Coach Spotlight
This quarter, we're celebrating Sue Probert, LMSW as our Star Coach! Sue is a licensed Master's level Social Worker at Hannan Center, working as their Community Outreach Coordinator. She has 25 years' worth of experience in social work, past experience working as a professional organizer, and a passion for seeing to it that seniors get the support & love they deserve. Her duties include offering monthly support groups to five different senior residence sites, case management and information and referral to about 150 people per year. She also works with interns and volunteers. Almost all of her clients are 55 or older, most of them low income. The most common needs are affordable housing and furniture.
Her life's mission is to:
"Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, for as long as you can." - (Written by John John Wesley, an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and theologian).
Sue has built meaningful connections with clients through her encouraging presence and commitment to meeting clients where they are. As one client shared, “Sue is really down to earth and listens well,” while another noted, “I really appreciate Sue’s energy, outlook, and personality.” Thank you Sue, for all that you do!
TEAM EMPOWER@HOME
Principal investigator
Xiaoling Xiang /Shaolin Shawn/, PhD, MSW, MPhil
Social Work Intern
Rachael Orlando
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Social Work Intern
Zhilin Zhou
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Social Work Intern
Emma Johnston
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Research Assistant
Tahura Badar
University of Michigan LSA
Research Assistant
Xinyi Zuo
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Research Assistant
Elyse Narbut
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Research Assistant
Bingjie Wang
StonyBrook University School of Social Welfare
Research Assistant
Reilly Post
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Research Assistant
Josie Abrials
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Co-Investigators on R01 Project
Joseph Himle, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Jennie Jester, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Ruopeng An, PhD
NYU Silver School of Social Work
Community Partners - Current
Senior Resources
An Area Agency on Aging providing comprehensive services to older adults and families in West Michigan. Address: 560 Seminole Road, Muskegon, MI 49444
Lori's Hands
Hannan Center
The mission of the Hannan Center is to preserve the dignity and enhance the quality of life of older adults 55+ in Michigan. Address: 4750 Wooodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
University Settlement
Established in 1886, University Settlement is the first Settlement House in the United States. It currently serves residents in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn by providing a wide range of social services to all age groups.
CareWell Services Southwest
An area agency on aging charged to identify the needs of seniors and develop plans to enable older adults to maintain their independence with dignity through person-centered services. Serving Barry and Calhoun Counties, Michigan.
Come to the Table Counseling (PLLC)
Come to the Table (CttT) Counseling provides behavioral healthcare in Camden, NY. CttT offers a holistic perspective –treating the mind, body and spirit to help restore a sense of balance in life.
Acknowledgements
The development and evaluation of Empower@Home would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of numerous individuals who have contributed in various capacities. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to:
- Technical Advisor: Alex Halavanau
- Technical Support: Robert LaRoe
- Web Developers: Ruochong Chen, Wonbin Jin, Duy Nguyen, Angela Peng, Rushi Saha, Roee Tsimhoni, Andrew Wilks-Millard, Ethan Yeager
- UX Design: Zi Wang
- Research Assistants: Ella Baranski, Sari Bircoll, Emily Clausen, Hanuel Chun, Asha Dimoji, Kayla Drifka, Luke Estey, Daisy Galgon, Carly Gosdzinski, Nahush Keshav, Nicole Kodkany, Hailey Mauro, Nicole Mueller, Madeline Poupard, Sofia Ruiz-Sierra, Sydney Shaevitz, Allison Uzarek, Xiaojing (Vivian) Wang, Anastasia Zhang, Zilin Zhu, Chuxuan Zheng
- Student Coaches: Claire Butcher, Katelyn Burd, Charlotte Drumm, Michaela Foster, Natalie Francis, Sarai Koster-Stetson, Elena McLellan, Brianna Muzzall, Kennedy Van
- Social Work Interns: Glory Kubicek, Sarah Minnis, Ruby Tan
- Community Partners: A&D Home Health Care, AgeWell Services of West Michigan, Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, Catholic Human Services, EightCap, Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging, Healthier Black Elders Center, Huron Valley PACE, Jewish Family Services of Metropolitan Detroit, Leelanau County Senior Services, MDHHS, National Church Residences, Northern Health Care Management, Region 2 Area Agency on Aging, Region VII Area Agency on Aging, Related Management, Senior Alliance, Senior Resources, Shiawassee Council on Aging, Valley Area Agency on Aging, Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels.
Special thanks to advisory board members and study participants for their willingness to engage with the program and provide essential feedback, which has been instrumental in advancing Empower@Home.
*Note: Names are listed alphabetically by last name.
Funding
2021: Empower@Home was developed with generous financial support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (R-2007-147203).
2022-2023: Efficacy testing of Empower@Home was supported by funds from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (R-2107-149026) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (E20225002-00, E20233264-00, E20242735-00) from 2022 to 2024.
Current:
- R01MH137064. This R01 project, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIMH), tests the real-world effectiveness of Empower@Home.
- 90IFRE0097. This FIP project, sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), focuses on the real-world effectiveness of Empower@Home on social participation of older adults with disabilities.