August 29, 2025 • 30 mins
The Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (TDDA) is dedicated to helping older adults and people with disabilities lead independent, meaningful lives. With a mission rooted in inclusion, lifelong wellness, and access to vital resources, TDDA works to ensure every Tennessean—regardless of age or ability—can thrive and stay connected to their communities. Commissioner Brad Turner joins John Clark to spotlight some of the powerful services and opportunities the state offers that many folks may not even know exist.
Website: https://www.tn.gov/disability-and-aging.html
Website: https://www.tn.gov/disability-and-aging.html
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Tennessee Matters on the Tennessee Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to Tennessee Matters. I'm John Clark from the Tennessee
Radio Network. The Department of Disability and Aging is the
state agency responsible for the oversight of services and support
of one point five million older adults in tennesseeans with disabilities.
The department is a result of a merger between the
Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Commission
(00:30):
on Asian Disabilities. Today, our guest is Brad Turner, Commissioner
of the Department of Disability and Aging. Well, it's good
to have you back on today.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
It's good to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
You said this is your third time, right, the third time?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah, yeah, it is, it is. It's going by fast.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I think last time we were here was about a
year and two months ago, but it's flown by.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
So I'm glad to be back.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It was just about the time you did the merger
of Intellectual Envelopmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Commission on Asian Disability.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
That's right, and last.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
July twenty twenty, twenty twenty four, correct. What's happened since then?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
A lot has happened, since it's all very good things. Really,
what we've tried to do is get a better understanding
about what the needs are for Older Tennessee is I
think one of the things that I've shared historically is
Tennessee actually specifically East Tennessee is the fastest growing region
in the entire Southeast for people over fifty five and
(01:26):
sixty years old. So that whole area along the Appalachian
Trail has really seen a lot of growth. So with
growth comes challenges with infrastructure and healthcare access and jobs
and employment.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Opportunities, things like that.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So a lot of what we've been trying to do
the last year is get a really good understanding in
all ninety five counties about what folks need, but understanding
where a lot of those heavy challenges are in East
Tennessee and some of those areas. You know, we have
heard from folks and we've gotten a lot of good
feedback about here some things that are helping us.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
But we always want to do better. So we're trying
to learn every day and figure out how do we
do better tomorrow than we did today?
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Do you have more people than you did with the merger.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
We've got a little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
More so, what we were able to do was we've
got different positions. Sometimes we can move positions around if
we have some capacity there to do that, and we've
tried to do that.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
A little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
The other challenges sometimes you're thinking, ape we're taking this
on that means we've got to add people. Just to
add people. We're trying to be really smart with how
we do that. Obviously honored you know, honoring tax payer
integrity and the dollars that they provide us taxpayers, but
it's also holistically looking at everything with programs, how are
we executing those?
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Can we do better? Do we need more people here?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Do we not need to think about doing some of
these things because we're not benefiting people. So there's been
a lot of discussion about what we're doing. But yeah,
we've seen some additions here and there, but we just
got to keep moving forward.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yeah, that's the goal.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
How do you divide to stay up in terms of
who to call and when we've got a.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Really good relationship with a group that's called the Triple ADS,
that's the Area Agency on Aging and Disability. There are
federal entities that receive federal dollars that are passed down
through the state directly to those groups. So there's nine
of them, so we work with all three Grand regions.
You've got pretty much you've got three in each Grand region.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
So we work very closely with.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Them to get a better understanding about what the impacts
are that they're seeing from a federal level.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
But also they're kind of.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
The boots on the ground, so we have to have
a really good working relationship with them to understand what
are folks really needing when it comes to hole modifications
or meals on wheels or job training. And one of
the things we're also introducing is technology into the aging space.
So how do we do a better job of incorporating
technology into not just daily operations for folks that are
(03:52):
wanting to live independently, but also around caregiving and things
like that if they want to learn how to do
a new job. And so there's a lot of folks
we work with, but the Triple Ads are incredibly important
partners for us at d DA.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
You know, I noticed your agency does everything, I mean
from the time you're born to the time you're gone. Yeah,
you work with everybody, and so I just wanted to
go down a list and to see what what you offer,
so the people will know what to ask you for
sure early child development, for example, what are some of
(04:24):
the things you offer with them.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, So TEI S is an acronym for the Tennessee
Early Intervention System and Tennessee is actually the only state
in the country that allows children with development of delays
to participate in the program all the way up till
the point they entered kindergarten. So that has something that
we have worked very closely with the legislature on. Governor
le Was was adamant to us that we figure out
(04:48):
ways to better support children with disabilities and developmental delays,
so we expanded that program to the age of five.
So to your point, what happens is we're trying to
build a really strong foundation when they're because if I
don't do it, then when I come back to you
at twenty three, inside need more money, it's incredibly more expensive.
So we try to build that really strong foundation early
(05:10):
on so children have a chance to thrive when.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
They get into elementary school.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
And this year was the first year that the children
that were eligible for that five year extension actually started
moving into kindergarten. So if your follow us on social media.
