Blueprint for Aging;xNLx;Washtenaw County, Michigan;xNLx;;xNLx;The Blueprint for Aging strives to create and maintain positive community change to increase quality of life and independence for older adults and their allies in Washtenaw County through a community collaborative process.;xNLx;;xNLx;The Blueprint benefits from the support of Washtenaw Coordinated Funding, and receives planning and coordination funding from the United Way and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.
An early initiative for systems change began in 1998 when seven agencies serving the elderly joined forces to create an unmet needs fund which could quickly provide assistance to individuals to pay for medications, in-home care, utilities bills, and other emergency needs. Catholic Social Services served as the fiduciary and lead administrative agency. The other six core leadership members represented were: Area Agency on Aging 1-B, HelpSource, Housing Bureau for Seniors, Neighborhood Senior Services, University of Michigan Turner Geriatric Clinic, and Washtenaw County Health Organization-Community Support and Treatment Services. The partnership approached the Ann Arbor Community Foundation to fund this effort as an on-going program, a departure from their usual one-year competitive funding process. This fund is currently administered by Washtenaw County's Barrier Busters program and continues to provide assistance to hundreds of seniors effectively and efficiently.
This report is first time that a comprehensive compilation of government statistics on older adults was done-- Americans age 65 or older are an important and growing segment of our population. Many Federal agencies provide data on various aspects of the challenges confronting older Americans. Because these data come from multiple agencies, it is sometimes difficult to understand how this group is faring overall. In light of the anticipated growth of this segment of our population, it is increasingly important for policymakers and the general public to have an accessible, easy to understand portrait that shows how older Americans are doing. This new interagency report, Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being (Older Americans), provides a unified picture of the health and well-being of our older population.
Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being (Older Americans 2004) is the second in a series of reports produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum)that describe the overall status of the U.S. population age 65 and over. This report provides Federal statistics from over a dozen national data sources to monitor several important areas in the lives of older Americans -- population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care.
The original BASP consensus report created during the 2001 partnership forming laid the groundwork for a proposal submitted to the Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program (CPFOA) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Washtenaw County, MI – How is a diverse group of community members in Washtenaw County planning an elder friendly community? Those interested can find out by visiting www.BlueprintForAging.org. This newly launched website provides a unique and comprehensive look into the Blueprint for Aging, a diverse coalition of community members and representatives from over 40 public, private and nonprofit organizations.
The Blueprint for Aging was awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program (CPFOA) a $750,000 grant to improve long-term care and supportive services for at risk older adults in Washtenaw County by implementing the plans developed in 18-month period.
The Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging approved recognition to the Blueprint for Aging for completing an Elder-Friendly Community Assessment for Washtenaw County.
Washtenaw County has seemingly above-average transportation options in its more populated centers, yet county-wide focus groups, one-on-one interviews, community forums and surveys conducted by the Blueprint revealed transportation issues among the highest priorities for seniors (behind only affordable medical care and access to prescription drugs).
Curator’s Statement: The artists whose work was selected for this show answered the following call: How do you see aging as an experience, as a concept, and as a cultural phenomenon? The resulting artwork, submitted by artists from Washtenaw County, greater Michigan, and around the country, tackles the diversity of our individual and collective responses to growing older.
On May 2, the Blueprint for Aging hosted an opening night reception for the Michigan premiere of “Young @ Heart,” a new documentary that beautifully illustrates “Aging with Attitude.”
