Join us for the exciting relaunch of Caregiver Conversations, where we kick off with a special episode covering the 9th Annual Aging Matters Education & Expo. In this episode, we dive into the highlights of the expo, discussing key takeaways, innovative solutions, and inspiring stories that are shaping the future of caregiving and aging. Hear from experts, participants, and organizers as they share their insights on the latest trends, resources, and strategies to support caregivers and older adults. Don't miss this informative and uplifting episode that marks the beginning of a new era for Caregiver Conversations!
Antonia: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Caregiver Conversations, the
podcast where we do a deep dive into the essential topics to empower
caregivers worldwide. I'm Antonia Harbin Lamb, a staff attorney with the
Elder Law and Advocacy Center, a division of Neighborhood Legal
Services, Michigan.
Kristie: And I'm Kristy King, executive director of the Southeast
Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative.
Together, we're your hosts and advocates for caregivers everywhere.
Antonia: For those returning, thank you for your unwavering support.
And to our new listeners, welcome to our community dedicated to
providing invaluable insights and support for caregivers.
Kristie: In this relaunch, we're doubling down on our commitment to
address the critical issues that matter most to caregivers.
From elder abuse prevention to life planning, guardianship and
conservatorship. We're here to equip you with the knowledge and
resources you need.
Antonia: We'll also be covering important aspects of legal authority
[00:01:00] and roles and responsibilities as caregivers to ensure you
have the information and tools necessary to navigate your caregiving
journey effectively.
Kristie: Our mission remains steadfast: to empower you, the caregiver, to
become more successful and effective in your vital role, and always to
center the voice of the family caregiver. However, we can.
Antonia: So join us on this journey. Tune in, download, and share your
thoughts with us. Together, let's elevate the conversation around
caregiving and make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Kristie: Thank you for being a part of the caregiver conversation. Let's
continue this important dialogue and support each other every step of
the way.
Antonia: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Caregiver Conversations, the
podcast dedicated to empowering caregivers worldwide. I'm Antonia
Harbin Lamb, a staff attorney with the Elder Law and Advocacy Center,
a division of Neighborhood Legal Services, Michigan. I.
Kristie: And I'm Kristy King, executive director of the Southeast
Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative.
We are thrilled to relaunch our podcast with a special episode focused
on the ninth Annual Aging Matters Education and Expo conference
taking place at Fellowship Chapel in Detroit, Michigan on August 1st this
year. Our topic is forever home resources and technology for caregiving
and aging in place.
That's
Antonia: right, Christie. If you're caring for an older adult loved one, or
simply want to stay updated on aging services, this event is a must
attend. The expo promises a day of education, support and
empowerment featuring a thought provoking keynote address,
informative workshops, and a [00:01:00] gallery of resource tables.
Kristie: Joining us today to discuss the event are two special guests.
First, we have Raymond Jeston, the recipient of the A A RP, purpose
Prize and Founder of Aging Wild Black. Welcome, Raymond.
Raymond: Thank you very much. I am so thrilled and honored to share
with you. Thank you.
Antonia: We also have Pat Rencher, the publisher of Urban Aging
News and Project Manager of the Aging Matters Education and Expo.
Welcome, pat.
Pat: Thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.
Kristie: Great. Now let's start with you Raymond. What inspired you to
start the Aging while Black movement?
Raymond: So my own journey into aging is what really prompted aging
while black. Uh, when I achieved, uh, arrived at my 65th birthday and
realized that my experience was fundamentally different than so many of
my elders.
Uh, and I also became [00:02:00] keenly aware of the disparities
between aging black people and everybody else aging. That there was
this huge aging shift happening in America. But the experience for black
people in America has been different in every other way. And that held
true to aging also. Uh, and so I set out to begin this conversation around
the peculiarities.
I described them, uh, at this intersection of aging and raise. Uh, and that
gave Raj to aging while black, uh, which became something far more
than I ever imagined when I began the journey.
Kristie: Can you talk a little bit about that evolution of when you actually
thought through that journey? In the beginning, I.
Raymond: So I have been spending time in the aging space for a
couple of years. Uh, I also had my own personal wrestlings because my
father died at 54. [00:03:00] Uh, and so with each subsequent birthday,
had this sense of survivor's guilt. My dad and I were born on the same
day, and so February 14th. Yes, I am a Valentine's Day baby.
