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There’s a reason Steve Dickie, CEO of Oklahoma Methodist Manor, won our storytelling contest last year: he’s committed to sharing his staff members’ commitment to the people they serve. And that includes Tulsa World columnist Jay Cronley.

Cronley recently wrote an editorial entitled “Holding Out for Hero” . In it, he lamented that nobody could was out their saving the city from the impact of a recent winter storm. 

Steve knew that wasn’t the case. That’s why  was quick to write Jay back and make sure he knew about the city’s unsung heroes: the men and women who serve Tulsa’s older adults, whatever the weather forecast.  Here’s what he wrote to him:

The way our country pays for long-term care needs to be transformed. It’s not news to us, but folks around AAHSA are certainly glad that a reporter from the Chicago Tribune decided readers needed know that fact and about our plan to make it happen.

The article from yesterday’s paper starts out with a question many people have: “Who’s going to pay for the care I may need when I age?”

Then, it goes into an even more pressing question: “How can I make sure get the care I’m paying for is what I want?”

 To find out the answers, the reporter consulted the experts. Including AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix. His response showcased why our solution offers sustainablility for Medicaid budgets, sensibility to policy makers and most important, security for consumers and those who care for them.

And to us, that’s news that needs to be shared with everyone.

…or at least their new program to promote person-centered care for low-income seniors. The program is called Putting People First. It’s a simple, but powerful, name for a type of public policy will soon make it “across the pond.”

The program, which will start in April 2008, will allow seniors or a person of their choosing to set up a bank account for funds associated with their care costs.  After the person is means-tested, the government will pay money into the account and allow the seniors or loved ones to use for the care and services that meet the older adults’ needs.

While the program is similar to “Cash and Counseling” initiatives in several states, there is little movement among policy makers to take it nationwide. 

Government officials said that they developed the plan based on British baby boomers’ desire for choice as they age.  Those same boomers liked The Beatles and The Stones before the “British Invasion” hit the states. Why would American boomers not want the same kind of “invasion” in their health care?

From bakers to bankers, it seems like Americans working in all types of professions are concerned about caring for their aging loved ones. And the people running for president are no exception.

This article in December’s AARP Bulletin offers an inside look into these individuals’ caregiving experiences, and how it has influenced their work for their elderly constiuents and those who care for them.

Take Arkansas’ Governor Mike Huckabee. His mother, who sold her home so she could afford assisted living, was mere months away from exhausting her resources while living in a nursing home. That experience, Huckabee says, inspired him to support  Project IndependentChoices, an innovative program where “you can live in a facility or with a relative, and the state would reimburse [the family member] for the cost of care.”

Then there’s Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) Clinton’s mother, Dorothy, wanted to stay in her own home for as long as possible, but she was having difficulty getting around. ““She (told us) couldn’t always be asking people to take her places. ” Clinton says,  I think that was what really convinced her that she should come and live with us.”

That experience was part of Clinton’s inspiration for developing a long-term care platform that includes, among other policies, tax-credits for caregivers whose family members live with them.

But it’s not just about parents. Sen. Christopher Dodd’s (D-Conn.) brother moved in with his family after suffering a stroke. Together, Dodd tells the Bulletin, “we decided that it was the best option.” That experience must have inspired for his plan, which promises a ““A Secure, Dignified Retirement for Every Senior.”

Democrat, Republican or somewhere in-between, caregiving will affect us all where we live, including the White House.

That’s the first thought I had when I read about Hillary Clinton’s proposed plan for long-term care.

Politics aside, Clinton is the first presidential candidate to address this important issue outside of an interview or a nursing home visit. And I respect her for doing it. Her plan tackles issues that all of us face, like caring for an aging loved one or preparing for our own care needs, regardless of partisanship. My only hope is that more candidates will follow her lead and develop plans of their own. After all, aren’t politicians known for their making plans? (keeping promises, well that’s for another post…)

Some people call it the age wave. Others say it’s a silver tsunami. Whatever you like to call it, the fact of the matter is that our society is aging, and it’s going to affect all of us. Especially the businesses with aging employees and caregivers in their midst. That just leaves one question: are these companies going to ride the age wave, or fall beneath it?

That’s the question Kathryn Roberts asked in a recent editorial in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Kathryn is the CEO of Ecumen, a large aging-service provider in the Midwest. But she’s also the daughter of an 86-year-old mother. She knows that businesses are losing valuable time and money (to the tune of $33 billion each year) when they don’t help people like her access the help they need for themselves or their loved ones. To her, doing nothing it’s just bad business. And I feel the same way.