RESOURCES:
Washtenaw County Older Persons Millage
Washtenaw County Office of Aging Services
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and I'm David Fair and I want to share a quote with you. It comes from Former President Hubert Humphrey. He said, "The ultimate moral test of any government is the manner in which it treats those who are in the dawn of life, our children, and those who are in twilight of life our elderly." How do you think we're doing? Well, today, we're going to explore how and what we're doing to help and support the more vulnerable of our senior population of Washtenaw County. Back in 2024, voters approved an eight-year, half-mill tax to do just that. It's known as the Older Persons Millage, and that levy is estimated to raise about $11 million annually. Our guest today was hired in January to oversee the millage and to plan, coordinate, evaluate, and provide services to those over 60 years old. Shannon Effler is the Director of the Washtenaw County Office of Aging Services. And thank you so much for coming in for a conversation today! I appreciate it, Shannon!
Shannon Effler: Sure! Thank you so much for having me!
David Fair: Well, you came to this position in Washtenaw County. What are your biggest takeaways so far about the issues and challenges facing our aging population?
Shannon Effler: There are a lot of different spectrums of different challenges and problems that are facing Washtenaw County older adults and their families and care partners. It's not necessarily unique to the county. These are very similar across the nation, but those include housing. So, not only having access to affordable housing, but also being able to maintain and continue to reside in their current housing. It includes having community-based services that can serve people in their homes. Most older adults do not want to transition into living in nursing homes. They would prefer to live for as long as they can have a high quality of life in their home and in their community.
David Fair: Completely understandable, right?
Shannon Effler: Exactly. That's what we all want, right? And so, how do we provide that for them?
David Fair: Well, prior to coming here you served as Director of Aging services at Indiana University in Indianapolis and, while there, led implementation of models of care across the country. Does the voter-approved Older Persons Millage put Washtenaw County on the leading edge of elder care?
Shannon Effler: It certainly provides resources to do that. So, as you said, it's roughly $11 to $12 million a year, which, I often say, will definitely make a huge positive impact, but it won't save the world for older adults, meaning the need is still much greater than that. But what Washtenaw County has decided to do is the millage is actually a very high amount as we compare it to other millages that serve older adults in Michigan. So, it provides the resources and the opportunity to definitely be at the forefront of providing services for older adults in Michigan and in the nation.
David Fair: Well before you arrived, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners passed the operations framework policy, which does guide the expenditure of that millage money. Where are we now in implementation of funding priorities and allocations?
Shannon Effler: So, some allocations have been made. So, I do want everyone to be aware that we are providing free transportation for all older adults, so 60-plus. And that is an example of Washtenaw County doing a very exemplary service. This is not only for going to medical appointments, going to grocery stores. It is if you want to go to the movies. You want to go visit your friend at their house. There is transportation that you can access to do that. So, that allocation has been made, and there are three providers across the county doing that. In addition to that, we allocated, what I call, supplemental dollars for our senior nutrition program that the county operates. So, in addition to the funds that we receive from Ageways, the county is contributing additional dollars to make sure that we can meet the need for senior nutrition. And then, thirdly, senior centers--
David Fair: Ten of them are being funded, right?
Shannon Effler: So, 10 of them meet the definition of the framework, the millage's framework, which is that they are a municipality, connected to a municipality. There are other entities within the county that are providing senior center services. I always want to highlight that. But those 10 are receiving up to $200K a year to expand their programming and services, do capital improvements, pay their staff, be able to hire more staff, make sure their staff have health benefits. So, those allocations have been made. And then, we are gearing up in the summer to launch, what I call, the general millage RFP--request for proposals. And that is tied to what you mentioned. There's a long list of different funding priorities. It's not just limited to that, but there is a long list, and that will be open to organizations and entities to submit their best proposal of what they can do to serve older adults in those different thematic areas. So, those are things like housing, legal services, health programming, extracurricular, recreational programming and services--the list goes on.
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU. And today, we're talking with Shannon Effler. She is director of the Washtenaw County Office of Aging. Aging in place is where you started, and aging in place is a primary focus for people who are now part of, what some call, the "silver tsunami," right? We are an aging population. It is about not only creature comfort, but it's about connection and engagement where you are. How do you see Washtenaw County at the moment and where it may be headed when it comes to getting those services, so that we are keeping more people out of the nursing homes and where they live?
Shannon Effler: There are a lot of great entities and resources in the county providing this. I do want to highlight that, given my background, not only in the state of Indiana, but what I've seen across the nation, so I do want to give kudos that that is happening. And senior centers are doing a lot that. The mere fact that we have 10-plus senior centers in our county is an amazing accomplishment. And those are community-based, so they are able to really provide what's needed in for that geographic area. I think that aging models for aging in place are evolving. There's innovative models coming onto the forefront, and we want the county to be prepared to be able to implement those.
David Fair: There are some who simply cannot stay at home.
Shannon Effler: Correct.
David Fair: And so, that is when these retirement communities or nursing homes come into play. The ones that most of us would choose for our family or our loved ones or our parents are exceedingly expensive.
