The Aging Well Partnership,
An Initiative of the Greater Lyons
Township

For information, contact:
Kenneth Grunke
708-354-1323 x43
kgrunke@agingcareconnections.org

Chapter 1: How did this Partnership get started? How are they structured?  What have they been doing?

Chapter 2: What Difference Did the Community Partnership Make Here?

Chapter 1: How did this Partnership get started? How are they structured?  What have they been doing?

I. WHY Did the Partnership Happen Here?

The impetus for the creation of the Aging Well Partnership came from Pat Rogers, elected supervisor of the Lyons Township (comparable to a county elsewhere), Jim Durkan, CEO of the Community Memorial Foundation, and Debbie Verschelde, Director of the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging. They saw the opportunity available through the Community Partnerships for Older Adults program as a way to secure external grant funding to support their work of trying to focus attention on issues of older adults.

When they did not receive funds after their first CPFOA grant application, they moved forward with funding from local foundations, and successfully applied for CPFOA funds during the second round.

The Greater Lyons Township includes the 20 very ethnically and economically diverse communities south of Chicago, including Westchester, North Riverside, LaGrange Park, Brookfield, Riverside, Lyons, Western Springs, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Indian Head Park, Countryside, LaGrange, McCook, Summit, Hodgkins, Justice, Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Hickory Hills, Willow Springs, and Oak Park.

The state of Illinois was already undertaking the transformation of its long term care resources at the time by rebalancing the array of services so that “money follows the person” instead of the reverse; in addition the State was identifying impediments to these strategies. It was hoped that the Aging Well Partnership would function as a model for suburbs as they deal with the expected surge of the older population, especially the “oldest old.”

Demographics
Located to the south and west of Chicago, the greater Lyons Township has a population of approximately 200,000 people of whom 19%, or about 39,000, are already over 60 years of age. 36% of the population is over age 50 and the percent of older adults is going to increase exponentially here with the likelihood that “within just a few years more than half of the population…may be over age 60.” One third of the older adults here live alone. Despite the high cost of living here, 43% of the households with older adult members report incomes of less than $30,000 a year.

Data Collection: This Partnership launched a grass roots asset mapping process which inventoried available community assets in the form of people’s skills, relationship networks, institutions, physical and economic assets, and cultural heritage. A community visioning event shared the results with all 20 communities in terms of their assets, maps and local vs. regional data. Phone interviews with caregivers, focus groups with a variety of populations, and several community surveys provided the data used to understand community issues and begin mobilizing community action teams. Afterwards, 170 people participated in five community forums that met to set priorities and to shape a strategic plan based on all the information that had been gathered.

Findings

• Many first responders (police, fire departments, paramedics) and local government officials had frequent contact with isolated older adults, yet did not always know how to identify their levels of risk or how to refer them for help.
• Many older adults did not know where to go for assistance and often went to family or friends for help before a formal service agency.
• Faith based groups, businesses, law firms, libraries and other segments of the community infrastructure were often asked for information, and so needed educational materials to give out.
• Older adults reported a lack of transportation options and did not seem to know what existed or how to utilize them. Home maintenance services were in short supply, especially for low income older adults.
• Agency staff admitted they did not know about the programs of other groups and so could not easily send older adults and their families across organizations.
• Limited information is available for Hispanic elders who do not communicate in English.
• Seventy percent of the older adults and “Baby Boomers” surveyed had not made plans for the future, especially regarding potential long term care needs.

II. Getting Started: What Vision, Goals and Structure emerged?

Vision: To create a “web of care” within the long term care system that integrates and encourages collaboration among institutional, homecare and supportive services; especially for those at-risk older adults with different physical, mental, cultural and social needs.
“The Aging Well Partnership is committed to ensuring that older adults are supported in their homes and communities. Seniors and their families should get the help they want and need so that they are able to maintain their independence in the community for as long as possible.”

Structure: The Aging Well Partnership functions with the dual structure of Community Action Teams serving local communities and six workgroups which are focused across the region on one individual issue. The workgroups reflect the goals of strengthening: a Central Access Point, Community Outreach, Direct Care Worker Employers, Isolated Older Adults, Planning for the Future and Transportation. It has been challenging for the Partnership to align the community action teams with the region-wide work groups, which the community action teams pre-date. A Governing Council of Partner leaders, work group leaders, community action team leaders, older adults and other stakeholders works with the Partnership staff to drive the work forward.

III. WHAT: Implementing initiatives to address issues. What did they do?

Priority 1: Central Access Point:

• A central access point identified at the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging is now being promoted by Community Action Teams and Partners through partner newsletters, health fairs and local governments.

Priority 2: Community Outreach:

• A Volunteer Senior Ambassadors program created by this workgroup has recruited and trained 10 Ambassadors who have been disseminating information to grocery stores, beauty salons, government offices and other places frequented by older adults. In the future, the Partnership hopes to create more culturally competent materials for Hispanic seniors.

Priority 3: Isolated Older Adults:

• Nearly 300 police officers, fire fighters, and emergency personnel received training and a creative wallet sized card & a binder insert which clearly explains how to recognize at-risk older adults and where to call for help. Police reports increased significantly after the training sessions, which are now being rolled out to more fire departments, emergency personnel and postal workers.

Priority 4: Planning for the Future:

• 10,000 copies of a newly created comprehensive personal planning guide for “Baby Boomers” and older adults have been printed; educational panels are being offered to educate about legal, financial and care planning options.

Priority 5: Transportation:

• Because information about where transportation services go, how to access them or who they serve has not been easy to find, one Partnership workgroup created a comprehensive Guide to Transportation for the entire region, which is available both on-line and in print. Partners collaborated to print 10,000 copies which list all resources in every region, their hours, and cost as well as some special taxi coupon programs and how to use public transit. Guides have been widely distributed across the region. This workgroup is also evaluating whether a taxi voucher program could be feasible across the entire region and is piloting a discussion based program to help older drivers think about the safety of their current driving skills.

Priority 6: Direct Care Worker Employer:

• Though this workgroup researched developing a career ladder and apprenticeship program for direct care workers, they decided to focus on a larger scale recruitment and retention program with the potential for more impact.

Chapter 2: What Difference Did the Community Partnership Make Here?

Coming soon!