National Council on Aging Website

Overview

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a 60-year old non-profit organization that advocates services, resources, and initiatives to improve the lives of older Americans. The NCOA’s social impact goals for 2020 focus on health, economic security, and public policy initiatives to protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act.  

Key Points

Much of NCOA’s public policy advocacy is found on the News page. However, information regarding health and economic security is the main focus of the NCOA website. Both topics are robust with links and resources for older adults, caregivers, professionals, and advocates.

Other website highlights include:

• Resources for economic security are broken down into categories under the “Enhance Economic Security” section and include Benefits Access, Economic Security Initiative, Mature Workers, Home Equity, and the National Center for Benefits Outreach & Enrollment. Each category is designed with the individual older American in mind. For example, under the link Savvy Saving Seniors, there are tips for saving money, financial scams, solutions, and two toolkits designed to help older adults save money with peace of mind.
  
• The “Improve Health” section incorporates the following categories: Chronic Conditions, Falls Prevention, Community Education, Behavioral Health, and the Center for Healthy Aging. Additional resources for older adults, regarding health topics, can be found on the News page of the website.
  

How to Use

Although there are resources for professionals and advocates, NCOA is primarily a practical source of information for older residents and their caregivers. In addition, there are many resources available on the site pertinent to the two biggest concerns for age preparation – health and economics. Knowing what resources and solutions are available for older residents will help focus planning efforts made by community planners and local officials.

Web Resource: National Council on Aging Website