OK. Let's go.

Is this how you'd like to be cared for when you're We would have no idea what went that had we not had the cameras Hello, I'm Nick Haines.

You've just watched our new film Now we dig for answers.

We're heading to the Kansas City Blossom Library for a town hall on the state of In our metro.

We have the experts and a big au We also have a front row seat fo next on Kansas City PBS.

I didn't want her to have to spe another day with people that were not sympathetic to her And so if I had been here and on and one more night that she not only would have bee but she also would have been hun And I'm just not sure that it would have been addresse What residents often tell us, I wish I would have died than to like this.

And you've been watching.

How should we care, on Kansas Ci Yes, Hello I'm Nick Haines By a How many of us in this room are Oh, okay.

All righty.

That's what I thought.

We are all aging America is agin According to the U.S. Census, American 65 and older will for the very f in the country's history, outnumber children.

Who's going to look after all of these people and how are we doin And that's the purpose of our ne together, we've got a think tank of experts with us who can turn for answers for some of our pesky questions.

You just saw Camille Russell in the documentary.

She is the Kansas long term care who looks at the citizen complai about elder care facilities in K She's coming to us from Topeka, by the way.

She also serves under two Kansas attorney generals, is director of the Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Unit.

Melody Elston is just wrapping u an assignment as interim aging d of the Mid-America Regional Coun which keeps a broader eye on issues and trends involving elder care on both sides of stat Janet Baker's full time job is e celebrating and serving older adults to help gracefully.

In Kansas City, she lives the challenge every da as director of the Kansas City Shepherd Center.

She doesn't have a white coat or a stethoscope strategically placed around her But Dr. Jessica Calendar Rich is a geria at the University of Kansas Heal who teaches about the care of ag and works closely with the Lando on Aging.

And Samantha Sheppard is the founding partner of the S elder Law Group, which has offic in Overland Park, Kansas.

And Hutchinson.

She spends every day talking to navigating those tough financial health and emotional p involving elder care planning.

Please welcome our panel to the here, by the way.

We also have filmmaker Michael P with us who spent basically, Mic a year of your life lifting up the hood on adult living facilities, nursing homes looking at aging in place in Kan What was the big take home for you having done th Well, because the film itself took me into, sadly, one of the main issues that too people face, which is going into term care facility where they're receiving substand And of course, in some instances I was spending time with the families of those peopl What I want to quickly came to r is the impact of that on the families outside of the c as it were, who aren't putting their loved ones in these care h and then washing their hands.

They care for them still.

They l They still love them.

They're trying to monitor the ca They're trying to improve the ca They're advocating for condition to improve.

And it's devastating reality for them as well.

When week after week, they are w that sort of vicariously experiencing the substandard car for their for their loved one.

And it's a huge issue for too ma I'd say that's my main takeaway.

Michael Price, thank you very mu Camille Russell, we saw you in the documentary.

You said there were some people who come to you as t term care ombudsman and say they would prefer to be in the river by the river rather than be in one of these f Really?

It's actually what I tell my fam I say it would be preferable to me to be living in a van by the riv Then don't put me in a nursing h When COVID happened, The Washington Post claimed that there was no more dangerous to be in America than a nursing not just for the patients, but for the staff as well.

You just served on the Corona vi nursing Home Task Force there.

Did that change COVID, change people's perceptio and say, you know, I would never want to go there a You know, I think COVID really e some of the challenges that had been already in place in many of these facilities in addition to staffing impacts that happened during the pandemi when people really didn't feel c working any longer in that setti of all of the things that you me and not feeling safe.

That really just compounded the We have the impression, of cours that we have tons of regulations The state looks after these thin The federal government does.

The federal law requires that there be a comprehensive in at least every 15 months.

But one in four Missouri nursing homes have not had an inspection in more than two y according to ProPublica.

Kansas has its own issues.

Even before the pandemic, less t nursing homes met the federal go inspection target.

Are there simply not enough insp There are not enough inspectors and there are not enough of the inspectors were under-resourced.

And it's amazing what they get done with the few But the playing field is really and it's in the favor of the pro What are the red flags we should be paying attention to before we consider that choic First of all, when you walk in, I say, use your five senses.

You want to look and see what yo As far as the the residents who were there, you want to hear if their call lights going off and no one attending to them.

You want to smell.

You want to look at what the residents are w If they're still in their sleepi or if they're dressed.

So there are just use your five and you can kind of gauge that the quality of that home.

And Dr. Jessica, you were also a medical at a nursing home.

What are the red flags that you patients or their families who may be fee they need to go to a long term care facility?

So I actually tell people to sto to use those five senses, but to and not at noon on a monday, but to actually stop by on a wee or an evening and see how things and sound and smell.