Shannon Effler: Yes.
David Fair: And frequently out of the financial reach of many people. There are others that you can't afford, and sometimes, those feel like warehouses for our elderly. And that is not necessarily where many of us would choose. Are we doing better on that front to ensure that if you cannot stay at home that you are being well taken care of and you do have access?
Shannon Effler: There's a long road of improvement for that. Again, not only here, but on a national level. And I think what we can do now in our county is help provide education around starting to plan for that, so making a plan around how do you save for care so that you can afford. So, what is an average person in America? What kind of choices are they placed with? It usually happens they get to a point where they can no longer live at home. They may not have been receiving any care in the home prior to that. It's just reached a point where the family's like, "They can longer reside here," so nursing home is the only option and how do you pay for that? The average person cannot pay for nursing home care. So then, what happens is you have to spend down all of those person's assets, spending it towards the nursing home. Once those are exhausted, then you qualify for Medicaid. And then, that is what pays for nursing home care. So, what we want to do is change that common experience, so make that less common. And what is more common is that people are planning for a care that is going to be needed because, as we continue to live longer and longer, care is inevitable.
David Fair: That is a change that sounds like it could take generations to enact.
Shannon Effler: It may.
David Fair: Yeah. Right?
Shannon Effler: I hope not. I hope not. That's why I'm here, right? But it may. Yes.
David Fair: For many of those currently aging in place, programs like Meals on Wheels is part of the reason they can stay at home, and for all too many, it's often the only human contact that they have through the course of any given day. Is there a programmatic way to create more interaction for those who are homebound?
Shannon Effler: Yes. And Meals on Wheels provides that, certainly. I think there are other programs that are providing it and can provide it on a larger scale as well. There are models that I've implemented along my career. One of those is known as GRACE, that pairs a nurse practitioner and a social worker. And they go into the home and do assessments and provide medical care in the home. For all humans, the home environment is really important. It's very telling about what's needed, but especially for older adults. There's a lot that when older adults go into an office setting that they may not want to share, they may think to share, and being in the home environment can really ensure that they're being provided comprehensive care. But also in addition to models that I'm familiar with, that I will be helping to support to see if the county is willing to pursue those models here, we have other programs. So, we have community health workers that the county, the public health department, has that do focus on older adults. I'd love to see the millage help expand that. And those folks go into the home, and they meet with them. And then, I think transportation is huge for a lot of folks may not get that engagement with other people because they just physically cannot get there. And so, providing transportation for them is also a huge resource to increase social engagement and support.
David Fair: A lot of the manner in which we've talked about this today is kind of the systematic challenges, the financial challenges, and the growing need among our elder population stripped to its essence. It comes down to people and the spirit of people. And it's about how we collectively choose to treat one another and our elder population. So, beyond paying taxes and kind of cheering the organizations that go out and do this work on a daily basis, what do you see as the community responsibility for caring for our elders?
Shannon Effler: What I would ask every resident of Washtenaw County to do is to reflect on how you experience older adults, not only in your family, but when you're in the grocery store, when you're doing your errands, in the workplace.
David Fair: In your volunteer choices.
Shannon Effler: In your volunteer choices, because ageism is very real. And that plays into how our society cares for older adults. It becomes the other. I'm never going to be that old. I am never going to have to need support like that. Well, you will. And so, I ask each resident to really start working on a paradigm shift internally. Instead of viewing older adults as others, view them as yourself in 20 years, 30 years, and treat older adults that way. If we all experience that paradigm shift, we would see great improvements because we would value these services. We would know that I need that service down the line, so I'm going to support that now.
David Fair: So, Shannon, why is this work so personal to you?
Shannon Effler: Yeah, I mean, I've devoted my career to serving older adults in many ways, shapes and forms. And my entry into this field was I was working in Portland, Oregon at the Native American Youth and Family Center, and they incorporate elders into really every piece of their framework of the community. And I fell in love with chatting with the elders and caring for them and supporting them and learning from them. And that's when I started to realize that older adults face this huge disparity, not only Native older adults, but all older adults. And how is that acceptable? How is that possible in our nation? And, yeah, that's how I can explain it. It's just something that I fell love with and continue to love.
David Fair: It is not always just about giving, but I'm going to venture a guess and say that there's also been reward in it for you from this experience. What is that?
Shannon Effler: Meaning. It gives me meaning for my life and knowing that when I'm 80 years old, when I'm 90 years old, I can see pieces of myself in the older adults that I interact with and serve. And it, I guess, provides an overall meaning to longevity and living a long life, and I certainly want to be treated with dignity and respect and autonomy and equity when I'm at that age.
David Fair: Well, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to come by today and have the conversation. I'm grateful!
Shannon Effler: Yes, thank you so much!
David Fair: That is Shannon Effler. She is the new Director of the Washtenaw County Office of Aging Services and oversees the voter-approved Older Persons Millage that will run through 2031. If you like more information on aging services and the millage, just stop by our website at WEMU.org. We'll get you connected everywhere you want to go. This is your community NPR station. It's 89.1 WEMU Ypsilanti, and I'm David Fair.
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