Every February 14th after my 54th birthday, I was keenly aware that I
had been afforded something that this absolutely wonderful man never
got to enjoy. Which was another year past the age of 54. And so that
came with not only a sense of survivor's guilt, but also a sense of
obligation to his legacy, to my community, to my family, to my people, to
do something with this life that I had.
And as I began to spend time in the aging space, I was participating in a
fellowship. I was invited to serve on a national organization's board. I just
became [00:04:00] focused on what was happening to older black
people in America. The systems, the structures around them. And so on
February 14th, 2023, we launched Aging While Black.
Uh, we set up a webpage. We started these conversations. We invited
people to join us, and it just took off from. There. Uh, and so the
community continued to grow, uh, this past year, uh, aging While Black
was a featured partner of the American Society on Aging. At their 70th,
uh, birthday celebration for their national conference, we hosted a black
aging summit where we literally had to close the door and say, we can't
allow any more people in, because the demand was so great.
We had the Aging while Black Learning Center, where we curated more
than 15 [00:05:00] hours of content in terms of presentations from
people doing amazing work across this country impacting, uh, black
aging. And it has just continued to grow from there.
Kristie: All right. And that summit was great. I was there as well, and the
doors were locked and closed.
So as we continue on, can you just describe the pillars of the movement,
the recalibrating the village, and embracing innovation and rapid change
and leaning into Sankofa.
Raymond: So thank you so much for, for, for, for articulating them. They
are the pillars. They are the platforms upon which aging while black is
built, the first recalibrate, the village asserts the belief that the
infrastructure that.
Uh, that supports black life is ill prepared for what has already begun to
happen in terms of aging in our community. Whether you're talking about
[00:06:00] churches, social organizations, fraternities, sororities,
businesses, community organizations, legal services. None of the
elements that support Black Life are really positioned and looking at
what is already beginning to happen and what will show up in profound
ways in terms of an increased number of older adults.
The Census Bureau has projected that by mid. 2035 for the first time in
its history, America will have more people over the age of 65 than under
the age of 18. Data suggests that in less than two decades, the number
of black people over the age of 65 will grow from 4 million to 12 million.
So how do we begin to prepare the infrastructure to support so that
people don't just age, [00:07:00] but they thrive as they age?
And that the institutions in our communities and those that serve our
community don't implode, but are able to ensure the wellbeing of older
black people in, uh, in our communities and, and in this country. And so
recalibrating the. Village is how do we rethink the village to make certain
that we are prepared in an intentional way?
Embracing innovation and technology is recognizing that we live in a
world that changes every day, and much of that change is rooted in
technology. And so how do we make certain, number one, that black
elders are competent and confident in the use of technology? Because it
has to be both of those.
There's a lot of attention on making certain that people are competent.
Without making certain that there is a, uh, a confidence, uh, that beli, uh,
that moves beyond [00:08:00] the initial, uh, attempts at at, at
competence. And so how do we make certain that black elders are able
to navigate a world that will be increasingly shaped by the use of
technology?
But also how do we harness technology and make it serve the interest
of, of black elders and the culture, uh, that, that, that, uh, that we, uh,
exist in. Uh, and then the last pillar leaning into Sankofa is about this
West African concept of making benevolent use of the past, uh, so that it
informs the present and the future.
And so how do we make certain that the wisdom of the elders is
available in tangible and constructive ways, but also how do we create
these intergenerational dynamics so that this wisdom and ingenuity and
creativity flows in a reciprocal way in our [00:09:00] community? And so
that is the movement that aging while Black seeks to be and seeks to
catalyze across this country.
Antonia: Thank you for that explanation. All of these pillars are so
necessary, but for me, I love the concept of leaning into the Sankofa.
How do you plan to implement these pillars through your vertical and
horizontal strategies?
Raymond: Thank you so much and thank you for, for appreciating
Sankofa. It is my favorite. On my 66th birthday, I actually got my first
tattoo and it is a Sankofa board, uh, on my, on my left shoulder.
So I feel it is safe to say I feel some kind of way, uh, about the concept
of of Sankofa. But, but we seek to execute. First of all, we are
community building. How do we grow the, the community of people who
are committed to, uh, black elders [00:10:00] thriving, uh, and see value
in these three pillars? And so we seek to build out that community
further in two ways.
The vertical is how do we go into a particular community and engage the
infrastructure that supports black aging in that community and support
them in, in developing this collective framing of how they approach aging
in ways that improve the outcomes for black aging. Uh, currently we are
doing that work in Denver.
