The National Council on Aging is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization. Our two-day program offers interactive workshops and seminars on hot topics related to healthy aging, economic security, public policy and advocacy, and senior centers. Find new resources and model programs, get the latest information on aging policy and advocacy initiatives, and learn how you and your organization can engage with NCOA to improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

The Center for Healthy Aging

The Center is committed to improving the health of older adults by strengthening collaboration between research and practice, and fostering improvements in programs, community partnerships and public policy. 

Empowering Older Adults Through Evidence-Based Interventions: Strategies to Expand Program Reach

Friday, March 30 | 8:00 am–3:30 pm

This daylong program is targeted to professionals who have worked with evidence-based programs and want to learn more about, and help shape, strategies to achieve greater impact. Drawing from our collective experiences with evidence-based healthy aging programming, national experts, NCOA staff and
attendees will explore four areas to achieve greater social impact: 1) building a menu of evidence-based programs to provide more choices and greater reach; 2) being champions for evidencebased programs: the grassroots, the grass tops, and the hill; 3) scaling self-care management through tri-sector collaboration and 4) social media strategies for evidence-based programs. 

NCOA Economic Security Series

Through an extensive network of local and state organizations, NCOA assists financially vulnerable seniors to apply for and enroll in benefits programs, offers personalized economic casework, connects older workers with training and employment, and counsels older homeowners to use their home equity wisely.

Expanding Resources for the Aging Network: Demystifying the SNAP Outreach Plan in Your State

Thursday, March 29 | 8:00–9:30 am

Five million older Americans will experience hunger this year, yet only 35% of eligible seniors are enrolled in SNAP (formerly the federal Food Stamp program). This valuable benefit not only helps seniors afford nutritious food, but provides stimulus to the local economy. Whether you’re already doing SNAP outreach and enrollment for your older clients, or just thinking of adding it to your benefits repertoire, your state’s SNAP outreach plan is a valuable resource to increase your impact, expand services, and even get reimbursed. In this session, we will cover the basics of a SNAP state outreach plan—formal or informal—and how to become a part of the USDA’s efforts.

Getting the Full Benefit of Benefits for Individuals and Communities

Thursday, March 29 | 10:00–11:00 am

Core public benefits are vital to improve the economic well-being of vulnerable seniors living in poverty. Learn how benefits alleviate hunger, assure utility assistance, provide needed medical care, and open doors for older Americans, and younger adults living with disabilities, to the services that keep them functional and productive in their own homes and communities. 

Improving the Health and Economic Security of Isolated Seniors: AARP & NCOA

Thursday, March 29 | 11:30 am–12:30 pm

Nearly one-third of America’s older population lives alone and faces social, cultural, or geographical barriers that prevent them from receiving important services that are essential to their health and economic security. Join us for a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of assisting older adults who live in isolation, and learn about key initiatives from AARP and NCOA to assist the aging and disability networks.

Creating a Path to Economic Security for Older Adults: National & Local Reflections From a Promising Pilot

Thursday, March 29 | 1:00–2:30 pm

Older adults face daunting financial challenges such as threats of foreclosure, high credit card debts, financial scams, and a pervasive sense of economic insecurity. This workshop will share promising practices related to economic action plans that assist older adults in navigating public and private community supports, including financial services. Panelists will discuss how this approach has impacted the lives of vulnerable seniors, increased coordination of community resources, driven systems change, engaged trusted financial services partners, and how organizations can integrate elements of the approach to get seniors onto a path to economic security.

Mind the Gaps: Using Your Community’s Resources to Improve Access to Public Benefits for Seniors

Friday, March 30 | 8:00–9:30 am

What are the resources available within your community to help you fill in the gaps in your benefits assistance work? Intended for aging network organizations like area agencies on aging (AAAs) and state health insurance assistance programs (SHIPs), as well as community-based organizations serving seniors, this workshop will share ideas about how different kinds of partnerships allow  your clients to move seamlessly through the steps of benefits assistance. Our goal will be to create a visual map of the benefits enrollment system for your community, to demonstrate where the gaps are, and how they can be bridged.

NCOA’s National Institute of Senior Centers

NISC is a dynamic network of senior center professionals from around the country. We believe that senior centers create opportunities for successful aging in our communities.

Networking Opportunities

Wednesday, March 28 

6:00–8:00 pm
NISC Silent Auction and Awards Reception
Fee: $10

Friday, March 30

10:00–11:00 am
Senior Centers & NCOA’s National Institute of Senior Centers Peer Group

Senior Center Workshops

Thursday, March 29

8:00–9:30 am 
Volunteers Build Capacity of Senior Centers

10:00–11:00 am
Engaging Volunteers—View From Volunteer and Professional Perspectives

11:30 am–1:00 pm
NISC Leo Laks Memorial Luncheon—Virtual tour of three nationally accredited senior centers.
Fee $45 (pre-registration required, limited seating)

1:00–2:30 pm
Reinventing Boards and Advisory Councils

Friday, March 30

8:00–9:30 am
Redefining the Redesigning of Senior Centers

11:30 am–12:30 pm
Senior Centers in the 21st Century: Changing the Conversation—A Study of New York City’s Senior Centers (2012 NISC Research Award Winner)

NCOA Public Policy & Advocacy Series

NCOA brings the voices of older adults to Washington to make a difference. We work with thousands of community organizations at the grassroots level and collaborate with national partners to improve public policy for older Americans.

NCOA 112th Congress Public Policy Priorities

Thursday, March 29 | 10:00–11:00 am

Learn about NCOA’s public policy priorities for the 112th Congress and how you can help advocate to improve the economic security and health of older adults. 

Older Americans and the Federal Budget

Thursday, March 29 | 11:30 am–12:30 pm

The federal budget is a hot topic in Washington, D.C. and muchneeded programs and services for older adults are definitely part of the discussion. Come hear the latest on what’s in, what’s out, and what the discussions mean for the seniors you serve. 

Advancing Long-Term Services and Supports Through Collaborative Leadership

Thursday, March 29 | 1:00–2:30 pm

This session will focus on implementation of long-term services and support provisions within the Affordable Care Act at the federal and state levels, including the CLASS program and Medicaid HCBS options. The session will also highlight collaborative aging and disability efforts to raise the visibility of long-term services and supports in the 2012 elections.

OAA Reauthorization: Time to Step Up!

Friday, March 30 | 8:00–9:30 am

With the expiration of the Older Americans Act (OAA) last fall, reauthorization is in full swing. Hear about the pending legislation, key issues, and NCOA priorities for strengthening strategies and services for vulnerable older adults. Find out about the key players and their roles from Congress and the Administration to national and local advocacy organizations. Learn what you should be doing (or share what you have already done) to advocate for reauthorization.

Giving Voice to Vulnerable Older Adults: Lessons from the OneAway Campaign

Friday, March 30 | 10:00–11:00 am

The OneAway Campaign for Elder Economic Security leverages video to give voice to vulnerable older adults and enlists community advocacy leaders to capture and amplify that voice. NCOA continues to test and define the standard for video advocacy, integrating a variety of channels to enlist activists and influence policymakers. Key components include national and local videos, traditional and social media efforts, national and local events, and a variety of advocacy activities, including those accessible to older adults themselves.

For detailed information about NCOA sessions, please visit www.ncoa.org/AginginAmerica2012.