The Older Americans Act (OAA) home-delivered meals and congregate meals programs are often the first service an older adult receives, and for many, these programs remain the primary touchpoint with the aging services network. As such, they can serve as a critical connection to other formal and informal supports. They provide a unique opportunity to identify a person’s needs and preferences, offer information about community resources, and help a person navigate what is available in their communities. However, across the country, nutrition programs vary greatly in their size, staffing, resources, and capacity to deliver person- and family-centered services.

Facilitated by ACL’s National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS), this learning collaborative will bring together teams composed of state units on aging, area agencies on aging, aging and disability resource centers, No Wrong Door programs, tribal organizations, nutrition program professionals, and their community partners to engage in peer-to-peer learning to:

• Share promising practices and explore innovative approaches to holistically supporting older adults accessing nutrition services who may need additional services and supports.

• Expand the capacity of nutrition programs to support older adults in person- and family-centered ways through enhanced screening, identification of community resources, and navigation of community supports.

• Identify how to use existing funding sources in a sustainable way to support whole-person, wraparound, person- and family-centered nutrition services.

To apply for the learning collaborative, please complete the online application form by Friday, May 24, 2024. Questions can be addressed to ncapps@hsri.org.

Please note: For U.S. agencies only.