We actually put out a video of some of the
children that have participated in our early intervention program starting
kindergarten and it pulls on the strings of your heart,
(05:35):
but it's a great reminder about why we do what
we do.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
It can cause them to look at things differently and
develop differently.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
That's right, that's right. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I mean most of what you know you think about
the development age of children. It's incredibly important for brain
development when they're young and how they understand things. So
one of the things that we have seen that's been
really successful. We're at about an eighty percent success rate
when it comes to children in the TEIs program compared
to their peers when they get into third grade. There's
(06:05):
very much they're in line with what their peers are doing.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
That is incredibly successful.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So it's been a good investment of dollars into the
future of Tennessee by doing it as early as.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
We can when it comes to children.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
And it really makes a different sense and it really does.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yes, Yes to make sure.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And that's the thing that we try to tell folks
is the earlier we can get to people, hopefully the
impact is much more strong. And that's exactly why we
try to get them as early as we can.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
What about the youth youth from there on out, youth
go up to them.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
So there's several different programs we have specifically for students
and children with disabilities. So you've got the Family Support Program,
which is actually the act the longest active program we
have in the state that's been around for over thirty
five years. That's a program that in all ninety five counties,
a family of a child or a loved one with
(06:58):
a disability can apply for a grant through an area
agency that might be doing the grants. You can get
up the four thousand dollars a year. The one that
we've really seen a lot of success on those is
the KTE Beckett Waivers. So the KD Beckett Waivers a
program that there's north of forty seven hundred families right now.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That are enrolled in that program.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
So a child that is intellectually and developmently disabled, their
families can apply to be part of this program from
the time that they're born all the way up till
the time that they're eighteen.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
And what happens in the portion of.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
The program that we're responsible with in our partnership with
ten Care, families can receive up to ten thousand dollars
a year utilizing an HSA car to do respit, to
do pharmacy and medicine that they might need. They can
do counseling, they can do home modifications. We've really tried
to build the program to meet the needs of the families. Now,
(07:55):
there are some limitations of that. The IRS sets very
specific and strictline to understand this so about what you
need to be to identify in eligibility and how you
can spend the money on things that.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You're eligible to spend them for.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
But they've created flexibility through this program laws to do
that and it has been incredibly successful. I think the
last time we did a parent survey, we were close
to eighty eight or ninety percent of a positive survey
from and you never get that on any government program. Yeah,
so we're just really happy they chose our program for
to be successful and a lot of the folks on
(08:31):
our team have done a really good job working hard
to make sure that families and children are supporting that aspect.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Who is Katie Beckett today?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, so, actually, Katie Beckett, A lot of folks don't
know the story.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
It's a good question. I've had it asked before.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
They hear the name, and they don't understand who Katie
Beckett is. So actually, in nineteen eighty six, President Reagan
was the president at the time who implemented the change
to allow the Katie Beckett Waiver to allow parents to
support their child in a home instead of in a
hospital or institutionalized setting. So Katie Beckett was a young
(09:06):
lady from Iowa whose parents fought to say, we want
to bring our child home. President Reagan that story got
to him. He worked with Congress they actually passed that legislation.
So it's been around for almost forty years. But Katie
Beckett is a national figure, and she was alive and
so I think she passed away in her thirties.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
But at the time she was a very young.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Lady, and President Reagan understood the story and recognized, not
only can we better serve children at home in a
natural setting, but it also saved costs for hospitals and
for Medicare and Medicaid, so those families could still be
supported at the same level, but not have to do
it in a hospital or an institutionalized Yeah, that's a
(09:49):
great story. People don't know it, and there's pictures out
there of Katie Beckett with her families, and when she
passed away, that was a pretty momentous for the disability
community because of the impact that she had on the
movement as well.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I guess, so, what about the adults with the intellectual
developmental disabilities? Did they get jobs? When they started getting
jobs in some of them?
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Yeah, that's the goal, right, So what we want to do.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Historically, there's been conversations around well can people with disabilities
actually obtain gainful employment? And for many many years, and
I mean decades on end, the conversation just never happened.
When people disabilities can't work, they can't do this, they
can't do that, and we don't believe that, you know.
And so inside our department, we've created an entire division
(10:39):
that is responsible for employment training, coaching, working with partners
in the nonprofit space and the corporate space.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Media to help tell that story.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
And so we've been incredibly intentional and trying to figure
out how do we do those And every year we
actually have to present a report to the governor that's
called the Expect Employment Report, because we do expect employment
and the folks that we support expect the ability to
be employed. So we don't just you know, tiptoe around
(11:12):
that subject anymore. We try to hit it head on
and make sure the folks that they do want to
work have every opportunity in every avenue to pursue employment
if that's something that they want to do.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Do you help them live on their own too, live alone?
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, yeah, And even that is a new concept. Like
you have historically thought, well, we need to put people
in institutions or they need to be watched twenty four
to seven because they're going to get hurt and they're
danger to themselves.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
We've actually debunked a lot of that right when we
have had these.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Conversations directly with persons supported, they have shared very clearly,
I want to live on my own. I want to
have a girlfriend, I want to have a boyfriend. I
want to work this you know here, I want to
be able to do this, and so we've started to
listen to that.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I think I can speak.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
From some authority being a parent myself and a child
or a young lady. Now I've seen an adult with
in electropopment of disabilities.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Our number one priority is.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Focus is the safety is she can't do this, she
can't do that. I can't let her do this, I
can't let these people around her. And we have actually
started having the conversations with the individual. Imagine growing up
your whole life being told no, but not only being
told no, never even being asked for your opinion about
what do you want to do in your own life.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
So we shifted that.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Model and started having one on one conversations about tell
us what you want to do. And a lot of
the individuals that we had the privilege of support have said, well,
I want to go to work or I want to
live independently. So we've created mechanisms and try to create
new leverage for them to pull to help them live independently.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
When it's appropriate.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I saw on Facebook like about a week ago, yeah,
twice of adults who had retired. They're retiring now from
a fat shoot place in the fashion place. They have
a wonderful job right now, they're retiring.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Those are some people that are really somebody gave me
a chance, that's right.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Yeah, And that's why we lean into a lot of
the corporate space to say, hey, as you're having these conversations,
especially in Tennessee. There's a lot of talent that's out there,
and in some cases there's not as many jobs as
there are are employees that are wanting to move into
that space or folks who are looking for gain full employment.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
So the conversations we've had have been very direct about
you're missing an entire demographic of people who have the ability,
the skill set, the want to that know how to
be an employee that is productive and can contribute back
to not only.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Your culture but actually your bottom line.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
And so we've got more companies that are starting to
listen to us when we have those conversations, but we
really need to continue to push that and start to
have champions that understand the value of hiring people with
disabilities on their own merit right, and not doing it
just because they're disabled and you have to meet some
level of quota, but it's actually understanding that their ability
(14:04):
and talent far out exceeds the disability.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
And what we might perceive is them not being able
to do.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Yeah, and these are great people though, that's great, you know,
just there's just wonderful. It was ready for to see
that they were up in years they when forever these
places and they made it.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
That's right, that's right, And those are the success stories
we try to promote. John, Like, we want to share
with folks that, look, someone that is in your shoes
did this, And we share that with families and with
caregivers and people that don't think that their loved one
is capable of doing something. We try to provide them
with real life examples of this individual came from the
(14:44):
same situation.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
They did it. You know, we think that your loved
one can do it too.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
What about in your older adults and your adults disabilities
when they get older, what do you do then?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yeah, I mean, and that's the new that's the new
space that we're in.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I mean, people are living longer than that, and.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
They've got more expectations about what they want to do
when they retire, you know, and you can empathize this,
and a lot of folks understand this. When folks retire,
they actually get busier sometimes, and that's a good thing, right,
They actually get a chance to start living the way
that they want to or it's not making a living
to have to pay the bills.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Right. So what we've tried to do is really build services.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Around that and understanding about what these conversations need to
look like.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Here's a good example of that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
We're leaving here and I'm going to actually speak at
a conference that's hosted by the Alzheimer's Association to start
introducing ourselves and sharing with caregivers.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Here's the things you can look for.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Here's resources we have around dimension navigators and community navigators.
