Senate News Update
From Senator Jane Earll
March 8, 2005

State Plan on Aging Recently Updated 

Governments are known for producing plenty of plans and reports. Some are more important than others.  In a state with the second-oldest population in the nation, a plan for providing services to this sector of our populace is one of the more important ones. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is required by state and federal law to submit a State Plan on Aging. Its purpose is to help structure the Department's priorities and identify an agenda for the Commonwealth. 

The Plan includes assurances that federal funds will be administered in accordance with current laws, and covers a period through September 30th, 2008. The Plan was the result of statewide hearings, with input from experts and Pennsylvania seniors. 

The 75-page report is informative, and I encourage you to familiarize yourself with it. In the meantime, here is an outline of the 10 priorities that will guide senior services for the next few years (they are not listed in order of importance): 

1. The Role of Senior Community Centers: Centers face challenges in adjusting to the tastes and preferences of an increasingly diverse target population, and in establishing a programming balance between younger seniors and their older counterparts. 

2. Health and Wellness: Objectives in this section call for the promotion of healthy lifestyles by providing information and outreach, encouraging community partnerships to support education and outreach, and encouraging older citizens to take personal responsibility to make necessary lifestyle changes. 

3. Civic Engagement and Volunteerism: Objectives focus on promoting awareness and increasing access to meaningful volunteer opportunities for older adults. 

4. Raising Public Awareness: Older persons and their families may be better able to cope with issues associated with advanced age if they are educated about the many programs, services and benefits available. 

5. Improving Transportation Services: Objectives for transportation call for enhancing responsive community based transportation systems and assisting older drivers to make informed choices about mobility options. 

6. Home and Community Based Care: Objectives involve increasing the availability of home and community based service options and enabling more older adults to transition from nursing homes with greater access to legal services to protect their rights and ease their transition.

7. Fraud and Abuse: The focus will be on reducing the victimization rate of older Pennsylvanians, promoting public outreach, and developing stronger partnerships between the aging network, communities, government and law enforcement. 

8. Housing: Elderly households must have access to flexible packages of housing and supportive services that are integrated and delivered in ways that have the most potential to meet the older resident's desire to age in place. 

9. Mental Health and Mental Retardation: There will be focus on the promotion of interagency agreements between state and county mental health/mental retardation programs to promote awareness and availability of quality living arrangements for older persons in need of these services. 

10. Cultural Inclusion: This refers to efforts to reach and include people of diverse cultures in all aspects of the aging network, including employment, workforce, and leadership development.

For more details, you can visit www.aging.state.pa.us, and click on "New State Plan for Aging."  As with most plans, its best to remain flexible and adjust when needed, which is why the Plan is re-visited every few years.  This is, however, a good blueprint for addressing the needs of Pennsylvania's important and vibrant senior community.

As always, if you have any questions on this or any other state government matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office directly at (814) 453-2515.