COUNCIL ON AGING OF CENTRAL OREGON

As people live longer and have fewer children, the world’s population is aging at an unprecedented rate. In Central Oregon, the population of adults over the age of 65 is forecast to grow by 55 percent from 2016 to 2040.

The Council on Aging of Central Oregon is committed to creating an age-friendly world to support this shift. We need to rethink how we construct and run our environments to support an aging population.

Our Mission
We advocate for, empower and guide older adults and their loved ones to live with independence and well-being.

Our Vision
A world that grows older better, together.

Our Values
Everything we do is guided by compassion, collaboration, reliability, integrity and respect.

We are committed to equitable and inclusive services, programs and resources designed to meet immediate and direct need of older adults in our service territories.

To operationalize its vision and values, the Council on Aging seeks input from stakeholders, works collaboratively with partners, and enters into agreements with service providers. Stakeholders include seniors, family members, caregivers, and specific communities (rural, urban, low-income, high-risk, Latino, Spanish-speaking, and Native American); partners include DHS, APD, ADP, county offices, the Latino Community Association, the Let's Talk Diversity Coalition, the GeroLeadership Alliance, and all agencies represented in the ADRC; service providers include senior centers, COIC, and in-home health care and respite providers

The Council on Aging of Central Oregon is the federally designated Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for the planning and service area (PSA) of Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties, and is part of the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) for 10 counties in Central Oregon.

Incorporated as a 501(c)3 in June 1974, the Council on Aging has served seniors, caregivers, and adults with disabilities for more than four decades. To provide support services across a large geographic area that includes rural and urban communities, the Council coordinates planning and service provision with key agencies and organizations in its PSA. These include, most notably, DHS, APD, ADP, the CCO led by PacificSource's Health Council, mental and behavioral health departments in all three counties, and the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council that provides public transportation. Planning is coordinated through multi-disciplinary teams, ADRC collaborations, agreements (such as with COIC), community “huddles," and long-standing working relationships between the Council and other organization staff that have formalized into accepted practices. .

In this increasingly significant part of the state, it is imperative that we not only keep pace with – but stay ahead of – changing demographics and increased demand for service. To do so, we must understand the nature and extent of need among seniors, particularly high priority seniors as determined by economic and social considerations. .

Key factors that drive our strategic planning include:
• Extremely rapid growth in Deschutes County; as per U.S. Census Bureau data, the county's population aged 65+ grew by 40.0% from 2010 to 2015 due to aging of the existing population and an influx of new seniors
• Large geographic area that requires a distributed meal site model, including contracts with senior centers and vendors for nutrition services
• Rural and remote communities that offer few resources, require commitments of staff time and agency dollars to visit, have limited public transportation options, and add to the social isolation of seniors
• Increased cost of living, driven by rising costs of food, housing, and health care, that greatly impact seniors living on fixed and limited incomes
• Under-representation of seniors of color in our client base and need for improved equity, diversity and inclusion

Recent Accomplishments

• The Council on Aging recently purchased Bend's Community Center, which includes a commercial kitchen and dining facilities. The Meals on Wheels and congregate dining programs, currently managed from the Bend Senior Center, transitioned to the new space in May of 2019. Given COVID, we have increased the community meals to Grab-N-Go drive-through pickup three times each week.

• The Council on Aging expanded the reach of the Information & Resource (I&R) Referral program by staffing the Sister's Park and Recreation facility and the Bend Senior Center with an I&R specialist one day each week. Prineville and Madras I&R staffing programs were implemented in Q2 2018. The Council on Aging anticipates increased client numbers for all services due to increased awareness from the onsite I&R programs.