And in addition to that, really just asking all of the questions that are burning in all of our m and because we all have question Right.

What's the biggest question that I mean, the biggest question I think that I hear is, you know, are you going to care for my lov Right.

A different question we could be asking is, how are you going to care for my when you I think you're dealing every day.

You have clients coming into you your family members who are worried about making a d What are the red flags?

What do you tell them about how to choose a long term care facility exactly as the others are saying I say go at unexpected times.

Don't wait for an invitation.

It's a it's a home, which means that you're allowed to show up.

You don't need an appointment with the admissions personnel.

You show up.

Now, one expert again tells us you should make an unannounced v to choosing a facility.

Are they just going to hate you for doing that?

They're coming.

If they're going to hate you for doing that, that's a red fla That's not where you want your parent, your loved one, to So that's the last plus the last And the person that's going to l I don't know about any of you, but do you buy a home without se yourself?

Why would we have our loved one go live somewhere that they didn I would also say speak to the residents, you know the people who are walking aroun you know, observing the birdcage or whatever is mayor, you know, speak to the residents ask them and speak for their loved ones that they're visiting.

They will be able to give you honest insight on the care of their loved one and what concerns are there.

Now, we've been told by some agi that you should be actually looking into assisted living or nursing homes before your lov actually needs it, because there we are told, substantial waiting Is that really a big problem that for all these facilities that we see now popping up all over our metro, whenever there's a spare piece o it seems to be we have a new assisted living fa or a nursing home.

There are waiting lists.

Absolutely.

Some of them are 18 months long.

I advise someone today to go to one particular place while they could manage and get on the waiting list for which I think is perhaps a 12 mo There's something a little bit like people with ch that even before the baby is bor they're now considering the child care optio and you don't want to learn when you're in the moment of cri If you if you're an aging person and you see signs, well, I suppose you don't usually see your own signs.

But if one of your family members has dementia and you're considering when is the right time for place I hate the idea that you've wait to the moment of crisis to then start exploring the AARP has a study out, recent study that says 77% of pe 50 want to age at home.

Janet Baker, That's what you do.

That's about the wraparound serv allowing people to age at home.

What is the number one obstacle in Kansas City to doing Well, I would say for nonprofit organizations like Kansas City Shepherd Center, the number one obstacle is sustainable funding to support the true wraparound s that are needed to help an older live in their own homes, in their communities, with the wraparound services the We have all of our programs like Meals on Wheels, senior companions, phone pals, Adventures in Learning.

We can provide the entire pletho of programs and services to make it possible for older ad to live safely, happily, independently in their own homes about the cost of a day in the h for a year.

You mentioned 77% said that they would prefer to a But once they're there, I would that the total long term care ombudsman are much a higher perc that they wish they had done mor and done a different they accomm fear of their family members to be there and things like that They wish they had stayed at hom longer that they planned and we could do that with less m Like Janet said, my wife, by the way, was a fitne specialist at one of the most lu assisted living facilities in our metropolitan area, And I've been goading her, trying to get information from h and the people, the residents she has spoken wit Every single one of them has tol their only regret is they waited too long to get t You provided security.

You provided a lot of different that you might not get if you're aging at home.

So you said something that's going to irritate me all A luxurious place.

So.

So who's who defines luxury So you know what I find?

If it's the children and I do have a Johnson County p as well as the Kansas City pract So we get we get rubbed a little bit for t So there's an appeal to the chil for the outside lobby.

Can I beg you to go beyond the l Yeah.

So the luxury I'm not trying to for your perception that the the place is luxurious because the lobby is.

But maybe I am actually.

Or who else is faulting me for luxury?

Yes.

I'll speak to the fact that the the staff usually travel to each long term care facility.

So just because the facility app luxurious, the care may be the s I think about luxury, and I'm going to say the word because this is really a lot of concern is how do you afford to stay in some of these facilit The current cost of a nursing ho hovers around $100,000 a year.

Who has the money to pay 8 to $9 a month to get that kind of care Isn't that luxury?

I will tell you that the older a in Kansas City with a median inc income in their lifetime of $58, a year can't.

And the people that we serve who are largely low income older adults and particularly people of color who didn't have jobs where they much Social Security and didn't have positions where they accrue any kind of pension, can't.

Well, we've got to do something We've got to and we've got to look at what the billions of dol that we are spending on long ter where it's going.

We've got to look at true transp to make sure that the money is going to the actual cost for care and is not being pilfered o We completely boxed them in.

So our government dollars are pa I'm not running for office so I can say what I need to say.

So.

So our government dollars are going to pay for Med and I help people get on Medicaid every day.

But we will not pay for assisted living hardly at all in Missouri So that's an impractical financial calculation.

