Division Administrator Disability and Aging Service, Angela Velasquez
Welcome to the Disability & Aging Services Division (DAS) of DHS – where 117 dedicated, compassionate, creative, collaborative, and supportive staff in DAS believe it is a privilege to serve others, to empower all to make choices and decisions consistent with the practice of selfdetermination. Some have asked, “Why pair Disability & Aging in the creation of a new division?” My answer has been short and to the point. When we dismantle ageist thinking, we fight ableism. They have much in common.
Ageism arises when age is used to categorize and divide people in ways that lead to harm, disadvantage, and injustice. It can take many forms including prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory acts, and institutional policies and practices that perpetuate stereotypical beliefs. Ableism is defined as stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and social oppression toward people with disabilities including physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities, invisible disabilities, chronic health conditions, psychiatric conditions, and others and includes persons of all ages.
Ashton Applewhite in her book, This Chair Rocks – A Manifesto Against Ageism, a highly recommended read, “Aging isn’t a problem to be solved. Or a disease to be cured. Or something icky that old people do. It’s how we move through life, and more of us are doing more of it than ever before in human history.” Disrupting both isms is critical for persons with disabilities and those who are aging as they have a devastating impact on people’s lives and are a flagrant violation of their human rights. If what we permit is what we promote, then we all have work to do, so please join us in looking at policies, practices, and interactions that systemically have promoted ageist and ablest harm.
I’ll just share a little bit about the units within the DAS Division, as the May issue of the Newsletter is chalk full of stories and information about the work we do. The Division has 4 units, supported by administrative staff to include our wonderful Clerks, Accounting Clerks and Supported Employees: Disability Services for Children which includes Birth to 3, Children’s Long-Term Support Waiver Program, and Vocational Futures for Youth Transitioning out of High School into Employment; Adult Protective Services which includes Adult Guardianship & Protective Placement, Adults at Risk/Elders at Risk for Abuse and/or Neglect, the Alzheimer’s Family Caregiver Support Program, Victim Advocate Project (APS VAP), and Dementia Crisis Specialist Services; Aging and Disability Resource Center which includes Transportation Services, Information & Assistance, Screening and enrollment in Long Term Care Programs, Disability Benefit Specialists and Dementia Care Specialist programs and services; Area Agency on Aging which includes Senior Group and Home Delivered Meal Nutrition & Wellness, Community-based Case Management Services, Volunteer Opportunities for Older Adults, Diversity & Inclusion Programs for Older Adults who identify as BIPOC, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and Elder Benefit Specialist Legal Assistance Program.
LeeAnn M Grimm, Elder Abuse and Adults at Risk Supervisor, Adult Protective Services
In 2022 and 2023 $100,000/per year became available under the Older Americas Act (OAA) to assist Elder’s in our community who are struggling with hoarding situations in their homes. Hoarding although a relatively common disorder, gets progressively worse as a person ages. The prevalence number of hoarding behavior rises to 6.5% from 4% over the age of 60. There is no question that the hoarding disorder has a greater impact on older adults.
To be eligible for the OAA hoarding funds the person needs to be:
In 2022, Dane County APS (using OAA funds) was able to assist 25 individuals living in Dane County clean-up their homes. Therefore, assist them to remain living in the home of their choice without the risks associated with hoarding. Evictions/foreclosures; homelessness; illness from unsanitary conditions; poor hygiene and poor nutrition, fire hazard; injury/ falls due to hoarded path ways; and inability to obtain personal and home care providers in a hoarded environment. At the end of December 2022, we received an application for assistance from an Area Focal Point Care Manager requesting funds to assist with her client in cleaning up her home. Her client was 77 years old and lived alone in her own home in Dane County.
At the time of the application, she had multiple medical issues and recently suffered a stroke. Her home was filled with papers, boxes, magazines, newspapers, and numerous un-opened purchased items. The majority of the clutter/hoarding was located in her kitchen, dining room, and computer/office room. She wasn’t able to find a surface to have or prepare meals or manage her monthly bills. She had no access to get into the computer/office room due to the clutter. The care manager was concerned for her physical safety in the home, as well as the effects of her environment on her mental health. The home had many areas that were tripping hazards, and now post stroke her risk for injury was even higher. She also was experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed thinking about what had to be done in her home that she could not accomplish without assistance.
