Issue Category: Age-Friendly Public Health

New Website Helps Local Health Departments Support Older Adults

Washington, DC (April 28, 2021) – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), with funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, has developed and launched the Age-Friendly Public Health Systems Initiative (AFPHS) online resource portal.

Older adults are the fastest growing demographic of the U.S. population. Every day more than 10,000 people reach age 65. The new AFPHS.org site is designed to be a hub resource of the many programs, recommendations, guidelines, and tool kits the AFPHS initiative and network partners have developed to help state and local public health departments make healthy aging a core component of their operations.

Healthy aging related content on the site includes information on ageism, the age-friendly ecosystem, caregiving, COVID-19, physical and mental health, the social determinants of health, health equity and partnership and collaborations, as well as future events and past recordings of AFPHS training sessions.

The site also houses the Age-Friendly Public Health Systems Recognition Program, in which state and local health departments are invited to enroll. Health departments that enroll will receive guidance and technical assistance from TFAH to complete action in 10 areas considered foundational to becoming age friendly.

Practitioners in public health, aging and disability services, and healthcare organizations will find useful resources on the site as well as a community of like-minded professionals and a place to exchange resources, ideas, and questions. State and Local health departments are invited to learn more about the AFPHS network that currently includes Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, and Washington State. Interested individuals can sign-up for the AFPHS newsletter on the site.

 

 

COVID-19 Vaccine for Homebound Older Adults: Challenges and Solutions

There are up to 15 million older adults and people with disabilities in America that are experiencing challenges accessing the COVID-19 vaccine due to issues that prevent them from traveling to a vaccine site. With support from The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Cambia Health Foundation, Trust for America’s Health is offering a webinar to explore the challenges and policy barriers to vaccine access and highlight innovative vaccine distribution practices. The complexities of vaccine distribution to homebound individuals was discussed, as well as the crucial partnerships among public health departments, aging services and other community stakeholders that are key to expanding vaccine access.

Protecting Older Adults from the Harms of Social Isolation and Providing a Continuum of Care During COVID19

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis presents unique challenges for the public health and aging sectors. While social distancing protects older adults who are at higher risk for complications from the virus, the practice can exacerbate social isolation, a longstanding issue for this population. The needs of older adults must be considered across a continuum of care from primary prevention to post-acute care in the coming months.

Trust For America’s Health Policy Development Manager, Megan Wolfe  for a Web Forum to discuss how to address the unique challenges that older adults face while adhering to public health advice to minimize risk of infection. Attendees will learn about the consequences of social isolation, how the aging services sector has adapted its delivery models, and hear about promising practices from the field and the importance of working with public health partners to address the needs of older adults.