Michelle Danou of the Michigan Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program shares with Jason about the role of an ombudsman in advocating for those in long-term care facilities, such as a nursing home. She also details the work of an ombudsman when it comes to transitioning people out of a long-term care facility back into their community.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Ep 8) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

Katherine Zurenko, housing coordinator and nursing facility transition support coordinator, talks with Jason about programs that assist adults in finding new housing or fixing issues with current housing. She also helps adults who are moving out of a nursing facility, whether they need to locate housing or are looking to set up long-term services to assist them in a residential setting.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: Housing Coordination & Transitioning Out of Nursing Facilities (Ep 7) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

Lori Zimmerman, manager of the Information & Assistance Program at The Senior Alliance, describes the program’s mission to provide information, referrals, and options to empower individuals to make informed decisions. Information & Assistance specialists field 40-80+ calls per day, or about 1,000 calls a month, linking people to appropriate services.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: Information & Assistance Call Center (Ep 6) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

Sarah Driscoll, supports coordinator with the MI Choice Waiver Program, and Janet Elliot, a supports coordinator with the Senior Alliance Care Management program, discuss how they help coordinate programs and services to make sure participants receive what they need to keep them safe within their homes.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: What is Supports Coordination? (Ep 5) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

Gail Wejrowski, waiver program clinical manager, talks about how the MI Choice Waiver Program determines what services a participant receives, how service levels are re-evaluated, time limits, how the Senior Alliance contracts with and monitors caregivers, and what happens when a participant is hospitalized.The MI Choice Waiver Program can also help participants move out of a nursing home and back into a residential setting.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: MI Choice Waiver Program (Part 2) (Ep 4) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

Gail Wejrowski, waiver program clinical manager, talks about the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver program, which provides services that help eligible adults remain in a home or residential setting. The program provides personalized support and services in the home rather than in a nursing facility.  Oftentimes, participants experience a reduction in unplanned medical care and their families experience less caregiver burnout.  The program is funded through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: MI Choice Waiver Program (Part 1) (Ep 3) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

Jason is joined by Kari West, Senior Alliance manager of the Medicare and Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP). Kari describes the program as a free service that educates, counsels, and empowers Michigan’s older adults, individuals living with disabilities, and those who serve them so that they can make informed health benefit decisions.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (Ep 2) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.

The Senior Alliance acts as a connection point to resources, services, and programs in the community for older adults and their caregivers. We also oversee a network of service providers, in addition to providing programs and services ourselves. Jason Maciejewski, chief advocacy and planning officer of The Senior Alliance, describes how The Senior Alliance came into being and how it operates today.

The post Inside The Senior Alliance: What is The Senior Alliance? (Ep 1) appeared first on The Senior Alliance.