Maryland Secretary of the Department of Aging Carmel Roques took a tour of Upper Shore Aging’s facilities while also providing a public forum for a discussion on aging issues facing seniors across the state and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Secretary Roques reminded participants at the gathering at Talbot County Senior Center at Brooklett’s Place in Easton that she wasn’t a politician, but rather had worked a long career in the private sector. She stated, “I was absolutely honored to be asked to serve in this role. I have many years centering my life around caring for older people, their families, and their care providers. And so, you know, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a licensed clinical social worker, doing direct therapy and care management of older people.”

“Maryland is a long-lived society. Half of the five-year-olds alive today will expect to live to 100. We need to begin to shape our policies and services around that. They will sit under the trees that we plant but that will never see.”

Photo: Left to right – Chuck Callahan, President of the Talbot County Council; Childlene Brooks, Manager of Brooklett’s Place; Maryland Secretary of the Department of Aging Carmel Roques; and Andy Hollis, Executive Director of Upper Shore Aging.

According to Secretary Roques, the Maryland Department of Aging is a $90 million agency comprised of federal and state funding. When she arrived, the agency had 40 full-time employees but was operating at a 30 percent vacancy rate. The agency oversees 19 area agencies on aging and Upper Shore Aging is one of them.

Andy Hollis, Executive Director of Upper Shore Aging hosted the Secretary’s visit, which included seeing the Caroline Senior Center in Denton and Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center in Chestertown. He added, “Secretary Roques’ visit underscored the critical importance of Upper Shore Aging’s partnership with the Maryland Department of Aging.  Upper Shore provides senior services on behalf of three counties, and the Secretary’s remarks about her vision for the department, and her focus on bettering the lives of our state’s seniors, will serve the citizens of Caroline, Kent, and Talbot Counties well.  She has worked in the field for decades and knows the challenges that lie ahead.  Her comments expressing her commitment to meeting those challenges and overcoming them was inspirational.”

Among the issues raised by participants at the discussion at Brooklett’s Place were affordable housing and long-term care, food insecurity among seniors, the need for gap-filling services like adult day care, and transportation.

Secretary Roques added that nationally, the United States hasn’t made a commitment to long-term care and that moving forward recommendations for improving nursing homes are needed as they are closing around the country due to not being as profitable as they used to be.

“Older Americans are healthier than previous generations and living long enough to outlive their resources and require complex supportive care, but more people are choosing assisted living or staying at home because they can’t afford private pay at these facilities,” she explained.

“Under 3% of the housing in this country is assessable for older adults with disabilities.”

In looking toward the future, Secretary Roques explained that the new Governor is setting in motion a couple of initiatives – the biggest one being a multi-sector planning process, which involves cabinet-level leaders working together to better use state or federal funds to solve some of these problems and issues, as well as working with each other to influence policy across these issues.

Upper Shore Aging, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is the designated Area Agency on Aging for Talbot, Caroline, and Kent counties, Maryland, serving a potential market of nearly 31,000 persons over the age of sixty years. Our organization develops and manages a coordinated program of services that work together to help elders to remain, and live well, in the community as long as possible. Upper Shore Aging, Inc. works closely with the Maryland Department of Aging to serve the needs of its clients.

Upper Shore Aging, Inc. (USA), the nonprofit Area Agency on Aging serving over 31,000 seniors in Caroline, Kent, and Talbot counties, has a new logo. It is no accident that the logo the organization selected includes a lotus blossom – the symbol of strength, resilience, and rebirth – selected with staff input and representative of USA’s renewal in serving some of the Eastern Shore’s most vulnerable – its aging population. Under the leadership of a new executive director, Andrew Hollis, and his leadership team, and board president Bill Shrieves, the organization is tackling the growing demand for the services that the agency offers.

“Andy Hollis has brought a fresh new approach to the work being done at USA since his arrival a year ago. He has engaged the community in learning about the gaps in service and the growing needs, as well as tackled the agency’s staff vacancies. We are now fully staffed and can serve those in need on the Mid-Shore,” comments Bill Shrieves, president of the board of USA, who has been the driving force in the agency’s recovery. Shrieves, a pancreatic cancer survivor, opened Comfort Keepers and is an active volunteer with the Mid-Shore Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, the Bay Hundred Community Volunteers, and the St. Michaels Rotary. This year he received the Community Impact Award from Talbot County’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Hollis is no stranger to working with the senior population as before his appointment at USA, he worked for Delmarva Community Services, Inc., as County Manager for Talbot County, and for Londonderry on the Tred Avon Retirement Community. He adds, “My experience over the years has shown me that our most vulnerable seniors don’t know they have a voice and suffer in silence, often not asking for the services they need. We now have a dynamic team to address some of the challenges seniors are facing today – food insecurity, re-engagement at our senior centers, the equipment and resources to age safely at home, the rising costs of prescription drugs, and the gaps in meeting the costs for assisted living today. I believe with our new staffing; we can start to impact the needs in these areas.”