So we want to make ourselves available to everybody that
finds themselves in the aging space to say, look, life
doesn't end at sixty, life doesn't end at fifty five,
it doesn't end at seventy, and it's creating an ecosystem
around that person that they can continue to right. COVID
(16:01):
was horrific when it comes to what it did to
older Tennesseeans in Tennessee, and what we have learned from
that is one of the things that we've got to
do a better job of focusing on that we're actually
working on some new initiatives is actually mental health in
the adult space. You have sadly seen an increase in
(16:21):
suicide in folks who are aging. You've seen an increase
in isolation, You've seen an increase in behavioral needs of
folks who will sometimes call nine to one one or
just go to the emergency room because they need that
sort of interaction. So we've got to do a better
job in addressing the mental health crisis that we're finding
(16:42):
ourselves in in the aging space in Tennessee and working
better together to figure out how do we address that
so we don't have to go to more funerals. Instead
we're going to the celebrations instead of going to something
that's tragic that could have been avoided.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, exactly what are you going to do with Alzheimer's
when you've got it?
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yeah, So it's talking to some of those folks that
are out there really to tell them about what we
do around community navigation and dementia support and some of
the things that we do as a department to better
support individuals who are experiencing that. You know, one of
the things that's unspoken is it is incredibly stressful and
challenging being the caregiver of someone who has a disability
(17:22):
or someone who is aging that can.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
No longer do what they used to be able to do.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Right, So it's overwhelming, and what we want to do
is make sure that we introduce ourselves to those folks
that say, hey, there are plenty of resources available in
your area for you to better serve your level and
to take care of them. And it doesn't mean that
you can't contribute or that things aren't going to continue
to become more challenging.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
But if they do, know that you've got.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
A helping hand and a neighbor next to you that
can actually support you in that journey. So it's telling
that DDA story and making sure that folks know that
we're here and that we're ready to get to work
with them if they if they need us.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
So I'm glad to hear you doing more with Alzheimer's.
I really am. That's that's become it has become terrible,
become become larger, that's right, larger.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Right, yeah, And we're seeing more and more of that.
I mean, as it's one of those things, it's it's
the blessing and the curse of healthcare Advancement's right, you
could get earlier detection, but sometimes people, you know, kind
of going back to that mental health conversation, we forget
about the impact that has on someone's mental health, knowing
that they may progress worse and a disease or the
(18:34):
caregiver knowing that they're going to do that, because what
happens is you stop living and they start looking for
signs that is getting worse.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Right, we don't want people doing that. We want people
living and still enjoying life and thriving.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
And as medicine continues to develop and progress and there's
new technologies and new things to do, hopefully it slows
down the disease and ultimately what they get to that
point where to eradicate the disease. But until then, we're
going to make sure that folks know that we're out
here and we're available, and we're here to help. And
that's exactly what we want to do in our mission.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I also read that you've provided five million dollars in
grants from DDA, Yes, towards seniors.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Example, what are some of the things you've done and
are going to do with it?
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Yeah, So it's brand new, right, And so the legislature
here worked very closely with us to say, hey, we
want you to execute this grant because we see value
in the programs and the commuterity engagement that senior centers provide.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
So we're actually in the process of that. We have
not awarded the grant yet. But what we do is
we try to leave that open to some interpretation of
what the senior center needs. Some of them might need
a new refrigerator because they do congregate meal setting, so
they need one of those really big refrigerators that they
can store a lot of food in there. Some of
them might want to buy computers because a lot of
(19:52):
these folks are wanting to learn how to use a
computer and things like that. So we're allowing some of
the senior centers when they apply to say, hey, here's
what we're going to use it for. And a lot
of them are going to use it for some of
their capital needs, right, Like rooms are expensive. We were
actually know we're just talking on the way over replacing
a roof at her house, and it gets expensive.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
To maintain property. Right.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
But more and more of these seniors are using these
senior centers as their form of engagement, as their form
of community, as their former relationship. So we want to
make sure that we can help fund that so they
can continue to do those programs. So I'm excited to
see what they're going to do. Not all of them
are going to do the same thing, but I think
that's a good thing. They're going to do what they
need to do in their community to continue to make
(20:35):
a difference.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And they're the senior centers out in communities all around
tests right.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Right, Yeah, it's it's some in metro, some in rural.
We didn't put a qualifier on there to say you
only have to be this population do order. You've got
to be under this population. Everybody everywhere needs some sort
of help. And the Governor's been very adamant to us,
and in almost every meeting we have, there's seven million
Tennesseeans on us to get this right. So if you're
(21:01):
not doing that, figure out why that's not happening. I
think this is a reflection of us prioritizing that.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Yeah, if they want to find out this where the
senior center is, should they contact the office nearest them
or yes?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Yeah, so they can actually also they can go on
our website and they can get the information from their
their local Triple AD, the Area Agency on Aging and Disability,
or they can call their regional offices and they also
have the contact information. So in East Tennessee, we have
an office in Greenville and Green County, Tennessee. In Middle Tennessee,
(21:34):
we have an office here in Metro National Right Office
Stewards Ferry Pike by the airport, and then in West
Tennessee we have an office in East Shelby County in Arlington.
