Office for the Aging in Orleans receives $25K grant
Press Release, Orleans County Office for the Aging
ALBION – Orleans County Office for the Aging is pleased to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York.
Ten organizations have each received $25,000 grants to learn how to apply design thinking to reimagine how they might address the needs of older adults and caregivers in western and central New York. The funding is part of Aging by Design, a four-year initiative developed by the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York to improve the health of older adults.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our office,” said Melissa Blanar, Director of the Orleans County Office for the Aging. “We look forward to working with older adults in Orleans County to create solutions to everyday problems that many encounter”.
By using Design Thinking, Aging by Design uses an approach to problem solving that puts the needs of older adults and the problems they may be experiencing at the core. The process brings older adults, informal caregivers and community-based providers together to identify issues, generate ideas and implement solutions to address triggers of decline.
Triggers of decline precipitate a decline in physical, cognitive or mental health for otherwise healthy older adults living in the community. By using this person-centered approach, it ensures that older adults and caregivers are key partners and contributors in this initiative.
As part of the six-month Project Planning Phase, the 10 organizations will apply what they learned through intensive training in design thinking to convene a project design team consisting of staff, volunteers and members of the community they serve. This team will produce prototypes that respond to and address the needs identified by older adults and caregivers.
Grantees will present their prototypes in spring 2018 and the Foundation will select projects to move ahead into the implementation phase starting in July 2018.
To learn more about Aging by Design, click here.