She was without children or family that could assist and the clean-up was too much to involve friends. Then to compound the issues, she was unable to fund the clean-up of her home because she had fallen victim to a financial scam and lost most of her savings to a ‘lottery’ financial scam. The scam had happened over several years and despite many efforts by professionals/friends, she refused to believe it was a scam until she had been depleted of her life savings. As luck would have it, she got to a place where she finally accepted that she needed assistance with clean-up, believed now that she was a victim of a scam, and was ready to accept assistance at the same time the OAA funding for hoarding clean-up became available. Her home was cleaned in February this year (2023) and per the care manager, the impact on her life has been great. She had been through a lot (physically, mentally, and financially) over the last couple years and due to the OAA funding, “she is in a better place not only physically (fall risk) but also mentally”.
The funding through OAA will end at the end of the year, or when this year’s funding is used, whichever comes first. If you are aware of any elder who meets the criteria above, reach out either to the Dane County APS Helpline 608-261-9933 or email the APS Elder Abuse/Adult at Risk Supervisor LeeAnn Grimm at grimm.leeann@countyofdane
Jamie Her, ADRC Program Specialist
The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Dane County has four Disability Benefit Specialist (DBS) who are integral part member of the ADRC team of professionals that assist Dane County residents. The DBS provides free and confidential assistance to adults ages 18 to 59 with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders to navigate the complex process of applying for benefits and appeals, as well as maintaining their benefits. The DBS provides information, assistance, and advocacy regarding Medicaid, Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicare, Prescription Drug Assistance, FoodShare, and much more. A DBS can help people figure out what benefits they are entitled to and help them apply. The DBS program can also provide education and training to individuals, families, and community organizations on disability benefits and related topics. The DBS is available to meet with people in the ADRC office or a setting convenient to them. You can find more information about the DBS program on this website or call the ADRC at (608) 240-7400 to be referred to a Disability Benefit Specialist.
Jesse Drury
A bright smile beamed across Aurora Miller’s face as music therapist Sarah Miller strummed her guitar to Raffi’s classic song “Shake My Sillies Out.” A half dozen more children joined on this cold March day, taking turns sharing instruments, moving and singing at Madison Area Music Therapy’s Little Bugs program. In this class, music therapy is applied as a fun way to engage the senses and support development for children enrolled in Dane County’s Birth to 3 program. Birth to 3 is available for children under 36 months old who needs added support to meet developmental milestones. “Music therapy utilizes music and music interventions to address child development in communication, social/emotional, motor, and cognitive skills,” said Sarah Miller of Madison Area Music. “Music is highly motivating, stimulates the senses, engages children in play, regulates emotions, and provides a fun a lasting learning experience.” Music therapy was provided at no cost for families due to a grant from the federal government, as part of American Rescue Plan Act (APRA), and signed into law in 2021. ARPA funds went to schools, hospitals, small businesses, and infrastructure.
In 2022, Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services (DHS) requested all 72 Wisconsin counties apply for ARPA funds to support families enrolled in the Birth to 3 program. Dane County Dept. of Human Services requested $30,000 to fund counseling and therapeutic services utilizing contracted providers from Dane’s Children’s Long Term Support program. This included providing swim and music therapy, training and support for unpaid caregivers, along with a separate request to distribute $50 gift cards to Dane County Birth to 3 families for essential items like food, gas, and diapers. In addition, WI DHS and WI DCF are using APRA funds to subsidize the cost of childcare for all Birth to 3 families for up to one year. Families who meet certain income guidelines are able to apply for a subsidy to a licensed day care to offset a portion of their financial obligation, and apply money to other critical areas.
Registration for this program was administered through a joint-effort between Dane County’s Disability Unit, Birth to 3, and Dane County Economic Assistance (EAS).
The Birth to 3 program is offered to children whose development is behind peers in the areas of: Speech/Language, motor development, self-help, cognitive, and social and emotional development. In 2022, Dane County’s Birth to 3 program processed 1,200 referrals, and enrolled 920 children into the program.
