| Wake County Aging Plan |
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| Triangle J Council of Governments |
Conclusion
Several common themes emerge from the recommendations offered by the issue teams. First, it is clear that the
issues under consideration affect not only seniors, but also younger disabled people, family and paid caregivers,
anyone who has an older relative, friend, or neighbor, and indeed all of us who are on our way to becoming seniors.
(And who among us is not??) Many services provided to seniors can also benefit the younger members of the
community; health promotion and transportation services are obvious examples. Second, it is apparent that we must
begin to address these issues earlier, not just when people turn 65 (or age 45 for adults with developmental
disabilities). In many cases, education and planning earlier in life could prevent some of the problems faced by older
adults.
Public Awareness and Education
It is clear that, in some cases, the problem is not lack of services, but lack of knowledge. In some areas, services
exist, but lack of public awareness limits their utilization. Even among the “insiders” represented on the issue teams, it
was clear that there was initially a lack of awareness of a number of programs that are currently in place. Much more
work is clearly needed to educate both seniors and the general public about what services are available and how
those services can be obtained. Seniors need to know how to find appropriate housing, where to go for physical
activity programs, what the options are for home health care, how to get a break on their property taxes, etc.
Ironically, one place where public awareness appears to be needed most is with regard to information/referral
programs themselves. Repeatedly, team members expressed the desire for a centralized information source where
seniors could go to receive information and education about resources in the community. A strong foundation for this
resource actually already exists, in the form of the Older Americans Act-funded Information and Assistance program at
Resources for Seniors, which maintains a comprehensive resource database and produces both printed and web-
based service information. Raising public awareness about this service should be an early priority in implementing
the plan. Further enhancements, such as the Health Resource Unit envisioned in the Health team’s
recommendations, and the financial education component of the Economic Self-Sufficiency team’s plan, could
broaden and deepen the scope of available information/referral resources and potentially lead to the creation of a truly
one-stop resource center.
Planning and Prevention
In some cases, a more extensive process of education is necessary – not just showing people where to find tools, but
teaching them how to use those tools. Examples here include financial planning for independence in retirement, and
health promotion including diet and exercise. These are areas where the work must take place long before the
individual turns 65, to produce benefits in later years. We must do more to encourage individuals to think ahead and
take personal responsibility for the choices they are making and the results these choices will bring for their future.
Creative cooperation with many other programs and agencies outside of the “seniors-only” arena, as well as schools
and businesses, will be critical in making headway on these goals.
Economic Needs
Information and education are vital, but our work must go beyond these areas if we are to meet the needs confronting
us in the coming decades. We can provide information, but if we do not back it up with concrete resources that are
available in sufficient supply, it will not be enough. The bottom line is money. As is true in our society at large, there is
ample evidence of economic inequality in our senior population. While some seniors have ample retirement funds
and substantial assets, many others rely solely on a meager Social Security benefit, with no savings to fall back on
when unexpected expenses arise.
This leads to a situation in which there are ample resources available for the few who can afford them, some for those
who are extremely poor, and little or nothing for those in between. This is true in healthcare, in long-term care, in
housing, etc. Somehow, our society must find ways to address the needs of this large group of people, who in their
working lives made up the backbone of our community.
Strengthening Support for Existing Programs
For the most part, this plan does not envision creating sweeping and expensive new programs. In many cases, the
issue teams noted that programs are already in place to partially meet the needs of seniors. One of the most efficient
ways to increase availability of services is to enhance existing resources, by providing additional funding, re-orienting
priorities, or seeking volunteers to extend staff. Instances where teams identified successful existing programs that
could use additional support in order to more effectively meet needs included prescription drug assistance (MEDS
program), in-home care (Wake Independence at Home program), transportation (WCTS), nutrition (Meals on Wheels),
and volunteer services (Center for Volunteer Caregiving).
