Henrico’s new Advocate for the Aging ready to help older residents  

The aging population across the United States is growing, and Henrico is no exception to the trend. With more older adults looking to access aging-related services, Emily Atkinson, the county’s new advocate for the aging, is ready to help.

“I just feel so lucky to be here and to have the opportunity to engage with our residents,” Atkinson told the Henrico Board of Supervisors during an Aug. 10 work session.

Atkinson assumed her position within the county this summer and is aiming to improve the quality of life for older adults and caregivers in Henrico. Almost 13% of Henrico’s population is aged between 65 and 84, and 2.2% of the population is 85 years and older, she said.

To meet the needs of this population of nearly 50,000 people – a number that’s expected to grow as older adults live longer and healthier lives – Atkinson also wants to enhance the visibility of aging-related services offered by Henrico and advance age-friendly initiatives across the county, she said.

In the 26 working days since Atkinson had begun her aging advocacy, she had made 98 total contacts with residents (including 32 care coordination requests), 4 home visits and 66 event-related contacts, she said. Additionally, Atkinson said she had nearly a dozen meetings with sister departments and community partners inside and outside of Henrico government.

Personal interactions with Henrico residents allowed Atkinson to describe to supervisors the extent to which her advocacy work has already made an impact in people’s lives.

For example, she recently assisted one resident who had called her multiple times to register for the same event, she said. After realizing that this person may be experiencing cognitive troubles, Atkinson took the initiative to go on a home visit, leading her to make contact with the resident’s niece and offer support to the family, she said.

Two Henrico residents experiencing health issues had been unable to get help fixing a broken air conditioning unit for two days after making multiple maintenance requests, Atkinson told supervisors. After she learned of the situation and made a phone call to their senior living community, the air conditioning was fixed within the hour of her intervention on their behalf, she said.

“The resident called me the next day saying how grateful she was for my assistance and she really felt like my intervening made a huge difference in her case,” she added.

Older Henrico residents will also be able to join in on advocacy efforts themselves through the new Henrico Ambassadors Program for Seniors, which will serve as an opportunity for residents to become ambassadors within their communities, Atkinson said.

HAPS ambassadors will attend meetings on the third Wednesday of each month to learn about resources that are available and distribute them among community members to try to educate as many people as possible, she said. Ambassadors will also have the opportunity to give feedback about aging services in Henrico through the program, she added.

The success of the Advocate for the Aging’s Office initiatives will be measured through a new CARE Database that will log all resident contacts, including topic, location and frequency, with the office, Atkinson said.

In the short term, an increased number of older adults calling the advocate’s office, signing up for programs and demonstrating involvement within the county are part of Atkinson’s projected outcomes, she said. Long term outcomes will include increased accessibility of services for older adults, improved health outcomes, such as decreased numbers of 911 calls related to falls, and the establishment of Henrico as an “Age-Friendly Community,” she said.

In addition to her personalized support, Atkinson also has hosted multiple programming events for residents with more opportunities available this fall.

Upcoming programs include:
• Navigating Senior Services seminars – The seminars provide residents with an opportunity to learn about available aging services on the following dates: Aug. 17 at Varina Library; Aug. 24 at Glen Allen Library; Aug. 30 at Libbie Mill Library.

• Senior Safety Day – Senior Safety Day, which will occur on Sep. 9 at Henrico County Training Center, will provide residents with an opportunity to learn about staying safe in the community through self-defense; fire safety; medication safety; driving safety; financial security and cognitive safety.

• Falls Prevention Fall Festival – The fall festival, which will occur on Oct. 26 at Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, will feature an open house event for residents to receive physical evaluations and at-home fall prevention exercises.

• Caregiver ‘Lunch and Learns’ – Caregiver events will be offered online events during lunch hour to provide caregivers with resources and care planning tools on Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25.

• Holiday party – A holiday party will occur on Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.