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e) Responding to the Needs of Minority Aging

Assuring that the needs of older members of minority groups are addressed is a part of the AoA legislative mandate and, as such, constitutes a major objective of AoA programs. The basis of that concern is that services reach and policies benefit the minority elderly. A key element in assuring a match between services and the particular needs of minority aging is the effective training of persons who plan, manage, and implement programs for the aging.

Congress recognized the importance of skilled and knowledgeable personnel to deal with the problems of minority aging in enacting the 1978 Amendments to the Older Americans Act, which authorize the Commissioner on Aging to:

'assess future national personnel needs, including the need for
training of advocates, with respect to the elderly with special
emphasis on the needs of elderly minority group individuals and
the need for the training of minority group individuals to meet
such needs." (01 der Americans Act: Title IV, Part A Training,
Section 404 (a) 6)."

f) Other Older Americans Act Priorities

In the provision and delivery of services, the 1978 Amendments assign priority to other target groups besides the vulnerable, chronically disabled elderly. To conform with provisions of Title III, the State Plan proposed by the State Agency on Aging and the Area Plan proposed by the Area Agency on Aging must "provide assurance that preference will be given to providing services to older individuals with the greatest economic or social needs... Other parts of the 1978 Amendments give prominence to the service needs of certain groups of elderly, and in the case of rural elderly provide as well for grants to train personnel to serve those populations.

Consistent with the legislation, AoA education and training initiatives will include support for specialized forms of career training in such areas as:

services to rural elderly, especially outreach services,
and the management of service providing agencies in rural

areas.

o services to low income elderly, particularly the older
person in slum areas of the inner city.

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services which distinguish the crucial roles in helping
the elderly played by family, friends, neighbors, churches,
and other voluntary organizations.

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3) AoA Education and Training Initiatives, FY 1979 FY 1981

The previous section highlights the Administration on Aging education and training objectives for FY 1979-1981. To realize those objectives, the AoA education and training program will take on new substantive directions and move toward a joint national/regional administrative structure.

The new substantive directions reflect several important decisions. First, that in its major program allocations, namely the Gerontology Career Preparation Program and the State Education and Training Program, AoA must enlist institutions of higher education and State Agencies on Aging, respectively, in focusing their training efforts on responding to Older Americans Act program priorities.

Second, that where feasible, particular education and training program initiatives should be targeted toward meeting critical program needs. The Title IV-E Long-Term Care Gerontology Center Program and the Geriatric Fellowship Program, aim in different ways at improving services to the chronically impaired elderly. The Minority Research Associate Program and the Minority Recruitment Program have better services to minority elderly as their ultimate target.

Third, that AoA education and training program efforts must be responsive to fast-paced demands for policy studies, technical assistance, and speciallytrained personnel which result, for example, from new legislation or intergovernmental agreements. The National Aging Policy Study Centers Program, the National Training and Technical Assistance Program, the National Conference Program, and the National Continuing Education Program are designed to answer these needs.

Fourth, that there is a critical lack of long-range comprehensive manpower planning in the field of aging. The National Manpower Policy Project which the Congress has mandated to be undertaken by the Commissioner on Aging is designed to meet this problem.

Fifth, that AoA must strengthen the role and resources of its Regional Offices on Aging in an attempt to administer effectively the entire complex of new education and training initiatives. The Regional Education and Training Program is aimed, in particular, at fostering on a regional basis a more holistic, coordinated approach to education and training by promoting greater understanding and linkages between higher education, State and Area Agencies on Aging, and service providers.

The remainder of Part I contains summary descriptions of the AoA education and training program initiatives planned for implementation over the next several years. They are organized according to the five decision headings outlined just above.

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A-1. Gerontology Career Preparation Program

The Title IV-A Gerontology Career Preparation Program is designed to support the training of "persons who are employed or preparing for employment in the field of aging" (01 der Americans Act, as amended, Title IV, Part A, Section 404). Under the authority of Title IV-A, the Administration on Aging has been and will continue to be committed to building the capacity of institutions of higher education to prepare persons for careers in aging and to retrain other persons already working with or in behalf of older people.

Where the AoA Career Preparation Program does significantly change from previous years is in its focus on specific occupations, vocations, and careers closely related to Older Americans Act programs. The support of baseline gerontology program activities characterized, for example, by stipends to students interested in general or ancillary training in gerontology is no longer a strategic use of limited Title IV-A funds. Those funds will now be targeted toward specialized career training consistent with the priorities of the Act. AoA has identified several priority careers to guide applicants in their choice of career development objectives for their proposed Title IV-A project. The applicant has the opportunity of choosing among one or more of these priority careers or of proposing other career preparation objectives to be accomplished through its application. In the latter case, the applicant must demonstrate convincingly that its choice of career training objectives has equal or greater significance in meeting the need for skilled personnel to carry out the program responsibilities mandated by the Older Americans Act.

Consistent with the challenges presented by the new emphasis on specialized career training, AoA is aware that applicants will require a multi-year project period to carry out a well designed gerontology career preparation program. Grant awards will cover a three (3) year period to ensure a rational and coherent project effort. The applicant is, of course, responsible for proposing a strategic, multi-phased plan of activities of sufficient depth and foresight to justify a multi-year commitment. Such a plan would necessarily include a detailed description of critical tasks, a schedule of when these tasks will be completed, and an explanation of the means proposed for accomplishing these tasks.

Both in recognition of the different gerontological program strengths among various types of potential applicants, and to promote equity in the competition for IV-A support, AoA will differentiate applications by project auspice into four categories:

(1) University-wide Projects

(2) Graduate and Professional School Projects

(3) Two and Four Year Undergraduate Projects

(4) Consortia Projects

Proposed FY 79 Funding:

$8.0 million - new grant awards

(Detailed information on this program is given in Part II Subpart A).

A-2. The State Education and Training Program

Over the past four years the Administration on Aging has reserved a portion of the Title IV-A funds for use by State Agencies on Aging to support capacity building efforts at the State and sub-State levels. Awards will be made in FY 79 as continuations of the FY 78 grants.

State Agencies may request support for the following activities: 1) training and technical assistance to upgrade the job knowledge and skills of State and Area Agency on Aging staffs and service provider personnel; both those funded under and outside Area Agencies on Aging; 2) broad staff development programs to improve the performance and career opportunities for State and Area Agency on Aging staffs; and 3) limited planning, resource development, and administrative undertakings designed to promote inter-State and intraState arrangements or consortia which bring together the resources of agencies and institutions concerned with education and training in the field of aging.

It is expected that State Agencies will focus all training and technical assistance activities on the implementation of specific requirements authorized by the 1978 Amendments to the Older Americans Act.

The funding guidelines for the State Education and Training Program will be issued through an Administration on Aging Program Instruction to the State Agencies on Aging. The State Agencies will be required to consult with Area Agencies on Aging and the State Advisory Council in developing their Title IV-A application. August 1, 1979 is the deadline for submitting applications to the AoA regional offices. The project period for funded applications will be September 30, 1979 to September 30, 1980.

Proposed FY 79 Funding: $6.0 million, continuation grant awards.

B-1. Title IV-E Long-Term Care Gerontology Centers

In Fiscal Year 1976, funds were first appropriated for the Multidisciplinary Centers of Gerontology, authorized by Title IV-C of the Older Americans Act. Until now, the IV-C (now retitled IV-E) program has awarded center project grants essentially to develop, expand, or maintain at institutions of higher education, a broad multidisciplinary interest and commitment to programs in gerontology. Support for such programs which prepare persons for careers in aging has and will continue to be an important objective of the Administration on Aging, consolidated under the Title IV-A Training program.

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