New WellWise CEO outlines tiered care, Medicare help and transportation match for Hillsdale seniors

Carol Lorenz Goings, the new chief executive officer of WellWise Services Area Agency on Aging, told the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners the agency’s fiscal year 2026 Area Implementation Plan was approved by the state’s Commission on Services to the Aging and will appear on the agency website in final form.

Lorenz Goings described WellWise’s tiered care program, which she said helps the agency stretch level federal Older Americans Act funding to serve more people. “Tier 1 … you get phone check‑ins and some additional services,” she said, while tier 2 provides care management with nurses and community health workers and tier 3 provides more nursing oversight and may connect people to Medicaid eligibility.

The agency will launch a three‑year community needs survey this fall to inform planning for 2027–2030. Lorenz Goings also highlighted two national awards received by the agency’s community education department and its Safe Haven program, which provides protection and support for older adults and adults with disabilities who have been abused, neglected or exploited; Safe Haven now reaches 13 counties across the state.

On local services, Lorenz Goings said the WellWise board voted to match grant dollars to expand transportation services for the Hillsdale County Senior Services Center and promised a formal press release with details in the coming weeks. She also reminded residents that Medicare Part D open enrollment runs October through December and that nonbiased volunteers are available to help with counseling.

Commissioners asked for details about eligibility and cost sharing; Lorenz Goings said Older Americans Act‑funded services carry no financial obligation and participation is person‑centered and voluntary. She emphasized the agency’s aim “to maintain people in our homes or their residential setting of their choice” and avoid costlier institutional care.