Memory Care with Teresa Youngstrom
Dementia Care and Council on Aging
[MUSIC] Take care partners Teresa Youngstrom here with memory care with Teresa. So excited you came back. We have a really great day planned for you and a guest speaker you'll want to know about. So I'm Teresa Youngstrom, my company is a better approach to memory care. You can find me at TeresaYoungstrom.com. And as always for those of you who stay until the end and learn about our bonus page, we've got a new bonus page for October. So you'll want to find that in the show notes at the end of this program. But let's get on with our guest speaker today. I have invited Lisa Cruzy with Council on Aging. And she has so much to share with you. Lisa, welcome to the program. >> Hello, thank you so much for having me, Teresa, great to be here. >> Yeah, and so I'm frequently telling people that what got me involved in this type of care was my mother. What's your story? What brought you into working with Council on Aging? >> Well, about four years ago, my mother in law who was 94 at the time passed away. Unfortunately, after suffering with heart issues. And about 16 years ago, as she was being discharged from the hospital after her first heart attack, the nurse suggested that she call Council on Aging to see if she would be eligible for any programs or services. And she did make that call, and as a result, she got a life alert button to wear around her neck. And someone to come clean her home on a regular basis. So I have no doubt that those services gave her peace of mind and more than likely extended her life for a bit. So that's a little bit of my story. >> Well, that's awesome. And I can see where that revelation would make you want to figure that out a little more and see what else was available. Now, what exactly is Council on Aging? For those people who are not familiar, you and I are friends and colleagues. And, you know, we're here in Southwest Ohio, but this is a bigger program than just Southwest Ohio. So for those people who don't even know what Council on Aging is, what do you guys do? >> Great question. So we are in Southwest Ohio, as Teresa said. So we cover five counties in Southwest Ohio. And what we do is we work to support older adults and those with disabilities to stay at home as long as they age. As opposed to going into a facility. So perhaps home delivered meals might be appropriate. Perhaps transportation is needed. We have programs and services that cover all of that. And we also provide a lot of support for caregivers. >> Okay, so you touched on a couple of programs, but I'm assuming there's a depth of programs that you guys have to offer. Can we stop there and go a little back a little bit more into that? What kind of programs do you have? >> Sure, we have a number of programs and I will just mention right up front that income is not a qualification for any of our programs. However, it is a consideration. And by that, I mean that we have programs for people who are eligible for Medicaid. And we have programs for people who are not eligible for Medicaid. So, example, we have the Elderly Services Program, which is for people who are not low income enough to qualify for Medicaid. However, personal care 24/7 can be very expensive. So sometimes that creates a gap and that gap is where the Elderly Services Program comes in. It's a taxpayer funded program and it provides a number of different services depending on what care is needed. Maybe, like I said earlier, transportation, home delivered meals, maybe minor home modifications like grab bars for the shower to add extra stability. Whatever might be needed to stay at home in a safe, independent way. And we have a program called Passport, which does include people eligible for Medicaid. And quite frankly, without it, there would be a lot of low income Ohioans who are forced prematurely into nursing homes when they don't really need to be there. So, the Passport Program provides the services and supports similar to what I've already described. What we do at Council on Aging is we aim to provide the right amount of services at the right time in the right place. So, our programs are flexible and can change as need be. I love that. One thing that pops in my head, probably the million dollar question, how much does it cost? Sure, sure. Well, like I said, income is not a qualification. However, it is a consideration. So I would encourage anyone who's listening today to not assume that they make too much money to be eligible. Because depending on income, there may be a copayment, which is on a sliding scale for services, or there may not be. So, whether it be services, whether it be medical equipment, I will also mention that we are what's known as the payer of last resort. And all that means is if a person is eligible to receive a service or get some equipment from another source, maybe the VA may be insurance, then we would not kick in. Okay, so there is like a hierarchy of services there that would kick in first for certain people, got it? Yes, we are a non-profit, not a government agency, which is kind of confusing. Yeah, so what areas do you guys really cover and what's available if people live outside of there? Sure, well, we cover the five counties of Southwest Ohio, which would be Butler, Claremont, Clinton, Hamilton, and Warren. And I will mention that we are a part of a network throughout the state and throughout the country. And that network is a network of area agencies on aging that was created in 1965 through the Older Americans Act. And