They can call those facilities and call those offices and
they can get them in contact with the local Senior center.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
What if what is the most I don't know the
most common question you get, but you have hip. Someone
just calls up and they have it, They have it,
access to services and here they are help. They know
if they crafts or help. What do they need?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Yeah, we get it all the time.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
It's so overwhelming for people, and that's one of the
things that we're trying to do. So I'll divide this
into two conversations. Disability first. So we're actually in the
process right now of working with the school districts around
the state to get into the actual schools to share
information with administrators, educators, parents, community leaders to let them
(22:31):
know that we're here.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Here's one of the things we run into that's a challenge.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Parents a lot of times don't want to think about
the future, knowing that that's where a lot of the
things that are going to be painful happen. Ok, what
do I do when they're not in school anymore? Who's
going to take care of them? When I pass away?
Who's going to do this? What if this happens? So
we want to get in there and try to eliminate
some of that stuff. So we get them calling us
all the time. So what we're wanting to do instead
(22:57):
of waiting on them to call us, we're trying to
go to them. Okay, We're working really closely with school
districts to get our message out to say, the Department's.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Going to be here on this day from this time
and we are welcoming you and we want you to
be there. The same thing kind of happens in the
aging space.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
One of the really unique things we've seen, and it
makes perfect sense because we just talked about technology. A
lot of the folks that are older Tennesseeans want somebody
to talk to on the telephone. They don't want to
go on a website necessarily is going to look for information.
They don't want to figure out how do I email
or how do I scan a QR code to get
all of this information.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
They want to talk to somebody. So we have folks
that are in all of our offices.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
That are available for them to call in to walk
through the process about how do you better get services
if it's home modifications, if.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
It's food, whatever that might look like.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
We build a team around that to make sure that
we're going to be there to meet their needs. So
we do get a lot of folks to call on,
like where do I even start.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
I don't want them worrying about that because we've got
a team that's built to help them started.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I was thinking of that, and you know, somebody, somebody
who's older, all of a sudden they realize I got
to get some help. Yes what I do and call you?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
There you go, And and that's one of the things.
You know, we've got it on on it. We've got
a stick or that says aging is so cool, everybody's
doing it, and.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
They really are.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
All of us are aging, right, And so I think
one of the things that we run into that's a
challenge is sometimes we don't we don't believe, and we
don't realize we're the one that's actually aging. We always say, well,
look at that person. I wish I knew how to
get them help. All of us are going to need it, right,
and so we want to make sure that the earlier
we can get to people to say, as you're aging,
(24:40):
there's things that you can continue to live, but we
can provide the supports along the way if you'd like
to do that well.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
And and and I know you've you've talked about before
your daughter is is disagreeable? Yeah, what what do you
offer people that are you know, have a child and
then you got needy help? How do you tell what
do you tell them? You can certainly tell them, what
do you tell them?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah, that's the one that keeps me up at night.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Yeah, because I know that there are thousands of Tennessee
families that don't know we exist, and that's on us
to do better. And so we have actually done a
really good job with our communications team, engaging folks on
social media, engaging folks through traditional methods of one on
one meetings in the community, of doing email blasts, different
(25:25):
things to try to get to everybody. But it's the
parents that concern because I am walking that right, and
so I know what it was like when your child
got the diagnosis and now mom and dad don't know
what that means.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
They go from zero to one hundred real quick, and.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Trying to figure out Okay, she's healthy or he's healthy,
and all of a sudden they're told there's a disability,
and then all they think about is the bad stuff.
A disability diagnosis is not something that they should be
afraid of. It's something that we know that they need
to process and then work to understand, but know that
there are things around them and around their child that's.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Going to be there for them to be successful.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
So it's really introducing ourselves back to them to say,
here's some of the things that we can do to
try to help you. And that's exactly why we're going
to the schools. That's why we're leaning into the nonprofits.
We've got a grant for churches and for nonprofits and
houses of worship to do rest but at nights. Rest
but Nights are incredibly important in our community because of
(26:27):
the stress that it puts on the family. Mom and
dad and brother and sisters sometimes need to just get
out knowing that their loved one is going to be
cared for for two or three four hours, whatever the
church might do. So it's building that and then showing folks, hey,
this works if you just give it a chance. And
it's hard for people to trust us sometimes, and I
(26:47):
completely understand that. What we're trying to do is build
trust to say, hey, we're in this boat with you,
and we're going to.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Make sure that everybody is safe and everybody is provided.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Can you talk about the restaurant houses a little bit
more shure?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah, it's that is that is probably the number one
thing you can get from families is we have nobody
to watch our loved one and we are exhausted. In fact,
we're beyond exhausted. So we have to do a better
job at respite. So not only is it something that
falls on this side of the continuum with the children
that may have autism and mom and dad don't have
a break and the child needs needs to be away
(27:20):
from mom and dad as well. We want them to
be able to go to a place that they can
get cared for and have a good time, but mom
and dad can go out to dinner or spend time
with the other siblings. Same as on the other side
of that in the aging space, constant caregiving for a
mom or dad who has Alzheimer's or dementia and they
just need a break. We want to build around that
(27:42):
so folks know that there's resources and respite there for
them just to get a break. And for your listeners
and folks that are engaged. Our department has plenty of
information on how to do that. You know, you don't
have to do it with a ton of money. You
don't have to think, well, we don't have this building,
but we don't have.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Enough of that.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Start somewhere and a lot of times in some of
these ministries and these missions, getting off go is the
hardest part.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
What we try to do is help people get off.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Go and then figure out where it goes from there. Yeah,
but we need them and I'm encouraging folks to look
into that.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Where can they find out information about.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
On our website? Yes, so if they go into the
Tennessee website for the Department disciplingant Aging, you will find
on their information about our grant programs and all of
the programs we have available that they might be able
to access to request grant funding.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
That's a program that's listed on there.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And once you're can where are your community centers? Your centers?
Where your centers to they can get help?
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
So our regional offices again are in Greenville, Tennessee, and
East Tennessee. We've got one here in Middle Tennessee right
off of Stewart Ferry Pike, and we've got one in
West Tennessee and Arlington, Tennessee, which is in East Shelby County.
All of those are fully staffed. All of those are
folks that are ready and willing to help. We encourage
people to call. We encourage people to get on the
(29:05):
website and look for information. And when you get confused
on the website or you're not sure where to go
from there, the telephone numbers are.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
At the bottom.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
You can call and there'll be somebody that I'm walking
through how to get some help.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Well, thank you for being you, bet, thanks for having
me again.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
I'll be here willing and the creek don't I'll be here,
appreciate it. Thank you' all.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
That's Commissioner Brad Turner of the Department of Disability and Aging.
