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Serving Seniors
McGregor provides a wide spectrum of care and services. BY JOANNE CAHILL
THE SCENARIO IS BECOMING ALL TOO FAMILIAR. Mom or dad are not able to live safely in their home anymore. Their financial resources are running thin. Adult children are juggling the demands of their own lives while trying to help. It’s often a stressful endeavor that most people do not expect and are not prepared to manage.
The U.S. Census projects that by 2034, there will be more individuals in the U.S. who are 65 or older than there will be children under 18. Nearly 30% of Cuyahoga County’s total population will be over 60 by 2030.
“It can be hard for families to know where to begin,” says Lee Ann O’Brien, chief marketing officer at the McGregor Foundation. “We help them take those initial steps.”
A unique nonprofit senior care organization nestled on a wooded 45-acre campus in East Cleveland, McGregor provides a wide spectrum of services for seniors. Thanks to an endowment dating back to 1877 established by Cleveland capitalist and philanthropist Amasa Stone and his wife, Julia, McGregor operates unencumbered by the demands of fundraising typically required for nonprofit survival.
McGregor provides services, and its sister organization, McGregor Foundation, funds an array of senior-focused programs in the community.
McGregor’s mission is to improve the experience of aging, and it does it in a variety of ways — primarily affordable housing and home-based care. It operates a spectrum of brick-and-mortar senior living options, from independent and assisted living to nursing care, rehabilitation and hospice.
The park-like campus accommodates low-income residents, as well as those who are able to pay privately. In addition to 26 existing independent living apartments, plans are underway to break ground on 54 new construction apartments. The campus, with its Tudor-style architecture, looks nothing like an institution.
“We reside in the Forest Hill and Rockefeller neighborhoods in East Cleveland, so we try to make our architecture fit into the community,” says Ann Conn, McGregor’s president and CEO. “We want people to feel comfortable and feel at home.”
Among its 90 assisted living facilities, 50 are low income and the rest are private pay.
“When you look around the grounds, there is no distinction between affordable and private pay housing,” she says. “Everyone deserves a beautiful home and quality care.”
But, much of McGregor’s work is done beyond the grounds of its campus. Its Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly — commonly known as PACE — is a nursing home alternative that enables older adults to receive care while living at home.
Helping seniors age safely in their own homes is a major growth trend in elder care nationally and is also one of McGregor’s top priorities. In a recent study by the Center for Community Solutions, a stunning 97% of participants reported being satisfied with the PACE program.
“We are really proud of that number,” adds Conn. “We work hard to keep it there.”
The study found that participants in PACE enjoy improved health outcomes, including fewer emergency room visits, fewer days in the hospital and delays in nursing home admissions — all while remaining in their own homes. Seniors can also go to one of three health centers for social activities, meals and medical services.
PACE provides a variety of non-medical services, including home-delivered meals and transportation.
McGregor is currently the only provider of the national PACE program in Ohio serving 49 cities in Cuyahoga County. But, it is working to change that. Its team is currently part of a
coalition working with the Ohio Legislature to secure $50 million in federal funds to expand PACE to other highneed populations throughout the state.
A robust workforce is crucial for providing all of these services and building the pipeline of health care workers is another priority for Conn and her team. A challenging task under normal circumstances, she says that health care worker recruitment was especially difficult during COVID-19. So, McGregor established an Earn and Learn training program in concert with other home care providers.
“Our entire industry has a shortage of caregivers,” explains Conn. “This is a good way to remove a barrier and get folks interested in serving older adults, and hopefully help them in their career paths.”
Advancing workforce development in health care is also one of the priorities of the McGregor Foundation. Established in 2002, the foundation has made 639 grants to 138 organizations, contributing a total of $16.6 million — or nearly $1 million annually — back into the community.
Susan Althans, director of philanthropy and secretary to the board, says that the board established the foundation in 2002 to extend McGregor’s impact out into the community. She emphasizes that the need for this funding is great because McGregor is one of the few foundations in Greater Cleveland that funds senior-serving organizations.
“The pie is only so large,” she says. “All are worthy causes, but we are only one of three funders in Cleveland making grants in support of older adults.”
In addition to workforce development, the foundation’s priorities include affordable housing and enhancing the quality of life for seniors with things like art and recreation.
To that end, some innovative projects have been funded. One recent grant is helping to tackle the digital divide among seniors by providing internet devices to local senior centers. This Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association program brings a welcome distraction from the isolation that was especially pronounced during the pandemic.
The foundation also supports community development organizations with grants to help seniors with repairs in their homes, which enable them to remain there safely.
“Something as simple as installing a grab bar in the tub, making repairs to the front steps or replacing locks on doors really can improve day-to-day life,” adds Althans.
