Pennsylvania Council on Aging
The Pennsylvania Council on Aging serves as an advocate for older individuals and advises the governor and the department on planning, coordination, and delivery of services to older individuals. The 16 members who make up the council (the majority of whom are required to be age 60 or older) are nominated by the governor and subject to Senate confirmation. Five additional members of the council are chairs of the five regional councils.
The Pennsylvania Council on Aging's State of Older Adults During COVID-19
The Pennsylvania Council on Aging (PCoA) conducted a statewide survey of older adults in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was open to any Pennsylvanian over the age of 60 and was available in both English and Spanish. Responses were collected during the first week of April and over 3,700 responses were received from across the state. The resulting report was compiled from those responses and is a product of the PCoA's Social Isolation Task Force.
SOLO: Strengthening Older Lives Online
SOLO is an interactive guide with information and resources to help older adults cultivate a healthy mind, body and spirit amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was designed to be a user-friendly self-empowering tool for older adults to share with their peers as a way to reduce social isolation. SOLO was created by PCoA's Risk Reduction Committee, which is made up of older adults and was formed in response to the council's State of Older Adults Report.
Tools available in the guide include:
- Activities & videos to help stay mentally, spiritually, and physically fit
- Resources available to assist with those three areas
- Short questionnaires to build active health plans
SOLO Interactive Guide (English) SOLO Interactive Guide (Spanish)
Directions for Connections: Social Isolation Symposium
The two-day virtual symposium, held in March 2021, offered sessions addressing social isolation and older adults. Sessions included How to Engage, Support, and Empower Family Caregivers, Bringing Engagement to Seniors Where They Are: How to Virtually Connect with Asian Pacific American Older Adults, Getting Older Adults Online, Loneliness and Social Isolation and Urban Minority Elderly and more!