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.

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.

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) | 941-383-6493
Enrichment 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

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.

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.

For more information about this past initiative, contact initiative consultant Deborah Gauvreau: dgauvreau@thepattersonfoundation.org.