As you said, 100,000, if you're it might be close to 120,000 a y We're forcing people to go into the nursing home who in assisted living or could stay because we won't put our dollars Something that came out of this that was surprising to me and I' This is another area that you go mad at me over the luxurious one I use interchangeably, sort of assisted living in nursi And yet what a huge difference there is.

And I can see that nodding there in agreement.

But also in terms of the law, that was kind of surprising.

For instance, people who whose nursing home bills are by Medicaid are protected by fed from eviction.

They can't be removing you.

But that's not true of assisted And yet it's one of the biggest that long term care ombudsman ha with with years is infections.

And people in assisted livings often do not have the sa and it is important that they be able to appeal and have those legal remedies that viewers and I would have if an apartment out in the communit And she mentioned rights.

And I think that speaks to how t for your loved one, know their rights, know that they have the rights that anyone would have in the co to make those decisions.

So knowing the rights while you' term care plays a major role in the qualit A lot of times in the film, staffing is the big issue.

The nation's largest nursing home lobbying group says 52 nursing homes in K have closed due to staffing issu since the onset of the pandemic.

In fact, one industry survey con December found eight out of ten nursing homes in the country exp a staffing shortage.

So what does that mean for us no beginning to think about elder c Dr. Jessica There there really are not enough peop working in these facilities to take care of them in the way that we believe and they deserve to be taken car I went to a symposium on aging at the University of Ka and they had a as part of a pane a funeral home director from Tex who said at this symposium and it's burned into my brain, he says, I can always tell as a funeral d if the person has been looked after at home or they've been lo in a nursing home, the person wh the nursing home is in a lot bet I can see Janet looking at me, the argument being Janet, why would you expect someone at and we want to make this a mythical experience.

We are so good, we're so morally We're looking after our loved on But there's just you.

And you may be older yourself.

You may have your own issues, and now it may take, you know, a to 8 people looking after you in a, you know, assisted living fac You've got a lot more care, a lot more support.

Well, except to the extent that you're hearing from these e that the staffing is the issue a not getting that level of suppor So perhaps he lived in a differe of community than we have.

Okay.

But Camille, Camille deals with the people who are complain You're dealing with a lot of oth Are they happy being in assisted living facilities, nursing homes Are you tracking folks who come to your office?

Samanth But I have a personal experience that I'm just going to pray for that my mother's not watching.

Okay, so cut this out of the cli My father died at home the day he died.

She said to me she called that last day and sai okay, you can take him.

I work in this field.

Did I want But my mother is less than £100.

My father had ALS.

He had bedsores.

And I work in this field.

We couldn't move him, the two of Sometimes your own limitations a as a daughter, as a mother, require you to seek alternative But that's my whole point about being able to age in place and having the support services needed to augment what a family And those services are available And everything that nonprofits like Shepherd Center does are at no expense to the family that require philanthropic fundi That is very difficult to get.

But I'm I'm my position is invest in prevent It's far less expensive than than paying for failure.

And at the beginning of the day, if we invested in the support se to keep people supported at thei then we wouldn't be waiting until the last minute and then g a substandard care in a nursing We've already got a lot of quest coming in already from our own a since we started the whole proje We heard from Sandy and Mary in who writes, My dad refuses to consider moving into assisted He's in his late eighties, a cancer survivor.

I'm taking care of my mother, who has mild dementia.

How can I bring this up with my and help them understand that as living would be good for everyon and it's not what they think it Dr. Jessica I want to know why t He doesn't want to move there.

And what can we do to find the t that he's seeking in a specific in an assisted living or at home or at home?

Right.

So whatever setting can b We know what lane you're traveli right down the middle lane.

And so sometimes good for you.

Like how can we it might not be good for him.

You know, he might I think we fe I think the problem with this sometimes we look at making decisions for older ad because they don't know better, but they've been with themselves for however however old they are And so they're the expert and what they want to see for th So if he wants to age in home, have in place and feel you can't do it anymore I think that's a viable option.

And then his rights and his own, his integrity and his dignity ar Agreed.

I want to go back to the staffin which we talked about.

Something you may not be aware o is that the former governor of K you remember Kathleen Sebelius, was the governor of Kansas, became health secretary in the Obama administration.

Remember that?

And then Mark Parkinson became g and he was in the nursing home industry in Lenexa and he became And today he is the head of the American H Association, Health Care Associa which is the leading nursing home lobbying group in the entire cou And he does that for a living.

And that's what he's doing now.

He has been lobbying Congress and he says the industry is oper with the lowest number of worker since 1995.

He's proposed changing immigrati so American nursing homes can tap into a global talent poo to boost its workforce.

Camille, is that the solution?

We don't need more underpaid peo caring for people.

What we need is, well trained pe We need well-trained people who are trea who are paid a living wage and have benefits.

That's what we need.

She mentioned the living wage and trained well.

