Dr. Marcia Ory, CCHD faculty member and Director of the School of Public Health Program on Healthy Aging, recently attended the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) Conference in Dallas. Also in attendance from the Program were Ms. Doris Howell, Texas A&M Evidence-Based Programs (EBP) Director, and Dr. Samuel Towne, Postdoctoral Research Associate.
The n4a conference provides all Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) a place to convene, network, develop partnerships and share their agency’s experience in evidence-based programs implementation and sustainability.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) were established under the Older Americans Act in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans 60 and over in every local community. The n4a is the leading voice for these agencies and through advocacy, training and technical assistance, the association provides support for the national network of 618 AAAs.
In addition to conducting several research projects aimed at providing education, training, and delivering age-appropriate services, Dr. Ory’s Program on Healthy Aging also collaborates with our local Brazos Valley AAA and the Baylor Scott & White Community Research Center for Senior Health. Through these partnerships, the Program on Healthy Aging is able to assist in the development of new tools, such as the new online Toolkit on Evidence-Based Programming for Seniors and the Cost Savings Estimator Tool, both of which were showcased by Program staff at the n4a conference.
The new online toolkit is a comprehensive resource, containing materials that build the capacity of community organizations to promote senior health and well-being through evidence-based programming. For more information about the online toolkit, please visit the toolkit website. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) Health Cost Savings Estimator Tool is a new, effective resource available to the hundreds of AAA implementing CDSMP. The tool can be used to estimate cost savings associated with CDSMP program participation opposed to emergency room visits and hospitalizations.