Aging

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis. In this role, ASPE, through its Office of Science and Data Policy (OSDP), is responsible for developing the HHS Strategic Plan and the HHS Evidence-Building Plan (the plans) every four years.

CMS contracts with New Editions to provide technical assistance and program management support to three programs: Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) technical assistance (TA), HCB Settings rule implementation, and Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR). For HCBS TA, New Editions provides technical assistance to state agencies on HCBS mechanisms, program design, service delivery systems, and self-direction services.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) was created around the fundamental principle that older adults and people of all ages with disabilities should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their communities. New Editions provides program management, service coordination and technical assistance (TA) to ACL for the Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC).

Title VI of the Older Americans Act provides grants to organizations (i.e., Title VI grantees) to support American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians in the areas of nutrition, supportive services for older adults, and caregiver services. The nutrition and supportive services grants include congregate and home-delivered meals, information and referral, transportation, personal care, chores, health promotion and disease prevention, and other supportive services.

New Editions provides subject matter expertise in family caregiving to assist the Office of Supportive and Caregiver Services (OSCS) in launching their family caregiving program with five new grant programs and a multi-faceted technical assistance and coordinating center. These services support the operation of these new Caregiving Projects of National Significance that focus on the goals and priorities of Administration for Community Living's (ACL) 2022 National Strategy to Support Family.

On April 18, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a historic, expansive set of executive directives to improve the long-term care landscape.

Older Americans play essential roles in their communities, each offering a lifetime of valuable insight and experiences. The population of older adults in the United States is rapidly growing, with the U.S. Census Bureau predicting that adults over 65 will make up 21 percent of the population by 2030 (up from 14.9 percent in 2019). By 2060, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that one in four Americans will be over age 65, with the number of people over 85 tripling (Vespa, 2018).

During this month’s National Volunteer Month, we recognize the important contributions of volunteers by providing key highlights from a study, funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and conducted by New Editions Consulting, that assessed the role and economic value of volunteers in home- and community-based and long-term care programs for older adults.

February is National Senior Independence Month. According to the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living  -

Each May, the Administration for Community Living observes Older Americans Month. In 2021 the theme is “Communities of Strength,” celebrating the resilience and strength older adults have built during lives filled with successes, failures, joys, and difficulties. The focus this year is on the power of connection and the vital role it plays in well-being.