Addressing the Challenges of an Aging Population

According to information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Census Bureau, the face of aging is changing dramatically in the United States. The population aged 65 and over is expected to double in size within the next 25 years. By 2030, nearly one in five Americans—some 72 million people—will be 65 years or older.

While national aging represents a triumph of medical, social, and economic advances over disease, it also presents tremendous challenges. Population aging strains social insurance and pension systems and challenges existing models of social support. Legislation such as the New Freedom Initiative—which states "that all Americans [will] have the opportunity to live close to their families and friends, to live more independently, to engage in productive employment, and to participate in community life"—will test even the strongest service systems as the adult population grows.

In New Hampshire, the IOD is uniquely positioned to address the impending challenges facing the human services industry through collaborations with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services' Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS) and Division of Community Based Care Services. In response to the New Freedom Initiative, New Hampshire is working to transform its long term care system of support from a provider-driven, medically-oriented approach to a "person-centered" system, a concept birthed from the IOD's initial systems change work surrounding individuals with developmental disabilities. The focus of a person-centered system is on the individual, their assets, and their network of family and community support in developing a flexible and cost effective plan to allow maximum choice and control they need to live in the community. A person-centered system respects and responds to individual needs, goals, and values—ideas which drive the creation of an individualized plan as well as the delivery of services.

New Hampshire is also working to support the growing body of caregivers who are and will be delivering services to the older adult population. Funds for caregiver respite services currently disbursed at the state level will soon be made available as flexible, consumer-directed service dollars, managed locally at ServiceLink Resource Centers across the state. The IOD and BEAS are also collaborating to provide numerous professional development opportunities for caregivers, including training on legal issues, person-centered planning, excessive collecting or hoarding, and the annual Real Choice Systems Transformation Conference, among other things.

For more information on aging initiatives at the IOD, visit www.iod.unh.edu.