so we are a AAA, not to be confused with the driving people, right? So we are an area agency on aging for Southwest Ohio, for if you are looking for options and information about aging in another part of the state or another part of the country, people can access the elder care locator. And that is quite helpful. The website for that is www.eldercare.acl.gov. And what that does, it works on a zip code basis. So all you have to do is go to the elder care locator and input the zip code of the area you're looking for care in and up pops the AAA in that area. Nice, that's awesome. Seems like it's pretty simple. I hear the term long-term care a lot, long-term care. You know what, it's confusing, and I was just wondering if you could explain that a little bit. Sure. So long-term care, contrary to popular belief, really, long-term care is not a one-way trip to the nursing home. And what it is, is it's not necessarily medical in nature. Long-term care is a range of services and supports needed to live on a daily basis. And so it's not necessarily medical in nature. Rather, it's helped with a term we call ADLs, activities of daily living. The bathing and the dressing and the transferring going from the kitchen to the couch. So there are IADLs, instrumental activities of daily living, which are more complex skills, such as managing finances, meal preparation, those sorts of things. So that's what we focus on. The fact is about 70% of people will need long-term care during their lifetime. However, only 30% of us think we will. So that's a big discrepancy and we know that 9 out of 10 older adults would prefer to stay home as they age. So Council on Aging is here to help that happen. Well, that's good. That does sound a lot better than the nursing home. But we are thankful that we have services for the folks that then can't live at home. It is awesome. Talked a little bit about caregiving and sounded like initially we're talking about the person who needs help, but what about the people who help their mom or help their aunt or their grandma? How do we help caregivers? Caring for the caregiver is incredibly important. And let me just say, Theresa, there is a boom. It is a very, very hot topic right now. You and your listeners may or may not be aware of the National Home Health Age shortage that is really affecting a lot of older adults and people who need care. And because of that, many family members are thrust prematurely, really, without a lot of training, possibly the last minute. And they're kind of thrust into that role of caregiver. When I say the word caregiver, many people don't think of themselves as truly a caregiver. They're just simply doing what needs to be done as a friend or a spouse or a neighbor. And if people do not identify as a caregiver, they're less likely to reach out for help. So we have a specific caregiver support program that provides support just for the caregiver in the form of perhaps it's just a conversation. Perhaps it's just either a referral to resources. Our job at Council on Aging is really to generate ideas. Have you thought about this? What about that? Do you think this would help? So we might not have all the answers, but we have a good place to start. Yeah, very interesting that none of us say we want to end up in the nursing home and then to be caregivers. And then it's all complicated by my type of client that gets dementia. So and I have so many families who just try and wing it because they think that that's what you do, right? Like they don't even ask for help or anything and it's so hard on them. So I'm so thankful you guys have a plan to help caregivers. Now in the past, I do actually want to mention that our caregiver support program, you have to be 60 years old, either the caregiver or care recipient. However, there is no age requirement for people providing care for those with Alzheimer's dementia's neurological disorders. Awesome. I had no idea. That's awesome. And they need that because it's just so hard. It is very, very hard and that support really can bring balance to life. Well, and I'm sure you see a lot of burnout. Absolutely. caregiver burnout is one of the top three reasons that people go to nursing homes. And I don't have any statistics off the top of my head, but it's a real thing that many times caregivers, their health declines prior to the person who they're caring for. So the quality of life is definitely something that needs to be looked at. There might be a lot of responsibilities. Maybe they're still in the workforce. So they're working, they're juggling job duties and caring for an older loved one. Maybe they're raising their own family. So they're going here and there and it can be a lot. So the caregivers you guys work with are typically family members, would you say? Yes, we do work with a lot of family members and they might be adult children. They might be grandchildren. We do work also with friends, neighbors, and we have a specific caregiver support nurse. Her name is Anna and she and her team are absolutely fantastic. So it's been a lifesaver for many people. That's incredible. I like to say that Council on Aging helps caregivers in two different ways. And one way is the support program that provides the support for them. And the second way we help caregivers is by providing the programs and services and providing the care for their older adults, older loved ones, when they might not be able to and giving them a little bit of peace of mind that comes into play. Many times, if families spread around the country