Arizona State Plan on Aging – 2011-2014

Overview

By 2020, the 60+ age bracket will constitute 25 percent of the population of Arizona. More than 30 percent of those adults have disabilities. In preparation for this aging demographic, the Arizona Department of Economic Security Division of Aging and Adult Services created and submitted its state age plan per the requirements of the Older Americans Act.

Key Points

In order to meet the unique challenges facing Arizona over the next several years, the plan focuses on existing programs Arizona has implemented per previous state plans to address its aging demographic challenges. The plan also reveals the status, effectiveness, and diversity of various programs throughout the state.

Other plan highlights include:

1. Arizona’s health statistics (pages 18-19) provide particularly good insight as it relates to medical insurance.
2. According to the plan, the greatest challenge Arizona is facing is how to help older Arizonans age in place.
3. The plan eliminates or streamlines none of its existing programs, choosing instead to either continue or expand those programs already in place. These range from the Chronic Disease Self Management Program to CarePRO, each designed to emphasize wellness, activity, and health management.

Arizona has many good programs in place. One challenge ahead may be to ascertain which programs to prioritize and which, though good, are not as strategic in nature.

How to Use

Local governments and planners may already have a variety of programs in place, garnering grant monies for building robust plans. Some may face similar challenges to Arizona, namely, discovering which programs are good, which are great, and which are strategic. Less can often be more. Outcomes include the effective use of age-related programs to leverage the most impact within a given state.

View full report: Arizona State Plan on Aging – 2011-2014 (PDF – 587 KB)