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Older
Americans Act Aging Services Network
The National
Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (Center) works closely
with agencies and organizations that administer or provide nutrition services
and/or funds to serve older adults. This section provides a brief description
of the agencies and programs that provide assistance.
Administration
on Aging
Administration
on Aging (AoA)
The Older Americans Act (OAA) established the AoA under the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. AoA is the federal focal point and advocacy
agency for older persons, as mandated by the OAA, and administers most
OAA programs at the federal level. These programs provide assistance to
older persons and their caregivers, as well as critical support services,
such as nutrition and transportation, for older persons at risk of being
prematurely or unnecessarily institutionalized. AoA
Document Index.
Older
Americans Nutrition Program (OANP)
The OANP provides grants to support nutrition services to older people
throughout the country. The OANP, authorized under Title III, Grants for
State and Community Programs on Aging, and Title VI, Grants for Native
Americans, under the Older Americans Act, is intended to improve the dietary
intakes of participants and to offer participants opportunities to form
new friendships and to create informal support networks. Through Title
III, grants are provided to the aging network which is made up of the
57 State Units on Aging (SUA's) and their 655 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA's)
and through Title VI, to 221 Tribal Organizations, representing American
Indian, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians, to promote the delivery
of nutrition services in local communities.
The OANP provides for congregate and home-delivered meals. These meals
and other nutrition services are provided in a variety of settings, such
as senior centers, schools, and in individual homes. Meals served under
the program must provide at least one-third of the daily recommended dietary
allowances established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National
Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. In practice, the ENP's
3.1 million elderly participants are receiving an estimated 40 to 50 percent
of most required nutrients.
The OANP
also provides a range of related services, by some of the aging network's
estimated 4,000 nutrition service providers, including nutrition screening,
assessment, education and counseling. These services help older participants
to identify their general and special nutrition needs, as they may relate
to health concerns such as hypertension and diabetes.
The services help older participants to learn to shop for, and/or to plan
and prepare, meals that are economical and which help to manage or ameliorate
specific health problems as well as enhancing their health and well-being.
The congregate meal programs also provide older people with positive social
contacts with other older adults at the group meal sites.
For more
information about the program and it's 30th Anniversary, go to Older
Americans Act Nutrition Programs Resource Page.
The
Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP)
NSIP is the new name for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
cash or commodity program, known as the Nutrition Program for the Elderly
(NPE). The NPE is administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA), but
receives commodity foods and financial support from USDA's Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS). The program is funded through an appropriation to USDA
and administered by the FNS. For additional information, refer to AoA's
website, Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions, #36, What is the Nutrition Services Incentive
Program?
Center
for Communication and Consumer Services maintains aging information
resources on programs, policies and services which it uses to respond
to public and staff inquiries. CCCS public inquiries and Aging Information
Resource Library units are the successor to the National Aging Information
Center (1995-2001)
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U.S.
Department of Agriculture
Child
and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making
it more affordable for many low-income families. Each day, 2.6 million
children receive nutritious meals and snacks through CACFP. The program
also provides meals and snacks to 62,500 adults who receive care in nonresidential
adult day care centers. CACFP reaches even further to provide meals to
children residing in homeless shelters, and snacks and suppers to youths
participating in eligible afterschool care programs. CACFP
is authorized at section 17 of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.
1766). Program regulations are issued by the USDA under 7 CFR part 226.
The FNS administers CACFP through grants to States. The program is administered
within most States by the State educational agency. The child care component
and the adult day care component of CACFP may be administered by different
agencies within a State, at the discretion of the Governor.
The
Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program
(SFMNP)
SFMNPP is a new program established by USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation
(CCC). Under the program, CCC will make grants to States and Indian tribal
governments to provide coupons to low-income older adults that may be
exchanged for eligible foods at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and
community supported agriculture programs.
The purposes
of the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program are to (1) provide resources
in the form of fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables,
and herbs from farmers' markets, roadside stands and community supported
agriculture programs to low-income older adults, (2) increase the domestic
consumption of agricultural commodities by expanding or aiding in the
expansion of domestic farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community
support agriculture programs, and (3) develop or aid in the development
of new and additional farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community
support agriculture programs.
