Special Event | Caring for Caregivers: The Art of Aging Well
Join us for a free public preview of Bradley Cooper’s documentary, “Caregiving,” along with a panel discussion, nonprofit showcase and more.
Join Us
Join Us
The public event takes place at St. Patrick Senior Center on Tuesday, Sept. 16, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and program beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Certainly, there are challenges to aging and to caring for older loved ones. But there are also benefits and joys to be found in staying active, finding companionship and knowing where to turn for resources.
Just ask the thousands of people who regularly visit senior centers throughout Southeast Michigan or the caregivers who find respite while their loved ones are enjoying themselves in pleasant and productive ways they probably can’t at home.
Detroit PBS is partnering with St. Patrick Senior Center in Detroit for an evening of free, public activities focusing on the needs of older adults and their caregivers. At 6 p.m., the doors of St. Pat will open for a celebration of caregiving, which will include a preview of the PBS documentary “Caregiving” film, produced by famed actor Bradley Cooper, who tells his own personal story of caring for his elderly father as he struggled with cancer.
It is one of the many evocative family dramas highlighted in the film, intertwined with the history of how the nation has met the challenge of supporting caregivers over the years and more often how it has not.
The preview will be followed by a panel discussion by local leaders in caring for our older adults, who will engage in a constructive conversation, also answering audience questions.
A native of Southwest Detroit and graduate of Renaissance High School, SaTrice Coleman-Betts received her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and Master of Science from Colorado State. Since 2004, she has been Executive Director of St. Patrick Senior Center, Detroit’s largest health and wellness center for people 55 and over.
During her tenure -- which began in 1999 as activities director – the center has continually evolved to meet the ever-expanding needs of older adults. In addition to providing nutritious meals, wellness programs, transportation, and dozens of activities, St. Pat now offers programs like computer technology training and entrepreneurship development.
Ms. Coleman-Betts has received awards from the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and other groups. She has also been featured on WXYZ TV, the Detroit Free Press and Comcast Universal for her digital equity and inclusion efforts
Along with her fiancé, Sebastien Thomas, she is a resident of Lathrup Village and mother to two daughters, Adrienne and Lauren.
Photo: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
Ronald Taylor, President & CEO of Detroit Area Agency on Aging, is the embodiment of what it means to be a servant leader, annually serving over 45,000 seniors, caregivers, and adults with disabilities in Southeastern Michigan. He leads one of the premier AAAs in the country.
Taylor’s 30-year enrichment in aging services includes experience working at the regional, state, and federal levels. He has dedicated his career to putting constituents first and developing innovative, modern, and effective care that enhances the lives of aging adults in our community.
Post-global crisis, he has emerged with a passion and renewed commitment to reducing the inequities and disparities in services for older adults; breaking down the barriers of social isolation; building up intergenerational programming; and providing greater resources for family caregivers.
He has received numerous awards and serves on boards and committees on the local, state, and federal levels, such as the Kinship Care Committee, Michigan Community of Direct Care Workers, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP), and Partnership to Align Social Care (P2ASC).
Kristie King is a social worker and community advocate with over 20 years of experience in clinical services and community-based initiatives. As Executive Director of the Southeast Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative, she leads a network of nonprofit organizations and government entities serving seniors, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Social Work from Wayne State University and has held leadership roles in both nonprofit and government sectors focused on aging, health equity, and community well-being. Her past work includes coalition building with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan and overseeing senior services in Macomb County.
Kristie is an UM-CHRT Policy Fellow, social justice facilitator, and dedicated volunteer, committed to systems change. What she enjoys most is family time, especially as a proud grandmother of two.
Terry Plowden is a dance instructor at St. Patrick Senior Center, specializing in belly dancing. She also leads a drum cardio class twice a month on Saturdays.
Terry's love of dancing has led her to the Middle East for advanced training, as well as weekly online training with dancers from other countries. With a background in modern dance, she has performed professionally, while teaching and competing for over 17 years.
Plowden’s mission is to promote wellness, fitness, and fun for seniors, focusing on knee-friendly and isolation moves. One benefit of memorizing choreographed routines is that it improves cognitive skills.
Her most recent performances were at Senior Fun Day at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater and Shimmy Mob, whose purpose is to raise awareness of domestic violence. The dance troupe, the Divine Divas, served as host and performed at the event.
Other Features
As a major treat, Terry will lead her troupe through a live belly dance performance.
At the same time, key agencies and nonprofit organizations will have tables set up, displaying the services they provide for caregivers and older adults in our community.
Under the leadership of SaTrice Coleman-Betts, St. Patrick is the city’s largest health, wellness and activities center for people over 55. Now in its 51st year, its three floors bustle with activities as it provides services to more than 3,000 individuals, including nutritious meals, dozens of health and wellness programs, an on-site clinic, transportation to medical appointments, technology training, dance and exercise classes, benefits assistance, in-home services, respite care, home delivery of groceries and other necessities, and much more. And there are always new options to choose from, like “Ageless Innovations,” which provides training opportunities for people over 55 who’d like to become entrepreneurs or community health workers.
The St. Patrick Senior Center is located at 58 Parsons Street, in Midtown Detroit.
Caring for Caregivers: The Art of Aging Well is a signature event in Detroit’s yearlong initiative on Caregiving, made possible by grants from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and WETA (the PBS presenting station for the “Caregiving” documentary).
The event is also part of the annual Strides for Seniors, a monthlong campaign celebrating neighborhood senior centers, which served as “homes away from home’ for thousands of Detroiters, presented by the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, Detroit Parks & Recreation and St. Patrick.
Funders and Community Partners
Additional Supporters
And Support From Viewers Like You. Thank you.
Support for Caregiving is made possible by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc.; OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc.; Comfort Keepers; CareScout, LLC.; Care.com; Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation; Richard King Mellon Foundation; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; Ford Foundation; Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation; NextFifty Initiative (Next50); National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); PATH Foundation; Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund; The John A. Hartford Foundation; and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
