Lifespan is here to help you and your family age well. We promise. 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT It’s time to fulfill the promise that Rochester will be a great place to age well. Dear Friends, United States Population 80 This is a transformational moment in time. Our community, in millions 65 years + like the state, country and world, has more people 60, 65, 70 75 and 85 and older than ever before. 85 years + 60 2015 is the tipping point year. In 2015, 20 percent of 50 New York State residents and 21 percent of Monroe County residents are 60 or older for the first time in 40 history. Within a few years that number will grow to 25% 30 or one in four. Demographers call this the age wave. 20 It’s often said that Rochester is a great place to raise a family. Now, with more people living longer, we are faced 10 with a challenge to also make Rochester a great place to 0 age well. 1900 1940 1970 1990 2010 2020 2030 2050 Lifespan serves as the regional aging services “utility” by providing the essential services residents need to age well. Lifespan’s sole focus is providing information, guidance and services geared toward helping older adults and their caregivers take on the challenges and the opportunities of longer life. It’s a promise we made over 40 years ago, and we intend to keep it. In 2014 we launched the Fulfilling the Promise fundraising campaign because we need to change the ways we think about aging and the ways we guide and inform older adults and caregivers. With the Fulfilling the Promise campaign, we are challenging this community to make older adults a center of attention — both those who want to use their experience and talents through purposeful aging, as well as those who need supports. In the coming years, Lifespan will begin an age wave transformation focused on: I Helping more older adults live at home as long as possible. I More fully supporting family caregivers. I Ensuring that elders are free from abuse and financial exploitation. I Promoting purposeful aging and helping a new generation of “retirees” decide the “what’s next” in T R O their lives. P E R L A Simply put, it’s time to fulfill the promise that Rochester will be a great place U N to age well. N A 5 1 0 2 - Warmly, 4 1 0 2 N A Ann Marie Cook P S E President/CEO F I L 2 Take Charge of Your Health and Wellness to Age Well. We can help! New Help for Coordinating Medical Care It can be hard keeping track of medical appointments, remembering what questions to ask and what the doctor said during an appointment, finding transportation and knowing about medications. To enhance care, Lifespan began providing health care coordination for Medicaid beneficiaries age 50 and older under a contract with the New York State Department of Health. R.N. and L.P.N. nurses are helping people with all aspects of their health care including setting up appointments and transportation, being present at medical appointments to act as a scribe and advocate and ensuring that the correct prescriptions are filled and used as directed. Our goals include fewer ED visits, hospitalizations and 30-day readmissions, Prevent a Fall to Age Well! a reduction in caregiver stress and ultimately postponement of long-term care placement. Here’s A quarter of older hip fracture patients will be in a how we help. nursing home for at least a year according to the National Council on Aging. Some will never go home M. is diabetic and had very little knowledge of how again. Our country spends $30 billion a year treating to manage it. He struggled with eating, compliance, older adults for the effects of falls. taking his blood sugar count and calling the doctor when his diabetes symptoms warranted it. He rarely And many people who fall, even if they are not injured, made it to scheduled appointments, and he found it develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to difficult to make life choices that would make his limit their activities, which leads to reduced mobility symptoms better. Due to our involvement in his medical and loss of physical fitness, and in turn increases their care, the doctor agreed to increase his insulin, and he is actual risk of falling. working with a nutritionist to compile a weekly grocery T R list. We provided diabetes education and, helped him O It’s a Matter of Balance P E R improvise a tracking device for his blood sugar. M. is L now attending all of his scheduled appointments and is A In 2014 almost 500 older adults attended one of our U N starting to get caught up with specialist appointments. eight-week fall prevention workshops. Developed by N A With the help of a health care coordinator, M. is now Boston University, “A Matter of Balance” is proven to 5 1 0 invested and taking an active role in managing his reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels. 2 - 4 medical appointments and compliance. Katherine Hewitt is a Lifespan staff member and 1 0 2 certified master trainer for A Matter of Balance. N A This service is also available as a private pay option. She teaches peer volunteers to lead classes throughout P S E F Monroe and Livingston counties. A Matter of Balance I is supported by MVP Health Care. L 3 Living Well with Chronic Disease The National Council on Aging says that about 90% of older adults have at least one chronic disease, and 77% have at least two, with diabetes affecting 12.2 million Americans 60 and older or 23% of the older population. Yet, only 1% of health dollars are spent on public efforts to improve overall health. That is why we sent staff to be trained to lead chronic disease self-care management classes. Developed by Stanford University, “Living Healthy” and “Living Great Connections to Healthy with Diabetes” are proven to help people with chronic conditions learn how to manage and improve Help You Age Well – their own health while reducing health care costs. The program focuses on problems that are common to in - Lifespan and YMCA’s! dividuals dealing with any chronic condition, such as pain management, nutrition, exercise, medication use, Four years ago we connected with the YMCA and emotions, and communicating with doctors. opened the Caroline “Lily” Lobozzo Aging Resource Center within the Maplewood YMCA. The Lily Café, as One of our participants wrote this letter to her doctor: it’s affectionately known, now boasts 462 participants ages 60 – 86 who enjoy all that the Y offers in addition to healthy lunches, recreational activities, educational Dear Dr. Suozzi, classes and comradery galore. I am writing to introduce you to a workshop Two years ago we opened our second location within given by Lifespan which has benefited both my the Westside YMCA with funding from MVP Health husband and me. It’s named, “Living Healthy Care and the United Way. And we just opened our with Diabetes,” and though I don’t suffer from third café within the newly remodeled Penfield YMCA. this chronic condition, my husband does. The These “senior” centers of the 21st century focus on mind, workshop is a six-week, peer-lead health body and spirit —not BINGO. They provide a place to education program. We were to form an “action meet new people over coffee or over a tomato plant plan” to achieve our goals. We kept a food diary. (we have gardens!), learn something new (kayaking, It was an eye opener to me regarding the amount for instance!), and thanks to our amazing staff (Kris, of carbohydrates in foods. Changing our diets T Michelle, Tracy and Nancy), the YMCA staff and the R has resulted in my husband’s blood glucose level O P United Way, these are places that help Rochester E decreasing, and we both lost weight. My hope is R residents age well! L that this is a way of life. It’s also my hope that A U N you gain knowledge of this program and share N A Health & Wellness Stats for 2014 it with your patients.” 5 1 0 I 1,273 participants in workshops and/or the cafés. 2 Sincerely, - 4 1 Marilyn R. I 40 patients participated in Health Care Coordina - 0 2 tion (three months data). Another 35 patients with N A P “Living Healthy” is supported by Excellus BlueCross developmental disabilities also participated in S E F BlueShield. Health Care Coordination. I L I 45 trained Matter of Balance peer leaders. 4 Shining Light on Elder Abuse – the hidden problem Each year our elder abuse prevention team works on about 400 cases of suspected and/or confirmed cases of abuse. This includes physical and psychological abuse, neglect and financial exploitation which is the most frequent type of abuse. The common theme is an older adult being influenced by another person through guilt, persuasion, and/or threats (to be left alone or put in a nursing home if they don’t do what is asked; to physically harm the older adult or others, including pets; to not be able to see grandchildren or other loved ones; etc.). These tactics are used primarily by perpetrators to gain recommendations and support to those professionals access to the older adult’s money or property via joint working on very complex financial exploitation accounts, property transfers, or powers of attorney — cases.