Our Blog

Tackling the Holidays When Caring for a Loved One

Wednesday, November 17th, 2021

When we think of the holidays, we often think of family traditions, special foods and family visits—all the things that make a holiday special. Unfortunately for family caregivers (those who are caring for an aging or chronically ill loved one), many of the things that make the holidays a special time can also make them challenging. Here are a few tips to make sure the holidays are fun, manageable and ...

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Helping Grandparents Understand Safe Sleep

Friday, November 12th, 2021

A special message from the Oakland County Health Department for grandparents caring for infant grandchildren County Health Departments, including the Oakland County Health Division, are working to make sure everyone in a baby’s life (including grandparents) is aware of the dangers of unsafe sleep and ways to reduce the risk of SIDS. In Michigan a baby dies due to an unsafe sleep position or environment every 2-3 days, and in Oakland ...

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Volunteer Counselors Ready to Help During Medicare Open Enrollment

Tuesday, September 28th, 2021

George Wojdacki calls himself the “piece of cheese at the end of the maze,” the guy you reach after bumping into walls trying to understand your Medicare benefits. Wojdacki, a certified Medicare counselor who volunteers with AgeWays’s Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP), has saved a lot of money for a lot of seniors who would otherwise ignore notices of changes in their benefits. Last year, he and some 60 other volunteers saved ...

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AgeWays Partners With Oakland County to Understand Seniors’ Needs

Thursday, September 2nd, 2021

Four Townhall Events Planned in Four Oakland County Communities--Attend In-person or Virtually The Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ Healthy Aging Oakland County Ad Hoc Committee will be hosting four town halls throughout Oakland County, in partnership with AgeWays to identify gaps in services for senior residents. Officials from the committee and AgeWays will provide a brief presentation on areas of need and opportunity for senior programming. Following the presentation, participants will ...

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Aging in Place: Modifications Keep Homes Safe for Seniors

Friday, July 2nd, 2021

High-tech Gadgets Mix with Low-tech Modifications Most of us will need to make some adjustments to our home and lifestyle if we plan to stay put into old age. And most of us intend to do so: Over 75% of adults 50 and older want to stay in their homes as long as possible, according to a 2018 AARP study. Along with some minor tweaks that will reduce the risk of falling ...

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Our Voice: Legislators Should Make Pay Bump for Direct Care Workers Permanent

Wednesday, June 16th, 2021

AgeWays President and CEO Michael Karson recently contributed an opinion piece to the Detroit Free Press that called on our Michigan legislators to make permanent the $2.25 pay raise for direct care workers enacted during the pandemic. The direct care worker shortage impacts our daily work and the ability of older adults throughout the state to access the care they need. While we know that this won't wholly solve this ...

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AgeWays Bringing Joy to Nursing Home Residents with Robotic Pets

Monday, June 7th, 2021

Pets, Amazon Echoes and Other Technology Helps Reduce Social Isolation During Covid Research shows that pets can reduce stress and anxiety and increase feelings of well-being. In fact, pet ownership has been on the rise during the pandemic, with many people adding a new cat or dog to their household to help ease the long months of Covid solitude. AgeWays is trying to bring that same dose of cuddly comfort to nursing ...

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Ombudsmen Advocate for Nursing Home Residents – Help Families

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Addressing Issues and Serving as a Voice for Residents of Long-term Care Facilities A trio of ombudsmen that works out of AgeWays are among 21 ombudsmen statewide whose job it is to protect and advocate for residents in Michigan’s long-term care communities like nursing homes and licensed assisted living facilities. They typically work in person, talking to residents and staff to make sure facilities are following state regulations and that residents are ...

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Recorded Webinar: Communicating with a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease

Saturday, April 10th, 2021

Communication is more than just talking and listening – it’s also about sending and receiving messages through attitude, tone of voice, facial expressions and body language. People with Alzheimer's disease can lose their communications abilities as the disease progresses. Families need to find new ways to connect, communicate and understand. In this recorded webinar, a volunteer from the Alzheimer's Association Michigan Chapter shares some practical tips on communicating with a loved ...

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Virtual Public Hearing on Senior Service Spending: May 13 at 1 pm

Friday, April 9th, 2021

AgeWays has scheduled a public hearing at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 13, to gather input about the use of federal and state funding earmarked for senior services over the next year. The Annual Implementation Plan public hearing will consider ideas for spending $23 million earmarked for fiscal year 2021-22 in the six-county region served by the agency (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties). Older adults, family caregivers, senior ...

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