June 22, 2016

Olmstead Ownership for Older Adults

By Edwin Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging

Today marks the 17th anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court decision. In Olmstead v. L.C. the Court ruled that people who need assistance with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing and walking cannot be unnecessarily segregated. They must receive services in the most integrated setting possible.

June 29, 2016

A message from Kathy Greenlee to our colleagues in the aging and disability networks

Dear colleagues,
Earlier today, I shared the news with my staff that I will be leaving ACL at the end of July. Edwin Walker, who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, will assume the roles of Acting Administrator of ACL and Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging.

This kind of announcement is really hard. On one hand, it’s no surprise to anyone. It’s an election year, and new administrations mean new administrators. This is how the system works – and it’s good that it does. It’s good to get a fresh perspective and new energy.

But it is still really hard to leave. This has been a wonderful experience and an extremely rewarding seven years. And as I told the ACL team, I am proud of what we have done together. We have brought our communities together in a way that gives us a larger voice and more influence, and ultimately makes us more successful as advocates.

Consolidating aging and disability work in one place raised some eyebrows. These seemed like very different groups of people. And they are. But there are a lot of similarities in the services and supports people need in order to live independently. So it made sense to bring the federal efforts to support community living together under one umbrella.

But it worked because you made the leap of faith with us. You worked with us to build the agency the right way from the beginning, and you’ve continued to work with us as the agency has grown. I want you to know how much I appreciate your advice, support, and even your tough assessments. We’re better because of it.

It has been my great honor and privilege to work with you. I am grateful to Edwin Walker for stepping into these roles. And I am looking forward to seeing ACL continue to build upon the foundation we’ve created together.

Kathy

Click HERE to read Illinios Issues: Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?

By Charles n. Wheeler III - June 16, 2016

A special announcement from n4a.

Campaign to Prevent Financial Exploitation
of Older Americans to Kick Off Soon

Calling on the Aging Network to Join Us!

On June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, n4a will launch a public education campaign focusing on the epidemic of financial exploitation scams targeting older Americans. According to recent reports, financial exploitation costs older adults about $36 billion annually, and is rapidly becoming the fastest-growing type of elder abuse in the nation.

Financial exploitation not only robs older adults of money and property, it can also rob them of the precious ability to remain independent in their homes and communities. Because our mission, and that of all of you in the Aging Network, is built on providing older adults with the resources to maintain their health, independence and dignity, we hope you will find this campaign to be especially meaningful.

As part of this campaign, we will be releasing two important consumer brochures, which we hope you will find useful in your ongoing efforts to help protect your clients and the broader community from these scams.

In the coming weeks, you will receive complimentary copies of both brochures, and we will be back in touch this week to let you know how you can order additional supplies.

Thank you!