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Local residents share a congregate meal at the Hannah Soloman Building in Fort Yukon as part of the Fairbanks Native Association Elders Program. (Photo by ACoA Staff.)

The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) provides funding and partners with approximately 40 organizations in 110 Alaskan communities to provide Nutrition, Transportation and Support Services (NTS). Since 1965, Congress has passed an annual appropriations bill with funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA). Title III funds are managed by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging. Funds are allocated to each state based on their senior population compared to the nation as a whole. States are required to support this federal pass-through grant program with 15% funding as well as required cash contributions from recipients and in kind services from local resources. The OAA states that senior service agencies cannot charge a fee, but does encourage and allow seniors to contribute towards the cost of services they receive. Senior donations are an important and vital resource to the NTS programs as these funds must be reassigned to support future NTS services.

NTS services are provided to seniors 60 or more years of age in a variety of settings and through varied delivery methods across the state. These services contribute to their health, safety, welfare, and ability to remain independent as long as possible. NTS services often become the point of entry for those seniors who may need access to other services in the continuum of long-term care.

The ACoA solicits for grant proposals every three to four years, awards grants to non-profit organizations, tribal governments, school districts, and some local governments to provide NTS services. Funding is allocated by region based on a funding formula developed and published in the current ACoA State Plan.

In accordance with the OAA, NTS grantees are required to identify and target low-income, minority, disabled, frail and isolated seniors who are in most need of NTS services. Services may include any combination of congregate and/or home delivered meals, transportation, outreach, information and assistance, homemaker and chore services, preventive health, and Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and Retired Senior Volunteer services in conjunction with the National Senior Services Corp. In addition, statewide services are funded for a statewide monthly publication-the Senior Voice-providing a variety of information and educational articles on issues of interest to seniors. Vital legal services for seniors are also supported with NTS funding. All NTS services support the health, dignity, respect and independence of older Alaskans.

Important as the various funding sources are to support seniors' health and wellbeing, more vital to the success of the NTS program are the many dedicated people working at the senior centers who view their role and relationship to helping seniors as more than just a job. Their commitment and ability to provide quality services is integral to the continuing success of the NTS program. ACoA commends and thanks these dedicated people for providing these vital services to older Alaskans.

Partnering: For the past four or five years federal and state funding levels for NTS grants have remained fairly constant. As a result, ACoA and the agencies must find other methods and means to stretch limited dollars and resources to meet the needs of an expanding senior population and to alleviate wait lists. During Fiscal Year 2002, ACoA encouraged agencies to partner with one another and other organizations in their community. Several collaborative arrangements throughout the state have allowed NTS projects to maximize their limited resources to meet the needs of more seniors. For example, under Title VI of the OAA, funding is provided to eligible tribal entities that provide nutrition and support services to native elders. In Alaska several tribal organizations and NTS grantees have combined their resources so more Alaskans may be served. ACoA staff provides support and facilitates these types of cooperative arrangements.

In a few communities, coordinated transportation systems have been developed. Agreements between various service providers have been formed to pool all available resources so that as many rides as possible are provided to seniors and the disabled in the community. These arrangements may vary greatly as the agreements are developed to fit each community's unique needs. It takes many hours and a lot of cooperation between the non-profit boards and staff to come to an agreement ensuring all client populations will be represented and served. Many factors are considered, such as: the availability of appropriate and safe vehicles; vehicle ownership, insurance and maintenance responsibilities; vehicle replacement funding issues; hiring certified drivers and or training; centralized dispatch centers or use other methods for ride reservations; ADA compliance issues; developing a routing system to provide the most rides with the resources available. These, and resolution to many other issues along with continuing cooperation must occur for coordinated transportation systems to be viable. ACoA staff has worked closely with the Alaska Department of Transportation to coordinate resources and facilitate coordinated transportation systems where feasible.

Data Collection: ACoA began implementation of the Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) software project in FY99 and continues to provide software and training to NTS grantees. In accordance with the Older Americans Act (OAA) all states are required to capture and report data annually to the US Administration on Aging (AoA). This data provides the state and the federal government with the number of clients served and specific services received. The AoA provides this data to Congress for determining future funding needs for Title III programs nationwide. Most states are now using an electronic method to capture and report data as this method provides for a more reliable and accurate method for data collection. During FY 2002 ACoA continued to bring additional NTS grantees on the SAMS system. By the end of FY2004 all grantees should be using SAMS.

Disaster Plan: During FY 2002, NTS grant conditions required grantees to develop and submit an emergency response disaster plan. It is critical that agencies know which emergency response agencies to contact, what are the local needs affecting seniors, and most importantly the location of seniors, should there be a state or federal disaster declared.

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