UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation, Brio Living Services, and AARP Offer Presentation at the Annual Council of Michigan Foundations Conference
The Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) annual conference was held in Grand Rapids on October 12-14 and, this year, UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation was selected as one of the presenters. The Foundation’s President & CEO, Kelli Smith, CFRE, was moderator for this session, entitled: Investing in Aging: How Everyone Benefits. The panel included Luke Reynolds, Brio Living Services’ Chief of Home- and Community-Based Services; Nicole Maag, Brio’s Chief of Residential Services; Dr. Marjorie Almeda, Medical Director for Huron Valley PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly); and Jennifer Feuerstein-DiVita, Senior Associate State Director for AARP Michigan.
“Every facet of philanthropy has an impact on—and is impacted by—aging,” Kelli Smith shared. “Whether in housing and transportation, health and wellness, children and families, or education and workforce development, what is good for us as we age is good for everyone.”
The presentation included discussion on topics surrounding aging, including:
- Ageism
- Healthy Aging
- Caregiving
- Affordable living and the middle-market gap
Jennifer Feuerstein-DiVita began the discussion with the importance of the words we use to describe aging. “People with positive attitudes about aging live 7.5 years longer on average than those with negative views,” she said. Jennifer also shared information about AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly communities and states across the U.S. Michigan was the first Age-Friendly state and currently has 23 Age-Friendly communities, including Grand Rapids.
Dr. Almeda shared information about healthy habits we can adopt now to help foster independence and be as healthy as possible as we age. Five of the strongest supports for healthy aging don’t come in a pill, according to Dr. Almeda. These include the Mediterranean diet, regular exercise, restful sleep, mindfulness, such as prayer or yoga, and socialization.
Luke Reynolds spoke about unpaid family caregivers who shoulder the responsibility for their loved ones and become the default care system, often at the detriment of their own mental, physical, and financial health.
“Michigan’s largest long-term care system isn’t paid staff,” said Luke. “There are 1.52 million unpaid family caregivers in Michigan, providing 1.33 billion hours of care each year, with an estimated economic value of $27 billion (AARP, Valuing the Invaluable, 2026).”
Nicole Maag talked about the “forgotten middle” – the 41% of older adults who are above the poverty line but still lack the necessary income to cover many of their basic expenses. “Housing and care are the foundation for successful aging,” said Nicole. “Many people assume Medicare will cover their long-term care needs, but it doesn’t. Families have to spend down their assets to qualify for Medicaid.”
Nicole discussed ways that funders can ease the challenges for the middle market, including developing public-private partnerships and providing seed capital to create affordable housing, home modifications for people who wish to remain living safely at home, cooperative housing, and other care supports.
With 2 million Michiganders already aged 65 or older, Luke asked the audience of Michigan funders, “What if we planned for longevity as intentionally as we plan for childhood? The opportunity before philanthropy is not to solve aging. It is to help Michigan become a place where longevity is accompanied by dignity, purpose, connection, and support.”
“Aging is a journey we can shape,” added Dr. Almeda. “We are at a pivotal time, with so many opportunities to make a difference when we focus on a whole-person approach to healthy aging.”
Brio Living Services offers a variety of options for individuals to age well through 23 locations and service lines across lower Michigan. Learn more at MyBrio.org.
