Caring for the Caregivers fair Nov. 15

Geriatrics Center offers help to University caregivers

Professor Jersey Liang is a gerontologist, but when faced with the possibility that two of his elderly relatives required special services for older adults, the School of Public Health professor and Institute of Gerontology senior research scientist didn't know how to access the available resources.

Although the relatives—his mother-in-law and an uncle—live on opposite coasts, he turned to the staff at the Turner Geriatric Clinic (TGC), part of the U-M Geriatrics Center, for help.

In addition to diagnosing and treating the physical problems of geriatric patients, the clinic offers a variety of services, from support groups, to advice on how to navigate local services and the complicated Medicaid and Medicare systems, to adult day care. To help the community, including faculty, staff and students, learn about its services and those available through other agencies in the area, TGC will hold a caregivers fair 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 15.

Liang's 70-year-old uncle lives just outside of Washington, D.C., where he retired from the Department of Defense a couple of years ago. Recently Liang and his aunt began to suspect that the brilliant man with a doctorate in engineering was exhibiting signs of cognitive impairment. Liang tried to find a geriatric program near the couple's home but concluded that the closest services he would be comfortable with were an hour and a half away at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, so he flew his uncle to Ann Arbor for an evaluation at TGC. The diagnosis: Early Stage Alzheimer's.

"After we got over the initial shock, we were not totally surprised," Liang says. He then turned to his colleague, Ruth Campbell, a clinical social worker in the Institute of Gerontology, for help. "She was wonderful. She got on the phone to identify services in the area where they live and helped us plan for his future." Liang hopes that future will involve a move to Ann Arbor, where he can help care for his uncle as the disease progresses.

He tells a similar story about his mother-in-law. The 83-year-old lives in California for six months and Taipei, Taiwan, the rest of the year. Just more than a year ago she lost her husband and has struggled with learning to live alone, even though her daughters are about 10 minutes away. Again, Liang says resources in the Bay Area were hard to find, so he brought his mother-in-law to U-M for evaluation.

Physically she was deemed fairly healthy but her evaluation revealed depression, probably brought on by the changes in her life. Where the clinic staff came in most handy, Liang says, was in helping explain to providers in California the Medicare Part A she purchased outright, because neither she nor her husband had ever worked in the United States to receive coverage the traditional way.

"The people in the Bay Area didn't know what to do with her," he says. "They apparently had never seen someone in this situation and completely screwed it up. Ruth called several colleagues and friends in the area to help sort it out."

Campbell says Liang is an example of someone who is approaching elder care the best way—by planning ahead.

"This is a major social issue that is not recognized because people don't think about doing anything until it's a crisis—until they need services," she says. "We'd like them to think more proactively."

It is estimated there are nearly 50 million adult caregivers in the United States and those numbers are expected to continue to climb as the population ages.

Campbell hopes caregivers, or those who suspect they one day may need to provide care for an elderly family member or friend, will take advantage of the fair. The 10 a.m.-3 p.m. event also will feature the latest technology in devices to assist elderly people, and information about such topics as legal issues and when it is time to find care alternatives for older adults. Caregivers also will be treated to massages while day care staff members take care of their loved ones.

Additionally, Campbell wants to spread the word that TGC, through the Worklife Resource Center, offers free consultation to University employees who call (734) 764-2556.

The fair is free but there is a $7 cost for those who wish to have lunch. Participants are asked to call (734) 764-2556 to reserve lunch and to schedule respite care.