In addition to they need to recognize that the that direct care staff actually the hardest in the facilities.

And I believe that if we respect the direct care staff like they then people would be more intere in going into that industry.

Absolutely.

People didn't realize that durin of course, because people were on low pay t and they may not have had paid l They still came to work because they couldn't afford not to have a paycheck in furthe the COVID spread.

Heather, who's an administrator with Evergreen Community Care an Hi, Heather.

She says, For every person we hi it seems like two are leaving.

We've heard from some care worke who claim they can make just as much walking at Target.

And they don't have to clean up feces, vomit or be shouted at by family membe So how much of this is a pay iss A lot.

I would agree.

I think all five of us would tel that.

It's part of it is it's an indus that is under compensated.

And I don't think there's one of up here who would think that the not a staffing crisis under comp and also under respected.

I mean, it really does come back these people are taking care of our loved one and we need to respect them and the facilities to respect th And really, the whole community needs to put on a pedestal for what they're d If we're if that is the situatio now and I said at the very begin we're now heading to a much bigg aging population.

How about the rest of us in this auditorium here at the Kansas Ci What's the care going to look li if we have a staffing issue righ and we're closing more than 50 nursing homes in the state of Kansas in just the last three years.

I would agree with that premise.

And I would also say there's a significant role for public policy in this discus We have an opportunity to go to to go to the state legislatures.

I'm a silver haired legislator m for the state of Missouri to adv for a policy that helps people remain in thei to give them property tax relief, to not tax Social Se which we just finally are addres in Missouri, one of the last 11 to tax Social Security.

We need to deal with things that allow people to spend the r they have to remain at home rather than then be the victims of a government that doesn't care.

There are powerful lobbyists, and we all need to speak up for because there are powerful lobby talking to those legislators.

And those lobbyists are speaking for the providers, for the busin We need those businesses to care about the business they' But we do need providers to have staffing in place.

And the nursing home industry is advocating for changes in Congre One of those before Congress rig is called the Care for our Senio That would incentivize people to choose a career in long term We said it's a problem.

Nobody wants to work, that they don't want to have feces and be shouted at by family memb So they want to provide loan for and housing and child care assis for those who go in to long term which currently are some of the lowest paid people in the entire health care sector Is that the solution?

Well, it can't hurt.

I mean, think about some people love babies and some people love I love little old people.

No offense to the rest of you, but there are people who don't f that elder law is very exciting.

It's not a particularly robust s of the entering body of young attorneys shall we say.

And it's the same, I would imagine, with other fiel So any incentive that helps enco the growth of the industry I'm f I think it's not the solution, but it's a solution and we need to stop looking at i as though there is a panacea.

If we just do one thing, it will fix the problem.

We're going to take your questio if you have any.

I've got plenty of my own, but we'd love to hear what your concerns are during this panel a You mentioned what the panacea i I think the one may be one right as technology's advance.

We have on body wearables, we have in-home sensors that we can connect health care to people living in their home.

Technology could be the solution Will robots be providing for our We like to think of the way things are right now.

What's the future going to hold?

Here's a quick clip for one of my favor Wake up, Frank.

It's seven track.

Wake up, Frank.

It's crucial that we establish a set schedule for your day to h keep you oriented.

Just bring me some cereal.

That cereal is full of unhealthy ingredients.

I threw it away.

Don't throw away my stuff, Frank That cereal is for children.

Enjoy this grapefruit.

You're for children, Stupid.

Today we're going to start a gar Frank, you need a project.

Mental stimulation, plus a regimented schedule will vastl your cognitive functioning.

Besides, it's good exercise.

Frank, we're going to have to work toge You are a robot butler.

I'm not a butler, Frank.

I'm a health care aide.

Program to monitor and improve your physical and mental health.

Yeah.

Get out of my house.

Oh.

Could you do it?

One of those.

No.

Yes.

Keep your head.

What?

You know, we do things statically right now that we hav issues, but, you know, technolog all of these things.

Isn't this a possibility?

I think it's a possibility.

I think a robot can reach things that someone who wasn't able to things will be able to reach.

I think a robot can bring someth and it just really offset those actual mobility issues.

But that doesn't deal with the social isolation and lo that we know that social isolati and loneliness kills, right?

It increases the rate of dementi by 50% and increases the rate of mortality by all causes by 40%.

It is the human connection is cr to longevity and health and well which is one reason sometimes when I meet with a family, I'm e the transition from home in the home, since the wife has passed and he's not eating and he doesn want to move to a nursing home.

God, no.

But perhaps he would consider the next level the independent l where he has someone who will no if he shows up for breakfast.

So it's still home.

And if we encourage these steps.

So the first independent then assisted, we can keep peopl of nursing homes longer.

