The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is working to draft a Pennsylvania Master Plan for Older Adults, and Warren County has been gathering input to contribute.

Experience Inc., which serves as the Warren/Forest County Area Agency on Aging, has been holding listening sessions and gathering input to help the state formulate a ten-year plan to guide older adult services into the future.

“It’s important. We’re in a space with (Baby) Boomers aging,” Experience, Inc. Executive Director Danelle Sowers said. “We need to reimagine services for older adults. The purpose is to engage people and allow them to provide feedback.”

In May, Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order directing the state Department of Aging to “evaluate issues facing older Pennsylvanians to support the development of a Master Plan for Older Adults,” according to information from the department.

“The plan will include goals, objectives and initiatives that promote the health, well-being and quality of life of Pennsylvania’s older adult and disabled populations,” department information states.

“We’re excited about it. This is an opportunity for everyone’s voice to be heard,” Sowers said. “We’re sending the information back to the folks at the Department of Aging. They’re formulating the plan right now.”

Experience, Inc. has already sent some survey responses taken at a July listening session. The results of those survey resulted in a three-page bullet point document outlining resident concerns and needs in seven categories.

The plan is intended to remain fluid even after finalization to account for continual changes, according to the department.

“How do we engage not just the most vulnerable, but also those still active and vibrant?” Sowers said. “It’s broader than just the older adults who need care at home.”

The state hopes to have a draft plan prepared by the end of the year to be finalized by February 2024.

The information gathered will also be of use in Warren and Forest counties. Every four years, the agency formulates it’s own local master plan.

“We’ll be doing that next year and we’ll be using this to provide us insight from the information we gather now for that,” Sowers noted.

To learn more about the state plan, visit www.aging.pa.gov/publications/MasterPlan/Pages/default.aspx. Feedback can be provided by following the link on the right hand side of the website; by mail at Pennsylvania Department of Aging, c/o Master Plan, 555 Walnut St., 5th floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101; and by email at AgingPlan@pa.gov. A needs assessment survey is also available on the right hand side of the site to provide further feedback.