Volunteer Programs
The magnitude of the challenges our community is facing in the coming decades means that government resources
will certainly not be sufficient to meet the needs of our seniors. There is no doubt that the community as a whole must
become involved and work together in order to find creative solutions. This means a dramatic increase in volunteer
involvement will be necessary. The issue teams envisioned volunteer participation as a possible source of services in
a number of areas including transportation, in-home assistance, and disaster preparedness.
Public-Private Partnerships
Another way of extending public resources is to form partnerships with private enterprises that have an interest in the
outcomes. For instance, the demand for new senior housing will certainly be filled by private corporations, whether for-
profit or non-profit. However, government assistance will be needed to make this possible, by providing tax incentives,
rent subsidies, and zoning allowances. In another example, both the long-term care industry and the public sector
have an interest in increasing the supply of high-quality healthcare personnel; there are a variety of ways in which they
can work together to make this possible.
Advocacy at Higher Levels of Government
Many of the systems that affect Wake County’s older adults are controlled at the level of state or federal government
and thus cannot be directly changed at the local level. Nonetheless, it is imperative that we advocate for changes in
these systems where they affect our residents. Therefore a number of the recommendations made by the teams
involve advocacy. Examples include advocating for modification of Medicaid eligibility and deductible rules, for
extension of the NC Senior Care prescription drug program, for increased EDTAP funding for transportation, and so on.
On the Horizon
We recognize that recommendations put forth in this Plan will impact needs that currently exist, but do not speak to all
issues that will significantly affect our county’s senior adults over time. We are cognizant of some of these looming
issues but expect that others will also surface. Within the next decade, the Aging Services Plan will probably
incorporate and address recommendations to impact the following challenges that will emerge: 1) unique needs of an
aging Latino population, 2) questionable availability of Social Security benefits and private pensions for baby boomers,
3) fiscal, social and emotional impact of increased longevity due to improvements in medical care, 4) effects of
governmental changes to existing Medicare and Medicaid programs. As other issues become apparent, they, too, will
be examined and addressed as part of the county’s ongoing commitment to assure that our community is a safe,
healthy and friendly place for senior adults and their families to live.
The G*O*L*D Coalition
The changes advocated in this report are recommendations for Wake County as a whole – for our citizens, churches,
community groups, businesses, and nonprofit organizations – not just for our government. Certainly, governmental
entities will play an enormous and essential role in addressing these issues, but we must, as a community, take
responsibility for our collective quality of life, not just assume that “government will take care of it.”
For this reason, we propose that work be carried out by an already established community based coalition comprised
of individual citizens, representatives from the business and nonprofit communities, as well as our human service
system. This group calls itself the GOLD Coalition (Growing Older and Living with Dignity). The coalition is charged
with the responsibility of amplifying, implementing, and monitoring the progress of the recommendations made in this
report. We acknowledge that this plan is simply a rough sketch of what might be; their job will be to draw the detailed
blueprints and serve as general contractors. Beginning with the plan as a foundation, the coalition will create action
plans and specific timelines for implementation of the plan’s proposals, in cooperation with community partners and
citizens. Part of their charge will be to keep the Wake County community informed about both the successes and the
setbacks they encounter.
Coalition Responsibilities
- Serve as advocates for the older adult and disabled community
- Serve as advisors for the allocation of funds from the Home and Community Care Block Grant
- Provide an opportunity for easy feedback from the older adult and disabled community
- Amplify, implement, and monitor progress of recommendations included in the Plan
- Identify funding, when practical, for implementation of the Plan’s recommendations
- Create action plans and individual timelines for implementation of plan components
- Review, monitor, or assess outcomes of a particular program or program plan
- Cooperate with community partners and citizens and provide a means for involving people who are willing to
give very critical assistance, but have limited time - Provide technical expertise as a resource to Wake County by obtaining input from service providers, older
consumers and their families, and providing consensus on various issues that may come before them - Gather input from or serve as liaison with relevant constituencies
- Build a corps of outside, experienced experts whose interest and support are important
- Provide an independent, unbiased sounding board
- Inform Wake County and the community of successes and setbacks in the implementation of the Aging Plan.
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