In This Week's Issue ·  NAIPC 2014 Priorities ·  Council of Chapters Updates ·  NCOA Aims to Help 10 Millions Seniors by 2020 ·  NAIPC Board of Directors Special Election ·  Save the Date! ·  Upcoming Events NAIPC 2014 Priorities Policy & Strategy Council of Chapter representatives are currently reviewing the final report from our Aging in Place Summit, which includes an extensive list of policy initiatives we need to pursue in Housing, Healthcare & Wellness, Personal Finance, Transportation, and Community & Social interaction. We are awaiting feedback and intend to post the report and distribute it to the press and government officials by mid-February. 2014 Policy Initiatives We intend to create long-range (5 and 10 year) plans to tackle all the issues identified by the Summit to improve the Aging in Place environment for aging Americans. But for the current year, members have identified the following initiatives as priorities: 1.    Advocate for renewal of the Older Americans Act. 2.    Prepare for the possibility of tax reform discussion in Congress by compiling a list of items that encourage aging in place. 3.    Housing—Protect the current Low Income Housing Tax Credit system, and advocate for zoning benefits to encourage construction of mixed use housing. 4.    Health & Wellness—Increase availability of caregivers by advocating for passage of immigration reform and increase the point value of caregiving in citizenship process. 5.    Personal Finance—Launch a “Social Worker as Financial Concierge” program with a pilot and curriculum designed by the deans of social work graduate programs. 6.    Community & Social Interaction—Encourage the growth of community structures including Villages and Senior Housing and the role of resident service coordinators by issuing a research report on the value of community to aging Americans. NAIPC is establishing committees of members to work on these initiatives. Currently we are forming committees on: ·  Senior housing ·  Caregiving ·  Personal Finance ·  Community If you would like to participate in these initiatives, please contact Ashley Krapacs as akrapacs@ageinplace.org. Your Plan for Aging in Place The term Aging in Place has become more familiar. But one consensus observation coming out of our 2013 Annual Meeting and Policy Summit is that few aging Americans can tell you, how do you age in place? What does it entail?  In response to this, we have created a template that aging Americans and their families can utilize to walk through all the needs one might have to Age in Place, evaluate what they have and what is missing. Your Plan for Aging in Place is currently being reviewed by experts in each of the main subject areas (housing, health & wellness, personal finance, transportation, community & social interaction). Our next step will be to share it with the membership for a comment period. And then we will post it on ageinplace.org. Council of Chapters Updates Each month, NAIPC holds a Council of Chapters conference call. Participants include NAIPC staff and a representative from each of the current and forming NAIPC Chapters. The purpose of the monthly meetings is to keep Chapters informed of the latest news from the NAIPC National office, and vice versa. The last Council of Chapters call was held January 28, 2014. Highlights of the meeting include: The Columbus Chapter is now up to nine members. The Pittsburgh Chapter is making great progress. The Greater DC Chapter held a meeting this week and attendance was strong. NAIPC National had a successful meeting with the members of the recently formed Central Coast of California Chapter last week. NCOA Aims to Help 10 Million Seniors by 2020 Improving the health and financial security of 10 million older adults in the next six years is a weighty goal...but an achievable goal, according to the National Council on Aging. The NCOA, through initiatives like the Economic Security Initiative,BenefitsCheckUp, and EconomicCheckUp, has assisted more than 1.5 million seniors thus far, and they continue to provide additional resources to seniors as they work to achieve their goal of reaching 10 million by 2020. The NCOA recently launched the Economic Security Initiative, a nationwide program that assists communities with establishing Economic Security Service Centers, facilities where seniors can get a complete assessment of their situation, economic case management, referrals to community resources, and follow-up on various issues they may need assistance with, including job training, financial management, foreclosure assistance, and assistance with applying for benefits. To learn more, or to bring an Economic Security Service Center to your community,click here. NAIPC Board of Directors Special Election The deadline for members to vote in the NAIPC Board of Directors Special Election is Friday, February 14, 2014 at 5:00 pm EST. If you have not yet done so, click here to cast your vote. Save the Date! Mark your calendars: the Second Annual National Aging in Place Council Meeting is scheduled for June 12-13, 2014 in Washington, DC. All members received discounted registration and are encouraged to attend. Upcoming Events 2/3/2014 Baltimore Chapter NAIPC Monthly Meeting 2/19/2014 Eastern Shore Chapter Monthly Meeting 2/19/2014 Central Coast of California Monthly Chapter Meeting 2/19/2014 Boston Chapter Members Only Event 2/21/2014 Greater DC Chapter Monthly Meeting 3/12/2014 Boston Chapter Breakfast Meeting 3/19/2014 Eastern Shore Chapter Monthly Meeting 3/27/2014 Orange County Chapter Monthly Member Meeting 3/27/2014 Greater DC Chapter Monthly Meeting