Assistant Secretary Greenlee Addresses the Aging Network at the 35th Annual n4a Conference

Marking her one year anniversary, last month Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee spoke to those gathered on a range of issues. She shared her observations on the next reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) and the recently submitted Administration on Aging (AoA) budget which included an increase of more than one million dollars for its core programs.

To view the entire video of the Assistant Secretary’s presentation, please go to http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Site_Utilities/Standard_External_Disclaimer.aspx?redirection=http://www.n4a.org/training-events/annual-conference/

To learn more about n4a, please go to http://www.n4a.org/

Annual Conference and Tradeshow | n4a

The Older Volunteers Enrich America Awards Program Celebrates and Promotes Volunteering Among Adults Over the Age of 50

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the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) announced recipients of the 2010 MetLife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America Awards. The program, now in its eighth year, honors the exemplary contributions of older volunteers and promotes volunteering among older adults nationwide. The award-winning volunteers, who range in age from 59 to 95 years, were in Washington today to attend a ceremony in their honor.

“Every town -- no matter how small or large – can use the time and talent of volunteers to strengthen communities,” said Dennis White, president and CEO, MetLife Foundation. “We are pleased to join n4a in honoring 26 older volunteers who are making a positive difference in the lives of individuals and families and improving the overall quality of community life. They are an inspiration to people of all ages.”

The award winners, selected by a blue ribbon panel, are recognized in three categories: Community Champion, which honors those who use their time and talent to make their community a better place to live; Mentor, which recognizes older volunteers who are devoted to working with young people and their families; and Team Spirit, which pays tribute to older volunteers who assist older adults.
And the Winners Are

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2010 National Family Caregiving Awards Program Accepting Applications

The National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Foundation are pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the 2010 National Family Caregiving Awards Program. The request for applications is available online at http://web.raffa.com/nac/caregiver_awards.

Now in its fifth and final year, the program is intended to improve the quality of life of family caregivers by recognizing and supporting the important work of community agencies and other organizations that support family caregivers as a significant part of their mission. Each award will carry a cash value of $20,000 that will be designated for use in the awardee’s caregiver program.

The Award Categories:

* Caregiver Education Awards: Three awards will be given in the category of caregiver education. These awards will go to organizations that have developed exemplary training programs to educate caregivers on topics such as: assisting with activities of daily living, financial planning, time management, and caring for older adults with dementia.

* Caregiver Support Awards: Four awards will be given in the category of caregiver support. These awards will go to organizations that provide family caregiver support programs such as respite, counseling, or corporate eldercare in a truly innovative way. * Older Caregivers Caring for Adult Children with Disabilities: Two awards will be given to non-profit organizations that have established an innovative and effective program to meet the needs of older persons caring for their adult children with disabilities. Potential programs could include counseling to plan for the future needs after the parent dies or innovative support programs to address the immediate needs of the older caregiver.

In addition, two special recognition awards will also be presented, to award recipients that have already met the other criteria in the award category in which they have applied. One is the Alzheimer’s Recognition Award, which will be given to one of the above award recipients that innovatively support family caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease. The other is a Cultural Diversity Recognition Award, which will be given to one of the above award recipients that innovatively support family caregivers of diverse older adults.

The awards will be presented at a luncheon ceremony held at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) 35th Annual Conference and Tradeshow, which will take place in St. Louis, Missouri on July 20. Travel and hotel costs for an awardee representative to attend this event will be paid for by the National Family Caregiving Awards program.

The deadline for applications is May 7, 2010. For additional information, contact Kathleen Cameron at kathleen56@caregiving.org.

NCST Awards 11 Technical Assistance Grants

The National Center on Senior Transportation is pleased to announce that it secured a small amount of funding to support additional grants to applicants of the demonstration projects. The NCST received more than 300 proposals for the demonstration grants project, and after performing additional analysis on the proposals, selected 11 applicants to receive tailored technical assistance grants of $10,000. The NCST has worked with the selected applicants to revise their work plan and is providing technical assistance through the duration of this 4 month initative. NCST provides free information and referral and technical assistance to services providers who are interested in improving mobility for older adults in their region. Service providers interested in speaking with an NCST specialist can call the toll free number: (866) 528-NCST or send an email to: ncst@easterseals.com.

n4a Offers Resources on Older Driver Safety

Two publications developed through the n4a Older Driver Safety Project last year and distributed in print form are now available electronically on n4a’s new website. Visit the new n4a site and proceed to Resources and Publications and check out:

1. Older Driver Safety Project—A Community-Based Approach to Promoting Older Driver Safety and
2. Older Driver Safety Project—For Caregivers Who Are Concerned about the Safety of an Older Driver—Help is at Hand.

Questions? Contact Mary Brugger Murphy at n4a, mbruggermurphy@n4a.org. If you would like to receive a hard copy of either booklet by mail, please send Mary a request by e-mail, with your postal address.

High prices at the pump complicate health choices

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Aug. 11, 2008 Cost pressures may lead to less driving and fewer motor vehicle fatalities, although access to care may be jeopardized, too.

n4a Conference to Address Critical Issues for America’s Aging Population

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) will host its 33rd annual conference in Nashville, TN. The conference, which convenes more than 800 local leaders on aging, focuses on a wide range of issues to help address the needs of the current and coming wave of older Americans. Aging leaders will be on site to address many issues, including: the impact of high gas prices on senior services; expanding the aging services of the network through a proactive model of preventive home and community-based services targeted to prevent premature nursing home placement; strategies to help older adults through the digital television transition; as well as meeting the needs of older adults during disasters such as the recent floods in the Midwest. The conference also works to acknowledge innovations in aging with awards for cutting-edge programs, to salute newly trained leaders at the Leadership Institute’s graduation ceremony, and to provide information on a host of issues, including community preparedness for a growing aging population, family caregiving, Medicare Part D enrollment assistance, serving diverse cultures, Senior Transportation, chronic care management, integrating technology into aging services, and more.