National
Directory of Farmers Market and Direct Marketing
The United States has 41 local, State, regional, and national farmers
market and direct marketing associations. These associations are a valuable
resource for farm direct marketers as they offer many benefits and services
such as member and consumer directories, conferences, workshops, tours,
newsletters, certification, insurance, and government relations. This
project was undertaken though a cooperative agreement with the North
American Farmers Direct Marketing Association. The second phase of
this project involves the development of a manual, to be available this
fall, on how to start and advance a farm direct marketing association.
The
Food Stamp Program
The Food Stamp Program provides benefits to low-income people that they
can use to buy food to improve their diets. Food stamp recipients spend
their benefits (in the form of paper coupons or electronic benefits on
debit cards) to buy eligible food in authorized retail food stores. The
purpose of the Food Stamp Program is to end hunger and improve nutrition
and health. It helps low-income households buy the food they need for
a nutritionally adequate diet. The program is operated by State and local
welfare offices, and the Federal Government oversees the State operation
of the Program.
The
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
CSFP works to improve the health of low-income pregnant and breastfeeding
women, other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children
up to age six, and older adults at least 60 years of age by supplementing
their diets with nutritious USDA commodity foods. It provides food and
administrative funds to States to supplement the diets of these groups.
The
Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
TEFAP is a Federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income
Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency
food and nutrition assistance at no cost. Under TEFAP, commodity foods
are made available by USDA to States. States provide the food to local
agencies that they have selected, usually food banks, which in turn, distribute
the food to soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public.
TEFAP is administered at the Federal level by the FNS. State agencies
receive the food and supervise overall distribution.
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OAA
Aging Network Organizations
National
Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA)
NASUA was founded in 1964 as a national non-profit membership organization
comprised of the 57 state and territorial government agencies on aging.
Directory
of State and Area Agencies on Aging from AoA
State
Unit on Aging Nutritionist Network (SUANN)
The mission of SUANN is to provide a framework for networking, sharing
best practices, providing continuing education opportunities, and advocating
for the health and well being of older adults. SUANN membership is limited
to Nutritionists and/or Nutrition Program Administrators employed by a
State Unit on Aging. A webpage is available to SUANN members from the
Center's website.
Directory
of SUA and AoA Nutritionists/Administrators
National
Association of Area Agencies on Aging (N4A)
N4A is the umbrella organization for the 655 area agencies on aging (AAAs)
and more than 230 Title VI Native American aging programs in the U.S.
Through its presence in Washington, D.C., N4A advocates on behalf of the
local aging agencies to ensure that needed resources and support services
are available to older Americans. The fundamental mission of the AAAs
and Title VI programs is to provide services that make it possible for
older individuals to remain in their home, thereby preserving their independence
and dignity. These agencies coordinate and support a wide range of home-
and community-based services, including information and referral, home-delivered
and congregate meals, transportation, employment services, senior centers,
adult day care and a long-term care ombudsman program.
Meals
on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)
MOWAA represents those who provide congregate and home-delivered meals
services to people in need. Most members are executive directors, Registered
or Licensed Dietitians, volunteer coordinators, or nutrition directors
at Meals On Wheels and congregate programs. Membership in MOWAA is diverse
and also includes AIDS nutrition programs, soup kitchens, Area Agencies
on Aging and State Units on Aging. MOWAA works in partnership with many
for-profit companies to provide products and/or services to MOWAA members
at a reduced rate.
National
Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP)
NANASP is a professional membership organization with members drawn primarily
from persons working in or interested in the field of aging, community-based
services, and nutrition and the elderly. Founded in the 1970s, NANASP
is one of the leadership organizations in that it helps shape national
policy, trains service providers, and advocates on behalf of older adults.
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Medicare
and Medicaid Services
Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
The CMS is
a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
CMS runs the Medicare and Medicaid programs - two national health care
programs that benefit about 75 million Americans.
Medicaid
Home and Community-Based Service (HCBS) Waiver Program
HCBS waivers afford States the flexibility to develop and implement creative
alternatives to placing Medicaid-eligible individuals in hospitals, nursing
facilities, and intermediate care facilities. The HCBS waiver program
recognizes that many individuals at risk of being placed in these facilities
can be cared for in their homes and communities, preserving their independence
and ties to family and friends at a cost no higher than that of institutional
care.
The
Medicaid Program and Nutrition Services
In this article, the American Dietetics Association provides an overview
of the Medicaid Program and the coverage of nutrition services.
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Last updated
07/16/2004
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