The Impact of Area Offices on Aging in NW Ohio

Lisa [: 00:00:00

Listeners, welcome to Aging in Full Bloom with Lisa Stockdow. I'm your host, Lisa, and today we have a special guest in studio with us, Justin Moore. Good afternoon, Justin.

Justin Moore [: 00:00:10

Yeah, good afternoon, Lisa.

Lisa [: 00:00:11

I almost said morning, but. No, morning is over. Justin is the president CEO of Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, covering 10 counties. Yeah, that's right. Let me see. I'll see if I can get them all. I won't. You'll have to help me out because everybody counts.

Lisa [: 00:00:30

Right. But I know you're in Lucas, Wood, Sandusky, Erie, Paulding, Henry. Who'd I leave out?

Justin Moore [: 00:00:40

Defiance and Paulding, I think were a.

Lisa [: 00:00:43

Couple that you mentioned.

Justin Moore [: 00:00:44

So Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Sandusky, Williams and Wood.

Lisa [: 00:00:50

Ottawa and Williams. I left those folks out as well. They would not like that if they're listening. So, Justin, let's start with what is Area Office on Aging?

Justin Moore [: 00:01:01

So we're all about helping those at age 60 and better with living better and longer. That's our overall mission, our overall focus. We realize that there's a number of different ways we can do that. One way is by providing some services ourselves directly. Case management being one of those that we do directly. We do much more than that directly. But the second hat is where as a funder, so we are contracting with over 200 different organizations like mobile meals, home care agencies, senior centers, medical transportation providers, minor home repair providers, so on and so forth, to make sure that older adults are getting all the services they need for little, no cost, out of their own pocket.

Lisa [: 00:01:38

And I noticed you said older or better or 60 or better, not 60 or older.

Justin Moore [: 00:01:44

That's right. Yeah. I think that unfortunately, we live in a culture that in our country that tends to be have some ageism. So we really believe that words matter. And for some individuals that might be kind of scared when they hear, you know, older at all, they're aging or senior or whatever the term is that they might have a negative connotation associated with. We don't want that to become a barrier to them accessing programs, services, events, information, the like that can ultimately help them with living better, longer lives. Because longevity is important. Most of us want that as well as having good quality of life.

Lisa [: 00:02:19

So you're smart and sensitive. Two positives. We'll give you points for both of those things. Okay, let's go back to the direct services that you provide. You talked about, about case management. What are you managing?

Justin Moore [: 00:02:32

So there's many individuals that want to age in place in their own home, in their own community. So on and so forth. So it used to be that the main way people could get long term care was going to a nursing home. That, you know, 30, 40 years ago, that was the case in our state. Then we came a time where individuals spoke up and said, we really want those same kind of services, but in our own home, brought in our own home. So help with bathing, help with dressing, transportation, doctor's appointments, a ramp to get in and out of the house. If all I have is stairs, I'm in a walker, a wheelchair now, you know, meals, so on and so forth. So what we have is oftentimes that's a challenge to try to, for an individual to try and manage all that themselves, all those different services they might need.

Justin Moore [: 00:03:19

So there's a social worker or nurse that's coming, coming in the home, talking with them about what their needs are and really also safeguarding that right to make sure that if somebody actually needs 10 hours of home care a week and they're requesting, you know, 50 hours of home care a week, that there's somebody that's really taking an objective look at what their needs actually are and making sure that we're being good stewards of the taxpayer funds that we're entrusted with as well as making sure that we're doing our part to help manage all those different and oftentimes changing needs that an individual might have.

Lisa [: 00:03:54

Okay, so how would a consumer sign up for services?

Justin Moore [: 00:03:58

So people can just call our agency if they're in northwest Ohio area. It's 419-382-0624. That immigrant 419-382-0624 or they can check out our website at areaofficeonaging.com against areaofficeonaging.com and they can start the communication with us that way. Right. So there's no wrong door. Sometimes people will be already working with an agency. Maybe it's home care agency, maybe they start off just receiving meals and that's it. Maybe they're a senior center.

