AGING TOGETHER CORPORATION
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : e*****s@a***********r.o*g
Mission Statement
Aging Together is a collaborative effort to help our localities respond to the growth in the older population and to assure that local residents will have the services and supports they need as they age. We build collaborations that create and enhance supports for older persons, their families, and their caregivers. Much of our work is done through teams in each of the five counties of the region (Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock) supported by one staff. Together teams identify the strengths and needs of seniors in their community and develop plans to address them through community education, new service delivery, or other unique responses. Programs are then delivered by our partner organizations, assuring their sustainability. Our small staff does the behind the scenes work others may not be able to given their intense workloads. Using this unique model of collaboration locally and regionally we have changed the way our community does business and increased services for seniors.
About This Cause
Aging Together, a broad consortium of organizations and individuals in the five counties of the Rappahannock-Rapidan region, is a collaborative effort to help our localities prepare for an unprecedented growth in the older population and to assure that local residents will have the services and supports they need as they age. This partnership is built on an alliance of more than 100 organizations and individuals who actively participate in one or more county-based teams and regional workgroups and collaborate across agencies, counties and interest areas. Members include senior citizens, caregivers, community hospitals, service providers, schools, representatives of the faith community and other concerned citizens. Aging Together’s success in supporting older adults and their families is based on facilitating strong effective partnerships and providing partners with relevant resources and support. We have had a significant impact on aging services to date by: • identifying needs, • pulling partners together to develop solutions, • identifying funding sources, • securing grant funding and coordinating new project implementation. The partnership envisions a two-fold impact on our communities: • Older adults and their families will have access to an expanded range of options for long term care and supportive services (with Aging Together serving as a catalyst and resource developer) • Communities and decision-makers will value older adults and their families and consider their needs and preferences in all local planning (with Aging Together serving as a resource and source of information to assist decision-makers) Often you don't see the work Aging Together is doing because it supports the work of other service organizations, local government, the faith community, or even area businesses. For example: If you have a chronic illness or care for someone with a chronic illness Aging Together got a grant for RRCS to provide free workshops on living well with chronic illness. We administer this program for RRCS. If you are a caregiver for an older adult or someone with a disability Aging Together got funding for Connections, an in-home support program for caregiving families of people with Alzheimer's or dementia provided by RRCS and the Alzheimer's Association. Aging Together has helped the Alzheimer's Association expand support groups for family caregivers across all five counties of the region. Aging Together has sponsored free training for family caregivers with presenters including local attorneys, RRCS, Departments of Social Services, and other community service providers. If you or someone you care about has limited access to transportation Aging Together provided the seed money for the Regional Commission to create the Foothills Area Mobility System (FAMS) which has brought the Foothills Express, Mobility Management, and the One-Call Transportation System to the region. Aging Together has gotten funding over multiple years for operating costs for RRCS's RSVP Volunteer Transportation program, Care-A-Van volunteer transportation vehicles, and VolTran in Fauquier County. If you or someone you care about has not had money for necessary prescription medications Aging Together helped to bring funds for the RRCS Prescription Assistance program to the area, including a full time staff person to administer it. This program is now part of the Orange Free Clinic. If you or someone you care about has worried about the transition from hospital to home care Aging Together is working with Culpeper Regional Hospital and Fauquier Health System to build better communication between hospital and community services and to prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions. If you or someone you care about is thinking about how to plan now to make sure you have good quality care, comfort, and dignity at the end of your life Aging Together received a grant from the Virginia General Assembly and the VCU Center for Aging to teach healthcare providers how to Start the Conversation on end of life planning. If you or someone you care about is at risk of financial abuse Aging Together received a grant from the Family and Children’s Trust administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services to jointly train RRCS Aging Services staff, law enforcement, Department of Social Services staff, and banks about collaborating to identify and respond to elder financial abuse. And don't forget the Senior Senior Prom held each April and the Art of Aging Together Expo held the first Saturday in November. You can find pictures of these events on the photo gallery page of our website - www.agingtogether.org. Aging Together does not provide direct services but rather focuses on facilitating collaborations that will create and enhance supports for older persons delivered through various partner organizations. To this end Aging Together has to-date generated $1,500,000 from public and private sources outside the region, and has mobilized an additional $162,310 in cash match from local sources. Aging Together’s vision is that the needs and preferences of older adults will be recognized and honored as our region creates livable communities for all ages. We want all citizens aging together to enjoy a lifelong sense of place and community, to be able to contribute to their community, and when needed to have ready access to diverse supports from family, friends, helping organizations and a responsive local government. Aging Together is a unique platform for planning and service enhancement across the full spectrum of the community, with a unique structure operating at both regional and local levels. The organization’s two staff are able to mobilize partners to multiply its impact in a way that few other organizations can do. The result does not just strengthen Aging Together, but increases the capacity of individual partners and the community overall to assure that older adults and their families can “age in place.” Aging Together provides forums for individuals and caregivers to promote aging in place in a livable community and convenes direct service providers to: • support their evaluation of unmet needs, • research “best practices” employed in other communities to meet those needs, • build partnerships to maximize the capacity of partners to add new services, and • develop private funding to support such initiatives. We focus on improving both the availability and affordability of services to age groups that a century ago were largely absent from our communities. Quality of life is enhanced significantly for older citizens as well as for the communities in which they live. Our work adds value to what the service providers themselves accomplish. Aging Together does most of the back-room research, planning, and advocacy under the direction of these community partners. As a result they are able to respond more effectively to changing needs and to understand policy developments at the cutting edge of the national healthcare debate. Aging Together also acts as an advocate before all levels of government to see that policies and funding streams reflect the identified community needs and values.