Sridevi Mohan, AAA Manager May is Older Americans Month! Each May, we are encouraged to recognize and honor older adults in the United States. The Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965 is a federal law that provides essential funding for programs and services that support the well-being of older adults ages 60 and over in the United States, allowing them to remain living in their homes and communities with dignity and independence for as long as possible.
The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) of Dane County is responsible for implementing many OAA-funded programs and services for older adults in the region. They include: the Senior Nutrition Program for both in-home and congregate meals, nutrition education, outreach, and classes for the community; the Elder Benefits Specialist Program that provides health benefit-related free legal assistance, advocacy, and outreach in addition to other benefits and consumer-related services; and the Caring for Caregivers Program that provides support to family caregivers through grants for respite and supplemental services, caregiver education, and outreach including the Caregiver Chronicles newsletter.
In addition, the Area Agency on Aging has contracted services including Case Management & Bi-Lingual Case Management via Focal Points that provide older adults and their families a gateway to access a broad array of programs and services to help them stay healthy and independent; Supportive Home Care that provides limited in-home services to older adults who do not qualify for long-term care programs; the Cultural Diversity Program to identify and overcome barriers that prevent older adults in communities of color from accessing community services; the Volunteer Guardianship & Representative Payee Program that recruits and trains volunteers to help vulnerable older adults manage Social Security and pay monthly bills; Falls Prevention that offers evidence-based programming and classes to reduce falls through Safe Communities; Mental Health Resources that provide mental health consultation services and case management support to older adults who are not on Medicaid; Transportation Services to provide group and individual rides to medical appointments, senior dining sites, senior centers, grocery stores, and general shopping; and Volunteer Programs that match older adult volunteers with opportunities to serve throughout Dane County through RSVP of Dane County.
Between these programs and many other essential contributions, the Area Agency on Aging of Dane County works to ensure that older adults have access to the resources they need to remain independent, healthy, included, and engaged in their communities and this is a role that is rapidly expanding. According to a 2021 Survey by the AARP, 77% of adults age 50 and over want to remain in their homes for the long term. According to the US Census, by 2030, the entire Baby Boom Generation will be age 65 or over and the number of older adults in Dane County shows this progression. The total population of older adults in Dane County has grown from 84,290 in 2012 to 113,054 in 2021, an increase of 34% over 9 years. As our population ages, the services provided by AAA and the Aging Network will continue to be critical for the vast majority of Dane County older adults who want to continue aging in place.
Beth Freeman, Manager, Adult Protective Services
Dane County Adult Protective Services works with vulnerable adults in Dane County. For the purposes of APS, vulnerable adults are considered to be persons over 60 years of age or adults between the age of 18-59 who have a some kind of disability which may put them at risk. Services provided by APS staff include operating an APS Helpline where individuals from the community can call if they have concerns about someone who may be at risk of being abused or neglected, investigating reports of abuse or neglect, providing advocacy and trauma informed support for persons over 60 or adults with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities who have been victimized or exploited in some way, petitioning the court for guardianship on behalf of low income individuals determined by the court to need someone to help make decisions on their behalf, making annual visits to individuals who are under a protective placement order to ensure they and their living situation continues to meet their needs and helping to mitigate the risk of persons with dementia being admitted into a hospital due to physical behavioral expressions by providing person centered training and guidance to caregivers.
In addition to these core services APS staff provide outreach and training in the community to bring awareness to the needs of vulnerable adults. This includes overseeing the Elder Abuse and Intellectual Developmental Disability Community Coordinated response meetings, facilitating a monthly Financial Abuse Services Team meeting, providing training about the signs of abuse or neglect and how to connect with APS to community partners such as long term care programs, law enforcement, adult day centers, senior centers, etc, facilitating a monthly guardianship support group, sponsoring an annual conference related to Domestic Violence in Later Life and bringing community awareness World Elder Abuse Awareness Day each June 15th.
The work done by APS staff is challenging, interesting and rewarding all at the same time. APS staff are committed to ensuring vulnerable adults at risk in Dane County are supported in such a way that allows them to choose where they live and how they live whenever possible and helping others in our community to better understand their right to do so.
