Focus Areas
2024 Conference Focus Areas
Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness Through Engagement
Creating opportunities to promote the social engagement of older adults, caregivers and people with disabilities is a vital part of the services offered by the Aging Network. These sessions will share research on the benefits from social engagement and the negative health outcomes from social isolation and loneliness; innovative social engagement programs; creative ways to engage older adults and others with and without technology; and much more.
Advancing Our Advocacy
Learn about the latest advocacy approaches, innovations, trends and opportunities to effectively communicate policy issues. From individual advocacy to advancing federal aging policy, AAAs are mandated by the Older Americans Act to advocate for older adults. Attendees will have the opportunity to get up to speed on timely federal policy issues, as well as expand their skills and learn from their peers about new approaches to state and local advocacy.
Best Practices in Healthy Aging
The latest programs and services being implemented to improve health outcomes for older adults in the areas of wellness, nutrition, physical activity, evidence-based health promotion, prescription drug programs, medication management, mental and behavioral health, and more will be showcased in presentations by Aging Network leaders and renowned national experts. Sessions will feature proven, highly effective programs with a focus on outcome-based interventions with older adults.
Building Livable and Dementia-Friendly Communities
Sessions will showcase innovative and effective strategies to design and promote age and dementia-friendly communities, including issues such as community planning, transportation, economic security and community partnerships. Speakers will provide practical and insightful guidance on developing, implementing and evaluating these initiatives at the local level.
Cutting-Edge OAA and Aging Programs
Learn how the Aging Network is enhancing core Older Americans Act programs and other aging services in exciting new ways to address the needs of older adults. Sessions will address the evolving needs of consumers and innovative approaches to meet those needs.
Data, Information Exchange and Interoperability
Learn about new social care data standards, key issues related to health care and social care data exchange, and pathways to interoperability. These sessions will highlight success stories and the impact of these data issues on your Older Americans Act services, health care contracts and data sharing with your downstream providers.
Elder Justice
Sessions will highlight best practices, new innovations and replicable programs to prevent, detect and address elder abuse, neglect and exploitation, as well as broader elder justice initiatives from around the country.
Enhancing Independent Living Through Transportation Innovations
Transportation sessions will showcase mobility innovations, developments in the field and funding opportunities, focusing specifically on transportation options that increase accessibility for older adults and people with disabilities.
Health Care Contracting and Integrated Care
Sessions will focus on existing and emerging models and programs to address the social determinants of health and provide home and community-based services and supports through Medicaid, Medicare and other health care opportunities. Sessions will spotlight success stories and challenges for the Aging Network.
Housing and Homelessness
AAAs are forging new ground by expanding housing partnerships, creating new housing programs and advocating for local housing and homelessness policy changes. As the nationwide housing crisis continues to grow, these sessions will highlight how AAAs and Title VI Native American Aging Programs on the frontlines are working to help older adults stay housed through innovative prevention and intervention efforts.
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Aging Populations
Recognizing and understanding that cultural and ethnic diversity are critical to developing and providing programs and services that address the specific needs of older adults and caregivers from historically marginalized communities, sessions will shine a light on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging issues for an aging population and will highlight new and innovative programs and approaches the Aging Network can replicate.
Running Your Agency: Strategies to Strengthen Systems and People
Learn about cutting-edge business practices that the Aging Network can utilize to strengthen operations, build capacity, and foster diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Finance, grants management, training programs, professional development, fundraising, marketing, program evaluation and new technologies are just a few of the topics that sessions will address.
Supporting Caregivers
Family and other informal caregivers are critical to our nation’s long-term care system, and the Aging Network’s supports and services help them perform their roles better, and for longer, while caring for themselves. Sessions will share best practices, innovations and new research on supporting caregivers, including caregivers from diverse communities and kinship family caregivers.
Title VI Native American Aging Programs: Unique Challenges and Solutions
Title VI Native American Aging Programs support the diverse needs of elders in Indian Country. Sessions will include innovative and proven strategies to help Title VI program directors and staff manage their programs and deliver services in Indian Country. Sessions will also feature examples of successful coordination among AAAs and Title VI programs.
Workforce and Volunteerism
Workforce and volunteer shortages and issues of recruitment, training and retention have far-reaching impact throughout the Aging Network. These sessions will highlight innovative techniques, approaches and programs that AAAs and Title VI programs are using to build their worker and volunteer bases.