To find out more about them, visit TN dot gov
slash Disability and Aging. If you have questions or comments
on today's program, you can email me John Clark at
iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you
next week right here on your local radio station on
Tennessee matters,
It's Tennessee Matters on the Tennessee Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to Tennessee Matters. I'm John Clark from the Tennessee
Radio Network. The Department of Disability and Aging is the
state agency responsible for the oversight of services and support
of one point five million older adults in tennesseeans with disabilities.
The department is a result of a merger between the
Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Commission
(00:30):
on Asian Disabilities. Today, our guest is Brad Turner, Commissioner
of the Department of Disability and Aging. Well, it's good
to have you back on today.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
It's good to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
You said this is your third time, right, the third time?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah, yeah, it is, it is. It's going by fast.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I think last time we were here was about a
year and two months ago, but it's flown by.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
So I'm glad to be back.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It was just about the time you did the merger
of Intellectual Envelopmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Commission on Asian Disability.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
That's right, and last.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
July twenty twenty, twenty twenty four, correct. What's happened since then?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
A lot has happened, since it's all very good things. Really,
what we've tried to do is get a better understanding
about what the needs are for Older Tennessee is I
think one of the things that I've shared historically is
Tennessee actually specifically East Tennessee is the fastest growing region
in the entire Southeast for people over fifty five and
(01:26):
sixty years old. So that whole area along the Appalachian
Trail has really seen a lot of growth. So with
growth comes challenges with infrastructure and healthcare access and jobs
and employment.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Opportunities, things like that.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So a lot of what we've been trying to do
the last year is get a really good understanding in
all ninety five counties about what folks need, but understanding
where a lot of those heavy challenges are in East
Tennessee and some of those areas. You know, we have
heard from folks and we've gotten a lot of good
feedback about here some things that are helping us.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
But we always want to do better. So we're trying
to learn every day and figure out how do we
do better tomorrow than we did today?
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Do you have more people than you did with the merger.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
We've got a little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
More so, what we were able to do was we've
got different positions. Sometimes we can move positions around if
we have some capacity there to do that, and we've
tried to do that.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
A little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
The other challenges sometimes you're thinking, ape we're taking this
on that means we've got to add people. Just to
add people. We're trying to be really smart with how
we do that. Obviously honored you know, honoring tax payer
integrity and the dollars that they provide us taxpayers, but
it's also holistically looking at everything with programs, how are
we executing those?
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Can we do better? Do we need more people here?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Do we not need to think about doing some of
these things because we're not benefiting people. So there's been
a lot of discussion about what we're doing. But yeah,
we've seen some additions here and there, but we just
got to keep moving forward.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yeah, that's the goal.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
How do you divide to stay up in terms of
who to call and when we've got a.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Really good relationship with a group that's called the Triple ADS,
that's the Area Agency on Aging and Disability. There are
federal entities that receive federal dollars that are passed down
through the state directly to those groups. So there's nine
of them, so we work with all three Grand regions.
You've got pretty much you've got three in each Grand region.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
So we work very closely with.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Them to get a better understanding about what the impacts
are that they're seeing from a federal level.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
But also they're kind of.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
The boots on the ground, so we have to have
a really good working relationship with them to understand what
are folks really needing when it comes to hole modifications
or meals on wheels or job training. And one of
the things we're also introducing is technology into the aging space.
So how do we do a better job of incorporating
technology into not just daily operations for folks that are
(03:52):
wanting to live independently, but also around caregiving and things
like that if they want to learn how to do
a new job. And so there's a lot of folks
we work with, but the Triple Ads are incredibly important
partners for us at d DA.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
You know, I noticed your agency does everything, I mean
from the time you're born to the time you're gone. Yeah,
you work with everybody, and so I just wanted to
go down a list and to see what what you offer,
so the people will know what to ask you for
sure early child development, for example, what are some of
(04:24):
the things you offer with them.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, So TEI S is an acronym for the Tennessee
Early Intervention System and Tennessee is actually the only state
in the country that allows children with development of delays
to participate in the program all the way up till
the point they entered kindergarten. So that has something that
we have worked very closely with the legislature on. Governor
le Was was adamant to us that we figure out
(04:48):
ways to better support children with disabilities and developmental delays,
so we expanded that program to the age of five.
So to your point, what happens is we're trying to
build a really strong foundation when they're because if I
don't do it, then when I come back to you
at twenty three, inside need more money, it's incredibly more expensive.
So we try to build that really strong foundation early
(05:10):
on so children have a chance to thrive when.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
They get into elementary school.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
And this year was the first year that the children
that were eligible for that five year extension actually started
moving into kindergarten. So if your follow us on social media.