If we as children encourage and open our minds to these other possibi We talked earlier about preventi prevention being the key.

And so prevention is not only ke people healthy and people moving but it's also keeping people eng in their community and keeping people at home.

But but maybe not in the place t they have lived for the last 50 Right.

In any place that they feel like is their home.

That's what's important there.

And that includes interacting with other people.

That includes being able to do w they can do as independently as as long as possible.

Now, I was thumbs up or thumbs u That was it.

What she was speaking to at home and how I think that when you do to transition into whatever mode that be, individual is included in that decision mak that would allow them to select as opposed to saying, okay, you have to go to this, I think including the older adul into the conversation, do tours and provide options to help them make that decision.

It allows that transition and al them to be oriented into their h You know, a dignified as a as a would require that we make our own choices.

We don't want other people to make our decisions for us.

And we have a right to do that.

And we have every right to do it I was just actually sitting here imagining if my grown children came to me Here's where you're going to liv and here's what I wish they woul I'll be 65 in a minute.

So, you know, I am an older adult, but, you kn Right.

Well, actually, back on the court, you know, and it was Samantha who mentioned the language thing talking about luxury.

But language matters to our view We had a lot of questions relating to that.

Some of our viewers have made it very clear to us that they despi being called senior.

How should we respectfully refer people, older persons, senior citizen, elderly?

What do you say?

Marilyn in Overland Park says, There seems to be no perfect sol She writes, When you go to a sto should they offer you a senior d or wisdom discount?

So, I mean, how how about language on that r and how do you handle that in your own spheres of influence I believe language is extremely I think senior is an othering ye where you are pushing someone away from your own human sometimes.

And so but I also recognize that it's embedded and you know how w And so there are times where I'll refer to something just because people don't unders any other language.

But we use older adult in the wo we use or over 60 or, you know, just a reference.

What do you use, Doctor Jessica I say older adult, but I have to say something real important.

Age is just a number.

Yes.

So this is really not about whether you're an older adult or an older, older adult, Right.

This is really about how you rem and maintain independent, as ind as you can be and how you gain that and can co to have that autonomy, whether you're at home in independent living, assisted a long term care, wherever you a your age is just your number.

How many years you've been on Ea what is old?

I mean, so back at me is 55, old is 60 old now is 65 old is 70 year old, is 75.

Old is 80 year old.

Now 85.

Oh, okay.

Well, so we're between 80 and 85 You know, it is interesting when we talk about it that way.

Ah, what what number we referrin The AARP, of course, will say yo You get that card and you get the discounts.

But then it's a change.

I like my discount.

You've got another four years to wait on that, though.

Samantha.

Thank you.

I'm ingratiating myself to you n We could qualify something based on our age, but we don't need to be labeled as a certain label.

And I think I can be young at he and just maybe older in other pa But anything but I.

So.

So you qualify for something bas or you can buy alcohol because o young age.

I don't think we need to label it and I prefer to be called by Thank you.

Okay.

Becky, who lives out in Redbridg says she calls herself a perenni Is she on to something?

What do you think about that wor Yeah, you know, keen on that.

No better word.

Dinosaur was one I just heard that was rude.

It's terribly rude.

Mature.

Mature is just sufficient.

Okay.

We glossed over a little bit was the cost of care.

So how do we think about that?

And what should we be at home?

Worried, possibly.

When I mentioned the price tag o a year.

What should we be doing?

If I'm sitting in the audience h wondering how may I be thinking about paying for that in the fut and what steps should I be takin Oh, my turn, Samantha, Do I get an hour now?

Because this is what I like to t This is what you spend most of your time talking about how do we finance this?

How do we pay for it?

And I prefer not to do what it i that I do all the time, which is my dad has been discharged to a reh They've told us he's not coming My mother can't stay at home alo He's always paid the bills.

She keeps saying 14 times over.

When are you coming home?

What t And we've gotten the first bill and it's 12,000.

So that then brings Medicaid into the forefront of every normal family that I kn No people, typical people think I should ha every year for two years, three or 12 years to pay for my care.

Long term care is expensive.

I'm probably alienating every pr I've ever worked with.

Long term care insurance is not Okay.

Yeah, but there is such a thing as elder care insurance.

Okay, so how many of your client have have it when they come?

Very few.

Very few.

Because it's so expensive.

It is expensive.

It's expensive.

Okay.

Yes.

What are we talking about when we're talking about expensi $1,000 a month.

Premiums more th Probably about that.

I've seen a variation.

What I've seen.

I'm really going to have a black ball on my face.

My car's tires are probably gett squished by the time I get out t What I've seen is that you get a lovely letter in the m you've been paying for your long care insurance for 20 is, and these sweet little 80 year olds coming to me saying, well, I got a notice saying the premium was going up.

