HHSC announces recipients of the Innovators in Aging Award
AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission today announced the recipients of the 2019 Innovators in Aging award, which highlights individuals and organizations that have positive impacts on the lives of older Texans.
“This year’s award recipients have all created unique, inspiring ways to significantly improve the quality of life for aging Texans, a demographic that is an important and growing part of our state,” said Holly Riley, Texas HHSC Aging Services Coordination Manager.
According to the Texas Demographic Center, the population of Texans who are older than 65 is expected to exceed 9 million people within the next 30 years. With that population expanding, more innovation is needed to meet its needs. Texas HHSC is recognizing seven organizations and individuals that have developed and carried out new ideas that help older adults stay healthy, connected and informed.
The 2019 Innovators in Aging award recipients are: Active for Life® at the Texas A&M Center for Population Health and Aging: Active for Life® addresses the critical issue of translating research into practice in meeting the needs of older adults, by connecting partners and stakeholders that help older adults become active members of their health care team.
AGE of Central Texas and Blanton Museum of Art: This unique partnership offers an accessible opportunity for people living with early memory loss and their caregivers to have an interactive museum experience, promoting connection between the older adult with dementia and their caregiver.
Caring in Action: Caring in Action pairs volunteers with residents of nursing or assisted living facilities through The Holiday Project and shares HHSC Age Well Live Well resources through the Activity Professionals of Texas Networking Group. The initiative connects people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds through volunteering and engagement.
Jim Jonson and The Medicare Puzzle: The Medicare Puzzle is a 50-minute video that provides an overview of the Medicare system and a detailed breakdown of its requirements and protocols. The information is presented by Jim Jonson, a volunteer Benefits Counselor at the Alamo Area Agency on Aging for 14 years.
Laura Golden and Cheyenne Rhodes of My Health My Resources of Tarrant County: Golden and Ms. Rhodes are part of the clinical care team at the My Health My Resources of Tarrant County that created and successfully implemented a personcentered, dementia-friendly intervention for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and dementia.
Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Institute for their work on the Forensic Assessment Center Network-adult Division program: The FACN-ADULT Division program uses telehealth to connect geriatric and forensic mistreatment experts with Adult Protective Services and HHSC provider investigation specialists to help them address the safety and well-being of vulnerable adults in Texas.
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Garrison Institute on Aging: The Garrison Institute on Aging is a collaborative initiative aiming to advance healthy aging through innovative research, education, and community outreach. The institute also offers RSVP, a Healthy Aging Lecture Series, and the Care Partner Academy, a caregiver support group.
All recipients of the Innovators in Aging award were nominated by their communities. This is the second year of the award program. More information about it is available here. Texas residents can also dial 2-1-1 to learn about programs and services for older adults.