Aging Network Business Practice, Planning and Program Development

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For more than forty years, the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) has served as the effective and visible advocate for older Americans at the Federal level while at the same time providing support and guidance to the Aging Network. In this role, AoA is committed to ensuring that older Americans have the support they need to remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible and supporting family caregivers in their efforts to keep loved ones independent. Since the passage of the Older Americans Act in 1965, the Aging Network has grown to encompass an array of state, local and community organizations and entities responsible for promoting the development of a comprehensive and coordinated system of home and community based services for older people and, most recently, family caregivers. The Network consists of 56 State Units on Aging; 629 Area Agencies on Aging; Tribal organizations; and thousands of community services provider organizations and volunteers. The Network reaches into every community and plays a key role in delivering services and supporting consumer-centered systems of care to some of the most vulnerable members of society. Reauthorizations of the Older Americans Act in 2000 and again in 2006 took significant steps towards positioning AoA and the Aging Network to be a leader in the provision of long-term care home and community based services. Since 2000, the Aging Network has expanded its focus to include supporting the needs of family caregivers and launched specific efforts designed to strengthen and modernize the Aging Network’s capacity to be a leader in the long-term care services arena. In taking these significant steps, the Network has had to examine and modernize its business practices, enhance strategic planning and develop and implement new programs altogether. More recently, strategies emphasizing a three-pronged approach designed to foster systemic changes at the state and community level have gained momentum throughout the Aging Network. The Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 integrated the key elements of AoA’s modernization strategy into the core of the Act. As a result, these modernization efforts have realized the following:  The establishment of Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs);  The incorporation of evidence-based disease and disability prevention programs into the array of programs and services currently provided by the Aging Network; and  The launch of consumer-directed nursing home diversion programs targeted to individuals before they spend down to Medicaid. These strategies and closer partnerships with other Federal agencies and national organizations on a variety of initiatives are helping to ensure that the Aging Network remains a leader in the provision of long-term services and supports to vulnerable older Americans and their caregivers. Much has been accomplished to support and enhance the capacity of the Aging Network to meet the challenges of an aging population. These and future efforts will meet with measurable success when they occur in a system with business, planning and program development practices supported by state of the art technical assistance and resources. Under this Announcement, AoA is seeking proposals to provide technical support to the Aging Network in three key areas: 1. Information, Education and Business Planning Needs 2. Long Term Strategic Planning 3. Caregiver and Respite Program Development and Technical Assistance

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