The legal organization that assists with DHS application issues is the Center for Civil Justice. I just found out they only open cases for food benefits in Wayne County and work with Medicaid cases only in Genessee County. However, one of their assistants told me that even though they can’t open a case for you, they can answer any questions you have and advises you to call.
DHS application legal assistance
A message from Sharon…
Hello everyone,
I met with Anne this morning and here are some answers to your questions and concerns:
- Regarding members translating for members when a service coordinator is assisting a Limited English Proficient (LEP) member, the member receiving the service from the service coordinator may bring a translator that he/she has selected to assist them. The service coordinator cannot assign or recommend a translator to assist a client.
- Staff does not have a roster to provide to you monthly. Per Sandy Jacques and Anne Sackrison, CSI National Operations Manager, CSI staff will only provide you with the name and apartment number of the members. The liaison can provide you with the name and apartment number of new members, but not the date of the move-in.
- When you request permission to attend the floor meetings from the council via the co-op president, the request is for one time only for the purpose of explaining the SC program and to obtain the information for the ASK software by having the members sign the appropriate form.
- In the future when a liaison is not responding to your phone calls in a timely manner , please email the liaison with your request and cc: Anne.Sackrison@CSI.coop
Please let me know if you have questions or comments.
Thanks for all you do for our members!!!
Sharon Boldon
Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI)
BIAMI is statewide. If you want, you can contact them directly. Their contact info is:
Brain Injury Association of Michigan
7305 Grand River, Suite 100
Brighton 48114-7379
(810) 229-5880.
In a “previous life” I was a long term care ombudsman. BIAMI had their own Ombudsman program servicing the brain injured. They kept us up to date on this horrible malady. Our liason to BIAMI was one of our K’zoo Ombudsmen, John Weir. You can ask John who he recommends you talk to, OR you can contact BIAMI directly.
Detroit’s Eastern Market
The Tuesday Detroit Market at Eastern Market is super senior friendly. Though it doesn’t have the sheer number and variety of vendors as they do on Saturdays, it is far less crowded and most of the vendors are locals who love to talk with people. They are really trying to get seniors back down to the market, so they are open to helping people organize van drop off locations, places to sit, easy access to “double up bucks”, etc.
Dying before their time
Important reading. We have hard copies of the original report at the office for anyone who would like to read that too. Read about it here…
New Eyes for the Needy and other vision resources
By Renee on July 9, 2012 in Health and Medical, Hearing & Vision Services, Resources, Vision/Glasses
New Eyes for the Needy vouchers can be used in only two places in Michigan: Saginaw and Royal Oak:
William Beaumon Hospital Eye Institute
3601 West 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak 48073
Tel: 248 551 2020
They also suggest these national programs:
Vision USA – www.aoa.org
Coordinated by the American Optometric Association, Vision USA provides
free eye care to uninsured, low-income workers and their families.
They have a network of centers and may have one in your local area.
Applications are online only – they do not have a telephone number.
EyeCare America – www.eyecareamerica.org
Tel: 877 887 6327
Facilitates eye care for US citizens or legal residents aged 65 or older
who are without an Eye MD and do not belong to an HMO or do not have
eyecare coverage through the Veterans Administration.
Sight for Students — 888-290-4964
A Vision Service Plan program in partnership with The Entertainment Industry
Foundation, providing eye exams and glasses to children 18 years and
younger whose families cannot afford vision care.
They also recommend we search on-line for free clinics or local University hospitals that may offer vision centers. The Commission for The Blind and Visually Impaired in your state may also have resources for you. In addition your library, local municipal building, social worker or local optical shop may also know of free or low-cost exam resources.
How to add program attendance… the right way!
Even though the AASC Online manual “highly” recommends we add group resident service logs for each member who attended our workshop using the resident service log group-add function… some your attendees may not be clients, and we do not enter service logs for members who are not SC clients. So, what’s the solution?
1. Group add a Progress Note for your educational workshops. The Progress Notes, if they are not attached to a Service Log, should not skew your AASC Online statistics.
Then,
2. Group add a Service Log for the clients (members receiving services from you) who attended the educational workshops.
Voila!
Member contact spreadsheet
Here’s a spreadsheet I developed for tracking progress with getting in touch with members. Hope it helps!
7 key points about hoarding
…plus my notes from a hoarding and cluttering training I attended.
No flu shots at CSI properties…
Due to possible liability issues, flu shot clinics are not allowed at any of the Co-ops. However…
The co-ops often shuttle members to sites for their shots, and Hannan House has a flu shot event sponsored by the DMC every fall (especially good for the Labelle members)!
If you’re looking for a health workshop, consider other, less invasive health monitoring by non-profit or governmental health care providers, including things like blood pressure.