By acquiring a 50 percent share of Christian Home Health, a licensed, Medicare-certified home health provider based in Clinton Township, Lutheran Social Services is now able to provide Medicare-paid licensed, professional health services such as nursing, physical therapy and respiratory therapy to clients recuperating at home after a hospital stay. The agreement closed on April 30. Lutheran Social Services is partnering in this effort with POBLO (People of the Book Lutheran Outreach), a ministry of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, which established Christian Home Health in 2008. For many years, Lutheran Social Services has provided non-medical home care services, such as housekeeping, cooking, help with bathing and dressing, and help with errands, for low-income seniors through the Medicaid Waiver program and for people with disabilities through Community Mental Health. Last fall, Lutheran Social Services acquired the Michigan franchise of Home Care Assistance, a nationally branded private duty home care provider. The addition of home health services means the organization is now able to provide the full range of home care services for just about anyone who needs them. Sue Lemon, vice president of Services for Senior Adults, is the administrator responsible for the Christian Home Health program.

Alison House in Delta Township, an apartment community managed by Lutheran Social Services of Michigan  for adults with physical disabilities, has received a $1,000 grant from the Eaton County Community Foundation, a sub-fund of the Capital Region Community Foundation, to install steel kick plates. “Most of our residents at Alison House use some type of mobility assistance, such as wheelchairs, scooters or walkers,” said Manager Jessica Cage. “Since the building opened in 2007, the apartment walls and doors have sustained significant damage from wheelchairs and other mobility aids. The steel plates will help us protect the building and keep the apartments looking good.” The grant was approved on March 29. The plates will be installed in June. Schneider Sheet Metal Supply is custom making the plates to fit the doors and walls at Alison House.

Hope Village will serve as a gathering place seniors as part of an expansion of the Grand Traverse County Senior Center Network. The network has provided programs for adults 50 and over throughout the county, with active sites in Interlochen and Kingsley. This spring the Network expanded into Fife Lake and Acme. By providing space and staff support, Hope Village will enhance the offerings provided to seniors on the east side of Grand Traverse County.

“We are delighted to partner with the Network in providing this wonderful programming to not only our residents, but to other area seniors,” said Cathy Stathakis, Hope Village manager.

Starting next week, Sharon Neumann of the Senior Center staff will be at Hope Village every Monday morning from 9 to 10 a.m. to answer questions and recruit interested volunteers. Programming has started with a painting class by renowned watercolor artist and teacher Charles Murphy. An open house will be held at Hope Village on Monday, May 21, at 2 p.m. to introduce staff, programs, and future plans. For reservations, call the Network at (231) 922-4911.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that normal people are afraid of needles. It is also true that this fear is probably rooted in childhood trauma—I still shudder when I think of my early trips to the doctor’s office for annual shots: the quiet anxiety of the car ride turning slowly to agony in the waiting room, building quickly towards panic upon entering the patient room, yielding to horror as the doctor unsheathed his weapon, and culminating finally with uncontrollable sobs as the needle plunged. If preventative health required sharp pokes to the arm, I preferred the flu.

Perhaps Virginia Speese never got her shots. Or maybe she’s just not a wimp. Either way, the 84-year-old resident of the Lodge at MapleCreek went willingly, even happily, to an establishment called “Screaming Needles,” a moniker evoking all the warmth and charm of a haunted house. Insanity, you say, but with her birthday month just around the corner, Virginia could think of no better way to celebrate than by fulfilling a life-long dream—getting a tattoo!

“I’ve always wanted to get one,” says Virginia with a tinge of rebelliousness in her voice, “but I never dreamed it was possible, especially at my age!” Inconceivable though it may seem, her wish, dismissed for so long as an opportunity missed, was reborn during a conversation with her great granddaughter, Brittany Wellman. Realizing this was something more than mere mid-life crisis mischief, Brittany sprang into action with all the fire of a new generation. Buses were called, appointments were made, and on April 7, 2012, laughter could be heard coming from the operating room of Screaming Needles.

