One of the required roles that came with my many years at the Area Agency on Aging was that of non-partisan political advocate. I’m grateful; it taught me a lot. You can get involved too; your voice is needed.
The visionary framers of the Older Americans Act of 1965 recognized the population would be aging significantly in decades to come. The Act created a structure for states to designate regional entities as Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), charged with creating a host of services and products designed to help people from all walks of life age successfully.
Maintaining maximum independence possible, regardless of age or disability is the goal. Hence the local AAA’s mission, “Offering Choices for Independent Lives.”
The framers of the Act recognized that policy and law, from social security and medicare to countless other national, state or local rules, processes and laws affect our daily lives in real time. New issues arise and circumstances often change and weaken good intent.
The Act’s charge for political advocacy created a national, community-level reach for information and feedback on how policy and law affect the ability of an individual to age successfully. Is the intent of a policy or law still valid? Does it work? What barriers exist and how might it be changed to reach desired intent better?
There are great public servants in both parties. The great ones are open-minded and seek answers to questions like these, valuing both data and constituent input on impact. They become trusted champions.
Some people think their voice doesn’t matter. It does. Legislators want to serve and welcome opportunities to talk about issues and solutions.
So how might this involve you? On a broad scale, you can attend legislative forums or other events hosted by AAA when available. These are well attended by state legislators representing Southwest Michigan. Spring, in conjunction with national Older Americans Month, is when dialogue and opportunities ramp up. You can learn in advance what topics are being discussed.
On a more involved scale, you can apply today to become a member of the Michigan Senior Advocates Council or MSAC for short. All geographies in Michigan are covered by sixteen entities designated as AAAs. In 1977, The Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan (4AM) created MSAC to further support the mandate for non-partisan advocacy and its reach to the community level for input on issues of age or disability.
Each AAA appoints a limited number of persons as delegates to MSAC. Delegates travel to Lansing monthly to study issues as a group and visit with their legislators. Some zoom meetings may be possible. MSAC works closely with their respective AAAs and has been credited with creating unity and moving the needle on significant issues such as expansion of home-based care, prescription drug support, transportation, meals programs and heating assistance.
There are about 30 or so delegates statewide. They have three things in common: they are at least 55 years of age, have ties to their AAA and its network of services and they demonstrate leadership, often being active in local or state senior groups and knowledgeable about issues/known as a leader in their communities.
Sound interesting? Type bit.ly/AAAMSAC into your browser for a direct link to the application and online submission capability, or contact the Area Agency on Aging at 983-0177 or info@areaagencyonaging.org to request an application.
Lynn Kellogg is former CEO of Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Questions on age or independence services? Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810 or visit areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.