Justin Moore [: 00:04:30

And oftentimes the great thing about the provider network is that we're able to have that no wrong door approach. Right. If the people that they're most comfortable with is at the senior center and the staff, the senior center staff can help with initiating that conversation and kind of looping us in on a conference call or whatever the case might be, really whatever individual's priority, preferred method of communication with us is we want to meet them where they're at and then, you know, walk with them step by step on where they want to Go.

Lisa [: 00:04:57

Now, Justin, are there area offices on aging all over the country or all over the state? I know I'm, you know my friend Katie White from Coaa. Right. Katie and I go back a long way and she's doing a wonderful job.

Justin Moore [: 00:05:11

Yes, she sure is.

Lisa [: 00:05:12

She is. I think she's amazing as well. But it's not just Ohio, it's correct all across the country. Talk to me about that.

Justin Moore [: 00:05:20

So there's Area Agencies on aging is a generic term for our agency. There's 618 area agencies on aging that serve every part of the United States. So I'd like to say that roughly two thirds of what an area agency on aging does is pretty consistent across the nation. There's going to be a third that is roughly really tailored to the community. Right. That we are a regional organization that is intentional about being community focused. Right. So there's going to be some.

Justin Moore [: 00:05:51

If there's a Venn diagram, there's gonna be about 2/3 of overlap across the communities across the nation, but there's probably gonna be about a third of things that are pretty unique to that community. So for example, here in Columbus, where we're at right now, the village model is pretty big model. In northwest Ohio, there are no village models.

Lisa [: 00:06:09

Right.

Justin Moore [: 00:06:09

And I think part of that is because when, you know, 1970s, there really started to emerge pretty strong senior centers in northwest Ohio, right. Where there is meals provided at little, no cost, individual socialization, recreation, programming, transportation, so on and so forth. So for a village model that has more of a membership fee structure to it, it's really hard for that to take off and thrive in a community where there's already very similar services being provided for little to no cost individuals out of their own pocket.

Lisa [: 00:06:42

Yeah, yeah. So every community is unique and different. But listeners, no matter where you are, we are rounding up our series today on aging at home. That's what, that's why you were invited, Justin, because I know your organization does so much to help people age at home successfully, which is really what you've been talking about. But no matter where you are, there's probably an area office on aging close to you, nearby, within your reach. So take advantage. Now, we know they have to be 60 or better. Any other qualifications?

Justin Moore [: 00:07:16

So first of all, regardless of where people are living, one way that they can do find out where the area agency on aging is, it's closest to them is just do a quick Google search for elder care locator. Again, just type in elder care locator and there's a website where you can put in your zip code or you can put on in the town and get all the contact information for the area agency on aging that serves your area. When people are looking to get connected with us, oftentimes we want to make sure that people are aware that we want to have a conversation with them so they don't need to know about what specific program is the best fit for them, so on and so forth. We want to make sure that we're just having a conversation with them about what their needs are and then connecting with whatever those programs and services are that are kind of the best fit for them.

Lisa [: 00:08:00

Okay. So don't worry so much about learning all the fine details. Make the call and someone there will be helpful and help you understand what's available in your particular community, at your particular area office. Income sensitive.

Justin Moore [: 00:08:17

So there's some programs that are income, there are some income criteria for some specific programs. But what we like to say is as a general rule of thumb, we have something to offer every person that's age 60 and better, regardless of income, regardless of how active or frail they are. So there's some programs that we have that again have no income criteria. It's just if you're age 60 and better and good to know. Yeah, you can go to a senior center and receive a meal, socialization, recreation programming, diabetes self management program, workshop, tai chi for falls prevention, so on and so forth. And then some will offer transportation regardless of income. That and like some home delivery meals people can get for regardless of income. But then there's sometimes some programs that do have some eligibility criteria that are income based.

