National Resource Centers

ACL-funded Resource Centers:

ACL-funded resource centers provide information primarily for professionals; however, several of the following centers offer consumer information as well.

Aging Network Business Practice, Planning, and Program Development

Grantee: National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
Contact: Mary Kaschak, MKaschak@n4a.org
Website: https://www.n4a.org/buildingcapacity
Audience: Area Agencies on Aging and Tribal Organizations

The n4a is partnering with the Scripps Gerontology Center to implement a national effort to increase the capacity of Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI aging programs to enhance management practices and methodologies, enhance their leadership, and broaden their role in the delivery of community-based services and supports that transform our nation’s system of health and long-term care to address the needs of older adults and their caregivers. This will be accomplished through data collection and reporting based on national surveys of programs, intensive training sessions focused on business development and strategic planning, peer and expert technical assistance and training delivered through a web-based resource center, and other activities.

Community Innovations for Aging in Place (CIAIP) Technical Assistance Center

Grantee: Visiting Nurse Service of New York
Contact Information: info@ciaip.org
Website: www.ciaip.org
Audience: Recipients of CIAIP (public is also invited to use the website and contact CIAIP for more information)

The CIAIP initiative is intended to assist communities in their efforts to enable older adults to age in place in their homes and communities. Innovative approaches developed under CIAIP are based on needs assessments that identify community strengths and gaps in supporting aging in place, and should represent a collaboration of all interested community stakeholders. The technical assistance resource supports grantees in their efforts.

Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center

Grantee: Lewin Group
Contact: Larissa R. Crossen at Larissa.crossen@acl.hhs.gov
Website:  acl.gov/programs/employment/disability-employment-technical-assistance-center
Audience: People with disabilities

The Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center will provide AoD grantees with the tools and resources they need to more effectively help individuals with disabilities achieve meaningful employment with competitive wages in integrated settings. The Employment TA Center will be a comprehensive source for disability employment information, resources for AoD grantees, and will maximize knowledge transfer across programs by identifying and providing training on innovative, promising, and emerging practices.  

Eldercare Locator

Grantee: National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
Contact: eldercarelocator@n4a.org, 800-677-1116
Website:  https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx
Audience: Older adults and their caregivers

The Eldercare Locator is a nationwide call center and website that connects older Americans and their caregivers with information on senior services in their areas.

Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance Center

Grantee: ARCH National Respite Network
Contact: jkagan@archrespite.org
Website: https://archrespite.org/ta-center-for-respite

Through the TA Center, ARCH provides training and technical assistance to the Lifespan Respite Network with a focus on performance measurement, sustainability, best practices, and research. ACL has funded thirty-three states and the District of Columbia to establish or enhance Statewide Lifespan Respite systems and ARCH provides training and technical assistance to them as well. 

National Aging Information and Referral (I&R) Support Center

Grantee: National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD)
Contact: info@nasuad.org
Website: www.nasuad.org/I_R/ir_index.html
Audience: I&R professionals

The Support Center provides information and referral systems design and management, service delivery, and professional staff development supports to state and local aging networks. Training, technical assistance, product development, and consultation are provided to build capacity and promote continuing development of aging and disability I&R services nationwide.

National Aging Resource Consortium for Racial and Minority Seniors

Grantees:
Association Nacional Pro Personas Mayores (ANPPM)
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, Inc. (NAPCA)
National Caucus and Center on the Black Aged, Inc. (NCBA)
National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA)

Contact:
ANPPM: Carmela Lacayo, President & CEO, 626-564-1988
NAPCA: Christine Takada, President & CEO, 800-336-2722, fax: 206-624-1023
NCBA: Karyne Jones, President, 202-637-8400
NICOA: Randella Bluehouse, Executive Director, 505-292-2001

Websites:
ANPPM: http://www.anppm.org/default.cfm?PID=1.1
NAPCA: http://www.napca.org
NCBA:  https://ncba-aging.org/
NICOA: http://www.nicoa.org

Audience: Consumers, professionals

The National Aging Resource Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Minority Seniors was established by ACL in 2012. Its four members are national minority aging organizations, each of which represents one of four major racial and ethnic minority older populations. The Consortium serves as an interconnected resource center for the Aging Network. Each Consortium organization has agreed to partner and share their distinct strengths and culturally competent expertise for the benefit of minority seniors, their families, and caregivers. An example Consortium projects is outreach support to facilitate implementation of the HHS/Walgreens Adult Immunization Partnership.

