mentoring teenage girls. Janet implemented an intergenerational program where seniors teach the teenage girls how to sew and cook in exchange the teenage girls help the seniors operate a cell phone and computer.
Janet finds relaxation in balloon decorating for individuals celebrating a special occasion such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and kid parties. Her favorite book is “The Shack” a Christian novel that talked about life experiences. One of her favorite quotes from the book is “Living unloved is like clipping a bird’s wings and removing its ability to fly. Pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly. And if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place.” She enjoys spending time with her daughter who is away at Michigan State University, but the new dog Winston keeps her busy. In the future Janet would like to continue her education by receiving a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
A Medicaid Manual
I recently attended the all day Medicaid Boot Camp sponsored by Elder Law of Michigan. The workshop was probably the most valuable one I have attended this year. I am providing the two sites that include the slide presentation and a downloadable Medicaid manual called :A Primer on Michigan’s Medicaid Program written by attorney David L, Shaltz. I recommend this resource to all Service Coordinators as an excellent tool for identifying terms, eligibility and programs that are part of the complex Medicaid system. Slide presentation: http://elderlawofmi.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click The Primer on Michigan’s Medicaid Program:
http://elderlawofmi.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click
Great Lakes Loan Closets
A handy site for help in the search for durable medical equipment:
Meet Tiana Clemmons
By Deirdre Manning
“Quitters never win.” These words of Tiana Clemmons, Service Coordinator at the Village of St. Martha’s in Detroit, allude to the resilience, determination, and motivation that have led her to her current station in life, a member of our team.
Before I had the privilege of interviewing Tiana in March, I remember seeing her at our professional development training in Detroit in December when she first started with us. It was her gentle presence and warm smile that made initial impressions on me. After our brief conversation, I was able to learn about the people, choices, and motivation behind Tiana’s approachable demeanor.
Resilience and Determination:
As a child, Tiana struggled with some learning issues. Some of her teachers were not that supportive of her. Tiana was not encouraged to pursue higher education.
Tiana did not let this discouragement deter her, persisting and working her way through grammar and high school and college. Tiana received her BSW from Mary Grove College in 2013.
Significantly influencing Tiana’s ability to overcome the hurdles and obstacles was her mother, who, along with Jesus, is Tiana’s most important role model.
Motivation:
Grounding Tiana’s efforts are her love for others and her faith. Tiana offered another quote that guides her life: “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Tiana has put her faith in action on personal and professional fronts. As the older sister of two brothers (ages 10 and 8), Tiana likes to spend time with them, who look up to her. She also loves to bowl with her friends and to eat (her own version of shrimp and pasta especially). Perhaps we can add this to Renee’s pasta recipe.
Professionally, Tiana became a certified nursing assistant in 2009 and worked during college with cardiac patients in a hospital setting. She also worked as a home health aid for a brief period but soon after starting left the position. The reason, Tiana explains, was that her car did not have a GPS system, and that she got lost a few times. Not liking being late, Tiana realized this role was causing her too much undue stress. Tiana also has certification in CPR.
Exclaiming, “I love people,” Tiana smiles as she talks briefly about her previous work. “I enjoyed making my patients comfortable and doing whatever I could to make them smile.”
Tiana brings this love for people and her motivation to support and comfort them to her members as a Service Coordinator. Having the BSW training has equipped Tiana with the knowledge and skills of the social work profession, which looks at the whole person in his/her environment when providing advocacy and accessing resources. Tiana shares how she is getting adjusted to this new role with the goals of learning how best to support her members and keep healthy boundaries.
Wanting to develop her skills further, Tiana is planning on pursuing her MSW at Wayne State as an Advanced Standing student some time in the near future.
Whatever Tiana decides to pursue, her life so far reflects the strength and capacity of internal and external resources and the impact these have had in helping Tiana pursue her goals. With her values and sources of inspiration along with the support of her communities (family, friends, church, and Hannan SC’s), it may not be too long before Tiana Clemmons will be able to write after her name the three letters (i.e. MSW) that can mean and make a world of difference for the good of society as a whole.