Planning and Evaluation

In order for the Aging-In-Place Initiative to pave the way for a comprehensive, seamless system of serving Howard County's older adult population in the future, the Foundation believes that it is imperative to enhance the county's capacity to plan and evaluate the impact of the project.

Thus the purpose of the fifth component of the Initiative is to collect current data on the status of the elderly in the county, and to establish benchmarks to measure the progress of the various components.

The project engaged Read International, a consulting firm based in Silver Spring, Md., to carry out three specific tasks. The first is the "2000 Older Americans Status and Needs Assessment Survey," which will produce important information about issues such as the health status, residential conditions, social activities, availability of family or other support systems, and income of residents who are age 60 or older. It will also help to pinpoint the services they need or will need in the future to remain in their homes.

A second survey, targeted to county residents ages 40 to 60, will generate information about the future needs of this group and identify the caregiver support they are currently providing or anticipate providing in the future.

The third component of the planning and evaluation effort is the establishment of benchmarks to serve as a baseline for measuring changes in the status of the county's seniors. The benchmarks will consist of data on seniors' health and housing circumstances, as well as on their access to services. For example, a health benchmark might be the percent of seniors who are chronically disabled or who are receiving nutritional services. A housing benchmark might be the percent of seniors who live alone or with a spouse.