Aging Well: Help for Older Adults and Caregivers

00:00Andrew GraftWelcome everyone to the first ever edition of Aging Amazing, the podcast dedicated to older adults and the people who love them. My name is Andrew Graft, your host, and joining me as our show's resident expert and featured contributor is my colleague and good friend, Alan Ormsby. Welcome, Alan.

00:23Alan OrmsbyThank you. Glad to be here.

00:24Andrew GraftOh, it is a delight to have you here, my friend. I can't tell you how excited I am to kick off this show with you. Before we get started, everyone, let's talk a little bit about the show and what it's all about. First and foremost, Aging Amazing is a show designed to help improve the lives of people who are directly affected by the aging process. So we're talking older adults. We're going to be talking about everyday issues that directly affect them, like healthcare and housing and transportation and estate planning. But it also means having honest conversations about the issues that affect the people who love them, like spouses and family members and caregivers. The idea for this show came about originally a couple of years ago when my mom was diagnosed with a pretty severe heart condition, and the treatment was going to require a lot more than just a little procedure because it involved some new technology that wasn't approved yet in the United States. And so it was going to take working with not just hospitals and doctors, but also the FDA and Medicare just to get the procedure approved and paid for. Now, my mom and dad are in their 80s, and as capable and competent as they are, the thought of having to navigate all of that was just overwhelming to them, especially considering they were very stressed out about my mom's health. Because I'm really close with my parents, I decided to leave my full-time job to take on that care-management role. Long story short, the procedure eventually took place. It went great. My mom and dad are both doing amazing. But what I discovered throughout that process is that there just weren't that many honest conversations about the real issues that people like my parents face as older adults – or the issues that someone like me was facing while trying to help my parents age in a way that keeps them as happy, safe and healthy as possible. That's how Aging Amazing came about. It came from the desire to start a conversation that feels real, offers practical help and treats the aging process with respect – the kind of respect I want for my parents. During the time our family was dealing with my mom's health issues, we had a bit of a secret weapon, and that secret weapon's name is Alan Ormsby. Alan has spent most of his career dedicated to helping older adults like my mom and dad. Simply put, he is an expert when it comes to age-related issues, and he helped us so much during that time that I couldn't think of a better human to have on the show helping me do it.

04:31Alan OrmsbyThank you for those kind words. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that your mom is doing great. It's incredible to me – the effort that you took, the time, the energy. It was a huge blessing for both of them, and really for all Utahns, because now there's an opportunity for anybody else who has that same kind of heart problem to get the procedure that you helped initiate within the state. Kudos to you for the great work that you did on behalf of your parents.

05:06Andrew GraftI think anyone who's close with their parents would have done exactly the same thing. As Alan brought up, we are filming from Utah. Most of the topics we're going to be talking about are pretty universal regardless of where you live. But because aging by its very nature can be very local – whether because of policies, regulations or resources – we will at times turn our focus to things that affect Utah directly. In those cases, we'll call that out clearly. For the most part, these topics will be relevant to everyone no matter where they live. Having given you this glorious introduction, Alan, I'd like to help the audience understand who you are, what your background is and what you're doing now. What do you currently do for a living?

06:14Alan OrmsbyI'm the state director for AARP in the Utah State Office. That basically means I get the privilege of setting tone and policy for what AARP is hoping to accomplish in Utah. We've got five full-time employees and about 300 volunteers.

06:39Andrew GraftFor maybe the ten people out there who don't already know what AARP is, give us the briefest overview. What's its purpose? What's its mission?

06:55Alan OrmsbyAARP strives to help older adults live in the way that they choose to live, and to provide policy and resources to help people age amazingly. We strive to be a wise friend and a fierce defender. We're doing advocacy work, education, outreach and communications. We're a membership organization with almost 40 million members in the United States.

07:42Andrew GraftYou said you're the state director here in Utah. What is it that you do every day?

07:52Alan OrmsbyI get up every day and fight for the rights of Utahns. We talk about older adults, but we also do a lot of work that matters to people who have not yet become older adults – the sandwich generation you talked about. A lot of people caring for an older adult are themselves in their 20s and 30s. Others are already thinking about what retirement will look like decades from now. I do a lot of education in the community and get to share information not only with our members, but with anybody who has a need or is thinking about an older person with a need.

09:11Andrew GraftAnd you've been there at AARP how long?

09:13Alan OrmsbyFifteen years.

09:15Andrew GraftIs that when your connection to older adults began?