Photo: The staff at Upper Shore Aging, Inc.’s headquarters in Chestertown, Maryland displaying the agency’s new logo and branding – representing its new direction in serving the Mid-Shore’s aging population. Front row, left to right: Ursula McEntee, Fiscal Specialist; Debbie Beaver, Upper Shore Housing Fiscal Manager; Jensen Vandyke, Nutrition Specialist; Sheila Wilson, Administrative Assistant; and TreShawn Todd, Operations Director. Back row, left to right: Judi Bianco, Finance Director; Deborah Nicholson, Ombudsman; Andy Hollis, Executive Director; and Jeff Scott, Senior Care Case Manager.

Tracey Watters, RN, BSN, BC, Kent County Health Department Director of the AERS Program, refers clients to the USA’s programs. She comments, “My role is to see what services can help the seniors most. These are the elderly who are low-income residents who may not have a family to care for them and who are on Medicaid. Andy Hollis has a heart for the clients he serves. He desires to serve them and get them what they need.”

“As the new Executive Director of USA, he reached out to the community to see where the problems existed and began addressing them systematically. He has hired a phenomenal team that is also based on heart. The new team is about helping people and if they don’t know the answer, they will find it. The client is at the center of this care delivery no matter what the obstacle is.”

Upper Shore Aging develops and administers programs and services and serves as the chief advocate for the seniors it serves. Its programs function cooperatively to maintain and improve the quality of life for seniors, working to help them remain healthy and independent. Among the programs offered through the agency include:

• Operating five senior centers in Kent, Caroline, and Talbot counties.  These centers are a hub for activities helping seniors stay active and involved in their community.
• Operating the Meals-On-Wheels program which delivers meals to homebound seniors.
• Providing a Senior Care Program that supports seniors aging in place, keeping seniors living in their own homes, and at a lower cost than a long-term care facility. Services vary according to need but may include personal care, light housekeeping chores, and emergency response systems, and case management services.
• Managing the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), sponsored by USA and funded by AmeriCorps, which recruits and places older adults (age 55+) in a diverse range of volunteer activities to meet various community needs.
• Providing one-on-one counseling, information, and group seminars on Medicare, Medigap and Medicaid insurance programs, private health insurance issues, and long-term care insurance.
• Operating Maryland Access Point (MAP) a one-stop source of information and assistance for family members, caregivers, disabled adults, and seniors, which helps them navigate through the maze of long-term care services and links them with local and state programs.
• Providing Senior Medicare Patrol to educate clients about these programs and to prevent incidents of fraud and abuse.
• Providing a Long-Term Care Ombudsman who investigates and resolves complaints of elder abuse and neglect in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facilities.

In addition, USA provides senior legal assistance, refers senior housing needs to Upper Shore Aging Housing Corporation, administers the Senior Assisted Living Subsidy program for low and moderate-income seniors, providing access to participating assisted living facilities; provides case management services for Medicaid-eligible seniors to receive home or community-based services, provides a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program and Family Caregiver Support Program, partners with Delmarva Community Transit to provide transportation to its senior centers, and offers a shopping service for seniors in Kent county who unable to shop for themselves.

“Last year my wife and I moved to St. Michaels from North Carolina where we lived for 30 years. The staff at Upper Shore Aging helped us to enroll in a better Medicare Part D drug plan and helped us evaluate Medicare supplemental insurance, as well as our enrollment in Medicare. They really helped us find the best coverage for our medications and the best coverage for the payments we were making, taking a comprehensive look at what we were getting. This was an undiscovered gem for us,” comments resident Stephen Parr of St. Michaels.

“Upper Shore Aging is giving services back to people in the community – especially services that are impactful like Medicare Part D. Their success is only possible based upon the professionals they have on their team, not only volunteers but more importantly the staff who have a passion for their work.”

Chuck Callahan, President of the Talbot County Council adds, “I have been so impressed at the response of Upper Shore Aging in meeting the growing needs of our seniors. Their staff, led by Andy and Bill, are making a significant impact on the quality of care our seniors are getting every day across the region. We applaud their hard work and tenacity in moving the agency forward in a positive way.”

For information about Upper Shore Aging, Inc or to donate, visit uppershoreaging.org or call 410-778-6000.

