USAging

The Aging and Disability Business Institute at USAging is now accepting nominations for The John A. Hartford Foundation 2023 Business Innovation Award. Each year, The award recognizes aging and disability community-based organizations (CBOs) for their innovative approaches to reducing health care costs and improving the well-being of older adults and people with disabilities through contracts and strategic partnerships with health care entities. This award draws national attention to innovative strategies from the Aging and Disability Networks and spurs the replication of these approaches nationwide. Nominations will close Friday, May 5.

Since the early ninties the Eldercare Locator has connected older adults, caregivers, families, and professionals to local services that support healthy aging at home. This new infographic illustrates the top needs of individuals who contacted the Eldercare Locator in 2021. Requests were mostly related to transportation (22%), in-home services (12%) and housing (11%).

New data from USAging shows that existing shortages in the caregiving workforce have grown during the COVID-19 pandemic and make it difficult for older adults to age well in their homes. This new report from USAging reveals that many AAAs and their direct care provider partners across the country are facing workforce shortages hindering their ability to provide home and community-based services to older adults.

The Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC) has released a new video about DIAL-- the Disability Information Access Line. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) can help people with disabilities to find vaccine locations, make appointments and arrange for transportation. Trained staff at DIAL can also help people with disabilities track down community supports to help with independent living, such as services that help with health care benefits, financial assistance, housing, food and more. This informational video gives an overview of DIAL for professionals in the housing, health, and other sectors, especially ones working with people with disabilities.

Are you looking for ways to partner with other organizations to promote social connectedness through shared programming with young and older persons? Submit your application to join other service providers as they share and gain wisdom on how intergenerational programming can support social connectedness. USAging is hosting this no-cost, four-month Community of Practice, on Zoom, from August to November 2022. The goal of the Intergenerational Community of Practice is to facilitate the development and enhancement of intergenerational programming aimed at addressing social isolation and loneliness .

This Policy Spotlight describes Medicare’s Wellness Visits, current approaches to provide this benefit to Medicare beneficiaries, challenges related to access, and opportunities for the Aging Network. This brief also presents policy and programmatic recommendations to improve the effectiveness of Wellness Visits.

USAging and the Eldercare Locator have launched the 2021 Home for the Holidays campaign. The campaign brochure, Healthy Aging in a Pandemic World: What Older Adults and Caregivers Need to Know Now, describes the changes that families, friends and caregivers may notice among themselves and the older adults in their lives. The brochure poses questions readers should ask themselves and their loved ones as we all navigate this stage of the pandemic. It also and provides information on how older adults, caregivers and families can connect to services that agencies provide to address these changes.

USAging, formerly known as n4a, published a new report on findings from the 2020 Title VI Native American Aging Program Survey. The National Title VI Program Survey, conducted approximately every three years, explores trends and evolving needs of Title VI programs across the country. This 2020 Report analyzes data on staffing, budget and services, and the needs of Title VI programs. The survey also gathered data on the impact of the pandemic on Title VI grantees and the older adults they serve.