(The Center Square) – Westmoreland County’s population is among the oldest in the nation, ranking seventh in the country for natural decline in the 2020 U.S. Census.
It’s this state of affairs that has made it incredibly difficult to adequately operate its Area Agency on Aging, or Triple A.
Despite challenges, the agency has remained steadfast in its commitment to the senior population, pulling their compliance rate for timely determinations from 29% to 97% over the past year with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, or PDA.
The accomplishment made it the perfect place for the PDA to roll out the first update to its monitoring system in decades, the public facing Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation.
“Even through challenges and adversity, even through staffing ratio issues, even through all of the work that they struggle through, they continue to come out on top,” said PDA Secretary, Jason Kavulich. “They have one of the best records of improvement in the commonwealth.”
Pennsylvanians can view that record, and those of the 51 other Triple A’s across the state, on the DOA’s website. Kavulich’s department operates on a lean budget, despite the complex issues created by the state’s aging population. A change like this promises to expand the department’s ability to hold each AAA accountable.
“Triple A services Provide older adults with a vital lifeline to allow them to live with dignity, self-determination, and a sense of security,” said Carrie Nelson, executive director of the Westmoreland AAA. “Providing those services is not without challenges.”
She noted that protective services “is probably one of the biggest challenges we face on a daily basis.” Triple A’s are tasked with meeting with older adults face to face after they’ve received a report of need indicating that they may be suffering from abuse or neglect.
To meet the demand, Westmoreland had to cross-train and retrain many of its employees while placing a strong emphasis on protective services. Older adults aren’t always willing to take the help offered from Triple A’s, and the PDA says that’s alright, as long as staff know how to respond and solutions are being offered.
The PDA is responsible for reviewing almost 40,000 cases each year. They are expected to complete those cases within 20 days of receiving a report. Westmoreland’s AAA was working at just 25% staffing when they answered the call to improve their operations.
“All of us are aging. There’s nothing we can do to stop it,” said Kavulich. But with the right strategies in place, his department may make it a better experience. “We need to make this commonwealth the best place to be an older adult in, and it’s teams like the individuals behind me that make that a reality.”