So I've dropped it down and I've dropped it down.

And now they get $50 a day with elimination that's going to last for six mon What good is that?

And they had no choice.

Janet, if you're looking after a at home, that can be expensive t is there any help, financial help as an individual, if you're looking after someone and you're the caregiver at home There are some Mellody mentioned the caregiver approach some or directly that you can re as a family member or some reimb for caregiving in the home.

We have many programs in the com that are no expense to the famil or to the older adult.

Thanks to funders like Mid-America Regional Counci and the federal government and philanthropists and and foun so much of what is needed depending on the situation for that particular family, can be provided by a community n It should be, in my judgment, provided by business.

It is the return on investment o someone at home and out of the e room and out of hospitals should one for health insurance compani It is them.

It's enlightened self-interest for them to keep people well.

Those I think we look at long term care as a long term and our So once someone is in long term they're there.

And I think if you have to go to term care after you were discharged from r you can plan to return home.

I don't think it has to be a permanent solution.

So the discharge planners in the facilities are supposed to c meet with the resident and discuss discharge.

Believe it or not, I know it doesn't happen, but I was a social services dire so I know that is one of their j is to really look at discharge oxygen is how can we get you hom with the resources and the servi that you need that doesn't happe She's right.

It's supposed to be happening.

People go to the hospital.

The hospital recommends a little bit of rehab.

They go to the nursing home.

There is supposed to be discharg planning from that nursing home every resident tells us, I'm only going to be here for a litt But they aren't getting the ther They're supposed to get the decl in the nursing home.

Oftentimes, instead of getting b and they don't get home, or if quite fran if they're capable of going home those folks are easier to take c And there's not a real incentive for those businesses to let loos So that's what I was going to me is there's a capitalistic elemen to institutional care that keeping people in there is they get their reimbursement for from Medicaid, from from the fam that there may be a term that we because we do talk industry vern The discharge planner is a nice but that is the name of the soci who's supposed to guide the fami explore the different options, and then supposed to know about the difference between Medicare and Medicaid an But I want to pause.

You need to tell them more about Center because you were telling things I didn't know about how great some of the free We want freebies, don't we?

That's what we came here for.

We 36% of our audience came to the free air conditionin You know, it's really hot out th but the rest of us look at the f Have you got for us?

Well, and as I mentioned and tha so much for that, that introduct So as I mentioned, most of the p and services we provide to help keep people in their homes is at no expense.

And so when I say we like what?

Like Meals on Wheels, a daily well check and a hot meal five days a week, is anybody eligible for that Jackso Oh, no, no, no.

That's is that we all that every it's all counties but you have to be over 60 and that doesn't even qualify as old for No, it doesn't.

So you know, keep it and homebound that and that is the the real eligibility criteria is that this is what al to be the eyes and ears for a fa to deliver through our volunteers and our staff drivers a daily we And then we can call a family me and say, you know, something's not quite right with Mary today.

Get into maybe a primary care se and get them back home rather than waiting until there's a fall, waiting till there's there's a progressi and then they are taken into a nursing home or long term So all of those programs, as I say, prevention rather than let's invest upfront in keeping people at home at no to them or minimal expense to th We can do the whole thing for, you know, $3,000 a year rather than 7 to $10000 a month to be institutionalized.

We can still take take your questions or comments if you have any, but we're talking about this.

Would you like to come to the microphone, sir?

Thank you very much.

We love tha You'll probably get a Kansas Cit PBS mug for being the first pers to come to the microphone.

Bigger prizes, including brand n vehicles coming for number two a I don't want to say too much, but sir, we're ready for you.

One of the things I've noticed with keeping our loved ones in their home is the dependency they have on caretakers.

And I haven't heard anything about the caretaker support.

They're the ones that are really the brunt of everything.

I've watched my mom take care of my father for nine while I was spinning into dement We just recently placed them, but during those nine years it almost destroyed my mother.

This is six months later and we're still trying to get he So that's an issue because when a caretaker completely bott then the person they're taking c doesn't have any other options.

So I'd like to hear everyone's o I know Janet's, I know mine, but I'd love to hear the rest of parents discuss it.

Thank you ve Can we just ask how many people in here have been caregivers?

This is a big, big percentage.

So you're hitting something ther So at the Area Agency on Aging, resources and support for caregi We have even at classes, trainin care text, which offers differen trainings and different things f who provide care for their loved And I think one issue with a lot of the issues facing the older adults is knowledge not being having information about resources available, knowing that there are caregiver knowing that there are respite programs If you want to go take a couple a day, there are respite programs out t with no out-of-pocket costs.

If you qualify.

So just having knowledge about what resources are availab to support you while you support your loved one When you say qualify, is that based on income?

No, no, no income.

Okay.

You know, there are significant that people don't know about.

