Agenda - 03-18-2025; 7-c - Master Aging Plan Balance Discussion

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3 Attachment 1 FY 2024 MAP Programs Master Aging Plan Administration Internship support for PhD Intern from UNC Department of Geography and graduate school interns for MAP projects. Continuing work on putting processes in place and gathering baseline data for the 2022-27 MAP to measure our success and for evaluation. We have just completed Year 2 and have made significant progress on the 188 indicators. 68%of the indicators have either been completed or have significant progress. Support of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work throughout the 2022-27 MAP, including expanding inclusive programming and outreach into our underserved communities and communities of color. Supported a master's in public administration intern this summer to review the policies of the Unified Development Ordinances that are currently being revised in Chapel Hill and Orange County and create a report to submit both to the town and county. We want to ensure that age-friendly best practices are being incorporated into these ordinances, including mixed-use developments,better pedestrian throughfares, encourage communal gathering spaces, building accessibility and green,bike/micro-mobility paths. Supported Programs Handy Helpers—This program does safety and accessibility projects that include minor home repairs, grab bar installation, building ramps and any additional safety assistive devices needed in the home. This program has served 60 low-income older adults this year. This program is managed by a part-time staff person(8 hours/weekly). This grant has supported both the part-time staff person, as well as building materials. Project EngAGE -We have 74 Project EngAGE senior leaders that have completed a 13-week leadership training. 14 new senior leaders completed 84 hours of training and graduated in Dec. 2023. These leaders are organized into 7 Senior Resource Teams(SRT)that are doing community outreach and coordinating educational programs. Year-to-date the SRTs have offered 79 programs and have another 33 planned for the rest of the year in the areas of End-of-Life issues; outreach and program development for our LGBTQ community;Falls Prevention and Health Promotion education;Mental Wellness programs; development of Intergenerational programming; support to our Neighborhood Connections program and promoting the"Village model"in Orange County. To date 1,978 attendees have participated in these programs. Volunteer Connect 55+Appreciation event-254 volunteers were honored this year. To date they have served 171923 hours and we anticipate an additional 5,000 before year end. We could not do all of our community work without these dedicated individuals. They volunteer at the Centers; assist with monthly food box distribution to 300+older adults; make daily Telephone Reassurance calls; have Friend to Friend partnerships;Volunteers Income Tax Assistance(VITA)program (1495 tax returns completed); and Seniors Health Insurance Information(SHIIP)Program(Assisted 913 persons with a cost savings of$396,224 for those served) and many other opportunities. Senior Employment Program—It has been a year of transition and great development for our Employment program. A new employment specialist was hired. We have served over 50 persons in the program. We have transitioned the program from offering our own employment workshops to working closely with the Orange County Department of Social Services, Durham Technical Community College, and Orange County Library and referring older adults to their employment and technology classes. Our work has been focused on helping individuals to connect with potential employers. Our employment specialist has been working on developing relationships with local employers and helping them understand the benefits of hiring older adults. Carol Woods has been a great partner in that work and has hired a couple of our clients. We have also been analyzing US Census data to understand how many older adults particularly in the 55-64 age range are unemployed and underserved. Our Employment Specialist is fluent in Spanish. This has been a valuable resource as we have participated in outreach events sponsored by El Centro Hispano and have translated our information into Spanish. The Employment section of our website was completely redesigned this year. Bilingual Social Worker—This person works 20 hours per week serving our Mandarin speaking older adults and their families. She works with families on caregiver issues and, if needed,provides care navigation. She provides translation services for programs, as well as for department materials. She manages the Mandarin Aging Helpline that receives an average of 40 calls monthly. She is an advocate for the Mandarin community in departmental program development. She offers 35+classes annually in Mandarin. We currently have 80-100 Mandarin speakers attending the Seymour Center on a daily basis.