We've been working with a leadership team in Denver for almost the last
year. We are expanding that community and that work in Denver, and
ultimately with increased capacity, we will replicate this vertical effort in
other communities. The horizontal seeks to establish these national
platforms. That [00:11:00] bring people together based on interest.
And so, uh, by your show's name, one area that you would certainly be
interested in is we have a horizontal that's focused on caregiving. And so
we have people who are interested in caregiving for black elders from
across this country who gather together on this virtual platform. Uh, we
are helping them to.
Identify best practices, emerging practices, culturally relevant practices,
experiences, and so we currently have full horizontals caregiving, uh,
brain health, advanced care planning, and economic mobility. And so
each of these in the vertical and in each of the horizontals, we go about
it through recalibrating the village, embracing innovation, uh, and rapid
change and leaning into Sankofa.
Uh, and so that's how we are approaching the [00:12:00] work.
Antonia: I actually feel like I have had an education already, but can you
give us a preview of your keynote address for aging while black?
Raymond: Every keynote address that I give at this point can be
summed up in three words, thriving black elders. How do we center the
aspirations of our communities and how do we transform the aging
landscape so that the, the, the intended outcome is thriving black elders.
So much of aging is focused on decline, loss, isolation, and the bare
minimums of survival. Aging while black seeks to upend that paradigm
and to challenge us to center [00:13:00] thriving black elders at the very
heart of what we do. So that's what the keynote address is about.
Antonia: Thank you.
Kristie: We are excited for that keynote address and excited for you to
share with Pat at the Urban Aging Expo.
So Pat, you've done so much for the aging community in Detroit. Can
you tell us why you launched Urban Aging News?
Pat: Certainly it came out of my confusion and overwhelm after a 10
year caregiving journey. I had mom and dad and many of the adult
children that I met along the way in nursing homes and skilled rehab
centers and in emergency rooms.
None of us had any clue about what to do for our parents. We didn't
know the difference between Medicare or Medicaid, for example. And so
I had a old 20th century, uh, journalism master's [00:14:00] degree and I
said, let me dust this off. And uh, when this journey was over, then I was
going to, um, put a paper together just to connect people to resources.
Primarily, it's evolved to a lot more, but that was the purpose of it initially,
so that people could find resources. And that was the common cry.
Where's the help? I.
Antonia: So Urban Aging news has been around for a number of years
now and has changed the landscape of the caregiving community. What
has been the most rewarding aspect of publishing urban aging news,
pat.
Pat: Well, you know, I often say that I'm out here practicing social work
without a social work license, and I really am. People, caregivers, adult
children will call me on the phone and you can see the desperation in
their voices when they call [00:15:00] and. And ask me to connect them
to resources and services. And I often tell people, I may not know the
answer, but I sure know a lot of people in the aging network who can get
the answer for you.
So that's really rewarding to me.
Kristie: Okay. Thank you, and I definitely agree that you are definitely a
connector to resources and information in and throughout the
community. And so when thinking about establishing Urban Aging news
as a newspaper, what inspired you to establish the Aging Matters
Education Expo caregiver conference
Pat: need, need at this time?
Uh, in 20 14, 20 13, there was a comparable conference offered to
suburbanite. And it was way far away from those folks who live in the
city. And so I approached the, um, then CEO of the Area Agency on
Aging, Detroit Area Agency on Aging, and said, we need [00:16:00] to do
this. And he said, well, we, I don't have the capacity.
And then he looked at me and said, why don't you do it? And I said, oh,
well, okay. I said, you're gonna support me, cha ching ching. And he,
and he did. And they have supported me ever since.
Antonia: And how has the expo evolved over the past nine years and
what can attendees expect this year?
Pat: Well, they can expect information and connections.
There's two kinds of people that we target for this audience. Certainly
caregivers, and that's why we always have the elder legal planning, uh,
panel and information, and we all. Also always have home and
community-based services panel and information so that people can go
directly and connect with those resources.
And then there's always a trending topic. Last year we did Alzheimer's
disease this year to Brother Raymond's point, um, one of the third set of.
[00:17:00] Um, workshops is around gadgets and technology to, for
more efficient caregiving and just for aging in place. So there's
workshops, and those workshops are in the morning and the afternoon.
They're repeated in the afternoon. A free lunch they can expect and
fellowship.