Justin Moore [: 00:09:13

And oftentimes those are the ones that tend to be the most comprehensive. So people kind of have a little bit of an incentive, if you will, if they are currently on a program, let's say, that has no income criteria and they're able to receive, let's say, five hours in our area of home care a week because of the limited amount of this funding source that's available that doesn't have any income criteria associated with it. But the demand is also huge within that population for those non Medicaid home care dollars. So oftentimes there's limitations on how many hours of home care somebody can get for a non Medicaid home care program. When they get to the point where maybe they get an additional disability and now they need more home care hours and the like. Maybe that non Medicaid home care program of five that can only provide five hours of home care a week is not enough to really help them be safe, safely set up for success at home at that point in time, that's when our case managers having a conversation with them about maybe a Medicaid funded home care program that is able to provide greater number of hours of home care for that individual so they can safely receive stay at home.

Lisa [: 00:10:29

What about Medicare, does it cover any of these services?

Justin Moore [: 00:10:33

So Medicare as a general rule of thumb is not, does not provide much in the way of long term services and support. So that's a kind of misunderstanding that's very common in the public that oh, I don't need to save for XYZ or I don't need to worry about XYZ program services wise, I'll get Medicare when I need it and I'll be all set. For the most part Medicare, anything that's doing in this kind of home care or long term service and support space tends to be really short term in nature, like three weeks or so roughly. So for many individuals that maybe get a disability later in life, which is common, it's very common for individuals to start off with no disabilities, no need for home care, so on and so forth. And then as they graduate to a larger age group, so for example, somebody that's 74 today and in the 65 to 74 age group, their chances of having disability is about 1 in 4. When you graduate to the age 75 plus age group, you double the chance of having a disability. You graduated to an age group that has a 1 in 2 chance roughly of having a disability. Oftentimes having a disability.

Justin Moore [: 00:11:47

Along with that comes a need for some additional services and the like. So it's very common for individuals to be perfectly fine at one stage in life and then get a disability later in life and start to need some of these services or need more services.

Lisa [: 00:11:59

Yeah, yeah. And so if you need more services, then that's when the income based thing may come in. Because obviously Medicaid is income based.

Justin Moore [: 00:12:09

Correct.

Lisa [: 00:12:10

So you know the question I'm going to ask, are we nervous about Medicaid benefits?

Justin Moore [: 00:12:15

Sure. So I mean one part of our agency's mission and area Agency on Aging is advocacy and we take that role really seriously. So it's very common for myself, Katie and others to go to D.C. and advocate with our federal legislators for the important services and funding that is needed to fuel the mission of the work that we do. So We've been in D.C. frequently down in Columbus today and the like. So we are very focused on that advocacy role and advocating for what the greatest needs are for those that we are called to serve, which is the age 60 and better population with Medicaid, this is that there are some cuts that were made at the federal government that ultimately are going to make some tough decisions at the state house on how those cuts get implemented. Right.

Justin Moore [: 00:13:02

So Medicaid being a federal state, you know, share. When the federal government changes its share from 90% for every of every dollar toward to 80% for a certain population, that might not necessarily result in that population receiving a cut, but it does force some tough decisions at the state house on is the state going to use some of its discretionary funding or general revenue funding to make up for the shortfall so that kind of population is held harmless or are they going to just allow that to dictate that population in Ohio going without as much services as they were in the past?

Lisa [: 00:13:44

So obviously we're advocates as well. That's why we do this program. We what should we do if we're concerned as a consumer, as a crazy person that cares about older people, what should I do?

Justin Moore [: 00:13:59

I think the biggest thing you can be doing right now is contacting your state representative, your state senator, and letting them know about the important Medicaid funded programs and services that you or your loved one or you know, that you have some kind of affinity for or really see the impact of and let them know, in your own words, your own story, how this has been helpful to you. I think oftentimes we view older adults just as people that need help and fail to recognize that they're also people who can help.

Lisa [: 00:14:29

Yes.