National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center

Grantee: Research Triangle Institute (RTI)
Website: https://nadrc.acl.gov/
Audience: Primarily serves grantees, but the public can access much of the information on the website

This resource center supports grantees as they implement evidence-based interventions and innovative practices designed to empower and assist caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

National Alzheimer’s Call Center

Grantee: Alzheimer’s Association
Contact: www.alz.org, 800-272-3900
Website: http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_24_7_helpline.asp, 800-272-3900
Audience: People with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, their family members, friends, and caregivers; professionals and other members of the public can also benefit from available information

The National Call Center is available to people in 56 states and territories, 24/7, 365 days a year, to provide expert advice, care consultation, information, and referrals at the national and local levels. Trained professional customer service staff and social workers with master’s degrees are available at all times. The Call Center can help with questions about memory problems, how to deal with challenging behaviors, and tips for taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.

National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment

Grantee: National Council on Aging, Inc.
Contact: www.ncoa.org/get-involved/contact-us/
Website: https://www.ncoa.org/centerforbenefits/
Audience: MIPPA Grantees, Benefits Enrollment Centers, the public

This resource center helps organizations enroll seniors and younger adults with disabilities with limited means into the benefits programs for which they are eligible, so that they can remain healthy and improve the quality of their lives.

National Center on Elder Abuse

Grantee: University of Southern California
Contact: https://ncea.acl.gov/Contact.aspx, 855-500-3537 (ELDR), fax: 626-457-4090, @NCEAatUSC
Website: ncea.acl.gov
Audience: General public, social service and health care practitioners, the justice system, researchers, advocates, and policymakers

The NCEA serves as a national resource center dedicated to the prevention of elder mistreatment. To carry out its mission, the NCEA disseminates elder abuse information to professionals and the public, and provides technical assistance and training to states and community-based organizations. The NCEA makes news and resources available online; collaborates on research; provides training; identifies and provides information about promising practices and interventions; operates a list-serv forum for professionals; and provides subject matter expertise on program and policy development.

National Center on Law and Elder Rights

Grantee: Justice in Aging
Contact: @NCLERlegal
Website: https://ncler.acl.gov/
Audience: A broad range of legal, elder rights, and aging services professionals and advocates, including: legal assistance providers, legal assistance developers, LTC Ombudsmen, State Units on Aging directors, Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center staff, senior legal helplines, and others involved in protecting the rights of older persons

The National Center on Law and Elder Rights (NCLER) empowers aging and legal professionals with the tools and resources they need to provide older clients and consumers with high-quality legal assistance in areas of critical importance to their independence, health, and financial security.

National Center on Elder Abuse: National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative

Grantee: University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Contact Information: nieji@med.und.edu, 855-834-1572, fax: 701-777-6779
Website: www.nieji.org
Audience: Tribes, care providers, stakeholders, law enforcement

The National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative (NIEJI) was created to address the lack of culturally appropriate information and community education materials on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Indian Country. Some of the undertakings of the initiative will include:

Establish a resource center on elder abuse to assist tribes in addressing indigenous elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; identify and make available existing literature, resources, and tribal codes that address indigenous elder abuse; and develop and disseminate culturally appropriate and responsive resources for use by tribes, care providers, law enforcement, and other stakeholders.

National Clearinghouse for Long-term Care Information

Hosted by: The Department of Health and Human Services
Contact Information: aclinfo@acl.hhs.gov
Website: https://longtermcare.acl.gov/
Audience: Public

This website is designed to provide information and resources to assist individuals and their families in planning for future long-term care needs.

National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center

Grantee: Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging
Contact: info@smpresource.org, 1-877-808-2468
Website: www.smpresource.org
Audience: SMP Projects, the public

The National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center provides technical assistance, support, and training to 55 SMP projects to ensure an effective, consistent national approach to educating Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in the prevention, detection, and reporting of health care fraud. The Center promotes and disseminates the work of the SMP projects and provides technical assistance in Medicare, fraud control, and volunteer management through online training, workshops, and the SMP mentoring program. The Center conducts training for SMP projects on SMART FACTS, the SMP data management, tracking and reporting system, to ensure that accurate activity and performance data is reported to OIG and the public. The Center also develops volunteer training materials to help ensure consistency and professionalism in the SMP volunteer workforce.

National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning

Grantee: Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement
Contact: info@wiserwomen.org, 202-393-5452, fax: 202-393-5890
Website: www.wiserwomen.org
Audience: Consumers, professionals

The National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning provides access to a one-stop gateway that integrates financial information and tools on retirement planning and long-term care. It makes these user-friendly education and planning tools available to traditionally hard-to-reach women. The Center uses traditional and social media to improve access to basic financial retirement literacy tools as well as strategies to prevent fraud and financial exploitation. Information is offered through financial and retirement planning programs, workshops tailored to meet women’s special needs, and hard copy and web-based materials.

