A multi-year national training and technical assistance program will be designed to improve the capacity of State and Area Agency staff, with special attention devoted to assisting in the implementation of the 1978 01der Americans Act Amendments. FY 80 supported efforts will come from the following list: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Development of senior center staff capacity. Developing a community care system to provide services for the chronically impaired. Program management for State and Area agencies. State employment programs (back-up to DOL supported employment specialists). Fiscal management procedures which will define and develop a common set of fiscal procedures. Long term care ombudsman services (building on the work of the advocacy assistance back-up centers to cover the new responsibilities mandated by the 1978 Amendments). 7. Leadership training for advisory council members and senior advocates. In FY 1979, the Administration on Aging has undertaken to support technical assistance projects aimed at increasing the capacity of State and Area Agencies in such program areas as advocacy assistance, support services for congregate housing residents, and transportation. The FY 1980 projects will be carried out by issuing contracts (or possibly grants in a few select cases) to develop technical assistance and training materials and carry out national training on a regional and multi-regional basis. A "training of the trainers" approach will be utilized. This means that appropriate regional, State Agency and Area Agency officials will be the primary target group for these activities. Little on-site training or technical assistance will be provided. A three-year plan for national training and technical assistance will be developed. Input will be solicited from Regional Office, State Agency, and Area Agency staff. The regional education and training process, once it becomes operational, will identify regional training and technical assistance needs, some of which may best be met on a national basis. It will also help to coordinate national training and technical assistance efforts to assure that they meet various needs of personnel in the region. Proposed FY 80 Funding: $2.9 million--continuation grant award and contract awards. Over and above the staff who are employed in State and Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers, nutrition projects and other service providers funded under the Older Americans Act, there are thousands of practitioners, providers and administrators who serve older people. Continuing education opportunities for personnel who are currently on the job has not kept pace with the growth of the older population nationally. The impact of a growing very old population, anticipated during the next several decades, requires a reexamination of a systematic way of the knowledge and skills required by a variety of personnel who have responsibility for meeting the unique needs of older people; and changes which can be made in educational systems nationally to address current and future needs. The range of professional disciplines is considerable, encompassing program managers in the social sciences, health, and related fields; nurses, doctors, various therapists, home service personnel, and a host of others. The National Continuing Education Program will strategically focus the limited resources available under Title IV-A on continuing education systems in an effort to assist these systems in the redesign of curricula and approach to delivery of education and training for personnel working with older people. It is expected, therefore, that all projects undertaken will recognize the differences in organization in State educational systems, the resources and mix of higher education institutions, community colleges and vocational institutions; the needs and resources of professional organizations at State and national levels; State departments concerned with education, health, social services, and aging; other staff development personnel of agencies and organizations who provide continuing education for their service personnel; and various types of training organizations. It is expected that materials and methods developed under the Program will be designed in a way that will be immediately useable in the Regional Education and Training Program and the State Education and Training Program. Applicants should study the sections of these Guidelines describing these two programs, and should particularly note that funds are not provided under the National Continuing Education Program for direct or "hands-on" training activities for service personnel. In essence, the approach of the National Continuing Education Program is to provide appropriate training for educators and trainers with support in the areas of curriculum development and delivery to address continuing education needs of service and other personnel working with older people in a more systematic way. These Guidelines outline the priorities for initiation of the Program in Fiscal Year 1979. Guidelines for the National Continuing Education Program will be published in Fiscal Year 1980 which will announce program priorities to be undertaken through 1982. The regional education and training process, once it becomes operational will identify regional continuing education needs, some of which may best be met on a national basis. It will also help to coordinate national continuing education efforts to assure that they meet various needs of personnel in the region. (Detailed information on this program is given in Part II, Subpart. E) C-4 National Conference Program In order to develop policies and programs to meet the needs of a fast-growing older population and those of a changing society we need to find innovative approaches to gathering new information, developing new ideas, and discovering effective avenues for consideration of policy issues. The development of a National Conference Program is one way to accomplish these tasks. The Administration on Aging's three year National Conference Program will focus on the development and dissemination of information related to the social, economic, political, scientific, and technological policies and priorities of an aging society. Institutes, workshops, conferences, and symposia will be supported so that policy makers, business and labor leaders, scientists, educators, service providers and practitioners can meet to exchange ideas, consider policy issues, and begin planning productively for a graying America. Applications for financial assistance under this Program are not solicited by the Commissioner on Aging. Unsolicited applications are considered from time to time and awards are made by the Commissioner on Aging, considering the potential contribution of the proposed work to the national interest and funds available Awards may be made by either grant or cooperative agreement. Unsolicited applications are reviewed by staff of the Administration on Aging, other Federal officials and individuals knowledgeable of the proposed work, to advise the Commissioner on Aging concerning the merits of the application. Proposed FY 79 Funding: $1.0 million D. National Manpower Policy The 1978 Amendments set forth in detail a mandate to the Commissioner on Aging to develop a national manpower policy for the field of aging in concert with several Federal, State and other agencies. The Administration on Aging plans to respond to this maridate by first supporting a study aimed at recommending a national manpower policy. Over sixteenmonth period the organization undertaking the study will endeavor to accomplish two principal tasks: 1. Outline the major dimensions of a national manpower policy 2. Develop plans for a continuing assessment of future Among the matters to be examined during the study will be: What are the appropriate boundaries of a national What are some reasonable, alternative goals of a national manpower policy? In addition to providing appropriate service personnel, should a manpower policy for the field of aging also be aimed, for example, toward increasing opportunities for the employment of elderly persons, reducing poverty of older families, or improving the efficiency of the nation's health care industry? What mechanisms, such as training programs, educational incentives or vouchers, job restructuring, and regulatory actions, are appropriate and feasible policy instruments of a national manpower policy? How will current public policies and programs, such as What are the risks of developing and implementing a national manpower policy that is counterproductive? How, for example, can potential problems of an oversupply of trained personnel be avoided? To what extent and in what specific areas is there a What types of training of what kinds of persons are likely to be most efficacious in meeting the needs of elderly persons? For example, what are the advantages and disadvantages of academic programs compared with in-service training? What kinds of data and analyses will be needed to assess Is it possible to anticipate new issues that will arise Are there innovative approaches to implementing manpower What can be done to attract highly qualified professionals What role should be played by other Federal agencies, States, What can be done to increase the capabilities of elderly What mechanisms should be used to support training of profes- What policies, if any, should be established with regard to What are the implications of the special needs of minorities What data are necessary to determine, on an ongoing basis, Following the study, AoA intends to disseminate the draft of the proposed policy in an effort to elicit a broad range of comments prior to its promulgation in final form. The policy as promulgated will serve as the basis for AoA education and training efforts during FY 82-84. Proposed FY 80 Funding: $400,000 - contract award. E. The Regional Education and Training Program The cornerstone upon which many of the new education and training initiatives have been built is the Regional Education and Training Program. The primary goal of this Program is to foster on a regional basis a more |