Who We Are:

The Silver Key Coalition is a group of individuals and organizations committed to supporting the desire of older adults and adults with a disability to remain living at home for as long as possible. 

 The Coalition recognizes that having a key to one's home is one of the most important quality of life elements, and advocates for an increase in state supported in-home services through the Michigan Aging and Adult Services Agency (AASA). 

 The Coalition goal is to deliver on the promise to make Michigan a "no wait state" for in-home services, by eliminating underserving, and fully addressing unmet needs with increased state funding for AASA in-home services of $10 million from FY 2015 to FY 2017.

In-Home Services:

·Personal Care assists with activities of daily living such as personal hygiene, grooming, bathing, dressing, meal preparation, homemaking and other related services

·Homemaking helps maintain a clean, safe, healthy home environment and may include housekeeping, light meal preparation, laundry and errand running

·Respite providing relief to primary caregivers, such as family members who give care to someone in need

·Home Delivered Meals and Senior Nutrition Programs provide nutritionally balanced meals to homebound, physically or cognitively impaired older adults 60 years of age and older who are unable to prepare meals

·Chore and Minor Home Repair designed to restore or maintain a  safe home and may include minor home repair, snow shoveling and cutting grass

·Care Management  arranges for, and monitors the use of community services to help frail, older adults or persons with disabilities to avoid or delay institutional placement while fostering independent living

·Medication Management helps to ensure the safe and accurate use of prescription medication

·Personal Emergency Response Systems monitor client safety and provide access to emergency crisis intervention for medical and environmental emergencies

·Adult Day Services: provide relief to family caregivers by offering a safe and supported daytime location for group social and rehabilitative services and supervision of older adults. 

Coalition Members

AAA of Western MI

AARP of Michigan

Advocates for Senior Issues

Alzheimer’s Association

Area Agency on Aging 1-B

Area Agency on Aging Association of Michigan

Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan

Community Home Supports

Community Living Services

Detroit Area Agency on Aging 1-A

Disability Network of Michigan

Leading Age

Macomb County Senior Citizen’s Services Office

MCAAA

Michigan Adult Day Services Association

Michigan County Social Service Association

Michigan Directors of Services to the Aging

Michigan Association of Nutrition and Aging Service Providers (MANASP)

Michigan Association for Home Care

Michigan Association of Community Action Agencies

Michigan Senior Advocates Council

Montcalm County Commission on Aging

NASW-Michigan Chapter

National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MI Chapter

PHI – Midwest

Presbyterian Villages of Michigan

Region 2 Area Agency on Aging

Region 3-A Area Agency on Aging

Region 3-B Area Agency on Aging

Region 3-C Area Agency on Aging

Region IV Area Agency on Aging

Region VII Area Agency on Aging

Region 9 Area Agency on Aging

Senior Regional Collaborative

Senior Resources of West Michigan

Senior Services Midland County Council on Aging

The Senior Alliance

Tri-County Office on Aging

Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress (UPCAP)

Valley Area Agency on Aging

History of the Coaltion

 

Michigan's Seniors Remain a FY 15 Budget Priority!

 On June 9, 2014 with a 5-0 vote the Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH) Budget Conference Committee tasked with determining FY 2015 funding levels released their conference report. SB 763 CR-1, which still requires passage by the full House and Senate contains great news for Michigan’s seniors. With grassroots advocacy from the Silver Key Coalition, support from Governor Rick Snyder and the leadership of Office of Services to the Aging Director Kari Sederburg, Michigan moves one massive step closer to becoming a no wait state for Michigan’s seniors!

 The DCH Committee Report concurred with the budget recommendations of Governor Snyder which include a $5 million increase for Home and Community Based Services supported by the Office of Services to the Aging. These services include home-delivered meals, personal care, homemaking, respite, chore/minor home repair, care management, medication management and personal emergency response systems.

 This increase will have major impacts on Michigan’s chronic waitlist issues which currently see nearly 4,500 seniors waiting for these key services that help them maintain their independence and enable aging-in-place instead of in more costly institutional alternatives.

 Also seeing increased funding: a $5 million investment in PACE (Program for the All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly), a $1 million investment in elder abuse prevention, and a $9 million investment in the Mi-Choice Waiver program totaling $26 million when paired with matching federal funds.

 Final approval is still needed by the full House and Senate and a vote is expected before the legislature adjourns for summer recess on June 12.

 A special thank you goes out to all those who advocated for Michigan’s seniors. With final passage, please consider reaching out to your members of the legislature to thank them for their commitment to Michigan’s seniors.

A Letter to the 97th Legislature and Governor Rick Snyder

Dear Michiganians, 

I want to draw attention to, and express our sincerest gratitude for the commitment made to support seniors by Governor Rick Snyder and Michigan’s 97^th Legislature.

 In 2014 nearly 4,500 seniors languished on long wait lists for basic in-home services that would enable them to remain independent and in the communities they call home. These services such as home-delivered meals, personal care and homemaking provide high quality care and save the state money by avoiding the need for or delaying premature institutional placements.

 For Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 the Legislature has committed to making Michigan a “no wait state” for seniors by increasing funding to several core programs. The FY 15 budget includes: 

·$5 million investment for in-home services and home-delivered meals

·$9 million investment in the MI-Choice Waiver Program

·$5.6 million investment in the Program for the All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE)

·$1 million investment in elder abuse prevention

·$150,00 investment for enhanced service and research for the Alzheimer’s Association  

·$ 100,000 investment in the Senior Olympics

 A simple “thank you” is often forgotten by those who deliver it, but not by those who receive it. Please join the Area Agency on Aging 1-B and the Silver Key Coalition in expressing our thanks to the legislature and Governor for their great bipartisan work on behalf Michigan’s seniors.

Sincerely, 

Tina Abbate Marzolf

CEO, Area Agency on Aging 1-B