She's right about the informatio And one thing we've done in our for a long time is those are fun a lot by federal monies.

And what we've done for a long t is we fund those things.

But there are rules where they c any of that money for those huge that are put in place to inform those programs, often because bu become upset about that.

But the that if we could just ha a small amount of the money, if you fund the program for $100 if you could put a few dollars into letting people know about i it would be a doctor.

Just like you were getting so choked up about this.

It's just so you're so passionate about it.

And I know that I have Samantha is also passionate abou I am.

But I was wondering if we needed I was just giving her a hard tim Yeah.

I'd like to say that the caregivers are unsuppor but I think we all know I told this analogy to a lady to And I said, you're like the frog in the water for a frog And I dropped you in boiling wat You'd hop out.

You know, this is untenable.

You have gone to the point where you're the 24 hour caregiv He was she was describing the de in such a way that he's abusive, verbally abusive and possibly physically abusive because the daughter said, I don't want to find you at the bottom of the stairs.

That was the quote from today.

So I'm not a big proponent of nu homes, nursing homes, nursing ho But there is a time and there ar some wonderful nursing homes.

And then the question is, how do And that's when we have to learn how to navigate through Medicaid But you're proving a point from funeral director I referenced ea that Janet pushed back against t we can wait too long and wear ourselves out as caregi when it may make sense for us to we need a different option.

And I don't disagree, but every situation is different And what we don't have is we don a good ecosystem in the aging sp We are a patchwork of individual and services.

Dr. Jessica By the way, you just got the cough drop and we're using health system ru That would be a $75 oh 76 We don't get it.

Would you like to sign the relea I need to sign something like Divided country.

Mike, we got it back up again.

Did you want to say something on the caregiver issue?

She asked if she needed to sign Madam, you be very patient.

We're ready for your question.

I abhor the thought.

I might argue.

I'd rather be in a van by the river than be in a nursin I watched my mom being in a nurs for seven months before she died I was after having a stroke, and the smell in nursing homes just gets me right away.

As soon as I walked in.

How could we best advocate for o with state, city, federal govern I would recommend there's nothing better than self-advocacy and the only way t advocacy is knowledge.

And the only way to knowledge is inform yourselves We can't.

City Shepherd Center have embarked on an advocacy str Come to our website KC Shepherd dot org and we will facilitate you getting involved in local an and primarily regional advocacy We are going to put that on our which is Kansas City PBS dot org aging and we'll add all of the r mentioned in this program melody Janet mentioned self advocacy.

And another way to advocate for is to outline your wishes ahead before the before the crisis.

So there are packets like five w where it goes into details.

If this happens, this is what I If this happens, this is what I and get those things notarized and make sure they're in a place where people know that they are so that your wishes are known in case that situation occurs.

I doubt.

Great question.

They are mentioned at the very b just the smell of a nursing home But how many new facilities now fresh cookies in the front lobby So when you come in you have this pleasant.

It's not right.

That's one of the secrets today.

Well, I don't know about that.

I don't see that many that do that in here, but.

All r Thank you, Samantha.

And that might be one of the luxurious.

Sir.

Thank you for your patience.

I notice that you are are women.

That brings me to my question.

First part of my question is tha would it be a good idea to get more men involved in nursing care?

Would that be helpful or would this because of the, you know, the nurturing nature o are we just going to have to tak take that gender ratio and also the age of the people who work at nursing homes?

What do you think is the ideal a to be working in a nursing home?

Taking care of all of this is gr Great.

Janet I have to address the fema of Health and Human Services, and particularly with nonprofits is largely compensation driven.

It is typically women who end up in social work and in in nonprof We struggle to find any men who want to work in a in a small, direct service because oftentimes that pay gap in corporate America is just too enticing.

I would just piggyback off of what Janet said.

It's a human services field.

And so a lot of it is speaks to the compensation.

It speaks to maybe a nurturing n I don't want to stereotype us wo but that's what we're looking at Dr. Jessica But I want to answer the question yo and that is, yes, we need more m Yes, in this field.

We need all of the people to rea stand up there and help all of t We are all hopefully going to be older adults someday and we need to all be ready for We always like to think of ourse We're talking about somebody els but it is us.

All of us are going to be doing that, even our young interns of our television stations.

So why are you doing aging?

Well, we're all going to be be i category ourselves.

We need to be thinking about it.

And real quick, how about the ag What's a good age for somebody?

Or is that a relevant.

It's not really anyone that cares at all.

Hands on.

Do you think it's relevant?

There's no difference.

15 or 20 or something, right?

There are different jobs for different people.

Yeah.

You can have somebody who perhaps is similarly aged to tho that are living in a nursing fac that can go in and play games and hang out with them and help And there could be younger that can come in and do differen There is a space for everyone and there is always a need.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Your questions show Nick before he answers that.

