Online Program

Oral

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is projecting the older adult population to increase to 79.7 million by 2040. To promote the health of older adults across the country, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), a membership organization with State Health Officials from all 50 states, DC, 5 territories, and 3 freely associated states, has spearheaded a number of policy-level cross-cutting initiatives. These include a five-state public health/healthy aging learning community, systematic review of best and promising policy/systems-level interventions to support caregivers, and ASTHO’s 2014-2015 President’s Challenge: Healthy Aging: Living Longer Better. These initiatives stress the importance of working across sectors engaged in healthy aging and public health to ensure older adults can live and age well in their communities. This symposium will highlight the strategies and lessons learned from the initiatives so additional organizations, states, cities, and communities.

Session Objectives: Describe strategies for successfully partnering across state agencies and sectors to improve the health of older adults and their communities. Identify key recommendations for the role of public health and public health agencies in improving the health of older adults and their communities. Explain initiatives that are making a difference in states and across the country in improving the health of older adults and their communities.