Justin Moore [: 00:14:30

And many times these individuals that are receiving Medicaid funded programs and services are also people that are maybe volunteering at their church, at their local food pantry, um, you know, so on and so forth and being. Sometimes they're volunteers that are also social calling other older adults that are lonely, just giving them socialization and the like that we know is really important to health and longevity. So it's not this flip of the switch either you're somebody who is not receiving any help and you know, making helping meet some of the community's great needs. And then all of a sudden the next day you're receiving Medicaid funded programs and services and all you do is receive help. It's not that at all. It's oftentimes this situation where individuals that were, that are receiving some Medicaid funded programs and services are also individuals that are meeting some of our greatest needs in our community.

Lisa [: 00:15:21

So contact your local representative, state, state.

Justin Moore [: 00:15:26

Representative, state senator, local, no matter where.

Lisa [: 00:15:28

You are in this country. Right. Forget the federal people now go to your state people and make noise there. That's what you're telling us.

Justin Moore [: 00:15:36

Absolutely. And I would say don't forget the federal because the reality is that this just one budget. Right. That there's other budgets to come. And part of the message sometimes is tough to break through all the noise when it comes to the peak of budget season and, and decisions, sometimes the most impactful communication and advocacy is done outside of those noisy budget sessions. Right. So an August time frame is when members of Congress are usually back in district or back in their home state. That's a great time to arrange a home visit for an individual that is receiving some of these programs and services to show them these are real people.

Justin Moore [: 00:16:21

These are not people that are, you know, characterized in some unflattering way. And like these are real people who are doing amazing things in our community, being individuals that are mentoring, you know, younger family members and others in the community. So these are people that have a story. It's not those people over there. It is our neighbors as our church members.

Lisa [: 00:16:48

It is not us and them. Right. And yes, to your point, older adults, they paved our path. Right. They helped us get here. They still have much to contribute. Yeah, this negativity, it's really hard to chew on sometimes of who's getting Medicaid and then what's underlying is and why they shouldn't matter. Hold on.

Lisa [: 00:17:12

That's not the truth and we won't accept that as a narrative.

Justin Moore [: 00:17:16

Yeah, I think that there's always going to be some that try to take it a divisive approach. We look to put the unity in community as an organization. And I think that what we focus on is the amazing work that the population we serve has done and is doing in the community, in the workforce, so on and so forth. So for for example, we're in a situation now where there's oftentimes shortages in the workforce and oftentimes we are looking at. So at the time he was the lieutenant Governor, Houston was at Toledo Rotary event and he was talking about how at that point in time he's really trying to attract workforce, businesses that are not currently headquartered in Ohio to locate to Ohio. And he said one of the biggest reasons why they aren't doing that, businesses outside Ohio coming to Ohio and kind of making investments is because of workforce. And then he went on to talk about how when you look at five year age groups of Ohioans, the largest number of people is in that 60 to 64 age group and the second most is 50 to 59 age group, that those two together are the, the where the bulk or the largest numbers of the population are. And then he went on to talk about how the state of Ohio has been investing a lot of money to try to get those 20 year olds and 30 year olds that have some roots in Ohio, maybe they grew up here, maybe went to college here and then moved away and are no longer in Ohio to boomerang back to Ohio.

Justin Moore [: 00:18:56

And you know, in my mind there, I think we got a solution for that, that problem, that workforce problem. It's right below our nose with that 55 to 64 age group where the largest numbers are that oftentimes are facing age discrimination as a barrier to getting a job. So I think that we need to stop looking at a population such as by age or whatever as just being characterized as individuals that are a problem that we need to solve as opposed to being a solution to some of our problems. Right. And I think that when individuals do stay engaged in the workforce, it tends to result in them being more active, being healthier, so on and so forth. Right. And increasing their longevity, increasing their sense of purpose, their quality of life, all that kind of stuff. So we've.

Justin Moore [: 00:19:47

In the northwest Ohio area, there's a long standing awards program called 20 Under 40 that recognizes individuals that are doing amazing things in the workforce and the community that are under age 40. We said ourselves, like, why don't we do the same thing for individual age 60 and better? So we just had the first 20 over 60 awards to highlight the amazing work that individuals age 60 and better are doing in the workforce, in the community. Right. To challenge some of those stereotypes.

