Who does the ADRC serve in Brown County?
The ADRC is available to residents of Brown County.
Our key focus areas are adults 60 years of age and older, adults with disabilities and caregivers who assist a loved one (friend, family).
What is the single most prominent misconception about the ADRC?
We often hear “I didn’t realize you were here – I wish I had known sooner,” or “I didn’t think I was eligible for your services or classes.”
Whether you have $1 or $1 million, we are a resource that you can seek out.
No wrong doors, no wrong questions.
Our team will help get you an answer.
A customer recently said, “ADRC is the best-kept resource in Brown County, and I couldn’t live without it.”
What are the key initiatives that the ADRC focuses on in our community?
We help individuals stay as healthy, active and independent as possible.
We listen to their story and help them get connected to resources and services that fit their needs.
This includes: learning about Medicare, and how to compare or enroll in a plan; providing resources for additional help in the home, signing up for homebound meals, support for someone discharged from the hospital, or connecting them with transportation to appointments; helping with life’s transitions, from accessing benefits due to an accident, learning more about caring for someone with a new diagnosis, to transitioning back home from a stay at a skilled nursing facility; and offering wellness workshops to learn new skills, such as managing chronic pain, maintaining a healthy brain, or helping with your balance.
Many don’t realize that there are over 300 volunteers who help carry out ADRC‘s mission, from delivering meals to homebound individuals (over 500/day), assisting with social activities, facilitating educational classes, helping with administrative tasks, to bringing their talents into our agency and supporting our goals through committee work.
We are engaged in community-wide solutions (in collaboration with non-profits, health systems, and public health) by serving on committees and coalitions for a variety of initiatives.
A few large initiatives support awareness, education, and resources for unpaid caregivers, individuals and family members of someone with a dementia diagnosis, preventing falls, which is our number one trauma injury in this area, along with the importance and need for a completed healthcare advance directive.
What else should readers know?
Have you heard of Grounded Café? This great find is inside the ADRC and everyone is welcome – all ages, all abilities.
Grounded Café opened in 2017 with a mission to provide job training for persons with disabilities so that trainees can gain experience to reach their dreams and seek employment.
So far, 15 trainees have found jobs in the community.
Support local and celebrate abilities.
Look up Grounded Café at 300 S. Adam St. in downtown Green Bay the next time you want great coffee or a delicious breakfast or lunch.
Feedback is how we will grow
ADRC strives to develop and maintain programs that best meet the needs of the community we serve.
We welcome your thoughts on how we are doing, what we could do more of and do better, and what future programs and services should look like for the next generation.
This information will help our next planning cycle and is needed by May 10.
Access this survey by phone (920-448-7686) or online at lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/5KUF8Ba/ap22.
Learn more about us by CLICKING HERE.
Dave Ferguson, MD., Certified Senior Advisor is managing director of IKOR in the Greater Green Bay area. He provides advocacy and life care management services to seniors and individuals with disabilities.
He can be reached at [email protected].
For more information about Ikor visit ikormidwest.com.
To read last month’s Wise Living article, CLICK HERE.
Editor’s Note: This month Wise Living is highlighting the Brown County Aging and Disability Resources Center (ADRC). Its team fielded a number of frequently asked questions for Wise Living. The ADRC contributes greatly to living wisely.