IOG Outreach Team fall 2020 meeting

2020/2021 IOG Report

As the World Isolated, the IOG Connected with Thousands

Not even a pandemic could keep the IOG from meaningful engagement with the community. Our programs reached more older adults and professionals from more states across the country than ever before in our history. That's despite having to cancel all events from mid-March through May of 2020.

When the IOG transitioned to online programs, geographical boundaries disappeared and attendance skyrocketed. We've now trained professionals in North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, California, Tennessee, Florida, and across Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula. Our online conferences for older adults and caregivers logged hundreds of participants, including from Kalamazoo, Flint, Saugatuck and Grand Rapids. In the past two years we've:

Hosted 165 programs for professionals who work with older adults

Trained 25,966 professionals

Hosted 80 programs for older adults and caregivers

Engaged 6,285 older adults

"We do miss seeing each other in person," Donna MacDonald, the IOG's director of outreach, said. "And we look forward to a safe time in the future when we can do that. But in the meantime, I'm grateful to the thousands of people willing to embrace the technology needed to stay connected." Within a few weeks of the Covid shutdown, professionals and older adults alike began to master FaceTime, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Facebook Live and a host of other digital platforms. Donna also credits the major support from IOG partners, old and new, for much of the success.

"The ability to connect with others remotely is a powerful tool," Donna said, "especially for older adults and caregivers who have difficulty attending live events. Now they don't have to worry about transportation, handicapped access or who will care for their loved one. They tune in from home.  I'm sure we'll continue offering a portion of our trainings this way even after the pandemic ends," she said.

The Healthier Black Elders Center (HBEC)ABOVE: Screen shot of Henry Swift, HBEC Community Advisory Board member giving a brief "Critical Crossroads" presentation prior to the June 15, 2021, Lunch & Learn on Zoom.

Members of the Healthier Black Elders Center (part of a joint grant with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University) are African Americans, age 55 and up, willing to consider participating in research projects. These 1,200 or so volunteers are a special group of people, willing to volunteer for research in hope it will improve the health and well-being of minority older adults. They register, provide a heath profile, and are invited to help with projects that they qualify for. They can turn down any invite at any time for any reason.  All research must be approved by a special HBEC community board before it is allowed to recruit from the group. In the past two years, 63 research studies were approved to recruit participants from the Healthier Black Elders Center. Members agreed to take part in the studies more than 600 times.

When Covid forced all Michiganders to stay home, HBEC's staff began to worry about its members. "Most of these people were isolated in their homes," said HBEC Coordinator Vanessa Rorai, MSW. "Weeks dragged on, and we had no idea how they were doing." Time to take action. The HBEC team recruited 15 callers and started dialing. They asked how members were feeling, if they needed help, and if they had access to supplies, healthcare, and technology. It took nine months to call every member, and the team completed 554 surveys.

The calls provided a friendly wellness check-in and a resource pipeline. Callers shared at least 81 resources for mental health services, masks, grocery delivery, financial services, and caregiver support. Overall, members were handling the crisis well, showing a strength and resilience that came as no surprise to HBEC staff. The check-ins yielded rich insights about how older adults cope with crisis and resulted in the research paper, "'It takes some empathy, sympathy, and listening': Telephone outreach to older Detroiters in a pandemic as a modality to gain an understanding of challenges and resiliency," in the Journal of Urban Health.

Successful Aging thru Financial Empowerment

Known as the SAFE program, Successful Aging thru Financial Empowerment also got a boost from going remote.  SAFE provides no-cost financial education, coaching and recovery services to older adults and caregivers. Some clients want to learn about money management; others have been victims of financial fraud or exploitation and need serious help rebuilding their financial foundations.  SAFE received large grants from the Department of Justice and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to expand its services to caregivers and reach more clients throughout Michigan and the country.

Building trust is key when helping people who have been deceived and manipulated.  According to SAFE Director LaToya Hall, MSW, when personal contact is impossible, that trust can still be established with a thoughtful remote approach. "We confirm our identity and affiliation. We screen-share files so clients can see in real time who we're contacting and how. We don't proceed until the client is completely comfortable," she said. "More people can use our services when they don't have the burden of meeting in person."  Virtual SAFE services allowed Ms. Hall to help victims in rural Michigan including Hillsdale and the Upper Peninsula, plus North Carolina and Illinois. SAFE presentations have been watched by nearly 5,000 people, and SAFE has recovered more than $120,000 for fraud victims.

A recent research study looked at SAFE's effect on client well-being. "The Impact of Financial Coaching on Older Adult Victims of Financial Exploitation: A Quasi-Experimental Research Study," (Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, Nov 2021) assessed SAFE's impact on the financial, mental, emotional and physical health of older adults who had been victims of financial exploitation. At the onset of the study, persons who had been victimized had more health problems, poorer memory, less social support, and greater stress than a comparable group that had not been victimized. Six months after financial coaching with SAFE ended, however, SAFE clients showed significantly less anxiety.  Results indicate that SAFE's coaching, recovery and education services can help financial exploitation victims alleviate stress and protect cognitive, mental and emotional health.

Fighting Exploitation with Older Adult Nest Egg

OlderAdultNestEgg.com, the IOG's website dedicated to understanding and assessing financial decision making in older adults, has expanded with new assessments, services and resources. Visit the section that best meets your needs: professional, older adult or caregiver. A new Financial Vulnerability Survey has just been released as a do-it-yourself check-up for older adults concerned they are at risk of financial exploitation. All services, assessments and resources on the website are free; many don't even require an account. We even have information about brain health and aging. If you haven't visited recently, come see what's new.

A Newsletter for Caregivers

The IOG launched Caregiver Connection in March of 2020 as a digital resource for all non-professional caregivers of older adults. About 2,000 caregivers, most in the Detroit area, receive it monthly. Readers have expressed thanks for the relevant news, personal stories of caregiving, free classes and resources, fraud alerts, and chances to help with university research. Subscribe

Tap into the Party Line

An innovative off-shoot of the HBEC check-in calls is Party Line, a virtual social group for anyone feeling isolated.  Started in December 2020 and hosted by the HBEC, Party Line topics were chosen by participants and ran the gamut from Motown Music to Cooking Memories to a Fitness Challenge. About 12 people connected regularly to the free group. Newest HBEC staffer (and former intern) Sarah Whitney facilitated the hour-long discussions. She described them as lively, sometimes surprising and often educational. Read more Healthier Black Elders news HERE.

Would You Like to Help?

Join the IOG support team to help older adults age successfully in Detroit and beyond. Thanks to people like you, our IOG Endowment, a way to insure future funding for student training and other important programs, has exceeded two major goals and continues to grow. The generosity of older adults, caregivers, senior residences, service providers, and other organizations dedicated to successful aging is overwhelming and humbling. We thank you.  Make a Gift

2020/2021 IOG Report