From National Data to Local Application: Innovations in Aging Network Services and Research Partnerships

Chair(s)

• 

  Traci Wilson, DPhil (she/her/hers)

  Director of Research
  Research
  USAging
  Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Co-Chair(s)

• 

  Marisa Sheldon, MSW, LISW-S (she/her/hers)

  Director
  Age-Friendly Innovation Center, College of Social Work
  The Ohio State University, Age-Friendly Innovation Center
  Columbus, Ohio, United States

Discussant(s)

• 

  Heather Menne, PhD, FGSA

  Associate Professor
  Sociology and Gerontology
  Miami University
  Oxford, Ohio, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Traci Wilson, DPhil (she/her/hers)

  Director of Research
  Research
  USAging
  Washington, District of Columbia, United States
• 

  Kristen Robinson, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Senior Social Science Analyst
  Office of Performance and Evaluation
  Administration for Community Living
  Washington, District of Columbia, United States

  Slides
• 

  Marisa Sheldon, MSW, LISW-S (she/her/hers)

  Director
  Age-Friendly Innovation Center, College of Social Work
  The Ohio State University, Age-Friendly Innovation Center
  Columbus, Ohio, United States
• 

  Katie White, MSW (she/her/hers)

  Director
  Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging
  Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging
  Columbus, Ohio, United States

As the local experts in planning, coordinating, and implementing aging services, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) address a broad range of social and health needs of an increasingly diverse older adult population. To live independently and with optimal health in their homes and communities, many older adults depend on Older Americans Act (OAA)-funded services such as nutrition and in-home supportive services, which they access through local AAAs. Increasingly, older adults look to AAAs for supports outside of core OAA services, such as housing and emergency preparedness and response. This symposium will provide data-driven insights on adaptive strategies to enhance aging services both within and beyond the OAA and how AAAs and researchers can collaborate to support innovations. Each presenter represents a different level and perspective within the Aging Network. The first speaker from USAging will use the National Survey of AAAs to describe organizational characteristics that support aging services innovations. The presenter from the Administration for Community Living will describe findings from recent National Surveys of OAA Participants including how they adapted during COVID and how prepared they are for future emergencies. The director of a university research center will demonstrate the continuum of community engaged research approaches, through a bi-directional relationship with an AAA. The symposium will conclude with a presentation from an AAA illustrating how her agency engages with a university-based research center to innovate, build evidence for program effectiveness, and strengthen services for at-risk older adults.

Presentations:

• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  Common Features of Area Agencies on Aging and Implications for Aging Service Innovations
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Traci L. Wilson, DPhil (she/her/hers) – USAging
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  Older Americans Act: Targeting Older Adults With Greatest Social and Economic Needs
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Kristen Robinson, PhD (she/her/hers) – Administration for Community Living
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  Demonstration of Community-Engaged Research Continuum Through a University and Area Agency on Aging Partnership
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Marisa Sheldon, MSW, LISW-S (she/her/hers) – The Ohio State University, Age-Friendly Innovation Center
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  Thinking Outside the Box: The Role of Funding and Community-Engaged Research in the Future of Area Agencies on Aging
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Katie White, MSW (she/her/hers) – Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging