Elder Care Westwood MA
As a person providing at least some level of elder care for an aging parent or other family member you know how much there is to do, and how expensive some things for seniors can be. You also may feel, at least at times, that there just aren’t enough services or help for our nation’s elders. That may change—at least a little bit for some seniors—following the recent renewal of a law designed specifically for people over the age of 60.
In April, Congress passed a new version of the Older Americans Act (OAA), which will increase funds for services to millions of people 60 years of age and older, including home delivered meals, support for family caregivers and programs whose mission is to help prevent abuse and neglect of seniors.
In case you were unaware of the original measure, the Older Americans Act was first passed by Congress in 1965 in response to concern by lawmakers that there was a lack of community social service and programs for older people. The original legislation established authority for grants to individual states for such things as community planning and social services, research and development projects, and personnel training in the area of aging. The law also created the Administration on Aging (AoA) to administer the newly-created grant programs and to serve as the federal focal point on matters that pertain to seniors.
The Older Americans Act has since been viewed as the primary vehicle for the organization and delivery of social and nutritional services to seniors and their caregivers, even though some older Americans may also receive services under other local, state or federal programs.
The Act also includes community service employment for low-income older Americans; training, research, and demonstration activities in the field of aging; and vulnerable elder rights protection activities. Program and service areas include, but certainly are not limited to:
- Elder Abuse and Elder Justice
- Mental Health
- Benefits Counseling
- Civic Engagement
- Nutritional Counseling
- Healthy Aging
- Evidence-based Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Caregiving
The Act is believed to save both federal and state tax dollars by keeping the 60-plus population in their homes longer and reducing hospital readmissions.
The Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016 reauthorizes programs for FY 2017 through 2019 and includes provisions that seek to protect our nation’s vulnerable seniors by strengthening, among other things, elder abuse and screening and prevention efforts. It also promotes the delivery of evidence-based programs, such as falls prevention and chronic disease self-management programs.
Additionally, one key provision of the reauthorization provides for a seven percent boost in funding over the next three years. That increase will keep traditional programs going—programs like Meals on Wheels—and will be used to modernize senior centers and develop a tool to help people more easily choose home- and community-based services.
Source: www.aarp.org
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care Services in Westwood MA, or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at CARE Resolutions – (508) 906-5572.
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