Bridging Aging & Disability

The Community of Practice (CoP) for Bridging Disability and Aging Networks in Connecticut includes the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the State Department of Developmental Services, the State Unit on Aging, the State Independent Living Council, The Arc Connecticut, AARP Connecticut, Health Equity Solutions, and many other organizations and individual advocates. The Connecticut CoP meets biweekly via the Teams remote meeting platform to share information and discuss potential collaborations. At each meeting a member of the CoP or another provider of services describes a program, supports, or services for individuals who are aging or have disabilities. Then the group discusses connections to other agencies or means to disseminate the information. To learn more about the Community of Practice (CoP) for Bridging Disability and Aging Networks in Connecticut, contact the Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities, Walter Glomb, at walter.glomb@ct.gov.

The DC Bridging Aging and Disability Networks and Racial Equity Community of Practice is continuing the learning and systems change efforts that have been in progress over the last 10 years to support families, coordinate services across agencies, and engage DC’s diverse cultural and linguistic communities. The primary objectives are to:

1. Better support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) as they age, while maintaining dignity and rights.
2. Better support and connect with aging caregivers, including family and paid caregivers like direct support professionals (DSPs), home health aides (HHAs), etc.
3. Build capacity for racial equity across aging and disability networks.
4. Build sustainable relationships between aging and disability service professionals and organizations.

Florida’s project of national significance will focus on the aging family unit and the chosen caregiver(s) for the aging person with I/DD. Over the next 5-years this project of national significance will develop a model that will impact all training and education models designed for the current and next generation of families caring for and/or supporting an aging person with I/DD.

Our goal is to strengthen the collaboration between aging and disability networks to better support individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and their families as they plan for their future across the lifespan. Our work plan focuses on bridging the information gap that will decrease health disparities and increase community knowledge, this will create more equality, by breaking down information gaps which is a significant barrier to individuals and family members of those with IDD.

The New Jersey Bridging Aging and Disability Networks and Racial and Equity Community of Practice has partnered with a robust group of State Alliance Team (SAT) members to build relationships and coalesce SAT members around a shared vision of increased understanding of services, break down silos, and improve access/service delivery for individuals with IDD who are aging and their families.  Through initial meetings, the team has established the groundwork for collaborative efforts through education and partnership sharing with all SAT members.  The team has set goals, action steps and activities through quarterly meetings. Each of the SAT members have been tasked with providing additional educational information about their service area in order for other SAT members to learn about the scope of services and supports.  A service directory will be compiled and disseminated to provide SAT members and the broader community easier access and understanding of available services and supports.  Sharing these resources will build and strengthen relationships within SAT members and help promote the work of the project to all stakeholders.