May Chapter Meeting + Annual Luncheon
MARK YOUR CALENDARS for MAY 26!
Please note that our May meeting will take place on the 4th Thursday of the month - May 26 - instead of the regular 3rd Thursday.
This year, in response to the great feedback we received last year from chapter members, we will hold a regular chapter meeting in May, and we will follow it with our annual luncheon.
The luncheon (which we've historically held at a separate venue) will take place in our meeting room at the Holiday Inn, but will still be filled with with special announcements, lots of great networking time, awards and recognition, our annual board transition, and lots of fun!
The additional cost for the luncheon will be $15/person (pay at the door). We'll have a buffet from Qdoba and cake! We need a headcount for ordering food. Please RSVP to president [at] napomichigan.com by Tuesday, May 24.
MAY CHAPTER MEETING PRESENTATION
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
When is it time to make a move?
Presented by Stefanie Sinks, LMSW
Geriatric Care Manager/Aging Life Care ProfessionalTM
Knowing when it’s time to make a move is often one of the most challenging decisions for our older adult clients. Admitting the need for more help can be overwhelming, and the idea of leaving the home may incite feelings of sadness, anger, nostalgia, and looming mortality.
As professionals working with older adults and their families, we have a responsibility to arm ourselves with the necessary tools to help our clients work through these tough decisions and to prepare them for the future.
In this session, members will learn about:
- Safety concerns for older adults living in their own homes
- Effective communication when discussing a move
- Understanding clients’ feelings about making a move
- Community resources, including varying levels of care
- Being proactive vs. reactive
ABOUT THE PRESENTER: STEPHANIE SINKS
Stefanie Sinks, LMSW, is the owner of SPS Consulting, LLC – Geriatric Care Services in Ann Arbor, MI, and provides geriatric care management services to assist individuals and their care partners navigate through the aging journey.
A native of Massachusetts, Ms. Sinks worked at the Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as a private skilled nursing and long term care facility. She moved to Ann Arbor in 1998, and studied interpersonal practice, health, and aging at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Ms. Sinks graduated with a Masters in Social Work degree and a Specialist in Aging Certificate, and was also inducted into Sigma Phi Omega, the national academic and professional society in gerontology.
Ms. Sinks worked at the Alzheimer’s Association – Greater Michigan Chapter, and also taught at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and at Eastern Michigan University. In addition, she served as an expert witness in cases of suspected elder abuse and neglect throughout the country, and also taught Adult Abuse and Neglect Prevention to professional care providers throughout SE Michigan. Ms. Sinks has also provided consulting services to a local gero-psychiatry practice participating in two clinical research trials for an Alzheimer’s disease treatment intervention.
Stefanie Sinks is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Aging Life Care Association™.
WARNING! YOU CAN’T GET HERE FROM THERE!
We’ve planned a great meeting for May, and for June, and for August. However, the Michigan Department of Transportation is going to fix up the roads we usually use and all the ramps that are involved – I-275, I-696, M-5, exits on I-96, etc.
Our “home”, the Holiday Inn Express, is on Haggerty Road, just north of 8 Mile Road. Repairs started May 9, so you’ll need to find an alternate (surface) route to NAPO meetings until the project ends in “summer 2016". Some expressways will be down to one or two lanes, some will be completely closed.
Project details can be found at www.revive275.com and up-to-date closure information is available at the Mi Drive app and website: www.michigan.gov/drive. Allow some extra time to explore. Some suggestions are to take either 12 Mile, 10 Mile, or 8 Mile across to Haggerty. Or, try getting off I-96 at Novi Road, and take Grand River to Haggerty.
I-275 and I-696 can use the patching, but ... in the meantime ... charge up your phone/GPS! P.S. If approaching from the north on Haggerty, remember to turn into the BP station to get to the Holiday Inn Express – it’s easy to overshoot that turn! We’ll be waiting for you – and commiserating with you!
