CACL faculty and staff provide service to the community through involvement on a variety of state and community boards and commissions. Through these service activities, CACL staff are able to influence public policy, provide leadership around aging issues, and promote a positive image of aging.
Leadership Development
In partnership with the AARP NH and Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging, the Senior Leadership Series is offered as an advocacy and leadership series, training community members to be advocates for aging and community living.
The Tufts Health Plan Foundation awarded CACL a two-year grant to support the development of advocates for older adults through the NH Senior Leadership Alumni Network (SLAN). Using the 100+ alumni of the Senior Leadership Series, SLAN will develop a grassroots effort for alumni to engage in an advocacy network both on a statewide and regional level and build a stronger advocacy base for older adults and age friendly communities in NH.
In November 2018 Add Your Voice to Shape New Hampshire’s Future: An Aging Advocacy Webinar was hosted. This webinar focused on advocating for aging issues in New Hampshire, and featured AARP NH, Alzheimer’s Association MA/NH Chapter, and the NH Alliance for Healthy Aging Each organization discussed their short and long-term policy priorities and concrete action steps participants can take to become involved and have their voice heard.
- Listen to a recording of the webinar
- Download the PowerPoint from the webinar
- One page resource guides that outline each organization’s policy priorities and action strategies:
CACL released the policy brief, New Hampshire's Long Term Services and Supports System: Recommendation for Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population, summarizing the key outcomes from a series of convened meetings focused on analyizing the future of New Hamshire's long term care system.
CACL was awarded a convening grant, from the Endowment for Health, to address the challenges that NH's aging population brings to the state's long term care system. Activities included hosting two summits entitled "Convening Leaders in Long Term Care and Aging Policy," and engaging the NH legislature in discussion around the policies that impact the future needs of the state's long term care system. This project was in collaboration with NH AARP, State Committee on Aging, and NH DHHS. The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy released the report Aging and the Public Long Term Care System in November 2012. This report, coupled with the Center's earlier "New Hampshire's Silver Tsunami," was used as a springboard for discussions.
CACL periodically releases policy briefs on various topics related to long term care and aging and the system.
CACL faculty and staff provide service to the community through involvement on a variety of state and community boards and commissions. Through these service activities, CACL staff are able to influence public policy, provide leadership around aging issues, and promote a positive image of aging
System Transformation
CACL works in close collaboration with state agencies, legislators, and community advocates to promote public policy that supports access to person-centered home and community based supports. Recent accomplishments include:
- Amendment to RSA 151-E:4 (2007), NH’s Long Term Care statute to include: “The person shall have the right to have their individual support plan developed through a Person-Centered Planning process regardless of age, disability, or residential setting.”
- Passage of RSA 161-F79 (2010), an act relative to caregiver support services for the elderly.
Public Policy Briefs
- CACL Winter 2015 Policy Brief: Building an Aging Advocacy Network: Findings from the New Hampshire Senior Leadership Series
- CACL Winter 2014 Policy Brief, New Hampshire’s Long Term Services & Supports System: Recommendations for Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population
- Care Workforce identified the lack of a well-qualified workforce as a significant barrier to home and community based services. At the request of the Coalition, CACL developed a survey designed to identify workforce barriers and solutions. Survey implementation of NH's direct care workers was conducted in collaboration with the Carsey Institute. The Carsey Institute published a policy brief, Home Care Workers: Keeping Granite Staters in Their Homes as They Age.
- A policy white paper, Strategies to Invest in the Future of the Direct Care Workforce, utilizing survey findings from the New Hampshire direct care workers survey, conducted by CACL and the Carsey Institute at UNH, was developed with the NH Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce.