Lisa [: 00:20:11

Stereotypes. And just so we're clear, what's harmful about stereotypes is they diminish people to like one thing. Nobody's one thing, everybody's complex and more than one thing. So that is awesome. I totally appreciate what you're saying just this week. So you know I'm in home care, right. And so we try to focus on hiring people who want part time to balance. And we're trying to get those older people to be caregivers for our clients.

Lisa [: 00:20:44

And sometimes they, the thing that is a stopper for them is technology. So we're just extra patient and we find ways around it, workarounds. But when we actually get them out there in the field, there is such a tremendous return for all of us and they're happy, the client's happy, it's just, it's like a triple win. The company's happy because you know what? Older people are dependable and trustworthy and some other words. I'm not saying younger people aren't. I'm just saying when it comes to those categories, work ethic is not a thing you ever have to explain. They get it. They know they grew up doing.

Lisa [: 00:21:24

That's how they found purpose was in the work. So so much should be said. Now you have mentioned a word longevity and one of the reasons that I wanted to have you on you don't know this yet, but you're about to find it out because this is not scripted. Is one of the first things I read about you was that you had noticed some variations in longevity from different populations from say one town to the next. And that bothered you. And I love that it bothered you because we do live in a world where a lot of people would say so what? That's just the way it is, there's nothing we can do about it. But not only were you bothered, but you also took it to the next level and said there are things we can do. Talk to me about that, that observation and where that has taken you.

Justin Moore [: 00:22:17

Yeah, I guess just to back it up a little bit, the I think my heart was formed for the work that we do at the Aire house and aging at a very young age. Kind of looking back on my life now, my great grandpa lived to be 104 years old and up until the last year of his life he was living in his own home, mowing his own grass, cooking his own food and even starring in some local eye doctor TV commercials. And like so as a kid growing up, you know, I was raised by my parents and like, but next to my parents he was probably one of the most influential people in my life. I admired his independence. I admired his longevity. So we believe that that opportunity to live a long, healthy, active life is not something that's reserved for a few precious people who, you know, live in a certain zip code, but something that should be available to all who want to pursue that. Right.

Lisa [: 00:23:09

Amen. Yes.

Justin Moore [: 00:23:10

So we're as an organization that helps individuals age 16 better live better and longer. We looked at all the census tracts in our 150 mile long 10 county service area to try to find the census track where people are living the longest. So maybe there's some best practices there we could learn from, you know, take a deep dive in the data and try to replicate as a best practice in other zip codes. And that was in this west Toledo neighborhood called DeVoe, very middle class neighborhood. If you Asked, I bet you, you know, 100 northwest Ohioans, what zip code or town or neighborhood do you think people are living the longest in? They would have said a wealthy kind of area, probably like Sylvania, Monclova, Ottawa Hills, and like, I don't think anybody would have said DeVoe. So it was eye opening to us. But then the second question we asked is, where are people living the least long across that same 150 mile across area? And it was less than four miles away in this North Toledo neighborhood called Vistula. And we said, this is.

Lisa [: 00:24:13

Yeah, what the.

Justin Moore [: 00:24:14

We're losing more than a generation of life by moving, you know, going less than four miles. It's crazy. So we looked at all the census data that was available on these two census tracts as well as a wealthy area, just for contrast, that most people would guess where people are living the longest. And what we found was a lot of interesting things. That's not just one factor, but one thing was that people in the Devo neighborhood, home ownership percentage is 85%, 15% rental, and Vistula is exact opposite. 85% rental, 15% ownership. So that really starts to get us thinking about, okay, well, you know, having too much of a concentration of rental in one neighborhood maybe is not helpful for longevity and the like. So what should, what role does that mean? We should be playing with home ownership for older adults that want it or that have homes and have issues that need to be addressed with it, that could be barriers of them losing that house that they might own.

