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2012-2017 Orange County Master Aging Plan <br />INTRODUCTION <br />The Orange County Department on Aging <br />(OCDOA) created its first five-year Master <br />Aging Plan (MAP) in 2002. The current 2012- <br />2017 MAP is the third cycle of strategic <br />planning for older adults in Orange County. To <br />greater facilitate cohesion between state and <br />county services, the OCDOA has chosen to <br />model this MAP after the format and goals of <br />the state of North Carolina's 2011-2015 Aging <br />Services Plan, entitled Living Wise and Aging <br />Well. <br />Not only is the 2012-2017 MAP constructed <br />differently from previous plans, but it marks a <br />major change in the way the OCDOA researches <br />and develops its strategic plan as well. The <br />OCDOA recruited graduate students from the <br />University of North Carolina's Gillings School of <br />Global Health to expand its capacity to elicit <br />input on the MAP from older adults, aging <br />service providers, government departments, and <br />other stakeholders. These students collaborated <br />with OCDOA leadership and staff to support the <br />yearlong MAP development process in order to <br />increase the MAP's impact on older adults. <br />The 2012-2017 MAP begins with a description <br />of this development process. Next, we provide <br />an o'verview of current and projected future <br />demographic information on older adults in <br />Orange County to highlight the need for and <br />importance of the plan for preparing the county <br />for an aging population. Finally, the goals, <br />objectives, strategies, and indicators to guide <br />this preparation are outlined in detail. <br />While the 2012-2017 MAP focuses mainly on <br />older adults and will largely be implemented by <br />the OCDOA, true improvement in the lives of <br />Orange County citizens requires a broader <br />perspective. For one, we are all aging, meaning <br />that the goals and objectives outlined in the <br />MAP affect everyone, not just current older <br />adults. Additionally, community organizations <br />and governmental departments outside of the <br />OCDOA need to coordinate efforts for seamless <br />integration of programs and services. <br />Recognition that this plan affects all of us, and <br />that we need to work together to implement it, is <br />essential to the success of the 201 2-2017 MAP. <br />Orange County Department on Aging Mission Statement <br />To provide leadership in planning and operating a system of integrated aging services <br />through state of the art senior centers, serving as focal points for coordinated community <br />and individualized programs designed to educate seniors and their families and maximize <br />the health, well-being, community engagement, and independence of older adults at all <br />functional levels. <br />5 <br />