Before you ask, “it did NOT hurt. Why does everyone always ask that first?” More interesting for Virginia is the meaning behind the tattoo itself: a small, curled-up kitten perched at the top of her shoulder, representing her own cat “Sandra,” which currently lives in another building on campus. Its real meaning, however, is best summed up by Virginia herself: “I’ve learned this—you are never too old to do the things you want to do.”

As part of an ongoing commitment to family caregivers, Home Care Assistance is hosting a free, online seminar, Caregiver Burnout and How to Protect Your Health, on May 1 at 2 p.m. Eastern to discuss the warning signs of burnout and helpful everyday tips for family caregivers to protect their health .

 The webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 1 at 2 p.m. Eastern. It will be led by Dr. Jennifer Hoblyn, professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and chief medical officer of eTherapi, an online therapy provider that connects adults seeking to improve their mental and emotional wellbeing to licensed therapists who provide counseling online via live video conferencing. To register for the Caregiver Burnout webinar, please visit www.homecareassistance.com/caregiver-burnout and reserve your spot today.

Caregiving has rapidly become a second profession for many individuals; nearly one in three adults provides ongoing care to an elderly or chronically frail loved one. The typical family caregiver is a 50-year-old female, often married and employed, providing care for an elderly parent. Family caregivers often juggle commitments to their work, their children, their family and friends and their communities alongside their caregiving responsibilities. They often lack or do not know where to seek the resources and supports they need to manage the stress associated with their responsibilities; it’s no wonder then that 46 percent of family caregivers suffer from clinically significant symptoms of depression and other forms of caregiver burnout. In addition to causing depression, caregiver burnout can lead to changes in energy, mood and diet. Full-time caregiving can reduce an individual’s life expectancy by up to eight years. Education and awareness about caregiver burnout are important steps in prevention and control of this insidious and all too common problem.

Individuals currently providing care for a family member or loved one can use Home Care Assistance’s Caregiver Burnout Checklist to evaluate the impact of caregiving on their life. For more information about Home Care Assistance, visit www.HomeCareAssistance.com. For additional resources for family caregivers, call a local Home Care Assistance office at 1-866-454-8346 and speak to one of the care managers today.

On March 23 and 24 Rita Livingstone, In-Home Support Specialist in the Monroe Home Care Services office, took her client, Melina King,to Grand Rapids for the special Olympics. It was the first time the Monroe group attended the Special Olympics“Melina was so excited that she laughed on and off the whole time,” said Rita. “There were many activities including dancing, arts and crafts, a dental checkup, a smile class (to teach people to smile no matter how bad things are), souvenirs, and a meeting with state beauty contestants. We all enjoyed our time there.” It’s obvious from the photo that Melina enjoyed the outing! Lutheran Social Services’ Monroe team won a medal for basketball.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Livonia hosted several hosted Lutheran Social Services of Michigan foster parents and their families on March 24, providing respite, a good meal and some entertainment. In the afternoon, teen and adult volunteers did crafts and games with the children so the foster parents could take a few hours off. Then the families came together for dinner.

Al and Cynthia Lucas attended with four members of their extended family. Al recently retired from Chrysler but maintains his position as pastor at Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit. He and his wife have been foster parents with Lutheran Social Services for more than 20 years. He estimates they have cared for over 100 children. They adopted several, and many of their foster children have gone on to college. With them at Holy Trinity were their daughter Shania, 9, and three sisters, aged 5 to 8, who they are adopting. Michelle Wells is an unmarried grandmother caring for two of her grandchildren. She also has two foster children, 10-year-old Peter and 13-year-old Nicole.  She has been a foster parent for many years, and is often asked to take on a case in an emergency situation. She hopes all four of her charges can attend Lutheran Social Services’ camp for foster children this summer.

“It was humbling to spend time with these people who have opened their homes to the very vulnerable young people here in our area,” said Paul Drenkow, a longtime Lutheran Social Services volunteer and a member of Holy Trinity. “It was inspiring to see Holy Trinity members reach out to these families—especially our young people who spent the day playing with the foster children. I also enjoyed seeing Jack Bailey, who provided entertainment, delighting the young girls by dancing with them.”