and they just can't be everywhere and they know that good care is available. Do you ever refer your families to like if they don't have a caregiver to a private duty company or to a hospice company? Do you use resources like that? We do. We do. We have quite an extensive resource directory on our website, which incidentally is helpthenumber4seniors.org. And I mentioned that because there are about 1600 resources on that resource directory. Housing options. We have a specific housing database, but specifically, you know, care options and maybe behavioral health, mental health options. So they're all part of the referral, I'm sorry, the resource directory. But that is extensive. How about the caregiver support program sound incredible? How much do those cost? Those are free. Oh, and your support program is free of charge. Incredible. So do you have any groups that meet together and they do support or is all of the support provided on an individual basis? Like you're talking to the daughter, something like that. We work directly one on one with the caregiver Teresa. We don't really have support groups. There are a number of organizations that do. We just don't happen to to follow that model of support groups. Okay. And again, it's so important that my listeners understand how to contact Council on Aging. How do they go about contacting you? And sometimes websites that they get to your website can be confusing. So maybe if you could tell us more about your website and how they can navigate that website. Sure. So again, our website is www.helpthenumber4seniors.org. And when you get to our website, you will see a toolbar at the top and you're able to navigate. We have quite an extensive, as I mentioned, the resource directory. We also have a document library, which has all of our annual reports and brochures and fact sheets for different programs and different topics that might be helpful. Access to all of our programs and services. We have a referral. You can make a referral on our website, either a referral on someone else's behalf or a self-referral. So you can contact us that way. Okay, good. I love that. It sounds pretty simple once they get there to navigate. Yes. And we also have a very robust call center. As a matter of fact, I was actually just looking at the numbers the other day. And last year, we had 58,000 requests for information and referral. And that is area code 513-721-1025. And when you call that number, if you use option two, you'll get straight to the call center. And how can our audience support you? Do you guys have a donation button anywhere on your website? Or are there fundraisers being a nonprofit? Or do we need to vote in a way? Are there certain legal options that come up that we can go to the ballot box and support you? Sure. Thank you for asking about that. The number one way that people can support us is by voting for the senior services levy in their county. We have about 40% of our funding comes from county tax levies. Another 30% comes through Medicaid programs. And the rest is made up of donations and client contributions. Got it. Got it. So yeah, because I wanted to just be aware of how we can not only promote you, how we can lead folks to you, but then how we can support you. Because I know everything takes dollars. You know, my business. It does. It does. And what we're really talking about, Theresa, is it's no different than in your business. What we're talking about is people's lives. You know, and there's no one size fits all for someone's life. There are many unique circumstances out there. No cookie cutter. So that's what that's what we do. We generate ideas about what may or may not work. And have you have you contacted these people? Have you contacted those people and support? We can always use the support. Awesome. I'm a huge supporter of Council on Aging. You and I have done some. We've collaborated on some events in the past and that's so great. And you know, I'm always here to help your people. Well, thank you for everything that you do. You provide a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful service and just have such a big heart. Well, thank you. Thank you. You do too. It's obvious. I am so thankful to have Lisa Cruzy here today with Council on Aging. And I just hope that you all will go to their website. We have been scrolling their contact information across the bottom of the screen. If you missed it, you can go back and see that. Hit that rewind and get that. And of course, I want to remind you about the bonus page, bonus page part two, bonus page number two, which is October. We're putting out a brand new bonus page for you every month that you can find in the show notes. Okay, to give you some more helpful tools, tips from me. Last month, we did the starts and stops, things you should start doing and things you should stop doing with dementia. When you're loving on someone and taking them through this journey with dementia. And this month, we have an all new one. And I want you to be able to have access to those tips and tools. So please be sure and go there. If you haven't liked and shared and subscribed, please do that. You all probably know we hit a record, another record high this week on subscribers. And we're so excited because that means we're serving you the people out there around the world who need this kind of help. So again, thanks for being here. Thanks, Lisa Cruzy. We appreciate Council on Aging, anything we can do to help you. And as always, just keep in mind you all, you've got this. [Music]