Kristie: It's
Pat: always
Kristie: a great time for Fellowship at the Expo. So over the last eight,
nine years, what are some memorable moments or success stories from
the event?
Pat: Off the top of my head. I think the year before last, or was it 2019
and we had um, Thelma from Good Times.
Yes. And that was a memorable, people were really impressed. Thelma
had been a long time caregiver of her mom who suffered with.
Dementia. And so people really came out for that. And they were, um,
for, you know, a lot of nostalgia because a lot of us had grown up
watching her, but also, um, they [00:18:00] wanted to hear her
caregiving story.
Antonia: So how do you see the role of caregivers changing in the
future, and what additional support do you think they will need?
Pat: Well, I don't really see the role changing. I see the acceptance of,
um, technology changing and it's because, you know, it's coming at us
as Brother Judson has told us that, uh, we have no choice.
And so that's why we chose this particular topic this year, is that we've
got to get our people trained and acclimated to, and open to using
technology. And, and, and another changes. One change I'm seeing is
there's more and more male caregivers. And so that's that, uh, God's
taking care of Mama is, is just wonderful to see.
Kristie: Definitely a lot of changes with caregivers. Definitely a lot of
things to think about. And [00:19:00] with that, what advice would you
give to new caregivers attending the Expo for the first time? Those first
time attenders? Come
Pat: stay all day. All day visit. Our robust, uh, vendor gallery because
there, there's people representing all the services and programs around
town.
Uh, attend the lectures and talk to people. People are very open. Um,
part of the reason the caregivers suffers so much is that they're doing so
in silos. They're not connected to anybody and you can't care, uh, by
yourself. You need a community, you need connections, and you need
access to information and resources.
Kristie: So Pat, can you talk to us a little bit about the partners that
helped put this and bring this education expo every year?
Pat: Absolutely. After I got the go ahead from D AAA to [00:20:00]
establish the conference, I convened a group of nonprofit senior serving
organizations and they became, we became the Detroit caregiver
support collaborative.
Those folks are the Southeast Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative
Neighborhood Legal Services, Michigan Elder Law and Advocacy
Center, and Bridging Communities Inc. And Urban Aging News. And the
four of us are the planning group, and we are your host for Aging
Matters.
Kristie: Where can our listeners find out more about you and the
information about the Expo specifically?
Pat: Well, the expo there is the website Aging Matters expo.com. Aging
matters expo.com. You do need to register for the conference. You can
either do so through the website or by calling an agency that's going to
take the registrations and their number registration begins July
[00:21:00] 8th, (313) 937-8291. Again, that call in.
For Aging Matters, education and Expo is 9 3 7 8 2 9 1, and that's area
code 3 1 3. And I would be remiss if you all would allow me just to say a
little something about my sponsors. Mm-Hmm. Who make this possible.
We've got the Ralph C. Wilson Fund has funded us this year along with
the Detroit Area Agency on the Aging Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Michigan Pace.
St. Patrick's Senior Center, Alzheimer's Association, Hannon Center.
Detroit Family Caregivers Project and Golden Connection, and we are
eternally grateful to their support and belief in what we're offering to our
community.
Kristie: You know, sponsors help make it all happen. Yes, indeed.
Right? Absolutely. So where can we find out [00:22:00] more information
about aging while Black?
Raymond: Everyone can go to Aging while Black Co and sign up to get
our communications and gain information about our social platforms and
catch up on some of the YouTube information that we put there. So
Aging while Black co co.
Pat: I'd just like to add, if it's okay that um, go to Raymond's Ted Talk.
That's where I discovered him.
Yes. Aging wild black Ted Talk. So glad to see you brother Jetson.
Raymond: Great to see you. Looking forward to being in Detroit.
Absolutely.
Antonia: Well, thank you Raymond and Pat for joining us today and
sharing your insights. We're looking forward to the ninth Annual Aging
Matters, education and Expo, and the incredible impact it will have
Kristie: and our listeners.
Thank you for tuning in to this special relaunch episode of Caregiver
Conversations. Stay informed, connected, and [00:23:00] equipped on
your caregiving and aging journey. Don't forget to join us at The Aging
Matters Education and Expo on August 1st at Fellowship Chapel in
Detroit, and tune in for future episodes.
Antonia: Until next time, take care of those who you love and keep the
conversation going.
Kristie: And to our listeners, thank you for joining us on caregiver
conversations, where we celebrate being senior strong and where
families falling apart come together. Until next time, stay empowered
and keep caring.