Insights

 The holidays can be one of the most fulfilling times of the year, with friends and loved ones gathering for exciting events. It’s not uncommon to notice things in an aging loved one throughout these times that may bring up concerns.

Every year, after the excitement over Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday has died down, we turn to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday, to give back to the causes that are most important to us.

November is National Home Care & Hospice Month and Brio Living Services has a lot of reasons to celebrate! This month, especially, we honor those care teams who make such a difference in serving older adults in their homes and communities.

“These ladies are so inspiring!” says Hazel Mead, CRC’s Independent Living Life Enrichment Coordinator. “What a wonderful thing these ladies have done in their lives!”

It has been a busy few weeks at Brio Living Services, with several of our communities and locations enjoying Halloween in their own special ways.

Brio’s Huron Valley PACE in Ypsilanti recently hosted a visit from U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They led a Senior Town Hall at the day center to hear concerns of older adults, share updates on home- and community-based services, and answer questions during Medicare open enrollment. Said Huron Valley PACE Executive Director Sonja Felton, “Rep. Dingell is a fierce champion for older adults, especially those needing home- and community-based care such as PACE.”

October 17th through the 23rd is National Estate Planning Awareness Week! The UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation wants to remind you that there’s no better time to consider your estate plan!

The UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation will show its gratitude for YOU, our generous donors and supporters, with a pair of upcoming celebrations!  Our Giving Gratitude: A Celebration of YOU events will be held on October 26 at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, and at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids on November 9.  Both events begin at 6:00 p.m. 

Darlene shared, “Brio wellness programs provide an outlet for team members to release stress, learn and try new things, and connect with one another. I have found a new joy for running and can always count on it as a time to focus on just myself.”

September is National PACE Month, where we celebrate the ways PACE, or Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, improves quality of life for older adults and allows them to live as independently as possible in their own homes and communities.

Approximately 150 walkers, including residents, families, and team members, created a sea of purple as they walked through the CRC campus to raise awareness for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Sam’s great grandmother, Agnes McLean of Ann Arbor, was a sculptor. One of her works, “One World”, completed in 1946, was made to adorn the entrance of Chelsea Retirement Community where it still stands