National Falls Prevention Resource Center

Grantee: National Council on Aging
Contact: Kathleen Cameron, Kathleen.cameron@ncoa.org, 571-527-3996, fax: 571-527-3901
Website: www.ncoa.org/center-for-healthy-aging/falls-resource-center/
Audience: Aging Network, public health network, ACL falls prevention grantees, health care professionals, older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers

The National Falls Prevention Resource Center supports the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies across the nation. The purpose of the Center is to increase public awareness and educate consumers and professionals about the risks of falls and how to prevent falls; support and stimulate the implementation, dissemination, and sustainability of evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies to reduce the incidence of falls among older adults and adults with disabilities; and serve as the national clearinghouse of tools, best practices, and other information on falls and falls prevention.

National Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Resource Center

Grantee: National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
Contact: info@theconsumervoice.org, 202-332-2275; fax: 202-332-2949
Website: www.ltcombudsman.org
Audience: Ombudsman programs, the general public

The Center provides support, technical assistance, and training to the 53 state long-term care ombudsman programs and their statewide networks of almost 600 regional (local) programs. Its objectives are to enhance the skills, knowledge, and management capacity of the state programs to enable them to handle residents’ complaints and represent resident interests through both individual and systemic advocacy.

National Pension Assistance Resource Center

Grantee: The Pension Rights Center
Contact: 202-296-3776 or 888-420-6550
Website: www.pensionrights.org
Audience: Nationwide network of pension advocates (see summary, below), the public

The National Pension Assistance Resource Center provides support to the AoA Pension Counseling grant projects and facilitates coordination among the projects, State and Area Agencies on Aging, ADRCs, legal services providers, and others by providing substantive legal training, technical assistance and programmatic consultation. The Resource Center also assists individuals living in areas not currently served by an AoA pension counseling project by providing nationwide referral and information services by phone and through the PensionHelp America website—a nationwide database of pension assistance and information resources (https://www.pensionhelp.org/).

National Resource Center on Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs

Grantee: National Council on Aging, Inc., Center for Healthy Aging
Contact: cha@ncoa.org
Website(s): www.ncoa.org/improve-health/center-for-healthy-aging/,
www.facebook.com/NCOAging, twitter.com/NCOAging

Audience: States and community-based organizations including aging, disability, and public health networks as well as their partners

This resource center provides leadership, expert guidance and resources to promote the value of, and increase access to, evidence-based chronic disease self-management education programs (CDSME). It also serves as a national clearinghouse and disseminates best practices to increase the capacity of states, aging, disability, and public health networks as well as their partners to implement and sustain CDSME programs.

National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Aging

Grantee: Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
Contact: info@lgbtagingcenter.org, 212-741-2247
Website: www.lgbtagingcenter.org
Audience: Mainstream aging organizations, LGBT elder and organizations

This resource center is designed to educate mainstream aging services organizations about the existence and special needs of LGBT elders, sensitize LGBT organizations to the existence and special needs of older adults, and educate LGBT individuals about the importance of planning ahead for future long-term care needs.

National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging

Grantee: Meals on Wheels Association of America
Contact: resourcecenter@mowaa.org
Website: http://nutritionandaging.org
Audience: Aging Network, including national associations and regional, state, and local aging services networks

The National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (NRCNA) supports the aging network’s nutrition services programs by helping to enhance skills, business acumen, and sustainability. The NRCNA will increase the availability of information on nutrition programs and practices that show promise of successfully integrating the nutrition network into the home and community-based services network.

National Resource Centers on Native American Elders

Website: https://olderindians.acl.gov/elder-resource-centers

ACL/AoA currently funds three Resource Centers for Older Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. These centers provide culturally competent health care, community-based long-term care, and related services. They serve as the focal points for developing and sharing technical information and expertise for Native American organizations, Native American communities, educational institutions, and professionals working with elders.

Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) National Resource Center:

Grantee: Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging
Contact: info@smpresource.org
Website: https://www.smpresource.org
Audience: SMP grantees, Medicare beneficiaries, their families & caregivers

The Senior Medicare Patrol Resource Center (SMP Resource Center) provides training and technical assistance to SMP grantees. The SMP Resource Center also provides key consumer services such as fraud alerts and maintains the SMP locator, which helps consumers find their local SMP program.

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) National Technical Assistance (TA) Center

Grantee: Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging
Contact: info@shiptacenter.org

Website: https://www.shiptacenter.org
Audience: SHIP grantees, Medicare beneficiaries, their families & caregivers

The SHIP National Technical Assistance Center (SHIP TA Center) is a central source of information for and about the national program. The SHIP TA Center provides training, technical assistance, and additional resources in support of SHIPs across the nation. Individuals may visit the SHIP TA Center website to find their local SHIP and to learn more about SHIP volunteer opportunities, counseling or outreach provided in their community. 

UCEDD Resource Center

Website: https://www.aucd.org//urc/index.cfm

The UCEDD Resource Center, implemented under contract with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), provides technical assistance to University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. AUCD is a network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.