For Immediate Release
July 30, 2019
Contact: Joellen Leavelle, jleavelle@n4a.org and 202-719-8890

New Orleans—Today, the Aging and Disability Business Institute presented the California-based Institute on Aging with The John A. Hartford Foundation 2019 Business Innovation Award for its pioneering work in helping older adults transition from institutional settings into the community where they can live independently. The groundbreaking program developed by the Institute on Aging has helped nearly 300 individuals move away from institutional settings and into their own homes with the support of a network of partners that provide case management and community supports. The award was presented to Dustin Harper, the Institute’s Chief Strategy Officer, this morning at the 44th Annual Conference and Tradeshow of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

The award recognizes the Institute on Aging for its Community Care Settings Pilot Program, which takes a person-centered approach to help ensure that individuals have the supports they need to live independently in the community. Since its launch, the program has helped roughly 50 people per year transition from nursing homes and other institutional settings back to the community. The program boasts a 93 percent success rate, has resulted in significant health care cost savings, and is being replicated in other California counties with new health plans.

“The Institute on Aging is honored to be recognized by the Aging and Disability Business Institute and The John A. Hartford Foundation for its innovative Community Living Solutions work,” said Tom Briody, the Institute’s President and CEO. “We look at ourselves as a laboratory for new models of care in the areas of dementia, caregiving, social isolation, and alternatives to long term placement. We’re humbled by the thought that we’ve had an influence on shaping what’s considered possible around community living. Sometimes systems change is more about breaking down unnecessary barriers to achieve the simple solution than anything else, and we will continue to innovate and challenge current system structures for the betterment of all.”

“What the Institute on Aging has achieved with this program is no small feat,” said Sandy Markwood, CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, which leads the Aging and Disability Business Institute. “The Institute’s ability to bring together a variety of partners to help older adults transition from institutional settings to the community is a remarkable testament to the fact that community-based organizations can work together to make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults who want to live at home and in the community but often encounter obstacles that prevent them from doing so. The Institute on Aging has created a program that can and does serve as a model that can be replicated in communities around the country.”

Runners-up for the award were the Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens for its work to develop a rural Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and the Camarillo Health Care District, for its health care contracting efforts related to post-acute care, case management and self-management.

“We applaud each of these outstanding programs for the contributions they have made toward creating a collaborative system of care for older adults and people with disabilities,” said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation. “These programs serve as models for age-friendly health systems that integrate community-based supports and transform the way care is delivered to older adults in this country.”

About The John A. Hartford Foundation Business Innovation Award selection process
Each year, candidates are nominated through an open application process. A review committee of health care representatives, foundation staff and community-based organizations evaluates the applications based on criteria, which include how well the nominee demonstrates a successful partnership with a health care entity; the impact of the partnership on older adults and people with disabilities; and the degree to which the nominee demonstrates risk in pursuing new approaches to doing business and aligning leadership and staff in new directions.

About The John A. Hartford Foundation
The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan, national philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. The leader in the field of aging and health, the Foundation has three priority areas: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregivers, and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. For more information, visit johnahartford.org and follow @johnahartford.

About n4a
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging is a 501(c)(3) membership association representing America’s national network of 622 Area Agencies on Aging and providing a voice in the nation’s capital for the Title VI Native American aging programs. The mission of n4a is to build the capacity of its members so they can better help older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible. For more information, visit n4a.org and follow @n4aACTION.

About the Aging and Disability Business Institute
The mission of the Aging and Disability Business Institute is to build and strengthen partnerships between aging and disability community-based organizations and the health care system. The Business Institute receives funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, The SCAN Foundation and the Administration for Community Living and is led by n4a.