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Area Office on Aging
Receives National Award for Helping Family Caregivers in
Need of a Break
Special to The Truth
The Area
Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, Inc. has been honored
with an Aging Achievement Award by the National Association
of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) for its Caregiver Volunteer
Respite Program. The Area Office on Aging was among 46 local
aging programs to receive honors at the n4a Annual
Conference & Tradeshow, July 24-28, in San Diego, CA.
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From left to right are Area Office on Aging Board Chairman
Phil Walton; Critical Signal Technologies Executive Director
of Business Development Heather Sellar; Area Office on
Aging’s VP of Special Projects Lisa Thompson; Area Office on
Aging President/CEO Billie Johnson; Area Office on Aging
Caregiver Support Program Director Arcelia Armstrong and
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging President Joe
Ruby. |
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The 2016
n4a Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards recognizes
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and Title VI Native American
aging programs that develop and implement cutting-edge
approaches to support older adults, people with disabilities
and their family caregivers. A part of the criteria for the
selection of the honorees was the ease with which other
agencies could replicate the program in their communities.
“With the health care landscape continuing to change
rapidly, our members are discovering new ways to meet the
needs of America’s rapidly growing older adult population
and to support their health, safety, independence and
dignity,” said n4a’s Chief Executive Officer Sandy Markwood.
The
Volunteer Caregiver Respite Program helps family members
caring for frail, aging loved ones alleviate stress by
providing them a temporary break. Each week, a Retired
Senior Volunteer Program member visits with the aging loved
one at home for two to four hours so the caregiver has some
time off. The new relationships formed benefit the volunteer
and care recipient at the same time that the caregiver gets
a much-needed break.
The Area Office on Aging is thrilled to receive this 10th
national award recognizing our innovative work in meeting
the needs of the older adults and family caregivers we
serve,” said Area Office on Aging’s President/CEO Billie
Johnson.
The 2016 n4a Aging Achievement Awards honored
traditional and new strategies in a range of categories
including Care Transitions, Caregiving, Civic Engagement,
Community Planning & Livable Communities, Elder Abuse
Prevention, Ethnic & Cultural Diversity, Health-LTSS
Integration, Healthy Aging, Home & Community-Based Services,
Nutrition, Technology, Transportation & Mobility and “You
Name It!”
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