Latest news with #StatePlanonAging
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico Aging Services asks for feedback on 2025 to 2029 aging plan
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — New Mexico Aging Services has released a draft version of the State Plan on Aging for 2025 to 2029. Now, the organization wants to hear from caregivers, advocates, older adults and community members. These movies and shows were filmed in Las Vegas. Have you seen them? The draft can be viewed below: To provide your feedback, you can take place in an online survey by May 15. Key components of the draft include three outlined goals: 'Administer core programs that enable older New Mexicans to remain in their residence and community through the availability of and access to high-quality home and community services and support, including supports for families and caregivers.' 'Respond to social determinants of health, including food and housing security, social support and connection, employment and meaningful engagement, and access to information and health services.' 'Reduce occurrences of abuse, neglect and exploitation while improving outcomes in communities and long-term care settings and preserving the rights and autonomy of older New Mexicans.' You can learn more about New Mexico Aging Services online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NM Aging department commits to helping seniors age ‘in place' and ‘autonomously' in new draft plan
The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department released its draft 2025-2029 Plan on Aging, committing the department to assisting seniors retain their autonomy. (Photo courtesy of New Mexico Aging Services) As New Mexico's population of seniors continues to grow, the state's aging department is proposing expanded initiatives to help seniors maintain their autonomy while also supporting family caregivers. The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department released a draft of its 2025-2029 State Plan on Aging on Thursday and is receiving feedback from the public and stakeholders through May 15. The document states that it is expected to go into effect in October 2025. The plan details three goals to help New Mexicans age in place and reduce instances of abuse and neglect, including: administering programs to support seniors aging in their own homes, as well as their caregivers; responding to 'social determinants of health,' such as food security, housing security and access to healthcare; and reducing instances of abuse, neglect and exploitation in the state while also preserving seniors' autonomy. According to the previous plan, more than 377,700 New Mexicans were 65 and older in 2018. This number grew to more than 391,200 in 2020 and is projected to grow by 122% by 2030, meaning more than 475,600 New Mexicans will be 65 and over. The current draft plan states that New Mexico is currently the 13th state in the U.S. with the highest percentage of population falling into this age category. 'In the past five years a lot has changed including the growth of our aging population and increased needs such as transportation access and caregiver support,' an unattributed written statement from the aging department to Source NM reads. 'The new plan strives to address these changing needs including standing up new programs like New MexiCare that support family and friend caregivers.' The New MexiCare program provides caregivers with financial and training support to then help aging New Mexicans remain in their own homes. The program is currently available in 31 of the state's 33 counties, excepting Doña Ana and Bernalillo counties, but aging department representatives have said previously the goal is to eventually expand the program into those counties as well. The department also noted in its statement that only an estimated 22% of the 60 and older population receive services such as home-delivered meals, congregate meals, transportation, case management, adult day care, respite services and homemaker services – all of which fall under the Older Americans Act Title III services and are provided by the Area Agencies on Aging in the state. 'The advocacy responsibilities remain a quintessential aspect of the work that ALTSD engages in daily,' the statement reads. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
