Resource Advocates Report

The following chart is a summary of the number of seniors that Asian Center-SE MI has provided assistance in one of the listed services mentioned under the “Resource Advocates Program”. 

YearTotal # of cases# in Chinese group# in Korean group# in Indian group# in Vietnamese group# in Filipino groupGeneral Public
2013-201453161126   
2014-2015131196236671*
2015-20165324622 1 
2016-2017**16444  4
2017-2018**31 1  1
2018-2019**32    1
2019-2020**4  4   

*In 2014-2015, Asian Center MMAP counselors participated in AAA1B Medicare open enrollment program and had helped a great number of non-Asian clients, as well as Asian Americans, with their Medicare program.  AAA1B later advised us that our record should only reflect assistance to Asian population and thus our effort during the yearly Medicare open enrollment was not listed in later years.

**Contract between Asian Center-SE MI and AAA1B seized after the fiscal year 2015-2016.  Asian Center continues to help seniors in all areas but after 2016 record only shows cases that actual paperwork has been filed with various agencies.  Phone calls for information and assistance are not listed anymore. 

As mentioned in the RA Program, from 2014-2016, AC-SE MI had a 3-year contract with AAA1B to manage RA work in conjunction with other aging and disability network on services. After 2016, our scope has been reduced a lot but we still continue serving our seniors in various areas as we always have been. We also take casual reports of what we did most of the time.

After 2016, most of our services to seniors have been on:

  1. MMAP application
  2. Meals on Wheels application
  3. Health information
  4. Translation
  5. General information

One of the most important functions of Asian Center for Asian senior is our ability to communicate in their languages.  We have volunteers with different ethnic groups who are willing to spend their time to help out the community members.  The number of cases in the chart does not reflect the hours that our volunteers spent at the seniors’ houses with various translations in all aspects of life after helping them with their Resource Advocates program. The translation work includes the citizenship application, DTE notification or letters from the Secretary of State, just to name a few. 

Asian Center-SE MI will continue to provide help to our Asian Community because through our contact with seniors in this Resource Advocates Project, we realize how much our services can benefit the community. 

Testimonial from A Korean Resource Advocate

By Mi Dong

RA work did not limit to the AAA1B program in which we talked to clients in the Korean community and then referred them to agency’s programs for services.  Very often the cases lead to other needs, such as translation, transportation, citizenship and green card applications, etc, not even included in the RA programs from AAA1B.  

Recently I spent all together 3 hours to help a 75-year-old lady on several chores dealing with application to federal services. Our services covered all counties around metro Detroit, even though under AAA1B it covered only Oakland and Washtenaw County.  

Through my RA work in the Korean community, I realize how much more bilingual services are needed.  We desperately need funding for a program to provide translation that relates to health services and legal matters.