Engaging Older Adults Resource Center

ACL will hold a competition to fund one cooperative agreement to continue operation of the National Resource Center on Engaging Older Adults for the next five years. Recently much has been learned about the individual and societal impact of social isolation and loneliness. A large body of literature indicates that social isolation and loneliness have negative impacts on health of older adults and is associated with an increased risk of dying. A recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report indicates that social isolation, loneliness, and other indicators of social connection have associations with major forms of physical, cognitive, and psychological morbidity; health-related behaviors; and health-related quality of life.But research also suggests that remaining socially engaged improves the quality of life for older adults and is associated with better health. Evidence suggests that social engagement helps maintain thinking skills and slows cognitive decline in later life. Older adults report feeling healthier and happier when they participate in what they see as meaningful activities, like volunteering in their communities. Another study revealed that older adults who participate in senior center programs can learn to manage and delay the onset of chronic disease and experience measurable improvements in their physical, social, spiritual, emotional, mental, and economic wellbeing.ACL is interested in expanding the reach of the aging network to more effectively assist older adults to remain socially engaged and active. Since 2017, ACL has supported a National Resource Center on Engaging Older Adults that has provided information and resources to the aging network on myriad ways older adults can engage through a variety of interventions, including volunteer opportunities, intergenerational interactions, technology, and creative pursuits. ACL is interested in continuing efforts to foster interventions that support the aging networks ability to engage older adults. ACL is seeking to fund one cooperative agreement to continue operation of the National Resource Center on Engaging Older Adults to provide national technical assistance and serve as a repository for innovations that can be successfully replicated at the local level. Broad objectives include: Expanding the reach of the aging network to more effectively assist older adults to remain socially engaged and active utilizing proven interventions; Increasing the aging networks ability to tailor social engagement intervention to meet the diverse needs of older adults, including the consideration of cultural and ability factors; and Designing and implementing a training and technical assistance strategy to help inform the aging network about ways to apply the identified social engagement strategy.