Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan is the agency to turn to for assistance with the complex issues facing older adults and their families. Area Agency on Aging has the resources available to put the many pieces of information together along with the services to achieve the goal of bringing dignity and independence to the later years for older adults, care givers and families.

Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan was formed in 1973 as a Michigan private non-profit corporation; it was designated in 1974 as an Area Agency on Aging by the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, and began serving the ten counties of Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee and Wexford. Since 1973 AAANM has been a leader in raising the awareness of the needs of older adults both locally as well as at the state and federal levels.

AAANM operates under the framework of the Federal Older Americans Act and the State’s Older Michiganian’s Act. These acts provide general goals and a purpose for area agencies on aging and serve as an overall framework of aging policy at the federal and state levels, respectively. The Older Americans Act outlines four basic functions for an area agency on aging as it develops and manages a “…comprehensive and coordinated service delivery system…” by planning, advocating, funding and developing services within the jurisdiction of the area agency on aging.

AAANM fulfills these four roles in the following manner:

PLANNING: The Board of Directors, the Board of Advisors and the staff, the three elements that make up the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan, are constantly evaluating client outcomes, the efficacy of services, the responsiveness of providers and service quality. This is a method of identifying service gaps, determining needed services and making service changes. Vision is a necessary element of planning. AAANM is able and willing to take a long look into the future. These elements are all factors as AAANM develops the Area Plan with citizen and provider involvement. The Plan guides the work of AAANM.

ADVOCACY: Advocacy efforts at AAANM take on a variety of faces. The Agency is active in its involvement with raising community awareness of the needs of older adults living in the Region. Contacts with federal and state legislators and federal and state employees are an integral element of advocacy. Staff is constantly advocating on behalf of individuals with other agencies and organizations. Directors and Advisors are also actively involved in this advocacy effort. They have contact with legislators and represent older adult interests in local, regional, state and national venues.

FUNDING: Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan provides in excess of $3,000,000 of federal and state dollars to community organizations for services to the elderly. AAANM goes through a competitive bidding process in order to contract these funds to the best providers in the region. To be placed on the bidders list, E-mail or write AAANM.

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT: As Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan identifies service gaps and works to begin to fill those gaps by developing new services and implementing services in new areas. Examples of activities under development include an intake and assessment system that is being implemented in the Missaukee, Wexford and Kalkaska Counties; and the development of a community human services resource system that is Internet based.Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan is guided by a 15 member Board of Directors, which approves all policies, service contracts, plans and budgets carried out by the agency. The Board of Directors has a member appointed by each of the ten County Boards of Commissioners. The other five members are appointed at-large and are representative of consumer and other community interests. The Board of Directors meets the first Thursday of each month at the office of the Area Agency of Aging of Northwest Michigan. The meetings are open to the public.

The Board of Directors appoints a Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors informs the Directors and staff of concerns and problems facing older adults in their communities, and functions as an advocate for older adults. Representatives to the Board of Advisors are residents of the region and represent a variety of interests. The Board of Advisors meets the third Thursday of every other month, beginning in February, at the office of the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan. The meetings are open to the public.

The staff of the Area Agency of Aging of Northwest Michigan brings a variety of experience and backgrounds to their work. As caring professionals they have the dedication, training and experience to achieve the Mission of the agency and are truly committed to “…creating opportunities for older adults to live independently, dignity…”

Area Agency of Aging of Northwest Michigan is continually looking to the future. AAANM, in its association with the other 15 area agencies on aging in Michigan and the over 650 area agencies on aging across the country, plans to be an active player in serving elders for many years to come. The ongoing concerns of the regions population of elders will continue to be the concern of Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan.

Final 2011 Area Implementation Plan (Adobe pdf)