We actually put out a video of some of the
children that have participated in our early intervention program starting
kindergarten and it pulls on the strings of your heart,
(05:35):
but it's a great reminder about why we do what
we do.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
It can cause them to look at things differently and
develop differently.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
That's right, that's right. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I mean most of what you know you think about
the development age of children. It's incredibly important for brain
development when they're young and how they understand things. So
one of the things that we have seen that's been
really successful. We're at about an eighty percent success rate
when it comes to children in the TEIs program compared
to their peers when they get into third grade. There's
(06:05):
very much they're in line with what their peers are doing.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
That is incredibly successful.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So it's been a good investment of dollars into the
future of Tennessee by doing it as early as.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
We can when it comes to children.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
And it really makes a different sense and it really does.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yes, Yes to make sure.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And that's the thing that we try to tell folks
is the earlier we can get to people, hopefully the
impact is much more strong. And that's exactly why we
try to get them as early as we can.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
What about the youth youth from there on out, youth
go up to them.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
So there's several different programs we have specifically for students
and children with disabilities. So you've got the Family Support Program,
which is actually the act the longest active program we
have in the state that's been around for over thirty
five years. That's a program that in all ninety five counties,
a family of a child or a loved one with
(06:58):
a disability can apply for a grant through an area
agency that might be doing the grants. You can get
up the four thousand dollars a year. The one that
we've really seen a lot of success on those is
the KTE Beckett Waivers. So the KD Beckett Waivers a
program that there's north of forty seven hundred families right now.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That are enrolled in that program.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
So a child that is intellectually and developmently disabled, their
families can apply to be part of this program from
the time that they're born all the way up till
the time that they're eighteen.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
And what happens in the portion of.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
The program that we're responsible with in our partnership with
ten Care, families can receive up to ten thousand dollars
a year utilizing an HSA car to do respit, to
do pharmacy and medicine that they might need. They can
do counseling, they can do home modifications. We've really tried
to build the program to meet the needs of the families. Now,
(07:55):
there are some limitations of that. The IRS sets very
specific and strictline to understand this so about what you
need to be to identify in eligibility and how you
can spend the money on things that.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You're eligible to spend them for.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
But they've created flexibility through this program laws to do
that and it has been incredibly successful. I think the
last time we did a parent survey, we were close
to eighty eight or ninety percent of a positive survey
from and you never get that on any government program. Yeah,
so we're just really happy they chose our program for
to be successful and a lot of the folks on
(08:31):
our team have done a really good job working hard
to make sure that families and children are supporting that aspect.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Who is Katie Beckett today?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, so, actually, Katie Beckett, A lot of folks don't
know the story.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
It's a good question. I've had it asked before.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
They hear the name, and they don't understand who Katie
Beckett is. So actually, in nineteen eighty six, President Reagan
was the president at the time who implemented the change
to allow the Katie Beckett Waiver to allow parents to
support their child in a home instead of in a
hospital or institutionalized setting. So Katie Beckett was a young
(09:06):
lady from Iowa whose parents fought to say, we want
to bring our child home. President Reagan that story got
to him. He worked with Congress they actually passed that legislation.
So it's been around for almost forty years. But Katie
Beckett is a national figure, and she was alive and
so I think she passed away in her thirties.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
But at the time she was a very young.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Lady, and President Reagan understood the story and recognized, not
only can we better serve children at home in a
natural setting, but it also saved costs for hospitals and
for Medicare and Medicaid, so those families could still be
supported at the same level, but not have to do
it in a hospital or an institutionalized Yeah, that's a
(09:49):
great story. People don't know it, and there's pictures out
there of Katie Beckett with her families, and when she
passed away, that was a pretty momentous for the disability
community because of the impact that she had on the
movement as well.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I guess, so, what about the adults with the intellectual
developmental disabilities? Did they get jobs? When they started getting
jobs in some of them?
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Yeah, that's the goal, right, So what we want to do.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Historically, there's been conversations around well can people with disabilities
actually obtain gainful employment? And for many many years, and
I mean decades on end, the conversation just never happened.
When people disabilities can't work, they can't do this, they
can't do that, and we don't believe that, you know.
And so inside our department, we've created an entire division
(10:39):
that is responsible for employment training, coaching, working with partners
in the nonprofit space and the corporate space.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Media to help tell that story.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
And so we've been incredibly intentional and trying to figure
out how do we do those And every year we
actually have to present a report to the governor that's
called the Expect Employment Report, because we do expect employment
and the folks that we support expect the ability to
be employed. So we don't just you know, tiptoe around
(11:12):
that subject anymore. We try to hit it head on
and make sure the folks that they do want to
work have every opportunity in every avenue to pursue employment
if that's something that they want to do.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Do you help them live on their own too, live alone?
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, yeah, And even that is a new concept. Like
you have historically thought, well, we need to put people
in institutions or they need to be watched twenty four
to seven because they're going to get hurt and they're
danger to themselves.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
We've actually debunked a lot of that right when we
have had these.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Conversations directly with persons supported, they have shared very clearly,
I want to live on my own. I want to
have a girlfriend, I want to have a boyfriend. I
want to work this you know here, I want to
be able to do this, and so we've started to
listen to that.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I think I can speak.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
From some authority being a parent myself and a child
or a young lady. Now I've seen an adult with
in electropopment of disabilities.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Our number one priority is.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Focus is the safety is she can't do this, she
can't do that. I can't let her do this, I
can't let these people around her. And we have actually
started having the conversations with the individual. Imagine growing up
your whole life being told no, but not only being
told no, never even being asked for your opinion about
what do you want to do in your own life.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
So we shifted that.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Model and started having one on one conversations about tell
us what you want to do. And a lot of
the individuals that we had the privilege of support have said, well,
I want to go to work or I want to
live independently. So we've created mechanisms and try to create
new leverage for them to pull to help them live independently.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
When it's appropriate.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I saw on Facebook like about a week ago, yeah,
twice of adults who had retired. They're retiring now from
a fat shoot place in the fashion place. They have
a wonderful job right now, they're retiring.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Those are some people that are really somebody gave me
a chance, that's right.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Yeah, And that's why we lean into a lot of
the corporate space to say, hey, as you're having these conversations,
especially in Tennessee. There's a lot of talent that's out there,
and in some cases there's not as many jobs as
there are are employees that are wanting to move into
that space or folks who are looking for gain full employment.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
So the conversations we've had have been very direct about
you're missing an entire demographic of people who have the ability,
the skill set, the want to that know how to
be an employee that is productive and can contribute back
to not only.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Your culture but actually your bottom line.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
And so we've got more companies that are starting to
listen to us when we have those conversations, but we
really need to continue to push that and start to
have champions that understand the value of hiring people with
disabilities on their own merit right, and not doing it
just because they're disabled and you have to meet some
level of quota, but it's actually understanding that their ability
(14:04):
and talent far out exceeds the disability.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
And what we might perceive is them not being able
to do.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Yeah, and these are great people though, that's great, you know,
just there's just wonderful. It was ready for to see
that they were up in years they when forever these
places and they made it.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
That's right, that's right, And those are the success stories
we try to promote. John, Like, we want to share
with folks that, look, someone that is in your shoes
did this, And we share that with families and with
caregivers and people that don't think that their loved one
is capable of doing something. We try to provide them
with real life examples of this individual came from the
(14:44):
same situation.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
They did it. You know, we think that your loved
one can do it too.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
What about in your older adults and your adults disabilities
when they get older, what do you do then?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yeah, I mean, and that's the new that's the new
space that we're in.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I mean, people are living longer than that, and.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
They've got more expectations about what they want to do
when they retire, you know, and you can empathize this,
and a lot of folks understand this. When folks retire,
they actually get busier sometimes, and that's a good thing, right,
They actually get a chance to start living the way
that they want to or it's not making a living
to have to pay the bills.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Right. So what we've tried to do is really build services.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Around that and understanding about what these conversations need to
look like.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Here's a good example of that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
We're leaving here and I'm going to actually speak at
a conference that's hosted by the Alzheimer's Association to start
introducing ourselves and sharing with caregivers.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Here's the things you can look for.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Here's resources we have around dimension navigators and community navigators.
