Oakland County Healthy Aging Ad Hoc Committee is continuing its support for the county’s older residents with approval of the Blueprint for Successful Aging. The blueprint, which was approved by the committee on November 30, provides strategies to make systematic change and positive measurable outcomes to address service gaps, unmet needs and opportunities for older adults to ensure they maintain a high quality of life regardless of age. The 36-page document, developed by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B), is the result of comprehensive community outreach, including four town hall meetings and multiple surveys.
“It was important to identify gaps in what we currently provide to our seniors because supporting them with relevant services is crucial to their quality of life,” Oakland County Commissioner Kristen Nelson (D-Waterford Twp.), who chairs the Oakland County Healthy Aging Ad Hoc Committee, said. “With the help of AAA 1-B, we've identified how to improve upon what our communities and organizations are already doing so we can have a whole-county approach to the assistance we offer seniors.”
“We applaud Oakland County Commissioners’ efforts to identify and address the unmet needs of older Oakland County residents,” AAA 1-B CEO Michael Karson said. “The AAA 1-B also appreciates support from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan which will enable us to support implementation of the recommendations.”
To help close the gaps in existing services, the blueprint provides ten top recommendations for the county to implement, based on suggestions from community members and industry experts. Those suggestions focus on household repair and household chore programs; public transportation options; elder abuse prevention; assisting seniors with programs that provide in-home services; senior center programming and supports; reducing isolation with technology; increasing volunteerism among seniors; and additional county programming.
“We're at a unique time in history in that our population of seniors is only going to grow,” Commissioner Eileen T. Kowall (R-White Lake Twp.), Oakland County Healthy Aging Ad Hoc Committee minority vice chair, said. “With this blueprint we're happy to provide specific actions and give our local organizations and governments a place to start in supporting their residents.”
“Seniors are sometimes overlooked in our society, but we're not going to make that mistake,” Commissioner Penny Luebs (D-Clawson) said. “We're ready to make sure Oakland County is properly supporting all of our community members, including our older residents. The simple act of caring for others, and our elders, is part of our humanity.”
Physical and electronic versions of the blueprint will be provided to local stakeholders including administration, senior centers and libraries. The Board of Commissioner will focus on providing meaningful solutions to identified challenges in the blueprint in the coming year.
For additional information about the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, visit www.oakgov.com/boc.
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