Are You a Family Caregiver?
Do you identify as a family caregiver? A lot of us are and may not even realize it. A family caregiver is any relative, partner, friend or neighbor who has a significant personal relationship with, and provides a broad range of assistance for, an older person or an adult with a chronic or disabling condition. […]
Making Strides with Federal Policy
If you have been following your local news throughout 2024, you may have seen stories about changes the state of Indiana is making in how it uses Medicaid to support older adults and people with disabilities live vibrant, healthy and engaged lives in their own home and communities. Indiana Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) have […]
Older Hoosiers Powered by Connection
Established in 1963, Older Americans Month (OAM) is celebrated every May. Led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM is a time to recognize older Americans’ contributions, highlight aging trends and reaffirm commitments to serving the older adults in our communities. This year’s theme, Powered by Connection, focuses on the profound impact that meaningful […]
Next Level Aging
As the Indiana General Assembly has convened to discuss many important concerns, few are as vital and universal in nature as the availability of quality, affordable, robust and reliable services for aging Hoosiers. Every time I meet someone new and they learn who I represent, they always feel prompted to share their personal story of […]
Empowering Veterans with Home and Community-Based Services
This Veteran’s Day, we can honor our veterans helping them connect with a diverse array of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) designed both to ease their transition to civilian life and empower them to live and age through their retirement years with autonomy, independence and dignity in their own homes and communities. Accessing HCBS for […]
Lifestyle Medicine important part of Older Americans Month
Maybe it’s because Robin Leach’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous predominated my young adulthood, but when I heard the term “Lifestyle Medicine” a couple weeks ago, two images popped into my head: guru doctors with celebrity clients and Dr. Oz highlighting the latest unproven wellness theory. I thought it might be one of a long-line of health […]
Aging Unbound in Indiana
Established in 1963, Older Americans Month (OAM) is celebrated every May. Led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM is a time for us to acknowledge the contributions and achievements of older Americans, highlight important trends and strengthen our commitment to honoring our older citizens. This year’s theme, Aging Unbound, offers an opportunity to […]
Dementia Care Gets Personal in Legislative Session
One by one, the members of the House Public Health Committee voted Aye to support a program of Dementia Care Specialists in conjunction with the Indiana Division of Aging and the Indiana Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Rep. Greg Porter, the author of HB 1422, had talked about the impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia on Indiana. About […]
Cooking up Community with Fuel for the Future
Nutrition is a vital component of our health and well-being, especially as we age. But in communities throughout Indiana, older adults sometimes lack access to the high-quality, nutritious food they need to remain healthy and independent. For more than 50 years, the Older Americans Act Title III Nutrition Program has funded home-delivered and congregate meals […]
Celebrating Older Americans in May
Older adults play vital, positive roles in our communities – as family members, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, members of the workforce, and more. Just as every person is unique, so too is how they age and how they choose to do it – and there is no “right” way. That’s why the theme for […]
Pivot 4.0
Pivot just might be the most frequent word we hear now related to COVID-19. It is the word we have all used to describe the changes we made in our work, home and other daily routines so they could be done remotely, distanced, touchless and otherwise safely. Pivot is how we all survived. In […]
Older Americans Month: Communities of Strength
In tough times, communities find strength in people—and people find strength in their communities. In the past year, we’ve seen this time and again as Hoosier friends, neighbors, and businesses have found new ways to support each other. In Indiana, older adults are a key source of this strength. Through their experiences, successes, and […]