Institute on Aging

IOA aims to support older adults and adults with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond in maintaining their vitality, independence, and involvement in the community, and to enable them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life while remaining in the places they feel most comfortable. We also strive to serve as a resource offering support to families coping with aging relatives. We aim to educate health, social services, law enforcement, legal, and other professionals and the general community about issues affecting older adults. And we endeavor to shape the conversation about aging, reminding everyone that the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of those over 65 are not only alive and well, but are as vibrant and strong as ever.

Under the IOA umbrella are multiple programs designed to prolong health, promote longevity, prevent abuse, alleviate isolation, and enable older adults to continue living independently and in safety in their own homes, with the highest possible quality of life, for as long as possible. IOA also offers information and support to families and caregivers struggling to care for vulnerable older adults, and to healthcare, social service, law enforcement, and other professionals who work with this population.

IOA Connect offers a comprehensive, toll-free, multilingual community resource providing a confidential single point of contact for information, referrals, assessments, and assistance with service navigation for seniors, families, caregivers, and concerned community members. IOA's adult social day program provides structured activities and meals five days per week for individuals with memory loss, dementia, and physical frailties. The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) delivers full medical care (both acute and long-term), prescription drugs, adult day care, personal care, physical therapy, transportation, and home care for adults 55 or older. Care management by social service professionals involves in-home assessments and implementation/coordination of services needed to avoid institutionalization for frail individuals. Home care is provided by IOA's staff of bonded and insured caregivers. IOA's Fiduciary Services include bookkeeping and bill paying, Durable Power of Attorney for Finance, trusteeships, and court appointed conservatorships.

Friendship Line is a 24-hour, toll-free crisis intervention telephone helpline for isolated, depressed, or suicidal older or disabled adults throughout the United States. The Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention offers counseling, grief support, and extensive educational outreach to seniors, caretakers, and mental health professionals. Evidence-based clinical interventions to address the symptoms of depression and anxiety with which many older adults struggle as they cope with changes related to aging include problem-solving, mindfulness-based stress reduction, psychotherapy, reminiscence, cognitive behavioral therapy, and sleep coaching. The Elder Abuse Prevention Program promotes public awareness, educates seniors and professionals, and advocates for policies and services that increase safety for vulnerable adults. Conferences and other educational forums provide medical and social service professionals and the greater community with information to spark discussions and tools to make decisions on key topics pertaining to older adults and aging.

IOA has over 30 years of experience providing comprehensive health, social, and psychological services for seniors and adults with disabilities. The agency holds home health, community clinic, and adult day program licenses. Our 425 FTE (full-time equivalent) staff includes Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Masters of Social Work, Masters of Public Health, Medical Doctors, Registered Nurses, Licensed Physical Therapists, Doctors of Psychology, Masters of Business Administration, licensed fiduciaries, licensed and bonded home health aides, and more, with fluency in multiple languages and diverse cultural competencies.

IOA has a well-established reputation for successful collaboration with a variety of community organizations, municipal agencies, health care providers, and educational institutions serving the needs of older adults, adults with disabilities, and their families, partners and caregivers. Our education division provides Continuing Education Units for the American Psychological Association, Board of Behavioral Sciences, Board of Registered Nursing, the State Bar of California's MCLE, and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly.

IOA has the organizational infrastructure and administrative/financial capacity to operate complex programs and comply with all applicable regulations and contract provisions. All compliance issues are addressed by an annual certified audit performed by outside auditors.

The agency's programs and staff have garnered numerous awards, including the 2017 National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Innovations Award; the 2016 California Department of Healthcare Services Innovation Award; a 2017 Supporting the Safety Net Award Honorable Mention from the national Association of Community Affiliated Plans; the 2006 Above and Beyond Award from San Francisco Adult Protective Services; the 2004 Social Responsibility Award from the California Association of Homes and Services for the Aged; and the 2000 Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence in program innovation.

IOA's internship program for psychology doctoral students won the 2015 Center for Excellence in Diversity Training Award from Palo Alto University and the 2013 Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs' Award for Innovative Geropsychology Training. Dr. Patrick Arbore, Founder/Director of IOA's Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention, has been awarded the 2016 Norma Satten Community Service Innovation Award from the Community Living Campaign; the 2015 Jefferson Award for Public Service; and the American Society on Aging's 2013 Mental Health and Aging Award. Shawna Reeves, MSW, Director of IOA's Elder Abuse Prevention Project, received the Service Recognition Award at the 2010 Legal Assistance for Seniors Annual Elder Abuse Conference, and a 2016 Commendation from the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women.

IOA's antecedents lie in the pioneering geriatrics programs of San Francisco's Mount Zion Hospital, which called attention to the special needs of seniors and inaugurated adult day health and home care services as alternatives to nursing homes. Incorporated as an independent non-profit in 1985, IOA has continued its legacy of innovation by creating unique models and services addressing all aspects of adults' needs as they age.

Highlights among IOA's achievements:
• Creating Center for Clinical and Aging Services Research with the University of California, San Francisco (1986)
• Launching the nation's first multi-disciplinary post-graduate fellowships in geriatrics (1987)
• Developing formal affiliations with On Lok to operate PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly)
• Receiving United Nations Award for Excellence in Aging for IOA's intergenerational arts programming (1999)
• Creating Northern California's largest clinical training program in home-based psychotherapy (2002)
• Partnering with California Pacific Medical Center to open Swindells Center for Adult Day Services providing activities to people in the beginning to middle stages of dementia
• Being honored by San Francisco Adult Protective Services with its Above and Beyond Award for contributions to the field of elder abuse (2006)
• Serving as one of the original four lead organizations statewide to develop the California Community Transitions (CCT) Medi-Cal program transitioning or diverting vulnerable individuals from nursing home to community living (2007)
• Opening new 50,000-square-foot building housing IOA services and 150 senior apartments operated by Bridge Housing (2010)
• Partnering with UCSF Geriatric Healthcare Center, housed on IOA premises (2013)
• Contracting with Health Plan of San Mateo, the first Medicaid plan in California to assume financial risk for nursing home use, to replicate our community transitions model in a managed care environment in San Mateo (2014). The Santa Clara County Department of Aging and Adult Services engaged IOA to launch a similar program in 2015. And in Fall 2017 IOA entered into an agreement with Inland Empire Health Plan to replicate the San Mateo model in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

Currently, thanks to a 2017 grant from the Sorenson Impact Center, IOA is engaged in research to evaluate and explore replicating across multiple geographies our unique nursing-home-to-community transition program. In addition, a grant from the Mount Zion Health Fund is enabling IOA to expand our Behavioral Health Services. We are also planning to expand our home care services.