Brio Living Services Celebrates National Social Work Month
In recognition of March as National Social Work Month, Brio Living Services is proud to celebrate the life-changing work of social workers throughout our communities. Social workers at Brio play key roles in furthering our mission of ‘Welcoming all, partnering together, enriching lives,’ and bringing to life our vision of ‘A world where all are empowered to age well.’
At Brio Living Services, social workers are more than health professionals—they’re advocates and friends to the older adults we serve. Through collaboration with our Interdisciplinary Teams, their expertise in case management and care coordination offers insights that guide changes in care needs and help create care plans that reflect the specific needs and desires of those we serve.
Social workers act as a bridge between those we serve and their families, promoting open communication by offering information, guidance, and support to help families understand their loved ones’ needs. Whether assisting with transitions to new care levels, advanced care planning, or navigating healthcare and financial challenges, our social workers offer a helping hand every step of the way. Beyond care coordination, they enhance the social and emotional well-being of older adults through therapy, counseling, and life-enrichment activities, fostering social engagement and stimulating the mind, body, and spirit.
Our social workers also serve as a bridge between older adults in our local communities and the services we provide, such as PACE. One example is Bridget Brown, who has the unique position as a Huron Valley PACE social worker, located at Lurie Terrace in Ann Arbor, an affordable living community for older adults.
In 2021, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission purchased Lurie Terrace, which serves one of the city’s largest concentrations of low-income older adults. As they took over management, it became clear the Lurie Terrace community would benefit from the presence of a dedicated social worker with gerontological expertise.
In response, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission pursued a Golden Opportunities grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) Glacier Hills Legacy Fund and began searching for program partners.
“PACE’s multidisciplinary model of providing care and services to older adults, along with its mission of empowering older adults to age in place, made Huron Valley PACE an excellent fit for this partnership,” says Executive Director, Sonja Felton who is, herself, a social worker.
The project’s success in being chosen as a grant recipient made it possible for Bridget Brown, an Eastern Michigan University graduate, to join the Huron Valley PACE team as the social worker at Lurie Terrace. In this role, she assists with identifying and coordinating services such as counseling, outreach, case management, problem-solving, advocacy, and crisis intervention, to support the residents in remaining independent and self-reliant.
From day one, Bridget says she has made it clear to residents that she is their equal. “It’s all about how you engage with people. When working with vulnerable populations, it’s vital to provide care in a way that preserves the autonomy and dignity of the older adults we serve,” says Bridget. “I’m not here to tell anyone what to do—I’m here to advocate for them and be a source of support when they need it.”
Today, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission continues to be a partner of Huron Valley PACE through a recent Exhale Family Caregiver Initiative grant awarded to the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation on behalf of Huron Valley PACE. Bridget’s presence at Lurie Terrace is a natural fit to help provide referrals to the program, which seeks to offer support and respite for family caregivers of older adults.
Bridget’s presence at Lurie Terrace has transformed resident services through community collaboration, fostering intergenerational partnerships with student programs at the University of Michigan (U-M) and local elementary schools. Bridget explains that U-M nursing students visit to check residents’ blood pressure and glucose levels, pharmacy students discuss medications and provide guidance for consulting with doctors, and physiology students lead Tai Chi lessons.
Bridget emphasized that residents’ needs are her primary focus in guiding program development at Lurie Terrace. “My job as a social worker is to ensure they are properly acclimated to their environment and remain happy and healthy within it.”
At Brio, we believe in “taking care of the caregiver,” and support from the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation through Team Member Support Services—comprising Scholarships and Emergency Aid—plays a vital role in giving back to the team members who make our work possible. Thanks to the Foundation’s support, many of our social work team members have continued their studies through advanced degrees and certifications in the field.
Learn how you can help support social workers, and all our dedicated team members at Brio Living Services, through your gift to the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation.