Summer 2016
P. 1

The “New” Senior
Pages 4 & 5
Your Link To Community Resources
Vol.18, No.2 A Publication of The Area Agency on Aging 1-B Summer 2016
Serving the counties of Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St.Clair and Washtenaw
Local Leaders Honored for Dedication to Older Adults
Leaving a Legacy
Seniors everywhere are making an impact on the world. Some of them are displaying their heroic feats or talents quietly. Some of them have been honored with awards and you hear about them in the news. No matter how they are contributing, or expressing themselves, they are an inspiration to us all. Here’s an example.
Each year, the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B) selects community leaders who “go above and beyond” to positively impact the quality of life for older adults and adults with disabilities in southeast Michigan. At the AAA 1-B Annual Community Meeting, held on May 13, awards were presented to the following people and organizations for their exceptional support and commitment.
Floreine Mentel
Longtime AAA 1-B Board/Advisory Council Member
The Sandra K. Reminga Lifetime Achievement Award was presented
to Floreine Mentel for her passion and dedication to the enhancement of the lives of older adults and family caregivers through her outstanding advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels. Mentel is committed to raising funds to support key initiatives that benefit older adults in southeast Michigan. She has served Monroe
County seniors in her role as County Commissioner; as a member of the Board of Directors for the Frenchtown Senior Center and the Monroe County Blueprint on Aging; and as a member of the AAA 1-B Board of Directors and Advisory Council, including chair of several Advisory Council Ad Hoc Study Committees.
Kari Sederburg
Former Executive Director,
Aging & Adult Services Agency
The Public Service Leadership Award was given to Kari Sederburg in appreciation of her commitment to
the enhancement of the lives of older adults and family caregivers during her tenure as the Executive Director of the Aging & Adult Services Agency. She was recognized for her positive actions and focus on keeping the needs of seniors forefront in Michigan during the formation of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
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Washtenaw resident Dr. Patricia Pasick had an idea to help bring healing to the people of Rwanda who continue to suffer from the genocide that occurred in 1994 and subsequent conflicts. Following her 60th birthday in 2008, she created Stories for Hope Rwanda. This non-profit encourages unity and reconciliation among surviving Rwandans by the sharing of stories of the past. Trained facilitators capture the stories on audio tape, encouraging older generations to relay their important cultural and family stories, in an effort to preserve them for younger and future generations.
“My mission with this project is
to honor the courage and wisdom of ordinary people who have been through extraordinary horror, and are determined to recover and fight genocide,” said Dr. Pasick. The non-profit has helped to curb tensions among Rwandans.
Early in 2014, unbeknownst to Dr. Pasick, someone at the University of Michigan nominated her for The Purpose Prize, an award created to honor a problem solving idea that addresses an issue in a new way, is morally upstanding, and is accomplished during the second half of the entrant’s
The Purpose Prize winner, Dr. Patricia Pasick.
life (age 50+). To be eligible, nominees must continue working on the issue for at least five more years.
In recognition of her high impact work, Dr. Pasick became a Purpose Prize fellow, an honorary designation reserved for the top 5% of nominees. “Becoming an honoree was very satisfying,” noted Dr. Pasick. Reflecting on the entire experience she added, “Working in Africa has been transfor- mative for me. Not only do I appreciate what I used to take for granted, but I am attracted to the African idea that
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Inside This Issue
Aging in Place..........................................3 The“New”Seniors ................................4 Ask the Expert ........................................6 Older Michiganians Day (OMD) ............8
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