The Area Agency on Aging 1-B is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new name and logo. The agency is now known as AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services. The agency says they saw the need to change to AgeWays because, “Our former name was difficult to pronounce and to remember.”
In seeking new identity branding, they chose AgeWays because the word reflects their mission and what they do best - help older adults age in the ways they choose and give tools to family caregivers to support those choices.
Area Agencies on Aging were established in the federal Older Americans Act of 1973 to help older Americans and their caregivers live quality lives with independence and dignity. The largest of the AAAs in Michigan, 1-B is one of 16 in the state and 622 nationwide. AgeWays remains an Area Agency on Aging, drawing its funding from a combination of federal OAA and state health and human services dollars and grants.
“I’m hoping our new name opens up a new level of awareness and we draw many more people to our agency looking for services and direction,” says Michael Karson, AgeWays CEO and president.
The name and logo updates aside, the work of AgeWays remains the same, serving as a one-stop source of information and support for older adults and their caregivers. The agency has, however, added an important new initiative to support family caregivers. The Respite Services Voucher program provides up to $575 per year for families to hire temporary caregivers for their loved ones.
AgeWays offers a full range of resources, services, and programs, ranging from respite care, to meals for the homebound, to transportation and Medicare counseling. The agency serves residents in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties to bolster home-based services for lower income adults and address issues that are important to the people they serve.
One of the more pressing issues AgeWays is addressing is the shortage of paid and unpaid caregivers. As advocates for policy improvements, their team works with elected officials to alleviate the shortage, including by addressing the pay rates home health aides earn.
AgeWays is also partnered with Trualta, which says it is, “the leading family caregiver education and support platform, and aims to help unpaid family caregivers build skills, improve confidence and feel less isolated. It offers on-demand articles and videos, and virtual support groups, to help improve at-home care and reduce caregiver burnout.” Access their resources at www.trualta.com.
For more information on programs and supports, or for updated email addresses to contact staff, go to the agency’s new website, AgeWays.org. To learn more about programs, call 800.852.7795, a number that remains as a trusted source of information for older adults and caregivers.