Aging in Place

Improving the Health and Wellness of Seniors

Both the Howard County Commission on Aging and the Maryland Department of Aging have confirmed that, in light of compelling demographic trends, attention must be given to maintaining the health of older adults as they "age in place." With this in mind, the Foundation and the Howard County Office on Aging formed a multi-year partnership to weave the threads of community services - some already in existence, and some not - into a fabric of support to enable older adults to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization.

The project's first phase centered on three areas: affordable in-home care, mental health services, and home modification and repair. This past year, a partner's group with representatives from the Foundation, Howard County government, the nonprofit sector, Howard County General Hospital, long-term care providers and the University of Maryland moved the initiative forward on several new fronts.

The first priority was to develop a model to improve chronic care services to older adults. The Foundation and the Howard County Office on Aging engaged the Federal Administration on Aging (AOA), conferring with Josefina G. Carbonell, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging, and her senior staff. Following these meetings, the county was designated by AOA as an Evidence- Based Chronic Disease Management site.

In addition, AOA and the Foundation jointly funded an Aging and Disability Resource Center under the local Office on Aging.

Using the HorizonHelp system as its information and referral backbone, the Aging and Disabilities Resource Center will integrate the provision of health and wellness information under the Office on Aging. It will provide "one-stop shopping" on a host of issues pertinent to older adult health and the needs of families confronting senior health and wellness issues. The creation of a modern information and telecommunications hub will upgrade coordination among providers, nonprofit and public agencies and families.

The chronic disease program centers on assuring that prevention and evidence-based practices are used in providing health care to older adults. A variety of concepts were considered. A medicalbased practice model relying on highly trained nurse practitioners was selected in addition to a wellness model pilot tested in Seattle. In the composite, the program is designed to maximize the health of older adults through prevention, early disease detection and the use of interventions that have been verified as effective.

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