Justin Moore [: 00:25:17

So for example, one difference between those two neighborhoods, Wesley, where people are living to be an average age of 84, there are no homes that are without adequate plumbing. You know, they all have at least one bathroom, at least one bathtub shower, so on and so forth. One toilet that's working. In Vistula, where people are only living to be average age of 62, 3% of the households have incomplete plumbing, meaning either no working toilet or no shower or bath. And like, that's a barrier to somebody living a longer life, right. So with our home repair program, we decided to take some dollars and really concentrated in that Vistula neighborhood to try to address those plumbing issues for older adults. One older adult that I went to the home of, she was grandmother in her 70s, raising her grandchild granddaughter who's 13 years old, when I went in their home, they had been without a working toilet for months and they were going to the bathroom in a bowl and taken out to the garage and dump it in a five gallon bucket for months. Right.

Justin Moore [: 00:26:23

So you Know, that's when you think about factors that can impact an individual's ability to, you know, remain safely at home and the like. That's obviously not very sanitary. You know, all kinds of opportunities get diseases and all that kind of stuff. Right. By handling stuff that others don't have to handle on a regular basis. The second thing is, in that neighborhood, we did a survey of 100 older adults where people are living to be only age 62, and ask them just in general, what is your greatest need? What is it that you need most? And the number one response was produce is food, desert. There's no grocery store nearby, so and so forth where people can get produce. So we were doing some work and getting produce bags to work with a grassroots organization in that neighborhood or right near that neighborhood again, that does raises some produce locally and getting those produce boxes to older adults every other week that are living in that Vistula neighborhood.

Justin Moore [: 00:27:26

And we went knocking on the door of one of those older house who got. Who we just started serving. And the husband answered the door, not the wife that we were starting off the conversation with. And we asked if the wife was home, and we're told no, she's not because she's in the Mercy Saint V's emergency room because she went on her motorized wheelchair outside the neighborhood to go to the grocery store that was a couple like a mile and a half away or two miles away to be able to get her groceries. And on the way back, she got hit on the busy intersection crossing there. Right. So is things like that that we don't necessarily think about that are kind of systemic in nature. Right?

Lisa [: 00:28:10

Yeah.

Justin Moore [: 00:28:10

So we're trying to address those needs that the residents there that are age 60 and better are saying are most needed. Not in a superhero put on the cape and swooping in a town to try to save the day, but instead with talking with individuals that live and work in that neighborhood, finding out what role, if any, they want us to play in it, and trying to work with those organizations that are already embedded in that neighborhood and are most best suited to help individuals out in neighbors, helping neighbors kind of way.

Lisa [: 00:28:39

So unity in the community. I will catch a phrase that you used. And I think the other thing that strikes me about what you're saying is that it's not so simplistic. You do have to ask people some questions, and then you have to listen to what they tell you instead of working on assumptions or presumptions. And then you have to put legs on all that and do something about it. And that's how we solve problems. Right?

Justin Moore [: 00:29:07

Right.

Lisa [: 00:29:08

So what is the mission of your. Is the mission the same for all area offices or does every area office have their own mission? And what is your mission?

Justin Moore [: 00:29:19

So I think you're going to hear people put, you know, different, use different terminology and the like. Some organization might have in their mission statement the term independence. Others might talk about interdependence, right? That we're all, all have needs from one another and the like, that there's, you know, not a helpfulness to just focus on independence because it kind of connotates that there's many of us that don't need help from anybody. And the reality is we all need help from somebody. Right. I didn't build the road, I drove on to get here, so on and so forth. And there's others that will talk about dignity and terms like that in their mission statements and like. And it's sometimes organizations, I think, get carried away with really long mission statements that are hard, that are kind of everything in the kitchen sink in terms of all those terms that they like.