So we want to make ourselves available to everybody that
finds themselves in the aging space to say, look, life
doesn't end at sixty, life doesn't end at fifty five,
it doesn't end at seventy, and it's creating an ecosystem
around that person that they can continue to right. COVID
(16:01):
was horrific when it comes to what it did to
older Tennesseeans in Tennessee, and what we have learned from
that is one of the things that we've got to
do a better job of focusing on that we're actually
working on some new initiatives is actually mental health in
the adult space. You have sadly seen an increase in
(16:21):
suicide in folks who are aging. You've seen an increase
in isolation, You've seen an increase in behavioral needs of
folks who will sometimes call nine to one one or
just go to the emergency room because they need that
sort of interaction. So we've got to do a better
job in addressing the mental health crisis that we're finding
(16:42):
ourselves in in the aging space in Tennessee and working
better together to figure out how do we address that
so we don't have to go to more funerals. Instead
we're going to the celebrations instead of going to something
that's tragic that could have been avoided.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, exactly what are you going to do with Alzheimer's
when you've got it?
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yeah, So it's talking to some of those folks that
are out there really to tell them about what we
do around community navigation and dementia support and some of
the things that we do as a department to better
support individuals who are experiencing that. You know, one of
the things that's unspoken is it is incredibly stressful and
challenging being the caregiver of someone who has a disability
(17:22):
or someone who is aging that can.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
No longer do what they used to be able to do.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Right, So it's overwhelming, and what we want to do
is make sure that we introduce ourselves to those folks
that say, hey, there are plenty of resources available in
your area for you to better serve your level and
to take care of them. And it doesn't mean that
you can't contribute or that things aren't going to continue
to become more challenging.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
But if they do, know that you've got.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
A helping hand and a neighbor next to you that
can actually support you in that journey. So it's telling
that DDA story and making sure that folks know that
we're here and that we're ready to get to work
with them if they if they need us.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
So I'm glad to hear you doing more with Alzheimer's.
I really am. That's that's become it has become terrible,
become become larger, that's right, larger.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Right, yeah, And we're seeing more and more of that.
I mean, as it's one of those things, it's it's
the blessing and the curse of healthcare Advancement's right, you
could get earlier detection, but sometimes people, you know, kind
of going back to that mental health conversation, we forget
about the impact that has on someone's mental health, knowing
that they may progress worse and a disease or the
(18:34):
caregiver knowing that they're going to do that, because what
happens is you stop living and they start looking for
signs that is getting worse.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Right, we don't want people doing that. We want people
living and still enjoying life and thriving.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
And as medicine continues to develop and progress and there's
new technologies and new things to do, hopefully it slows
down the disease and ultimately what they get to that
point where to eradicate the disease. But until then, we're
going to make sure that folks know that we're out
here and we're available, and we're here to help. And
that's exactly what we want to do in our mission.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I also read that you've provided five million dollars in
grants from DDA, Yes, towards seniors.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Example, what are some of the things you've done and
are going to do with it?
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Yeah, So it's brand new, right, And so the legislature
here worked very closely with us to say, hey, we
want you to execute this grant because we see value
in the programs and the commuterity engagement that senior centers provide.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
So we're actually in the process of that. We have
not awarded the grant yet. But what we do is
we try to leave that open to some interpretation of
what the senior center needs. Some of them might need
a new refrigerator because they do congregate meal setting, so
they need one of those really big refrigerators that they
can store a lot of food in there. Some of
them might want to buy computers because a lot of
(19:52):
these folks are wanting to learn how to use a
computer and things like that. So we're allowing some of
the senior centers when they apply to say, hey, here's
what we're going to use it for. And a lot
of them are going to use it for some of
their capital needs, right, Like rooms are expensive. We were
actually know we're just talking on the way over replacing
a roof at her house, and it gets expensive.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
To maintain property. Right.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
But more and more of these seniors are using these
senior centers as their form of engagement, as their form
of community, as their former relationship. So we want to
make sure that we can help fund that so they
can continue to do those programs. So I'm excited to
see what they're going to do. Not all of them
are going to do the same thing, but I think
that's a good thing. They're going to do what they
need to do in their community to continue to make
(20:35):
a difference.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And they're the senior centers out in communities all around
tests right.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Right, Yeah, it's it's some in metro, some in rural.
We didn't put a qualifier on there to say you
only have to be this population do order. You've got
to be under this population. Everybody everywhere needs some sort
of help. And the Governor's been very adamant to us,
and in almost every meeting we have, there's seven million
Tennesseeans on us to get this right. So if you're
(21:01):
not doing that, figure out why that's not happening. I
think this is a reflection of us prioritizing that.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Yeah, if they want to find out this where the
senior center is, should they contact the office nearest them
or yes?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Yeah, so they can actually also they can go on
our website and they can get the information from their
their local Triple AD, the Area Agency on Aging and Disability,
or they can call their regional offices and they also
have the contact information. So in East Tennessee, we have
an office in Greenville and Green County, Tennessee. In Middle Tennessee,
(21:34):
we have an office here in Metro National Right Office
Stewards Ferry Pike by the airport, and then in West
Tennessee we have an office in East Shelby County in Arlington.
They can call those facilities and call those offices and
they can get them in contact with the local Senior center.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
What if what is the most I don't know the
most common question you get, but you have hip. Someone
just calls up and they have it, They have it,
access to services and here they are help. They know
if they crafts or help. What do they need?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Yeah, we get it all the time.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
It's so overwhelming for people, and that's one of the
things that we're trying to do. So I'll divide this
into two conversations. Disability first. So we're actually in the
process right now of working with the school districts around
the state to get into the actual schools to share
information with administrators, educators, parents, community leaders to let them
(22:31):
know that we're here.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Here's one of the things we run into that's a challenge.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Parents a lot of times don't want to think about
the future, knowing that that's where a lot of the
things that are going to be painful happen. Ok, what
do I do when they're not in school anymore? Who's
going to take care of them? When I pass away?
