As our region grows, our population is also aging, which adds increased demands on public, private and volunteer transportation options. In honor of May being National Older Americans Month, National Mobility Month and National Transportation Week, we’re highlighting timely resources offered by Centralina’s Area Agency on Aging that showcase our ongoing commitment to promote transportation considerations affecting older and disabled adults.

Senior Centers provide older adults a space to make friends, remain active and improve their wellbeing through a variety of programs and services. While many senior center programs focus on fun, senior centers also offer a critically important service to older adults who may struggle to stay socially engaged and remain connected to their community. Rufty-Holmes Senior Center in Salisbury recently invited staff from Centralina Area Agency on Aging to celebrate 35 years of excellent service and showcase their recent national reaccreditation.

Despite an overwhelming desire to live independently, some older adults may need assistance maintaining their homes as they “age in place.” To address these unmet needs, Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is now offering Housing Home Improvement and Chore Enhanced programs, which are designed to help older adults keep up with essential repairs and maintenance inside and outside their homes. Through federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, Centralina AAA developed these new programs that will allow older adults to remain safe and secure while living in their homes longer.

On February 28th, several of Centralina’s regional Ombudsmen attended the Friends of Residents in Long-Term Care (FOR) 2023 Legislative Day in Raleigh. The purpose of the event was to meet with legislative representatives to advocate for and support issues currently affecting aging communities across our state. Members of the North Carolina Ombudsman Association went into the full-day event with several talking points to share and openly discuss with legislators. We took an expanded look at some of the issues our Ombudsmen championed that day.

In addition to the “on the ground” work they do in the region, the Centralina Area Agency on Aging team utilizes volunteers to help support individuals and their families and champion important aging issues. In honor of National Volunteer Month, we want to inform members of the community how they can get involved in bolstering and advocating for the rights of those we serve every day.  

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Administration for Community Living and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response are partnering to provide at-home COVID-19 tests at no charge to aging and disability networks. Through this partnership, Centralina Area Agency on Aging can order test kits at no charge directly from the Strategic National Stockpile to help distribute to older adults and people with disabilities within the region.  

Centralina sat down with 2022 Aging in Action Award Winner, Anna Rice, to learn more about her extensive tenure with Iredell Council on Aging and her passion for working with older adults in her community.

Have you ever stopped to consider where you’ll be at age 85? Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) staff often ask this question in aging and disability sensitivity training to encourage participants to think about the aging experience. The aging population is growing in the U.S. and by 2040, about one in five Americans will be age 65. Centralina Area Agency on Aging, in an effort to help increase awareness of the challenges this demographic will face, began offering aging and disability sensitivity training.

Senior Community Connections SCC is a nonprofit organization that helps older adults remain independent in their homes and actively engaged in the community. This Davidson-based organization was recognized in 2022 for its work in the aging field, receiving the 2021 Centralina Region of Excellence ‘Aging in Action’ Award.

Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) recently held its annual holiday event at the Speedway Club to celebrate the work of service providers, volunteers and those serving on advisory councils in 2022. The theme “Innovations in Aging” highlighted best practices across the region and featured successes that often stemmed from challenging situations.