Senior Alliance marks first year in new location

Tamera Kiger, Executive Director of The Senior Alliance. Photo by John P. Rhaesa

By Carolyn Marnon – Drive down Venoy Road and you might just miss it. The Senior Alliance recently celebrated its first year at its new location. Some things have improved, some have remained the same, and some didn’t turn out like they were originally envisioned.
Back in July 2016, David Wilson and Nicole Jeffries attended a Wayne city council meeting and shared a presentation about the newly purchased property for The Senior Alliance. They talked about how barrels of asbestos had to be removed. They talked about the farmhouse, barn and greenhouse on the property. The greenhouse is the size of a football field. It became non-functioning after the winter 2015/16 season and was being used for storage. They had purchased three new vehicles for a transportation program. They hoped to bring in programs like gardening for senior citizens. They had a 3-year plan on their website laying out plans to make Wayne aging-friendly and to support elder rights, among other goals.
What is The Senior Alliance? It is a 501 (c)(3) agency that began serving older adults in 1980 and operates as an Area Agency on Aging for the 34 communities it serves-from Plymouth/Livonia down to Brownstown. Basically, it serves all of Wayne County except for Detroit. There are 190,000 seniors within this area. In 1988, TSA was authorized to function as an Organized Health Care Delivery System which allowed it to serve low-income adults living with disabilities.
One of the TSA programs you might be most aware of is Meals on Wheels. However, the primary function of The Senior Alliance is actually Information and Assistance. They have a comprehensive vendor network and caregiver support network.
Another program of TSA is Care Management and Coordination. This program helps clients to stay in their own homes, whether that means help with cleaning, transportation or repairs. By helping people stay in their homes and out of nursing homes, money is saved all-around. It’s a very cost-effective program. The focus of The Senior Alliance is on the person. Options are given that help the person achieve their own goals.
The 33-acre property in Wayne off of Venoy Road and behind Beaumont Wayne hospital and HYPE recreation center, has plenty of room for development. Tamera Kiger, Executive Director of TSA, says they are hoping to develop housing for seniors on some of the land. The offices, farmhouse and barn only cover about 12 of those acres.
Ninety employees work throughout the TSA building. There are many more volunteers that give of their time to help the seniors and disabled. One of the biggest programs utilizing volunteers is the Holiday Meals program. Meals on Wheels doesn’t deliver on holidays. A golf-outing in July and the annual meeting in the spring are the major fundraising campaigns. Holiday Meals delivers on Easter, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Meals on Wheels program does have halal meals, liquid meals and does congregate site meals (where participants that can get out congregate at one place to enjoy their meal).
Initial thoughts had been to have a community garden onsite. There has been no manpower for this project. The barn needs extensive repairs as it was not maintained properly previous to TSA buying the property. The greenhouse that was thought to be able to hold functions turned out not to be unusable due to neglect. It is being given to Michigan Urban Farm Initiative who will dismantle it.
The property has walking paths. However, they are now closed. They are not open to the public; they are not safe to use and will need to be repaired at some point in the future. There is also a small orchard behind the farmhouse. The pond is closed. There are signs posted stating no trespassing. The docks need to be removed.
Tamera’s vision is to make a local community, possibly Wayne, a “Community for a lifetime.” This would include having medical care, grocery stores and being a walkable community. She hopes for intergenerational daycare, serving young and old. Having grown up hanging out with her grandparents, Tamera has a special affection for older adults. She keeps a book with her that lists all of her “wants” for The Senior Alliance.
A new logo was recently rolled out. The “l”s in the name become people forming into a tree in the shape of a heart. The tree represents the roots that are established in communities while the people and heart symbolize the caring staff.
The call center is open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. If you or someone you know needs services, you can call and a representative of community resources can speak with you and get an idea of what types of services you might need. They can then refer you to the proper agency for possible assistance. If you call, you might even speak with 72 year-old Information Specialist Mary Ellen O’Brien, a Wayne resident herself.
If you would like more information about The Senior Alliance or need help, call 1-800-815-1112 and see what services are available to you or a loved one. You can also visit their website at www.aaa1c.org to learn more about The Senior Alliance.