Table of Contents - Unified Government of Wyandotte County ...

Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KansasDepartment Overview:2012 Amended and 2013 Operating BudgetDepartment OverviewWyandotte/Leavenworth Area Agency on AgingThe mission of the Wyandotte/Leavenworth Area Agency on Aging is to act as the single point-of-entry,where an older adult can navigate his/her way through the aging network and become linked with theservices that allow them to make choices for themselves with a primary focus of maintainingindependence in their own home and communities. The Area Agency on Aging is responsible forplanning, implementing, and administering services to seniors at the local level. The focal point centerson services that allow seniors to remain in their own homes independently.Important Issues: Governor Brownback has implemented an overhaul of Medicaid, unlike any type of reform thathas taken place in recent years. Under this Medicaid reform, the Area Agency on Aging’sservice administration will be opened up to serve not only seniors, but consumers 18+ years ofage. This sweeping change on how Medicaid consumers are served will significantly impact theArea Agency on Aging in the areas of staffing and service delivery. The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) will face significant service reductions across all servicedelivery program areas due to budget reductions at both the state and county government level.Reduction in the County Aging Mill Levy will reduce the number of meals served annually by11,654 meals. This reduction will impact more than 50 homebound seniors and create a waitinglist for the first time in county aging services. The increasing number of older adults entering the aging network, and the dwindling dollarsbeing allocated for service needs is an important issue.Highlights:The Area Agency on Aging won a 2011 Innovations & Achievement Award from the NationalAssociation of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) for the SeniorFit project and was honored at the2011 n4a Annual Conference in Washington, DC.New Initiatives: In an effort to move into the realm of disease prevention and healthier lifestyles, the AreaAgency on Aging initiated the SeniorFit project with both federal funding and a grant from theHealth Care Foundation of Kansas City. The SeniorFit project is a nutrition education, fitness,and wellness program established by the Area Agency on Aging to identify and address some ofthe chronic disease concerns among the senior population of Wyandotte County. The Area Agency on Aging, along with the other AAAs across the state, implemented “Live atHome Solutions.” This project began in May 2011 and provides private-pay casemanagement/options and counseling as an alternative to traditional federal and state-fundedcase management. The Area Agency on Aging is now on Facebook. This allows the agency to provide instant andtimely updates on services, events, and other information.137