Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Commission on Services to the Aging Report, June 15, 2012

Report on the June 15, 2012, Meeting of the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging

The June 15, 2012, meeting of the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging was held at Alpena Community College in Alpena, Michigan. It was followed by a public hearing.

 

 

OSA Director Kari Sederburg reported on a few items:

 

(1)  For 2013, senior services will see an increase of $1.1 million. It represents the first increase since 2005/2006.

(2)  Today (June 15) is Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

(3)  Ten of the eighteen elder abuse bills have passed in the legislature and are headed to 
       the Governor’s desk.

(4)  Michigan will be aggressively applying for federal grant opportunities related to
       elder abuse.

(5)  There may be a possible grant available for the Aging/Disability Resource
       Collaborative.

(6)  The recent performance audit of OSA by the Auditor General’s office found no fiscal
       irregularities and confirmed that no clients were harmed by our office. The audit
       found that documentation was missing for certain reports, but OSA contends that in
       many cases, the documentation was overlooked or that legitimate regional
       differences were incorrectly interpreted as nonconforming.

(7)  Due to the recent census, OSA and the Commission will need to revisit the funding
      formula. Two changes already evident are that there has been a 15.2% increase in
      adults over 50, and a 19+% increase in poverty levels.

(8)  IMPORTANT: The Michigan Aging & Disability Needs Assessment is available
       online at www.needsmichigan.com   We will be collecting responses until July 31,
       2012. If enough people complete the assessment in a given geographical area, Scott
       Wamsley will be able to provide specific local data upon request.

(9)  Older Michiganians’ Day occurs next Wednesday on the lawn of the Capitol
       Building in Lansing.

 

 

 

 

The Commissioners voted on the following items:

 

(1)  They approved Program Year 2012 – 2013 Senior Community Service Employment Program Allocations. The SCSEP is authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act to provide part-time employment and training opportunities for low-income adults (55 years of age and older) at community service agencies. The grand total for the state is $2,916,529. (This is a reduction of $19,000 from last year, and will result in two lost positions—Detroit and Macomb County.) The total allocated for Region X is $95,620.

 

(2)  They approved FY 2012 Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral Training Grant to Evergreen Commons. The grant, in the amount of $15,891.00, will support a Certified Michigan TCARE Training Team to conduct training for up to sixteen new human resources professionals in the TCARE model, and to prepare them for final certification and the ability to identify optimal service strategies to support medium- to high-risk caregivers. FYI: Eight Michigan staff are now certified TCARE Trainers, and they provided three trainings last year.

 

(3)  They approved a Senior Project FRESH Grant Amendment. The grant funding increase to the Michigan Food and Farming Systems’ Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program is in the amount of $81,542. This is the result of increased federal funding and additional local funds. That means that the total funding for FY 2012 to support this program is $404,243.

 

(4)  They approved a Revised FY 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Supportive Services Program Innovations Grant.  OSA has received a no-cost extension from the AoA, and the revised grant awards are based on previously approved carry-over amounts. The following grantees will expand the reach of the project to veterans and their caregivers with available funds. The total FY 2012 change is $31,912, awarded as follows:

            Agency            Prior FY 2012                        Revised Award            Total 2012 Award

  • AAA 1-A            $2,420                                    $10,000                        $12,420
  • AAA 1-B            $2,420                                    $  3,972                        $  6,392
  • AAA 3-C            $3,000                                    $  7,500                        $10,500
  • AAA 9                $2,940                                    $10,440                        $13,380

 

 

Presentations and Information:

 

OSA’s Scott Wamsley gave a Meals on Wheels overview. Some highlights:

  • In 2011, 47,591 home-delivered meal participants received 7,786,774 meals, and 60,998 congregate meal participants received 2,613,429 meals.
  • Compared to congregate participants, home-delivered meal participants tended to be older, and larger percentages were low-income, minority, and lived alone.
  • Nearly two-thirds of all home-delivered meal participants were at high nutritional risk, compared to 12% of congregate participants.
  • In 2011, $49,891,190 was expended on nutrition services, with the average cost per meal coming in at $4.79.

 

 

 

The next Commission on Services to the Aging meeting is scheduled on Friday, July 20, 2012, at the Ramada Lansing Hotel and Conference Center, located at 7501 W. Saginaw Hwy. in Lansing. This meeting is open to the public.