Audrey Williams-Burton, director of Lutheran Social Services’ programs for children and families in Southeast Michigan, says there are about 14,000 children in foster care in Michigan. She noted that children become “eligible” for foster care at all ages. There is a critical need for homes for teenagers, who will “age out” of foster care support when they reach 18. Host families are needed to house these youth and be a role model so they can become independent adults. In this situation, the host families do not need to go through the same training as foster parents, but do receive compensation.

Members of Holy Trinity know the value of a strong family. “By continuing to support Lutheran Social Services’ foster care program, we can help can help those in need experience the same feeling,” said Drenkow.

(This story was distributed by Michigan News Connection to commercial radio stations throughout the state.)

(03/22/12) LANSING, Mich. - When the Affordable Care Act became law, it didn't just affect health care; it also changed what adoptive parents can claim on their taxes. Namely, the tax credit for adoption-related expenses went from being nonrefundable to refundable.

Accountant Jeremy Rospierski with Lutheran Social Services of Michigan is a tax preparer and an adoptive parent. He says that in the past, that meant the credit could only be used to offset any taxes you owed, with any extra rolled into the following year. But now, he says, the change means adoptive parents will get cash back - even if they don't owe anything.

"A refundable credit means that you can get the entire credit in the year that you file your Adoption Credit."

Under U.S. tax law, qualified expenses include adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees and travel expenses. Rospierski says that unused credits from the past five years can be carried forward, so parents who did not receive the full credit in the past can file an amendment for expenses going back to 2005.

The maximum amount adoptive parents can claim per child for 2011 is $13,360. Rospierski says parents who have adopted a special needs child are eligible to claim the maximum credit. He stresses that the definition of "special needs" is broader than many parents might be aware and is based on three criteria.

"One, the child is a U.S. citizen. The second qualification is that it's determined that the child will not return to the parents' home, which if you're adopted that's going to be the case. Number three is the state determines that the child will not be adopted unless assistance is provided for that child."

Rospierski says the tax return must also include a copy of the state's determination of special needs.

While Tax Day is typically April 15, this year the deadline for filing federal tax returns is Tuesday, April 17.

Recently, Pastor Rebecca Ebb-Speese (Pastor Becky), MapleCreek's director of pastoral care was approached by a journalist, G. Jeffrey MacDonald who was doing an article on the change of faith in seniors.

The article, titled "Soul Search," appears in the May's USA TODAY special publication, "The Best Years." Pastor Becky gives insight about what she's learned about senior faith from working at MapleCreek. She talks about how some seniors grow spiritually, even after moving into a retirement community.

She mentioned how seniors often have a hard time feeling comfortable with faith. 

From the article: "Ebb-Speese says many newcomers hesitate at first, worrying they don't have the right clothes for worship, lack the right knowledge for discussion, or can't spare a dollar for the offering ...  "But somehow when they're here, they mellow ... A lot of them enter into religious activity through personal one-on-one relationships.""

She also tried to break down some stereotypes about seniors:

""People have an assumption that seniors are very stuck in their ways, but they are not," Ebb-Speese says. "There's something about the senior years that enables them to blossom and be open to new things, much more so than middleaged people.""

MapleCreek resident, Jean Skiver, who was recently baptized by Pastor Becky, was quoted in the article as well. To read the full article click here, and to order a copy of the magazine, click here.

Mark Stutrud, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, has joined the board of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS), a national organization based in Baltimore that contracts with the federal government to resettle refugees. LIRS works through 27 state and local affiliates, including Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, to provide services to refugees. LIRS is also very active in advocating for policies and legislation that uphold the rights and dignity of newcomers to our country.

Lutheran Social Services also serves as the Michigan affiliate for Episcopal Migration Ministries.

Last year, Lutheran Social Services resettled more than 1,000 refugees. They were primarily Chaldeans (Christians from Iraq) but also people fleeing war and persecution in Burma, Bhutan and several African countries. Lutheran Social Services provides help with paperwork and documents, housing, English language training and job placement. Most refugees are self-supporting within six months of their arrival.