Paul BridgewaterAs this edition of the Michigan Chronicle rolls off the presses, I’m in Washington, D.C., to make a presentation to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging (AoA) about health disparities in the African American community. This forum is part of AoA’s recognition of African American History Month. The program will draw an audience of interested stakeholders from various government agencies.
I was honored to receive the invitation from Josefina Carbonell, assistant secretary for Aging, to participate in this week’s forum. At the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, we’re among the authorities that address the critical national issue of disparities in health and long-term care services among our nation’s urban poor. I’m not proud to report that chronic conditions, such as hypertension, arthritis, heart disease and diabetes plague 89 percent of Detroit seniors. But I am proud of our research that helped to identify these widespread problems and the health care initiatives that can reverse them.
Joining me at the forum are representatives from Center in the Park, a nationally accredited community senior center that promotes positive aging and fosters community connections for older adults in northwest Philadelphia. Like others in the aging network, our two organizations are concerned that many low-income seniors still are not receiving the help they are eligible for under Medicare to pay for their prescription drugs and other health care costs. Over the years, we have been equally concerned about shortfalls in funding for Older Americans Act programs that help older adults stay healthy and independent. Fortunately, when we visit the nation’s capital, others in the country are able to learn from our research and experience.
When the Detroit Area Agency on Aging embarked on the 2003 Dying Before Their Time study, we needed to understand what health factors caused the Detroit area to lose 23 percent of its senior population between 1990 and 2000. Working with Wayne State University, the Detroit Medical Center, and the Detroit Senior Citizens Department, we uncovered startling facts about the death rate for older adults between ages 50 and 59. In short, chronic illness, limited access to health care and poverty resulted in more complications and a higher death rate than exists among those who seek regular care.
Our study received national attention, and it helped other urban regions with health-challenged populations to see the need for healthy aging initiatives. Prevention is now an imperative, and the federal government is interested in innovative and evidence-based efforts to reduce health disparities affecting older African Americans.
At present, our agency is looking at ways to transform our nutrition sites into wellness centers — one way of making healthy aging a part of everyone’s life. And we will continue to promote the programming that serves special populations, including the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver and Medicare Part D programs.
Through MI Choice, the Detroit Area Agency on Aging provides home and community-based services to low-income seniors and disabled adults, offering these individuals an alternative to nursing home placements. With a recent allocation of over $800,000, our total funding is now over $12 million to provide services to a projected 1,356 clients. A study a few years ago showed a decrease in reported hospital use for Medicaid Waiver participants. For many, medications were reduced as their compliance with medication use increased.
Our Medicare and Medicaid Assistance Program has actively promoted the availability of extra funding for prescription drugs. In recent months, the Operation Extra Help campaign enlisted community organizations as partners to find those on Medicare who are eligible for this funding, providing a new model for community outreach.
In coming months, the Detroit Area Agency on Aging will again roll out additional advocacy activities to share new research, trigger expanded services and increase options in quality long-term care. And in years to come, I hope results will show that Detroit seniors are not dying before their time, but rather living well, beyond all expectations.
Tune in to “The Senior Solution” on WGPR 107.5 FM every Saturday morning at 10 am, hosted by Paul Bridgewater, president and CEO of Detroit Area Agency on Aging.
