Spotlight on Innovations and Achievements: SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging
We're proud to highlight the award-winning work of the 2021 winners of USAging's Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards in this monthly spotlight feature. Read about this AAA’s creative idea to make planning for sickness or end-of-life easier.
This month, we are focusing on SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging’s It’s All About Me program. The agency was a 2021 Aging Innovations Award winner in the Caregiving category. The 2021 AIA Awards were made possible thanks to the support of iN2L.
“It’s All About Me” is a 140-page, comprehensive workbook that gives older adults peace of mind that their wishes can be carried out by trusted family members or friends if they become ill or incapacitated, or die. Specific prompts help people record their family history, special memories and daily habits alongside documentation related to assets, debts, passwords, inheritances and more.
The workbook was created to help individuals outline every aspect of what is important to them and walk their loved ones through a difficult journey. Many older adults find it difficult to talk about death or possessions, but the workbook reframes these necessary discussions as a documentation of their thoughts, making it much easier. Once it is filled out, it can be given to a trusted loved one to keep until caregiving is needed or an end-of-life situation must be handled.
Since creating “It’s All About Me,” SeniorAge has distributed the workbooks free of charge as well as through sales to individuals and senior living communities to gift to their residents. Many family members have expressed how helpful the book has been as they are dealing with the end of a loved one’s life and/or their death.
This month, we are focusing on SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging’s It’s All About Me program. The agency was a 2021 Aging Innovations Award winner in the Caregiving category. The 2021 AIA Awards were made possible thanks to the support of iN2L.
“It’s All About Me” is a 140-page, comprehensive workbook that gives older adults peace of mind that their wishes can be carried out by trusted family members or friends if they become ill or incapacitated, or die. Specific prompts help people record their family history, special memories and daily habits alongside documentation related to assets, debts, passwords, inheritances and more.
The workbook was created to help individuals outline every aspect of what is important to them and walk their loved ones through a difficult journey. Many older adults find it difficult to talk about death or possessions, but the workbook reframes these necessary discussions as a documentation of their thoughts, making it much easier. Once it is filled out, it can be given to a trusted loved one to keep until caregiving is needed or an end-of-life situation must be handled.
Since creating “It’s All About Me,” SeniorAge has distributed the workbooks free of charge as well as through sales to individuals and senior living communities to gift to their residents. Many family members have expressed how helpful the book has been as they are dealing with the end of a loved one’s life and/or their death.
For other great program ideas, check out the new 2021 AIA-winning programs: see the press release, read this year's book of winners and register for the USAging Lunchtime Innovations webinar series which will highlight all 2021 Aging Innovations Award winners!