Connections AAA outlines future plans

During an online public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 27, Connections Area Agency on Aging outlined services under consideration to be provided to older Iowans.

Connections AAA operates under the Older Americans Act, which mandates agencies to develop a strategic plan for services they provide. Iowa designates agencies to plan for four years. Connections AAA’s new plan will begin on July 1 and cover fiscal years 2026 through 2029.

Services provided by Connections AAA are based on community input. The agency solicited public information based on what services the people the agency serves would participate in.

Director of Community Engagement Aubury Krueger-Kutchara outlined the agency’s four general goals. These goals include: maximize independence (access is available to older Iowans for high quality care which encourages independent living), improve health and wellness (education and providing services for healthy living), improve safety and quality of life (avoid elder abuse and provide assistance) and stay engaged and supported (provide formal and informal caregivers of choice).

After listening to public comments, Krueger-Kutchara then went on to explain three services outlined for the next service period. All three will seek direct service waivers for their support, which involve their presence at a public hearing. These waivers are required so the agency can directly use funds from the Older Americans Act.

The first is a chore service to provide deep and intensive cleaning for older Iowans threatened with eviction. Pest eradication, responding to hoarding and a general intervention would be provided by a rapid response team employed by Connections.

A second program would seek to provide evidence-based programs, which are informative service programs, within the agency. Previously, the agency has contracted other services to provide for these programs, but a staffed program would be more cost-effective for the agency.

The third is a homemaker service. With individuals transferring homes to accommodate new changes in their independent life, the homemaker service can help reacclimate an older Iowan to their new living situations.

These three services were previously a part of the 2021-2025 plan and will continue into the next period. Housing these programs within the agency while working alongside contracted programs can bring significant impact to older Iowans.

“We need to be in there to make sure these people... will be successful in their recovery,” Executive Director Kelly Butts-Elston said. “We need to act immediately to get in there and take care of some of these things.”