Justin Moore [: 00:30:07

For us, we just try to focus on that, helping individuals age 16 better with living better and longer and their family caregivers. Because oftentimes if organizations like us just focus exclusively on the age 16, better population that is our primary population, we miss out on the reality that 87% of long term care in this country is unpaid care by those, you know, unpaid sons, daughters, church members, neighbors and the like that are maybe taking their loved one, aging loved one, grocery shopping, or maybe they're picking up prescriptions for them, or maybe they're actually providing some help with bathing and dressing for them, maybe they're actually moving in with them or having them move in to their own home, so on and so forth. So we realize that part of our role in filling our mission is helping set those family caregivers up for success in their caregiving role so they can care better and longer for their aging loved one than they might otherwise be able to on their own.

Lisa [: 00:31:02

Do you have programs specific to that?

Justin Moore [: 00:31:05

Yes, we do. So we have a dedicated caregiver support program that is exclusively focused on that family caregiver because we realize that there's, you know, nine times out of 10 family caregivers and older adults are maybe in alignment with one another, but there is that, you know, 10% where if we're talking one on one to the son or daughter and we just left kind of the setting where we were talking with their aging low and, and our case manager is Saying, are you, are you doing okay right now? You know, Mrs. Jones, with all the home care you're receiving, so on and so forth. Oh, yeah, everything's fine, I'm good, I don't need anything else. But then we pull the family caregiver side and say, you know, I'm dying here. Like, I am stressed beyond belief and they're not really, I need a temporary break.

Lisa [: 00:31:50

Say that in front of their loved one because then they feel like they're creating more conflict or more stress for their loved ones. So yeah, conflict is a real thing.

Justin Moore [: 00:32:00

Sure.

Lisa [: 00:32:02

And again, you ask questions and you listen. And sometimes you have to separate families because a family dynamic is a thing too. So even if you're not 60 or better, if you love someone who is.

Justin Moore [: 00:32:15

Give us a call.

Lisa [: 00:32:16

Yeah, still call your local area office.

Justin Moore [: 00:32:19

I think one of the things that we want to get out is that that basic message that we hear from the flight attendant when we get on the airplane, right when if the cabin loses pressure, put the mask on yourself first before you try helping somebody else. The same is true for those family caregivers. They tend to be very selfless individuals, say, I got it, I don't need any help, so on and so forth. But I'm struck by and kind of haunted by this family that we visited when we were trying to highlight and put a face on this topic of home care. It's probably about 15 years ago. It was a son that was probably about my age, I'm 46. And he was carrying African American male. He was caring for his aging dad and aging mom.

Justin Moore [: 00:33:00

Both of them were receiving home care and case management through us. The dad was homebound, the mom was bed bound. So she was in the bed just about all the time and not able to get out. And the son was working a full time job caring for his young kids. And then after work stopping by, make sure mom and dad were getting fed and getting help with bathing and all that kind of stuff and trying to do it all himself. To try to see how the dynamic of family changes over time, we revisited that family about four years later and only one of them was still alive. And surprisingly, the bed bound mom was the only one that was still alive. Dad had passed away and the son unexpectedly had a heart attack.

Lisa [: 00:33:49

I knew that's where you were going with this.

Justin Moore [: 00:33:50

So I mean, it's real. And there's different estimates on how often that is, but the one I've heard most frequently is that about one third of family caregivers end up passing away. Before the aging level when they care for. Because, you know, they're making sure mom or dad are getting to their doctor's appointments, eating healthy, getting enough rest, so on and so forth. But at the same time, they're not going to their own primary care physician appointments. They're not making sure they're getting enough sleep, not making sure that they're eating healthy, not making sure they're getting exercise and like. And you can only do that so long before your body, you know, pays the price for it.

Lisa [: 00:34:24

Yeah. Caregiver stress, it's almost. I mean, it's a real thing. We say it so often. I think it's become a catchphrase and people just are dismissive of it. I've talked to plenty of family members and they're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Caregiver stress. You probably think I'm burnout, right? I'm like, I don't know.

Lisa [: 00:34:41

You tell me. But it is a real thing and there are very negative consequences. So please listen to this. If you, as I said, even if you're not 60 or better, if you're caregiving for someone who is, there are programs out there and you deserve help too. You don't have to always just be the helper.

