State Promotion of Productive Aging

The Center for State Promotion of Productive Aging was established to further the development of state programs that support independent living for a growing older population. By strengthening the capacity of the aging service system to respond to the needs of older people and their caregivers for information and access to services, employment opportunities, and good health practices, older Americans can maximize their quality of life and remain productive contributors to society.

The Center collects and synthesizes information on promising practices and policy options; develops reports, guides and technical assistance documents; designs and tests new program approaches, educational resources, and dissemination strategies; and promotes utilization and replication of innovative model practices to the field through customized training and technical assistance, peer-to-peer strategy exchange, national teleconferences, web-enhanced seminars, conference presentations, and a wide range of other mechanisms.

Today, the focal areas of Center activity are:

Information, Assistance, and Service Access. For over a decade, the National Aging Information and Referral (I&R) Support Center has worked to assist state aging networks to enhance the design of information and referral/assistance systems, the quality of service delivery, and the professionalism of personnel to ensure access by older persons and their caregivers to resources needed to remain in their own homes and communities and to remain active, healthy, and productive contributors to society. The center maintains a leadership role in the national promotion and implementation of 2-1-1, an abbreviated dialing code designated by the Federal Communications Commission, to facilitate access to health and human services information resources in local communities. At the national level, the center has worked in partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging in administering the Eldercare Locator, a national toll-free service designed to connect older persons and their caregivers to the resources and information they need in the communities where they live. Federal support for the National Aging I&R Center is provided by the Administration on Aging.
Older Worker Employment. The Center for State Promotion of Productive Aging directs its attention to policies and programs affecting employment of mature workers, with a particular focus on the Older Americans Act Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and the Workforce Investment Act. With support from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Center is assisting state Title V programs to successfully implement the new regulations and related requirements. Ensuring responsiveness of the Workforce Investment Act system to the needs, preferences, and priorities of mature and older workers continues to be a priority.
Healthy Aging. The Center for State Promotion of Productive Aging maintains a longstanding commitment to a wide range of health and aging issues. In collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Directors, the Center conducted a study of and made recommendations for enhancing the relationship between State Units on Aging and the State Health Departments, and funded ten states to collaborate in conducting healthy aging projects. Currently, fourteen states are funded to jointly implement evidence-based programs. The U.S. Administration on Aging and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention jointly provide federal funding.

National Aging Information & Referral Resource Center