Who's going to do this? What if this happens? So
we want to get in there and try to eliminate
some of that stuff. So we get them calling us
all the time. So what we're wanting to do instead
(22:57):
of waiting on them to call us, we're trying to
go to them. Okay, We're working really closely with school
districts to get our message out to say, the Department's.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Going to be here on this day from this time
and we are welcoming you and we want you to
be there. The same thing kind of happens in the
aging space.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
One of the really unique things we've seen, and it
makes perfect sense because we just talked about technology. A
lot of the folks that are older Tennesseeans want somebody
to talk to on the telephone. They don't want to
go on a website necessarily is going to look for information.
They don't want to figure out how do I email
or how do I scan a QR code to get
all of this information.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
They want to talk to somebody. So we have folks
that are in all of our offices.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
That are available for them to call in to walk
through the process about how do you better get services
if it's home modifications, if.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
It's food, whatever that might look like.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
We build a team around that to make sure that
we're going to be there to meet their needs. So
we do get a lot of folks to call on,
like where do I even start.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
I don't want them worrying about that because we've got
a team that's built to help them started.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I was thinking of that, and you know, somebody, somebody
who's older, all of a sudden they realize I got
to get some help. Yes what I do and call you?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
There you go, And and that's one of the things.
You know, we've got it on on it. We've got
a stick or that says aging is so cool, everybody's
doing it, and.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
They really are.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
All of us are aging, right, And so I think
one of the things that we run into that's a
challenge is sometimes we don't we don't believe, and we
don't realize we're the one that's actually aging. We always say, well,
look at that person. I wish I knew how to
get them help. All of us are going to need it, right,
and so we want to make sure that the earlier
we can get to people to say, as you're aging,
(24:40):
there's things that you can continue to live, but we
can provide the supports along the way if you'd like
to do that well.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
And and and I know you've you've talked about before
your daughter is is disagreeable? Yeah, what what do you
offer people that are you know, have a child and
then you got needy help? How do you tell what
do you tell them? You can certainly tell them, what
do you tell them?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah, that's the one that keeps me up at night.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Yeah, because I know that there are thousands of Tennessee
families that don't know we exist, and that's on us
to do better. And so we have actually done a
really good job with our communications team, engaging folks on
social media, engaging folks through traditional methods of one on
one meetings in the community, of doing email blasts, different
(25:25):
things to try to get to everybody. But it's the
parents that concern because I am walking that right, and
so I know what it was like when your child
got the diagnosis and now mom and dad don't know
what that means.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
They go from zero to one hundred real quick, and.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Trying to figure out Okay, she's healthy or he's healthy,
and all of a sudden they're told there's a disability,
and then all they think about is the bad stuff.
A disability diagnosis is not something that they should be
afraid of. It's something that we know that they need
to process and then work to understand, but know that
there are things around them and around their child that's.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Going to be there for them to be successful.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
So it's really introducing ourselves back to them to say,
here's some of the things that we can do to
try to help you. And that's exactly why we're going
to the schools. That's why we're leaning into the nonprofits.
We've got a grant for churches and for nonprofits and
houses of worship to do rest but at nights. Rest
but Nights are incredibly important in our community because of
(26:27):
the stress that it puts on the family. Mom and
dad and brother and sisters sometimes need to just get
out knowing that their loved one is going to be
cared for for two or three four hours, whatever the
church might do. So it's building that and then showing folks, hey,
this works if you just give it a chance. And
it's hard for people to trust us sometimes, and I
(26:47):
completely understand that. What we're trying to do is build
trust to say, hey, we're in this boat with you,
and we're going to.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Make sure that everybody is safe and everybody is provided.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Can you talk about the restaurant houses a little bit
more shure?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah, it's that is that is probably the number one
thing you can get from families is we have nobody
to watch our loved one and we are exhausted. In fact,
we're beyond exhausted. So we have to do a better
job at respite. So not only is it something that
falls on this side of the continuum with the children
that may have autism and mom and dad don't have
a break and the child needs needs to be away
(27:20):
from mom and dad as well. We want them to
be able to go to a place that they can
get cared for and have a good time, but mom
and dad can go out to dinner or spend time
with the other siblings. Same as on the other side
of that in the aging space, constant caregiving for a
mom or dad who has Alzheimer's or dementia and they
just need a break. We want to build around that
(27:42):
so folks know that there's resources and respite there for
them just to get a break. And for your listeners
and folks that are engaged. Our department has plenty of
information on how to do that. You know, you don't
have to do it with a ton of money. You
don't have to think, well, we don't have this building,
but we don't have.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Enough of that.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Start somewhere and a lot of times in some of
these ministries and these missions, getting off go is the
hardest part.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
What we try to do is help people get off.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Go and then figure out where it goes from there. Yeah,
but we need them and I'm encouraging folks to look
into that.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Where can they find out information about.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
On our website? Yes, so if they go into the
Tennessee website for the Department disciplingant Aging, you will find
on their information about our grant programs and all of
the programs we have available that they might be able
to access to request grant funding.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
That's a program that's listed on there.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And once you're can where are your community centers? Your centers?
Where your centers to they can get help?
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
So our regional offices again are in Greenville, Tennessee, and
East Tennessee. We've got one here in Middle Tennessee right
off of Stewart Ferry Pike, and we've got one in
West Tennessee and Arlington, Tennessee, which is in East Shelby County.
All of those are fully staffed. All of those are
folks that are ready and willing to help. We encourage
people to call. We encourage people to get on the
(29:05):
website and look for information. And when you get confused
on the website or you're not sure where to go
from there, the telephone numbers are.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
At the bottom.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
You can call and there'll be somebody that I'm walking
through how to get some help.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Well, thank you for being you, bet, thanks for having
me again.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
I'll be here willing and the creek don't I'll be here,
appreciate it. Thank you' all.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
That's Commissioner Brad Turner of the Department of Disability and Aging.
To find out more about them, visit TN dot gov
slash Disability and Aging. If you have questions or comments
on today's program, you can email me John Clark at
iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you
next week right here on your local radio station on
Tennessee matters,
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.