Everything Elderly is on Saturday mornings at 8:30, on 1290 am WLBY, sponsored by Senior Helpers. Sheila Doeden and I co-host the show, sharing with the community everything and anything related to the elderly, including taking care of aging parents. This past weekend we were fortunate to talk with two nonprofit organizations, Glacier Hills and RideConnect. Both provide very useful and very different services to our community.

Katy Kurili is the director of The Manor at Glacier Hills. Glacier Hills was founded in 1973 and is a continuum of care retirement community (CCRC). A senior can move to Glacier Hills independent living, and then transition to assisted living, and long-term skilled nursing care, all on the Glacier Hills campus. The non-profit aspect does not mean bare bones without amenities. We have spent considerable time on the campus and in the multiple facilities, and Glacier Hills is a beautiful place with full services that adds greatly to the wealth of the Ann Arbor community.

At The Manor they provide both assisted living and independent living. Katy very much enjoys being the director, it’s “never boring and actually very fun.” I have gotten to know Katy over the last year, working with her on the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk and visiting her facility. Katy is so very caring and so interested in providing quality of life to her seniors. She is in the right profession.

We talked about the “Best Friends” person-centered care approach used at Glacier Hills. They want to form strong relationships between the staff and residents. Katy is also fond of the Disney customer service philosophy. It’s a great model to better empower the staff.

We asked Katy about activities at The Manor, and her eyes lit up! The activities “are my delight. It’s amazing how they have grown in this area.” They have lectures, dances, concerts and much more. Their residents are very involved with setting the schedule, and the residents pretty much handle the big Friday night programs.

To get in touch with Katy or Glacier Hills, you can visit the campus on Earhart Road in northeast Ann Arbor, visit their website glacierhills.org or call 734-769-6410. To listen to the 12-minute talk click the audio link below:

We next chatted with Vanessa Hansle, the executive director of RideConnect. On Everything Elderly each week, Sheila and I personally appreciate the opportunity to learn about the great organizations and services in Ann Arbor hidden to many of us. RideConnect is a perfect example.

RideConnect is a call center with three employees, handling about 200 calls a month. Their transportation coordinators work with people with disabilities, the elderly and people with low income. The mission is plain and simple, “to move people, to get them where they need to go.”

They started about two and a half years ago as a service to identify transportation options for their clients, options beyond the fixed route (bus) system. RideConnect soon learned that most people know what’s available; it’s the paying for it that is the real issue.

RideConnect began working with the Blueprint for Aging gift card/voucher program. This provided a subsidy to better allow RideConnect to provide needed services. Most people need rides for non-emergency medical treatments. But they also might need transportation to the grocery store or just for a social activity.

Vanessa shared how rural adults have special difficulties, with fewer transportation options, but many still want to “age in place, and not have to move from where they might want to stay.”

If you would like to contact Vanessa Hansle or RideConnect, please call 866-977-9423, and, starting March 1, you can visit the website rideconnect.info. To listen to the 12-minute discussion click the audio link below:

Alan Caldwell and Sheila Doeden co-own and co-manage Senior Helpers, providing in-home care services, primarily to the elderly. Alan can be contacted at acaldwell@seniorhelpers.com, or at 734-927-3111.