Upper Shore Aging, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is the designated Area Agency on Aging for Talbot, Caroline, and Kent counties, Maryland, serving a potential market of nearly 31,000 persons over the age of sixty years. Our organization develops and manages a coordinated program of services that work together to help elders to remain, and live well, in the community as long as possible. Upper Shore Aging, Inc. works closely with the Maryland Department of Aging to serve the needs of its clients.

Advocating for a senior or learning to navigate the world of home care, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home can be a daunting task. Upper Shore Aging (USA) offers several programs in Caroline, Kent, and Talbot counties to assist individuals and families protect the safety, welfare, and rights of seniors. One of the programs that the organization is currently seeking a manager for is its Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. The ombudsman investigates and advocates to resolve complaints from residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

“Our Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program plays such an important role in being the eyes and ears for our senior population and people of all ages, who may be experiencing issues in an assisted living facility or nursing home.  The ombudsman in the county is the advocate for people in helping them resolve their complaints, but also develops relationships with these facilities to improve the quality of life for residents there,” states Andy Hollis, Executive Director of USA.

“Recently, we have had to rely on the State’s representatives to oversee this role because we have not had this position filled locally. While the State has provided excellent support, residents on the Mid-Shore need to have an advocate locally who can work with these facilities regularly to address concerns and issues as they develop.”

According to Stevanne Ellis, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman for the Maryland Department of Aging, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a program under the Older Americans Act.

“Whether you are in a nursing home for short-term rehabilitation or a longer stay, the ombudsman in the county is the advocate for that person. The ombudsman provides a minimum of monthly nursing home visits and quarterly assisted living visits. The ombudsman also responds to any complaints or requests between these visits. We have more than 1800 assisted living facilities and 227 nursing homes,” Ellis states.

“During these visits, we go and see how the resident is doing and what life is like for them. We want the resident to know that if he or she has a complaint, then we can help resolve the complaint to their satisfaction. Complaints can range everything from issues related to the building to hands-on care to staffing to cold coffee to physical and emotional abuse. We are also available to help people navigate the long-term care system, which can be complicated and confusing at times.”

She adds, “There are some facilities that they see us as a big help. We are focused on the same thing – that their residents are happy, receiving good care, and want to stay in the facility. That’s what we advocate for.”

In getting issues resolved, the ombudsman’s goal is first to empower residents – to help them figure out how to take care of their issues first. And if this is not successful, the ombudsman can go with residents to address concerns or get permission to talk to facilities without the resident being present. The majority of complaints are initiated by residents and residents’ families; however, friends, family, physicians, and ministers also can make complaints on behalf of the resident.

The Ombudsman Program Manager position provides leadership and direction for the Ombudsman Program, overseeing operations, fiscal performance, and effectiveness of the program.  In addition to investigating and resolving resident complaints, the ombudsman provides educational training and information presentations to residents, staff, and members of the community on resident rights, services available, and good health and safety practices.

“The position requires someone who cares about residents and genuinely has a passion for helping people in long-term care and helping families. I think the ombudsman job is a prestigious thing because it’s a form of social justice. By making the world a better place, you’re going to have the satisfaction that you truly made a difference in the quality of life for someone,” comments Ellis.

Other qualities of an ombudsman include an interest to learn new things, experience in health care or working with the aging community, a mediation background, strong community relations skills, and experience with volunteer recruitment and retention. Preferred qualifications for the position include a bachelor’s degree in human services, social work, or nursing and five to eight years of working with the elderly population providing case management.

The Department of Aging offers a comprehensive Ombudsman Training Program and there are mentors available to support the local ombudsman from the State.

Mary Sellers, Family Caregiver Program Manager & Guardianship Program Manager for USA sees the Ombudsman Program as an extension of her work in assisting individuals and families to keep seniors in their own homes or helping them when a family member has been discharged from a nursing home. She states, “My programs help connect seniors and families to community resources when they are living independently. The Family Caregiver Program is preventive service to connect families to community resources to help keep them in their own homes or help them when a family member has been discharged from a nursing home.”

“Through our Family Caregiver Program, Guardianship Program, and Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, our hope is we can also offer families important information about resources ahead of time, before they need it for a loved one, and to ensure seniors get the best care in whatever situation they find themselves,“ Hollis adds.

For further information about applying for the Ombudsman Program Manager position, contact Andy Hollis at (410) 778-6000. For further information, visit uppershoreaging.org.

Upper Shore Aging, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is the designated Area Agency on Aging for Talbot, Caroline, and Kent counties, Maryland, serving a potential market of nearly 31,000 persons over the age of sixty years. The organization develops and manages a coordinated program of services that work together to help elders to remain, and live well, in the community for as long as possible. Upper Shore Aging, Inc. works closely with the Maryland Department of Aging to serve the needs of its clients.