Justin Moore [: 00:35:04

Yeah, I think sometimes the term is important too. Right. We tend to use caregiver, family caregiver and the like. And sometimes people self identify with that term and their ears pick up, oh, they're talking to me when they hear that term. But oftentimes we've encountered people not self identifying with that term and not understanding that we're talking to them when we're talking about that. So somebody mentioned recently the term responsible family member. And I think that that is a term that, you know, I might not think of myself as a caregiver. I might think of a home paid home health aide when I hear that term.

Justin Moore [: 00:35:40

But if you say responsible family member, I think that hits a person in a different way. Especially if you're viewing yourself just as a daughter or son, that's, you know, just caring for mom or dad, you know, that's just what's expected, or that's what I feel compelled to do, or the right thing to do, so on and so forth. So I think there might be something to that responsible family member, as a short phrase, of helping people understand that, hey, we're talking to you.

Lisa [: 00:36:03

Yeah. So if you're the responsible. And it doesn't always have to be the oldest daughter, y', all, I'm the oldest daughter, so I can say that. But yeah, there's lots of people involved here. So Justin, I want to hear a little bit of your story. So you started at area office at a very young age. You're still very young, but you were just 24. Yes, yes.

Lisa [: 00:36:25

And you worked your way up. You've been there the whole time.

Justin Moore [: 00:36:27

Yeah. So I started an entry level associate planner position. I was working before at the Red Crosses national headquarters in dc. My wife and I moved back to the northwest Ohio area looking to be closer to friends and family, be able to afford a house, so on and so forth. And at the time, my mom, when I was starting to still in D.C. area and looking to move back here, let me know about a job opportunity there. Office on Aging certainly seemed like a industry or area for great growth. But again, as I reflect on it more, I think that there is something that's very personally fulfilling.

Justin Moore [: 00:37:03

Helping individuals be able to live long independent lives like my great grandpa is very meaningful to me. But yeah, I, you know, started an entry level job at the area Office on Aging and had a our agencies. Somebody helped found our agency. Longtime mentor of mine, my predecessor, Mrs. Billy Johnson, had mentored me for the last 20 some years and is certainly somebody that's, you know, very near and dear to my heart. And she's somebody that cared deeply for individuals age 60 and better. And that resonates with me. I think leadership's very important.

Justin Moore [: 00:37:41

So serving under her leadership for all those years is something that was a great blessing and gift in my life. And I'm just trying to lead the organization in a very similar way.

Lisa [: 00:37:53

And I understand that she very much wanted you to be the person who took the job when she left it.

Justin Moore [: 00:38:00

Yeah, that means a lot.

Lisa [: 00:38:01

And I read somewhere that she told you to stand on her shoulders and take this agency to a higher place.

Justin Moore [: 00:38:07

Yeah, she's never been somebody who asked me to fill her giant shoes, but instead allowed me to stand on her giant shoulders and take this agency to the next level. And that's what I'm striving to do along with our great team.

Lisa [: 00:38:19

Well, I think you're doing an amazing job and we work pretty closely with area office in Toledo and the surrounding counties. What do you want to leave our listeners with?

Justin Moore [: 00:38:29

Just that whatever, wherever you're at in life, we can all stand, find ways, make certain changes in our life that will help us be well positioned to live better, longer. This is not something that is just for individuals that are age 60 and better. This is not just something for their family caregivers this is something that oftentimes if we have a desire to live long healthy lives oftentimes the decisions we're making earlier in life are ones that are, you know, impacting how long we live and how well we live later in life. So just the importance of thinking through your future self right and that decisions you're making today are important ones for your future self and do your future self a favor and you know, take care of your body, take care of your loved ones that at the end of the day we again are just members of a greater community and we believe that everybody has an important role to play and making sure that our community continues to thrive.

Lisa [: 00:39:33

Yes to all of that and I will add this, be willing to help and be willing to accept help those things go on long way. Listeners, thank you for joining us. Till next time may the road rise to meet you May the wind be forever at your back.