Latest news with #DeniseKing
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico agency seeks input on services for aging population
The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department wants to hear from seniors and their caregivers. The department is accepting comments through May 15 on a draft of the State Plan on Aging for Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2029, a proposal aligned with the federal government's fiscal year that bills itself as a "comprehensive roadmap to improve older New Mexicans' health and well-being." The plan comes at an important moment for aging in New Mexico, which by 2030 is projected to have the fourth highest percentage of people over 65 in the nation. By 2040, nearly a quarter of the state's population will be over 65, according to 2024 projections by the University of New Mexico's Department of Geospatial and Population Studies. The state is seeing a serious dearth of caregivers for older adults — both paid professionals who can handle tasks like medication management, and volunteer caregivers, who are often family members. The demographic shift will mean a lot more work for senior services providers — and the next three years will be a key time to prepare for and respond to the needs of a growing number of elderly residents, said Denise King, Aging Network operations division director at the Aging and Long-Term Services Department. "We want input from not only older adults but direct service providers that are contracted to provide many of these services," King said Monday in an interview. "We want their input on this plan so that we can be prepared — because our population is growing as we see across the country." One of the main priorities in the draft version of the department's State Plan on Aging: administering core programs to enable older New Mexicans to age in place — something most seniors want to do — through home- and community-based services. Many of these core programs, which the draft plan describes as the foundation of the Aging and Long-Term Services Department's work, help make aging in place a possibility, providing meals, transportation, in-home services, caregiver support, health promotion and disease prevention care that seniors need to live independently in their community. These programs are also funded largely through the federal Older Americans Act, legislation originally passed in 1965 to deliver social and nutrition services to people over 60. Though federal funding cuts under the Trump administration appear poised to jeopardize other services to seniors — including nutrition assistance programs like Meals on Wheels and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — lawmakers haven't taken aim at the Older Americans Act's core services yet, King said. "We know that the climate right now is concerning, and we also know that it seems to be changing every week. … We have yet to see anything that impacts largely the Older Americans Act services," she said. For now, then, those services can continue with business as usual — and are set to improve with the implementation of the statewide plan. The draft version of the plan includes a long list of changes to improve home- and community-based care, such as expanding local referral services, expanding food pantries and food distribution options, and developing opportunities for tribal providers to fund and administer core senior services. The plan also proposes training and support to caregivers and the workforce through its Office of Alzheimer's and Dementia Care — a change that could be particularly relevant to the many New Mexicans struggling to find quality and affordable memory care. Accomplishing that goal would require new partnerships with Alzheimer's and dementia support organizations, implementation of new training programs for family caregivers and establishment of a statewide data collection system, specific enough to identify county-level data on Alzheimer's diagnosis, mortality and stage at diagnosis. Finally, the plan recommends enhancements to mitigate abuse, neglect and exploitation of older adults, including creating a "Mobile Behavioral Health and Nurse Response Team" to assist seniors who cannot care for themselves. The change, which comes less than a year after four long-term care facilities failed surprise visits, would include an increase in funding for Adult Protective Services to monitor in-home care, like meal delivery, personal care and chore services, plus a 10% expansion in caseworker staffing, the plan states. "It's really looking at working with our stakeholders and our community members to really address the different needs," King said. "... Really, this is a broad plan to address those kinds of needs."
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico officials ask for input on how to take care of aging population
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico is getting older, poised to have the fourth-oldest population in the country by 2030. The state is getting ready and is sharing its four-year State Aging Plan. 'I look forward to being able to see that the plan really gives us a roadmap to developing those needed services that they deserve,' said Denise King, Aging Network Operations Division Director with the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department. Story continues below Community: NM Dancewear closes its doors for good, leaving hole in dance community Food: Los Ranchos restaurant named best spot for brunch in the state by Yelp Crime: ABQ woman frustrated, two vehicles stolen from hospital parking lot days apart Film: Do you recognize these 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie' filming locations? The plan's three goals include expanding services to the elderly and caregivers, responding to social determinants of health by giving opportunities for community engagement and nutritional support, and reducing occurrences of abuse. ALTSD said right now, some of the biggest needs for the elderly include transportation and access to legal services, as scams target the elderly population. While the state pays for most services, it is monitoring the federal funding for the Older Americans Act. So far, they have not been notified of any federal funding changes. 'Obviously, the climate is very concerning right now, and it is changing every week, and so we are keeping a close eye on what that looks like,' said King. ALTSD is now looking for comments on its plan before it goes to the feds for approval in June. They want everyone's input from elders and caregivers, to local partners like cities and counties. The state hopes the plan meets the needs of our most senior community members. 'They've really made us the state that we are. So, we always look at them for their input and their rich stories that they have to tell about what they've been through and what they need,' said King. People can learn more about the plan and give input here. The deadline to give input is May 15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
