March 2015 – August 2018
Aging Mastery Program®
The Purpose
The Aging Mastery Program® offers community-based organizations a clear path to engage and strengthen the physical, financial, and emotional wellness of older adults. Developed by the National Council on Aging, the self-paced program educates and engages older adults as they take manageable steps toward aging well. The National Council on Aging created the program to develop new expectations, norms, and pathways for adults to make the most of their gift of longevity. The engagement program is an innovative, educational way to encourage aging well through lifestyle changes. Most importantly, results have shown that older adults in the program increase their social connectedness, physical activity, healthy eating habits, understanding of preventive benefits, communication with healthcare teams, and use of advanced planning.
Strengthening the Impact
The Patterson Foundation strengthened the Aging Mastery Program® by leveraging its multi-year engagement with the National Council on Aging to support creating a national-scale approach to the Aging Mastery Program® while providing funding to organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties in Florida that were implementing the program. These organizations shared lessons with each other to strengthen the impact of the program and its influence in the lives of older adults in our community. Locally, the Aging Mastery Program® has been tested as a fee-based program. Based on its success, the local organizations continue to use this model. The Aging Mastery Program® is currently in 270 locations in 32 states.
FAQ's
Click on frequently asked questions below to learn more about this initiative...
Why did The Patterson Foundation support this initiative?
The Patterson Foundation strengthens the efforts of people, organizations, and communities by focusing on issues that address common aspirations and foster wide participation. Through the Aging Mastery Program®, The Patterson Foundation connected organizations and people focused on living well as they age by working with the National Council on Aging to scale the program nationwide and by supporting organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties offering the Aging Mastery Program®. Sarasota-Manatee organizations providing the Aging Mastery Program® in our local region are sharing lessons with each other to strengthen the impact of the program and its influence in the lives of older adults in our community.
How did the Aging Mastery Program® start?
The National Council on Aging developed the program by curating exceptional material from across the country and by strategically organizing modules into an interactive 10-week program. The MetLife Foundation initially funded a pilot of the Aging Mastery Program® for 225 people in five states: South Carolina, Indiana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Now available in locations throughout the country, the goal is to reach more than five million older adults by 2020 through a nationwide network of local programs and online resources.
Is the Aging Mastery Program® available in the Sarasota-Manatee region of Florida?
With support from The Patterson Foundation, organizations in the region offered the Aging Mastery Program®. To learn which locations offer the Aging Mastery Program®, contact these organizations for more information:
The Paradise Center (Longboat Key) | 941-383-6493Enrichment Center at Renaissance on 9th (Bradenton) | 941-749-0100
The Friendship Centers (Sarasota and Venice) | 941-556-3236
JFCS of the Suncoast (Sarasota) | 941-366-2224
What has the Aging Mastery Program® accomplished so far?
Several Sarasota-Manatee agencies have successfully launched the Aging Mastery Program®. Due to this program, lives have changed. People have increased and improved their social connectedness, physical activity, healthy eating habits, understanding and application of preventive benefits, communication with healthcare teams, and use of advanced planning.
Local agencies that pioneered charging for the program have supported the sustainability of the Aging Mastery Program® by proving the success of a fee-based approach to other organizations across the nation.
On a national level, The Patterson Foundation's support has helped create the Aging Mastery Program® Philanthropy Network, which is helping funders connect about this work.
Local agencies that pioneered charging for the program have supported the sustainability of the Aging Mastery Program® by proving the success of a fee-based approach to other organizations across the nation.
On a national level, The Patterson Foundation's support has helped create the Aging Mastery Program® Philanthropy Network, which is helping funders connect about this work.
What is the difference between the Aging Mastery Program® and Age-Friendly Sarasota?
Aging Mastery Program®, an initiative of the National Council on Aging, is offered at community-based organizations designed to engage and inform older adults to improve the physical, financial, and emotional wellness of those individuals. With the Aging Mastery Program®, individuals create personal pathways for aging well via actionable goals, sustainable behaviors, peer support, and incentives.
While the Aging Mastery Program® addresses needs of older adults, Age-Friendly Sarasota is a community-wide initiative seeking to build upon our entire community's assets to optimize active, healthy, and engaged living for all Sarasota County residents. Government, businesses, organizations, and people of all ages and abilities participate in building a livable community for all generations around the World Health Organization's 8 Domains of Livability.
While the Aging Mastery Program® addresses needs of older adults, Age-Friendly Sarasota is a community-wide initiative seeking to build upon our entire community's assets to optimize active, healthy, and engaged living for all Sarasota County residents. Government, businesses, organizations, and people of all ages and abilities participate in building a livable community for all generations around the World Health Organization's 8 Domains of Livability.
Who can I contact about the Aging Mastery Program® initiative?
For more information about the Aging Mastery Program® initiative, contact Roxanne Joffe, The Patterson Foundation’s lead strategic communications consultant at MagnifyGood: rjoffe@magnifygood.com.
Additional FAQ's
Participants share benefits of the Aging Mastery Program®
(total time: 1 minute 57 seconds)
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