Bekins team supports seniors

The team at Bekins donated nonperishable food items and cash to support Senior Resources participants who are sometimes challenged to get healthy food and other unmet needs. Bekins is a West Michigan appliance and electronics company.

Sarah Sainz, HR safety and development coordinator at Bekins, coordinated the effort, with the theme "Let it snow, don't let hunger grow." Each year Bekins chooses local organizations to collect items at their Christmas party. They educate the staff about the organizations as well. They collected the items at their Dec. 19 party and dropped them that week. Supports coordinators will use the food for participants who may be challenged to get food, and the cash will be used in the Unmet Needs Fund.

Our sincere thanks to Bekins for remembering older adults this holiday season!

January is Social Determinants of Health Month in Michigan

Governor Whitmer has proclaimed that January 2024 as Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Month in Michigan. SDOH Month will serve as a time to recognize the importance of addressing social and economic factors like, housing, food, and transportation to improve health. See the full proclamation here.

You may have been asked questions about Social Determinants of Health at a medical visit. Senior Resources, one of 16 area agencies on aging (AAAs) in Michigan, is part of a workgroup assessing how AAAs collect and use options counseling, intake and assessment, and SDOH data. The workgroup has considered ways to standardize data sets and recently produced a universal SDOH tool to allow for statewide data collection and use through reports and dashboards. Approval is near for the tool, which will then be implemented statewide this year.

Why is that important? AAAs and other organizations evaluate and address key components of participant situations during options counseling/intake and assessment processes: transportation, housing insecurity and housing quality, food insecurity, safety, access to services/healthcare, financial, and mental health.

AAAs will collect data and report outcomes to appropriate stakeholders in an effort to show the impact AAAs have on the individuals they serve.

#MISDOHMonth2024 

Holiday office closures

Senior Resources of West Michigan will be closed on the following days in recognition of upcoming holidays:

Monday, Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Monday, Feb. 19, Presidents Day

Ageism and suicide

When you talk about suicide, many of us think of teens and young adults, due to bullying, trauma, and more.

But did you know that the group experiencing the highest rate of increase is actually older adults, specifically men over age 75?

As reported by the National Council on Aging:

According to provisional statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. suicide rate reached a historic high in 2022. And, while nearly every age group experienced an increase, older Americans fared the worst. Compared to 2021, suicide deaths jumped 8.1% among people age 65 and over.

Other concerning facts about suicide and older adults include:

• While older adults comprise just 16.8% of the population, they make up approximately 22% of suicides.
• In 2022, among the nearly 49,449 suicides that took place in the U.S., 10,433 were attributed to people age 65 and up.
• Older adults tend to plan suicide more carefully. They are also more likely to use more lethal methods.
• Among people who attempt suicide, 1 in 4 seniors will succeed, compared to 1 in 200 youths. Even if a senior fails a suicide attempt, they are less likely to recover from the effects due to frailty or underlying health conditions.
• Men age 75 and older face the highest overall rate of suicide.

(Read more from that report here.)

What does this have to do with ageism, you may ask? Well, as author Mitch Albom explains in this article, because it's older people dying, we usually don't hear much about suicide rates.

Albom says in his article:

In her noted book, “Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Will Live," Dr. Rebecca Levy makes notable comparisons between how old people are treated in America versus how they are treated in Japan, where longevity is amongst the highest in the world.

In Japan, she points out, to be old is an honor. The elderly are celebrated — and not just with excessive candles on a birthday cake. They are honored. Revered. Their wisdom is welcomed. There is even a national holiday that translates to “Respect for the Aged Day.”

We strongly encourage you to read the article, and if you're interested in learning even more about ageism, look up Ashton Applewhite (thischairrocks.com), oldschool.info, and reframingaging.org - just a few websites talking about this important subject.

Senior Resources continues to focus on ageism and the negative impacts it has on all of us. Join us!

Have you seen our blog yet?

Have you checked out our blog? Visit our website to read more about Senior Resources - participant stories, an aging quiz, and more!

You may ask - what is a blog anyway? It's short for "weblog" and consists of articles written about pertinent topics (in our case, aging) usually in more informal, conversational style.

If you have ideas for blog topics, we'd love to hear them! Please send them to communications@seniorresourceswmi.org.

We're hiring!

Senior Resources of West Michigan is looking for some more compassionate, talented, and skilled people to join our team!

We are hiring a Licensed Social Worker, Registered Nurse, part-time Advanced Practice Provider, Behavioral Health Counselor, and Physician.

If you know someone who cares about older adults and shares our mission of helping them age with dignity and independence, as well as valuing work-life balance, please send them our way! Learn more here: https://seniorresourceswmi.org/career-opportunities/.