Are you a caregiver? Do you have someone who relies on you for meals, medication, or other daily necessities? Don't forget to create an emergency caregiver plan to keep them safe in case you are suddenly or temporarily unable to provide your regular care.

Consider the following steps to keep you and your loved ones as safe as possible:

1. Identify a back-up caregiver.
2. Set up regular/scheduled check-ins with a friend, family member, or community agency.
3. Have a written guide ready for your back-up caregiver listing information like schedules, medications, allergies and health concerns, and important phone numbers.
4. Keep an emergency card in your wallet.

For more information and caregiver support, connect with the Tri-County Office on Aging at 517-887-1440.

Emergency Card Example

According to the Kinship Care Resource Center at MSU, “Kinship care is the full time care, nurturing, and protection of children by relatives, members of their tribes or clans, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a kinship bond with a child. …It allows a child to grow into adulthood in a family environment. …In Michigan, approximately 52,000 children live in kinship families”. (kinship.msu.edu/What-is-Kinship-Care)

To support these families, who are often thrust into the role of primary caregivers due to a crisis, TCOA offers the Kinship Care Respite Program. Funded by the Older Americans Act, this program is designed to assist with some of the associated costs by giving some form of respite relief to the kinship caregiver. 

Clothing, school supplies, technology, sports camps, special classes or club fees, and personal hygiene products are just a few of the items that the Kinship Care Respite Program may be able to help with.

Eligible persons are those age 55 and up, living in Clinton, Eaton, or Ingham counties, who are the full-time non-parent caregiver for children up to age 18, or caregiver to a person with a disability age 18-59.

To find out more about this program, contact Karen Smith at 517-887-1459.

Finding a break as a caregiver can be challenging. That’s why the Tri-County Office on Aging (TCOA) is excited for the chance to offer six (6) hours of free respite care with Forster Woods Adult Day Center.

To be eligible, you must be a caregiver of an adult in Clinton, Eaton, or Ingham Counties.

Recipients of the 25 Vouchers for 6 hours of respite care each will be drawn on May 19th, 2025. Vouchers may be redeemed at Forster Woods Adult Day Center (201 Hillside Ct, East Lansing, MI 48823). Contact Forster Woods Adult Day no less than one week prior to the desired date of service. Vouchers must be redeemed by September 30, 2025.

If you need help registering, call TCOA at 517-887-1440.

To learn more about Caregiver Resources visit tcoa.org/caregiver-support/.

We have a lot of options coming up this Spring!

These workshops are FUN and provide education and support!

Check out TCOA's website for details. Pre-registration is required to attend these workshops. Please call Tri-County Office on Aging at 517-887-1465 or email TCOA's Evidence-Based Programs Manager, Christine, at HistedC@tcoa.org. 

The Volunteer Spotlight for April is... Victoria Johnson Chevoor, a Meals on Wheels volunteer!

Volunteering and giving to others has always given me a sense of pleasure and happiness. From being a Girl Scout leader, classroom mom and member of the PTA, to performing various roles at my church, offering Blood Pressure clinics at Senior Centers, administering Covid vaccines during the pandemic and volunteering for Ele's Place, I have always felt the call to volunteer.

I graduated from nursing school in 1980 and have worked in many different nursing roles ever since. Though I retired in 2021, I soon missed the direct role of caring for patients. When I moved from Northville to Laingsburg two years ago, my new next door neighbors instantly became like parents to me. She lost her husband of 70 years shortly thereafter, and I found myself assisting the family in finding alternative housing for their mom. The company I worked with to assist the family then hired me as a consultant. I honestly love doing this so much I would do it without pay!

When my children were preschoolers, I began delivering Meals on Wheels in Wayne and Oakland Counties. My children would come along and help deliver the meals. I was hoping to instill in them a sense of enjoyment in giving to others. Two have served in the Army, and another is a special education teacher. I have only been delivering Meals on Wheels for Tri-County Office on Aging for a short time, and it is an honor to work with a wonderful team of others who are so giving. I enjoy serving this community and seeing the smiles on the faces of those who are receiving the meals. Giving is a source of personal joy and fulfillment for me.

I want to thank the Tri-County Office on Aging and all those who work and volunteer for our community. We need one another......it takes a village.  - Victoria

Thank you so much, Victoria, for bringing smiles to so many in the community!

We are looking for individuals to fill the positions below! Come work at Tri-County Office on Aging and join our mission to promote and preserve the independence and dignity of the aging population in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties. Currently, we are accepting applications for the following positions:

Full-Time Positions:

Cook

Information and Assistance Specialist

Nurse Case Manager

Social Worker - Options Counselor

Part-Time Positions:

Dining Site Coordinator - Grange Acres

Dining Site Coordinator - Riverfront

Full-Time positions offer comprehensive benefits, including––but not limited to––medical, dental, vision, paid holidays, generous time off, and 100% employer-paid pension. Individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

TCOA is a qualified employer under the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

Tri-County Office on Aging

5303 S Cedar Street, Bldg 1

Lansing, MI 48911