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As a result, there's a lot of buzz about potential funding changes to a variety of federal programs.
Several programs affect older adults.
Meals on Wheels (MoW) is just one, and only a portion of their funding comes through the Administration on Aging under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Read MoW's press release about their funding sources.
(Not all government programs benefiting older adults are affected by the President's proposed budget. For example, Social Security and Medicare are not part of the President's budget.)
It's difficult to monitor all programs available to older adults.
The enormity of the task discouraged me from looking at details. However, I feel as though it's time to start paying more attention to various programs that benefit our mature citizens.
So I'm getting my head out of the sand and looking at programs one at a time.
Where to start?
The Administration on Aging (AoA) is housed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the Administration for Community Living.
The AoA has stewardship over 5 programs:
1. Office of Supportive Caregiver Services Link
2. Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs Link (MoW gets about 1/3 of its funding here.)
3. Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services Link
4. Office of American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian Programs Link
5. Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs Link
Consider following some of these federal organizations on Twitter:
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| Administration for Community Living @ACLgov |
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| Administration on Aging @AoAgov |
I'm proud to live in a democracy where we have access to information about government programs and the opportunity to vote. I need to do more to be an informed citizen and an educated advocate for older adults.
Related:
Older Americans 2012 Federal Report
Thanks, this is very informative. Seems we've moved into an era where educating ourselves is of great importance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by the blog, Jane.
DeleteThanks Karen for this! My husband delivered one day a week for Meals on Wheels for 5 years. Often the MOW person was the only person these folks ever saw. Often it was their only meal. Can you imagine if their funding is stopped/reduced what would happen to these folks? Long term problems is not being thought!
ReplyDeleteHaralee. I'm glad to hear that your husband worked as a volunteer. Yes, the food, welfare check and social interaction are all important. Thanks for your input.
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