NYSOFA public forums to present 4-year plan of priorities to support older adults & caregivers

During Older Americans Month in May, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) is seeking public input on its proposed four-year plan to the federal government during a series of upcoming public information forums outlining NYSOFA's goals and objectives to assist older residents, their families, and caregivers.

The sessions will kick-off with a statewide livestream on May 18, followed by in-person sessions in eight locations from May 22-26: Buffalo, Syracuse, Suffolk, Endwell, New York City, Newburgh, Rochester and Gouverneur. Each of the sessions will be led by a presenter from NYSOFA’s leadership team and co-hosted locally by community partners.

Livestream: May 18 at 12 p.m.

√ Facebook Livestream at https://www.facebook.com/NYSAGING/

√ YouTube Livestream at https://youtube.com/NewYorkStateOfficefortheAging

In-person: May 23 at 1 p.m.

√ Amherst Senior Center, 370 John James Audubon Parkway, Buffalo

During the programs, NYSOFA will also be sharing the results of its recent community assessment survey of older adults – what it called “the most comprehensive survey of its kind in New York state, offering responses from over 26,000 older adults.

“These results, along with input provided at the upcoming community forums, will help inform NYSOFA's final four-year plan due to the federal government later this year.”

NYSOFA Director Greg Olsen said, "There is no better time than Older Americans Month to hear directly from older adults about their priorities in alignment with NYSOFA's four-year plan. New York's aging services network serves 1.3 million older adults annually to support aging in place, promote healthy aging, and provide opportunities for older adults to thrive in the community. These upcoming sessions are a chance for the public to learn about some of the ways that NYSOFA is building on this commitment."

More About the Four-Year Plan

As the state's designated unit on aging, NYSOFA is responsible for developing and administering a multi-year state plan on aging that provides goals and objectives related to assisting older residents, their families, and caregivers. The federally required four-year plan is submitted to the Administration on Community Living (ACL) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), outlining how NYSOFA and its network will address federal priorities for older adults in several focus areas:

√ Long-term care reform

√ Continuing to address COVID-19

√ Targeting and equity – supporting individuals of greatest social and economic need

√ Building system capacity

√ Caregiving supports 

Public Input

In addition to the upcoming public forums, NYSOFA encourages public input to the four-year plan by writing to our dedicated mailbox at [email protected]. For further details, see https://aging.ny.gov/four-year-plan.

About NYSOFA’s Community Assessment Survey

NYSOFA recently announced a statewide community assessment survey of older adults that has received over 26,000 responses. The survey assesses core age-friendly principles, including overall community quality and belonging, availability of information, productive activities, health and wellness, community design and land use, and more. The survey results include over 100 data points. A sample of some preliminary results is posted on NYSOFA’s four-year plan webpage at https://aging.ny.gov/four-year-plan. Further details will be presented during NYSOFA’s upcoming public information sessions.