You one.

I'm not sure which of you were s about preparation and I want to say legal documents, legal documents, power of attorney, your basic health care, power of It's the document that you have that tells the world who can spe when you are not able to speak for yourself.

Your spouse does not have that p your financial power of attorney your spouse does not have automatic power to your for one your biggest source of money these days, your retirement asse your spouse does not have access in a moment of crisis, even if you are the beneficiary.

My response then is you are not so they don't.

So get a power of attorney, plea I want to be respectful of peopl Let's keep advice and crisp and we're going to get it done.

We're ready for you.

Addressing unanswered question before that is on terminology.

And I didn't hear what I'd like to hav I heard and I didn't hear Pips p important people in other euphem Romeos, retired old men eating o I speak from the position of retired physician, an immature student of cultures.

And I truly believe words mean t The word I didn't hear, I heard I did not hear elders and that's and you prefer that it's it's a stand alone other cultures they they they honor their elders and from my military background it's the young people that are c the problems, not the elders.

The Loya Jirga is the loya loya And people like that are pushed So that's elders.

Elders, I really appreciate your your pe Thank you for mentioning that.

I I think we have an American prob in honoring and respecting our e And it's very hard to change the from our own little personal piece of the pie But as a society, we do not have that respects and honors our eld And can I say that that has been And that's why it's like that.

You know, I think that a lot of if we're not in those shoes, we don't have a pass.

And so if it doesn't apply to me it doesn't matter until it appli And so the culture models, what they've been taught as far as not caring for older a I have a respect for older adult because my who raised me was old So I'm just innately and she always ingrained that.

But it has to be modeled and a lot of another way to mode it is intergenerational ality, y bring children amongst older adu have that activity so that they and value older adults.

This I just have to say this bef me more than any other single po How many people here have parent How many people had grandparents Right.

How do we not love our elders?

And yet our society, we love puppies and babies.

I love puppies and babies have b But at some point, do we not all have this in common that we should care about our elders and develop sys to support a healthy aging?

We we pay an awful lot of lip se to it.

We respect our elders, but clearly we don't.

Including your philanthropic giving you mentioned is just 1% for aging programs.

Y And you are going to be the last You're going to have to have peo reaching for Kleenex is with rapturous applau Because of the excellence of this question.

We are ready for you, madam.

I am putting a lot of pressure on you.

Okay.

I have a long history of being i not for profits in this city as an advocate, self advocate, and teamed with other people who are interested in the same c And then when the pandemic came in, my mother went through all stuff in an assisted living for a year.

I decided I'm going to find out what I can do and during the pandemic and see So I called all over.

I called Mark, I called the city I called various places and and one of the agencies here and was told that there's a gray legislator nature or something o something or other.

And I could oh, yes, we need peo We need people like you.

And we've got a commission.

Do you know, I didn't get a call back from an Will you wait for me after this when someone raises their hand and says, I wa you are not.

We get we're giving out the personal cell phones.

So every one of these panelists on also show.

So I'm not complaining free lega over here free medical appointme There are people who try Yes.

They don't get what they are loo because this is one of the reaso for doing this program, because some issues are just so complicated, hard to We call this program, by the way the state of aging.

What's the one thing we could do in Kansas City now or our region to improve the way we age with dignity in this community?

Melodie I would say talk about i like we're doing, put the issues to the forefront and then be involved, have involvement in a lot of the and to tell people about the res that are available.

Camille People have to care for I mean, we make that we call our of the ombudsman program.

We say we're drips because we gently but drips thro eventually, and so be a drip to your neighbo Do the right thing, be kind to your neighbor.

Talk about the issues.

It's going to take all of us to We need to care about each other no matter how old we are.

Janet Fund, home based Community Keep people out of institutional Dr. Jessica Very similar.

Create community, right?

Community that's going to fund i but also community that's going our loved ones and our neighbors And the lady down the street and the person we haven't talked to in a year and and do it because we really So you don't have to wait for Co or your state legislature.

You can just walk down the stree and help someone in your own nei I think more of this collaborate so that we have reso that we are educating the public And I think at least one of you that the Shepherd Center provide a gateway to free food and care So collaboration.

And that was our state of aging in Kansas City.

Thanks to our terrific panelists Russell, Melody Elston, Janet Ba Jessica Calendar, Rich and Saman Shepherd, thank you so much.

And to our six panelists, which on occasions, If you're navigating these issue just to think about long term ca to know how to get the resources we're putting all on our website at Kansas City PBS dot org slash aging from all of us here on the Kansas City Plaza Li Well keep calm and on produced with the generous support of the William Foundation.

Commerce Bank trustee Hush Black and by viewers like you.

Thank you.