People from across Nebraska were excited to hear Wednesday’s announcement that Paul and Lori Hogan of Home Instead Senior Care had made a significant donation to help fund a new geriatrics center on the UNMC campus.
Click on the image to hear UNMC’s Jane Potter, M.D., discuss the geriatric center partnership. Read on to learn what others around the state are saying.
“Paul and Lori Hogan have been actively involved in providing services to benefit seniors and with this investment, they are taking their commitment to the next level. This project has the potential to benefit Nebraskans for generations to come. I applaud the Hogans on their support of UNMC’s geriatric program and offer my congratulations to everyone involved in this project.” — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman
“The University of Nebraska Foundation is extremely grateful for the commitment of Paul and Lori Hogan to the geriatric center at UNMC and for their continued support of the University of Nebraska. Their foresight in partnering Home Instead — the largest senior care company in the world — with the expertise found in UNMC’s geriatric programs will greatly benefit seniors throughout the state, region and beyond.
“Omaha’s corporate community is tremendously generous in its support of the university. The Hogans have shown great leadership in this regard by emphasizing philanthropy or the concept of ‘giving back to the community’ as an integral part of their corporate philosophy.”— Amy Volk, vice president, University of Nebraska Foundation
“The generous gift by the Hogans is what I like to call a difference maker. It will take our geriatric medicine program to a completely different level and will position UNMC as a leader in the country in this arena. It’s truly extraordinary that the Omaha community provides this kind of support to the medical center. The partnership between Home Instead and UNMC’s geriatric program is a perfect fit. They go together like a hand and glove.” — John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean, UNMC College of Medicine
“Science and education in geriatrics have been energized in the past 30 years — by research funded by the new National Institute on Aging, stimulation of excellence in training by Pepper grants, the Institute of Medicine, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and through the certification of specialists. Academic health centers then made it happen. In the vast Midwest, Dr. Jane Potter stood almost alone. The interprofessional geriatric center at UNMC is testimony to this progress and her vision and will provide tremendous educational opportunities to all our students. Successful aging has become everyone’s goal.
“The costs of care of the elderly are often difficult to meet, and too many die in hospitals and nursing homes. Trained caregivers in the home lighten that burden on families, another adaptation of modern health care. I congratulate the principal donors of the center for their insights and generosity. May the productivity of the center’s research and education add to their bounty.”— John Benson, M.D., professor, UNMC internal medicine, and president emeritus, American Board of Internal Medicine and consultant, John A. Hartford Foundation
“The amazing thing about this community, and specifically what has transpired at the medical center over the past 10 plus years, is that when you let people know about needs, about plans, about visions, they sometimes are equally inspired. In understanding the need for a new center focused on the need to best provide for the growing population of seniors in Omaha and throughout Nebraska, I knew Paul and Lori, as people first, not business owners, would have an interest in knowing about this vision. I had no idea their ‘interest’ would become passion, and they would become Chancellor Maurer and Dr. Potter’s partner in making this innovative center a reality. I’m privileged to have shared an idea with personal friends and see the generosity and commitment with which they responded to help.”— Tom Thompson, senior director of development, University of Nebraska Foundation
“I’m excited by the UNMC’s decision to build a new geriatric center to meet the needs of the state’s skyrocketing older population. Dr. Potter has been in the forefront of teaching and practicing geriatrics and advising community professionals about the needs of older Americans since 1981. She and UNMC have supported ENOA by accepting referrals into its geriatric assessment center, where they’ve recommended care plans and support services, which have helped keep older Nebraskans living independently in their homes.
“The health promotion efforts, fitness center, outpatient care area, screenings, research, community outreach, and public education that will be provided at the new center are examples of UNMC taking a lead role in identifying and creating unique ways of addressing concerns which have often been overlooked by policymakers. This new facility is the right idea at the right time for the state’s older adults, their caregivers, and the growing baby boomer generation.”— Beverly Griffith, executive director, Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging (ENOA)
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Rosalee Yeaworth, Ph.D., former dean of the College of Nursing, discusses the new geriatrics center as Paul Hogan, left, and UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., look on. |
“The interdisciplinary conferences and clinical experiences provided excellent learning opportunities for students and faculty. In fact, when I learned that the NPI building was to be torn down to make room for the Durham Research Center, I wrote Dr. Maurer a letter saying that I hoped arrangements could be made to replicate the geriatric center elsewhere as soon as possible. This will not only do that, but will add lots of other
desirable features. It is great news!”— Rosalee Yeaworth, caregiver for husband with Alzheimer’s disease, dean emeritus, UNMC College of Nursing/past member of AARP’s National Policy Council