A Note From:
IOA Director Victor Marshall
The North Carolina Aging Services Plan 2007-2011 was released in March with the sub-title, “Putting the Pieces Together”. This plan updates the 2003-2007 Plan and presents an agenda to help the state respond to its aging population. I’d like to describe how the Institute on Aging will be one of the many pieces being put together as we move forward. The Institute was one of many organizations consulted in the development of this plan, and we are pleased to be named in relation to several of the initiatives.
The plan is framed in terms of a commitment to ‘liveable and senior friendly communities’, and the Institute is active in that area. We have defined “Community and Aging” as an emphasis area for the Institute (joining other areas such as aging and diversity, healthy aging, rural aging, work and aging, and our program on care of the aging). As the Plan notes (p. 26), we are working with the UNC Highway Safety Research Center to promote safety for senior pedestrians.
The Plan has a chapter on Healthy Aging, and lists the NC Healthy Aging Coalition (NCHAC) as one vehicle to foster healthy aging in this state. NCHAC was established in 2005 with many partners across the state, with the IOA as a major partner and administrative support provider (see pp. 36-9 of the Plan). The coalition will implement strategies for a coordinated healthy aging initiative focused on physical activity, nutrition, immunization, and the prevention, delay and management of chronic diseases in the older population.
An objective of the Plan under the economic security area is that “DAAS will develop, in collaboration with the workforce delivery system, IOA, and AARP NC, a public awareness initiative that will strengthen the partnership of informing older workers of issues affecting them and to increase the visibility of older workers as a valuable resource in the workforce.” (P. 42). The IOA is increasing its capacity in the older worker/aging workforce area and intends to build on the research strengths it has built up in the course of several research projects. More news on this will appear in the May issue of this newsletter.
Under Safety and Security, the Plan notes a continuing commitment to addressing recruitment and retention of direct care workers and the establishment of NC NOVA (the New Organizational Vision Award) as a special licensure status for nursing homes, adult care homes, and home care agencies that voluntarily meet higher workplace standards. The ongoing Win A Step Up project at the IOA is an important component of these efforts as it has already reached nursing homes in over half of North Carolina’s counties, with a workforce improvement program for direct care workers.
In the chapter on Social and Cultural Opportunity, the Plan notes that “The UNC Institute on Aging strengthened the Senior Leadership Enhancement Initiative to build a core of senior leaders who can help the State and communities address issues affecting older adults and their families.” (P. 60). Under the leadership of Bill Lamb, IOA Associate Director for Public Service, this program continues to support leadership development. In the coming year, we will be reviewing this program with a view to increasing its program intensity. In the meantime, we have accepted a record number of six entrants to this year’s program.
In the same chapter, the DAAS notes that, working with IOA and the Department of Cultural Resources, it will “develop a model for libraries in a maturing society that promotes opportunities for life enrichment an learning for older adults.” (P. 61). This initiative builds on work that the Institute on Aging, in partnership with the UNC School of Information and Library Science, has undertaken with the Americans for Libraries Council. The initiative will develop “Lifelong Access Libraries” that, in partnership with local-level senior centers, other aging network organizations and lifelong learning centers, will enhance lifelong learning for older adults, and foster civic engagement among seniors.
Another initiative described in the chapter on Social and Cultural Opportunity involves consultation with the IOA’s Center for Aging and Diversity to “study the prevalence and location of older minorities, ... to assess the need for outreach and to design strategies that support the inclusion of these populations in activities and programs for older adults and their family caregivers.” (P. 62).
The North Carolina Aging Services Plan 2007-2011 sets out many ambitious objectives, and the Institute on Aging is pleased to work with many partner organizations to help meet these objectives.