UNH Center on Aging and Community Living Launches with New Perspectives Event

October 14, 2011

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire’s Center on Aging and Community Living (CACL) hosted over 80 UNH faculty and community partners at their fall launch event, New Perspectives on Aging, on October 6, 2011. The program brought together key stakeholders to discuss issues related to the aging of NH’s population and how the CACL can bridge relationships between UNH and state and community partners to better support older adults to live and age in the communities of their choice.

“We want to help individuals move away from simply piecing life together to living a full life in the community,” said Ned Helms, director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice (NHIHPP), during his welcome remarks. “By tapping into faculty resources and growing our partnerships with the state, the CACL hopes to be the vehicle for shaping a system to support and achieve this goal.”

Dr. Edward Ansello, Director of the Virginia Center on Aging and Director of the Virginia Geriatric Education Center at Virginia Commonwealth University addressed the group, discussing the intersection of aging and disability values, service provision, and public policy in his keynote presentation. He encouraged the work of the CACL and its stakeholders to move forward in creating a stronger network and coalition for change.

A panel responded to Dr. Ansello’s address, reflecting on how the CACL can support the work of state government, University faculty and staff, community agencies, advocates, and state legislators. Panel members included Nancy Rollins, Associate Commissioner, NH Department of Health and Human Services; Joan Hahn, Professor of Nursing, UNH; Susan Ruka, Vice President, Elderly and Quality Services, Memorial Hospital, North Conway, NH; Barbara Salvatore, Community Advocate; and Laurie Harding, Legislator, NH House of Representatives.

The CACL is a collaboration between the Institute on Disability (IOD) and NHIHPP at UNH. Having been actively engaged in projects related to aging and long term care issues for a number of years, the CACL was established to coordinate the work of both institutes, maximize available resources, and provide assistance to state agencies and community organizations. For more information on the CACL, visit www.agingandcommunityliving.org.

The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to strengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

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