09:22Alan OrmsbyEven earlier. Around 2002, I graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law and started working in healthcare law, focused on assisted living centers, nursing homes and hospitals. Shortly after that, I learned that my grandfather had been scammed out of a lot of money. That took me on a different path. I eventually moved back from Connecticut to Utah and started working for the Division of Aging and Adult Services, later becoming the director. The division puts funding into the community so that Area Agencies on Aging can help people with aging-related needs. I later became director of the Division of Services for People with Disabilities, then came to AARP about 15 years ago. I've been in this world for 23 or 24 years.

11:37Andrew GraftYou mentioned your grandfather. Were you and your grandpa pretty close?

11:50Alan OrmsbyThe strongest male influence in my life was probably my grandpa. He was a scholar, a gentleman and a Renaissance man. We were very close and had great conversations throughout my life.

12:13Andrew GraftYou mentioned that he had been defrauded. He was a very successful businessman and very sharp. Why do you think he was able to be defrauded?

12:43Alan OrmsbyMost of what he did was built on personal relationships – that handshake mentality common among his generation. When he could travel, he could check on his projects personally. As he got older, suffered a fall and eventually lived in an assisted living center, he couldn't travel. The people who took advantage of him focused their energy on coming into Utah and having him sign documents he probably didn't fully understand. There are people who will take advantage of others through romance scams or investment fraud. Those frauds are real and ever-evolving, and we have to be vigilant to make sure the people we love aren't defrauded.

14:22Andrew GraftHow did your grandfather's being defrauded affect you?

14:35Alan OrmsbyIt was very difficult. My grandpa was successful, calm and even-keeled. The experience produced a level of frustration, anger and humiliation that a lot of people feel when they have been defrauded. Watching him go through that put in my heart a strong desire to help prevent it from happening to anyone else. I would work for policy change, help people recognize red flags, and support people who had been defrauded so they knew they had an advocate who would not mock them. All of us are subject to this kind of fraud. That's where my work life really changed. I went from being an attorney helping companies get started to having a passion for helping older adults.

16:12Andrew GraftWe've mentioned that you're the state director for AARP. Here on the show, are you speaking on behalf of AARP?

16:34Alan OrmsbyI'm not representing AARP in these conversations. I'm representing my experience and my knowledge base. Sometimes I will say things that align directly with AARP policy, and sometimes I might say something that does not. When that happens, I'll try to point it out. I'm showing up as an advocate for older adults and to support this endeavor of getting information to people so they know what to do.

17:49Andrew GraftI'm looking forward to bringing that knowledge to bear in future episodes. In case listeners can't wait for those episodes, do you mind if I ask a few questions about AARP itself? It is clearly one place people can go when they need help today.

18:17Andrew GraftWhat are some of the key ways AARP serves the older-adult community?

18:24Alan OrmsbyThe first thing I would highlight is advocacy on behalf of older adults. We look at current policy and where changes are needed. One example involves cryptocurrency ATMs and efforts to limit how much someone could be coerced into depositing during a scam. We also do outreach and a lot of education through things like webinars, including a free webinar on wills and trusts.

21:42Andrew GraftEstate planning is one of the subjects we'll cover in a future episode. If you're an older adult – or someone who loves an older adult, like a caregiver – and you have immediate concerns and needs, what do you do? How and when might you loop in AARP?

22:11Alan OrmsbyThe first thing you're probably going to confront is a lack of information. There are many solutions, but they can be hard to find. If you're dealing with a caregiving crisis, accessing the information you need can be frustrating. AARP can be a resource for those issues. We will often connect people with Area Agencies on Aging, which I think are among the best-kept secrets in America because people don't know how many resources they have and how willing they are to help. You've got a problem and there may be a solution, but between those things is a huge information gap and the stress of figuring it out alone. Don't confront it alone. Let AARP, Area Agencies on Aging, the Alzheimer's Association and other people working in these fields help guide you.

23:48Andrew GraftDoes someone have to be an AARP member to get this kind of help and support?

23:59Alan OrmsbyWhether you're a card-carrying member of AARP or not, the services we've discussed are free of charge and available to people in the community. Area Agencies on Aging are supported by public funding. Many of the resources I've highlighted are free and valuable.

24:32Andrew GraftSo if someone calls you, you're not going to ask for a membership number?

24:37Alan OrmsbyNo. In 15 years, I've never once asked somebody to give me their membership number.

24:52Andrew GraftIt's not a bad first episode to have under our belt. I'm excited to work on this project together, focus on the issues that matter and invite experts who can help us dive deeper when necessary. It's going to be a labor of love for both of us. Thank you for being here today.

25:21Alan OrmsbyThank you. I'm excited about this as well. If we can reach even one person and make a difference, that will make me very happy.

25:33Andrew GraftTo our listeners, thank you for tuning in to our introductory episode of Aging Amazing. Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you'll know when each new episode goes live. Until then, stay tuned – and stay amazing.

25:52Alan OrmsbyI love it.