Volume 2, Issue 7 

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Combating Food Insecurity with Collaboration

Thursday, July 21, 2022 | 3-4 PM ET

On July 21, join ACL’s Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs (ONHPP) for a webinar on combating food insecurity with collaboration. Participants of this webinar will learn how food insecurity affects older adults, how federal programs – including ACL’s National Senior Nutrition Program – are addressing food insecurity in communities, and how to identify and engage potential collaborators among community stakeholders to ensure older adults can access nutritious foods. 

Presenters: 

• Kathryn Tucker, MS, RD, LD, Contractor, ACL
• Tim Getty, Regional Nutrition Coordinator, Heritage Area Agency on Aging

Objectives:

- Identify socialization challenges older adults encounter in communal settings.

- Describe the evidence-based public-school program, Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS).

- Explain how to adapt evidence-based school strategies to communal settings to build a safe and inclusive culture.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Lisa O’Neill is the Associate Director of Education and Policy at the University of Arizona Center on Aging and the Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine. In addition to developing geriatric educational materials for community and academic audiences, Dr. O'Neill serves on several statewide councils and boards, including the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging, Senator Kelly’s Senior Citizen Advisory Group, and the Attorney General’s Task Force Against Senior Abuse. In 2015, Dr. O'Neill was named Gerontologist of the Year by the Arizona Geriatrics Society, and she is a 2019-2020 Health and Aging Policy Fellow.

This presentation will discuss a University of Arizona Center on Aging project called THRIVE. Project THRIVE focused on how independent and assisted living facilities could ensure an emotionally safe, supportive, and inclusive environment. The project was funded by the American Seniors Housing Association and was done in partnership with Watermark Retirement Communities and Mather Life Ways.

Similar to senior centers and congregate meal sites, the communal living environment in these facilities opens the door to opportunities for older adults to develop new and rewarding social relationships and to engage in activities that promote personal growth and satisfaction. However, whenever groups of people of any age have close, frequent, and ongoing interactions with each other, there can be tension that may interrupt these opportunities.

When tension, microaggressions, and even bullying occurs in these settings, it can be especially hard for older adults who have the additional challenge of having to navigate aging-related conditions in a community where everyone is growing older differently and where each person may have different perceptions of their own aging as well as others around them.



Project THRIVE adapted successful public school-based interventions to optimize the quality of life of older adults and increase staff satisfaction through an intentional focus on culture change. We will discuss identification and implementation strategies that can be used in any communal setting to help build a safe, supportive, and inclusive culture.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Resources

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is spearheading a government-wide effort to promote naturalization, in accordance with Executive Order 14012 Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans.

As part of this government-wide effort, the Administration for Community Living is sharing the following USCIS naturalization resources, which may be helpful for aging and disability organizations serving immigrant and refugee older adults and people with disabilities: 

• Public service announcements (with or without audio)
• Fact sheets and citizenship and naturalization resources, including:
• (1) Outreach tools;
• (2) Study tools and resources;
• (3) Multilingual resources.

Depending on available inventory, USCIS can ship materials directly to local offices and distribution points. To request print materials, write to citizenshipproducts@uscis.dhs.gov. USCIS will notify you when materials are available and ready to ship. You may access the catalog of these materials and the request form from the button below:

Making Every Bite Count

The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) has released its updated Person-Centered Practices Self-Assessment. This resource is meant to help human services agencies to create a more person-centered approach to services.

• Person-Centered Practices Self-Assessment
• Plain Language Version
• Webinar
• Resources

NISC's Annual Programs of Excellence

Congratulations to the 2021 winners of the National Institute of Senior Center's (NISC) Programs of Excellence Awards. See how senior centers from across the nation are providing outstanding services to their clients.

Benefits of NISC Affiliation

Are you affiliated with a senior center? If so, are you a National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) affiliate? Join today to connect with 11,000 senior centers and receive beneficial resources and opportunities to best serve your clients. Learn more.

Address Social Isolation Through Connection

Is your senior center beginning to reopen? This video from NCOA is the perfect way to welcome clients back and showcase all the good you do in your community.

Making Aging Services More Inclusive

Learn more about how the states of Maine and Oregon have made their services more equitable for their LGBTQI+ seniors with this Q&A.