Every year, the American Society on Aging (ASA) gathers thousands of aging professionals and influencers for the annual On Aging conference, the country’s largest interdisciplinary conference on aging.
The National Alliance for Caregiving will play a significant role at this year’s conference in Atlanta, GA. NAC experts will participate in sessions addressing key issues in family caregiving, from the lack of inclusive research to the need to drive action on the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
Below is our complete list of NAC’s workshops at the On Aging conference.
March 27, 2023
Filling Research to Policy Gaps Through the Inclusion of Diverse Caregivers
2:45 to 4:15 pm – Spring (Atlanta Conference Level)
This panel will include robust discussion by data experts on the importance of meaningfully including diverse populations in caregiving research. Since data is used to drive policy, excluding diverse caregivers from research limits policy inferences. Panelists will cover a range of topics including strategies for engaging diverse caregivers in research; how policies can be tailored to respond to culturally distinct caregiving practices; diverse representation within policymaking itself; and the importance of community partnerships to inform the development and implementation of research to transform the evolution of policies.
Featuring: Dr. Fawn Cothran, Hunt Research Director
March 28, 2023
Panel of Pundits
11 to 12:30pm – Regency VI (Ballroom Level)
On Aging 2023 welcomes back the Panel of Pundits. This year, the session will kick off with a special focus on voting rights. Then, moderator Bob Blancato will lead a stellar line-up of bipartisan pundits in spirited conversation about: How will a return to divided government affect policy actions? Will the battle over raising the debt ceiling affect the future of Social Security and Medicare? How will aging programs be impacted when the public health emergency ends? What progress can we expect on equity issues? How does the 2024 election look? Come prepared with your own burning questions to ask the pundits!
Featuring: Jason Resendez, President & CEO
ASA Peer Session: The National Strategy on Family Caregiving
5:30-6:30 pm – Hanover C (Exhibit Level)
The RAISE National Family Caregiving Strategy represents the first time a broad cross-section of the federal government has collaborated with the private sector on a response to the longstanding national need for a comprehensive system of family caregiver support. The National Strategy includes nearly 350 actions the federal government can take to support family caregivers and more than 150 actions that can be adopted at other levels of government and across the private sector to begin to build a national infrastructure that ensures family caregivers have the resources they need to maintain their own health, well-being, and financial security while providing crucial support for others.
On Aging Collaboratives offer attendees the opportunity to network and discuss a specific topic with their peers in a format formerly known as Peer Groups.
Featuring: Jason Resendez, President & CEO; Mike Wittke, VP for Policy & Advocacy; Dr. Fawn Cothran, Hunt Research Director
March 29, 2023
Policies to Improve Care for Older Adults and Family Caregivers
10:15 am – 11:45 am – Hanover C (Exhibit Level)
Family- and person-centered approaches are those that treat people with dignity and respect and focus on finding out what is important to them and fitting for their treatment and support. When people with serious illnesses and their family caregivers know that their voices are heard and valued and their preferences and needs are supported, quality of care and well-being improve. This session will highlight the new National Family Caregiving Strategy and the opportunities it presents for states, communities, employers and other sectors to better recognize and support family caregivers.
Featuring: Mike Wittke, VP for Policy & Advocacy
Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Direct Care Workforce
10:15-11:45am – Baker (Atlanta Conference Level)
Despite their essential value, direct care workers face a range of inequities that have devalued the direct care job for decades and made it difficult to succeed in their roles. The persistent challenges spurred by systemic racism, gender injustice, anti-immigrant sentiment, and other injustices impoverish these workers and contribute to the growing workforce shortage in this job sector. Despite growing interest among policy and practice leaders to remedy these problems, the general lack of practical guidance hinders progress. This workshop will share data and analysis on how various injustices have harmed direct care workers, as well as examples of both policy and practice interventions related to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion across our sector.
Featuring: Dr. Fawn Cothran, Hunt Research Director
