• The latest Lunch Break focused on the challenges of getting older in Michigan
  • The event, moderated by health reporter Robin Erb, featured panelists from Wayne State’s Institute of Gerontology, the Hannan Center in Detroit and the National Council of Dementia Minds
  • Watch the full recording of the discussion below

Bridge Michigan’s monthly Lunch Break event returned Wednesday with a discussion on the challenges of getting older in Michigan. 

Health reporter Robin Erb led a wide-ranging conversation about the aging crisis in Michigan, a state where one in five residents are 65 or older but support services are shrinking, transportation services lag and policies favor institutional care over aging at home. 

Among the topics discussed in the hourlong event were identifying the greatest needs of seniors, public policies that impact older Michiganders, Medicaid, Medicare, transit and living with dementia. 

The panel of experts included Tom Jankowski, interim director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University; Vince Tilford, CEO and president of the Hannan Center in Detroit and Lisa Dedden Cooper, director of operations for the National Council of Dementia Minds.

If you missed this live Zoom event, you can stream it below. 

YouTube video

Bridge’s Lunch Break monthly series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous discussions have included examinations of the impact of Trump policies in Michigan, education challenges and opportunities,  solutions to gun violence, the long-term impact of pollution from the automotive industry and ideas for growing the state’s population.

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