Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) today announced the release of the performance results of two more local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) as part of its mission to provide more transparency and accountability of Pennsylvania’s AAA network, which delivers services to older adults to help them stay healthy, safe and thriving in their homes of choice as they age.
Earlier this year, the Department officially launched its new Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation, or CAPE. This innovative tool transforms the Department’s prior monitoring approach into a more holistic philosophy, where each of Pennsylvania’s 52 AAAs is evaluated for different performance metrics – like protective services – during a singular monitoring review instead of over a course of multiple visits, with the ultimate goal of ensuring older adults are protected and safe in their communities.
Two more AAAs – Huntington-Bedford-Fulton and Washington-Fayette-Greene (Southwestern PA AAA, Inc.) – join the growing list of agencies that have recently been evaluated, bringing the total number of results for AAAs on PDA’s website to 14, covering 24 counties:
- Armstrong
- Beaver
- Bradford-Sullivan-Susquehanna-Tioga
- Cameron-Elk-McKean
- Centre
- Chester
- Huntington/Bedford/Fulton
- Lehigh
- Mifflin-Juniata
- Northampton
- Perry
- Venango
- Washington/Fayette/Greene
- York
“Our Department continues our important work of conducting a comprehensive review of each Area Agency on Aging’s performance through the CAPE, and we continue to meet our pledge to share this information publicly,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “The development of CAPE is a cornerstone of our commitment to ensuring we are delivering quality services to older adults in every community in PA. Through this process, we are able to identify what these local agencies need in order to improve performance and strive for excellence in serving older adults.”
CAPE represents the first major overhaul and upgrade of the Department’s monitoring system in decades. In April, for the first time ever, PDA began posting performance results on its website for AAAs monitored under CAPE.
Performance evaluations include things like:
- Older Adult Protective Services (documentation requirements, data management, administrative oversight, risk mitigation and safety, and investigative activities); and
- OPTIONS (help at home) and the Caregiver Support Program (documentation requirements, data management, administrative oversight, care management, program eligibility, and policy and fiscal operations)
Results of CAPE will be routinely posted to the Department’s website, with clearly defined, simple key categories for each AAA.
Under the new system, the Department will continue to monitor AAA data and performance monthly; in addition, each AAA will be comprehensively monitored on a consistent schedule, with regular communications in-between those monitorings to discuss the outcomes, ensure that they are taking steps toward any needed performance improvement and provide additional training and technical assistance as needed.
INVESTING IN OLDER ADULTS
The new system is part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of Pennsylvania’s rapidly growing older adult population and making certain the Commonwealth remains a place where they can thrive in their golden years.
In 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro directed the Department of Aging to produce a 10-year strategic road map to meet the needs of older adults, called Aging Our Way, PA, while his 2025-26 budget proposal includes $2 million to increase accountability and oversight of the AAA network, and a $20 million investment for those AAAs so they can continue to provide key services to older adults.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging works with a network of 52 AAAs to deliver services to older adults. The Department disburses millions of dollars annually to AAAs to fund these services, and one of the Department’s most important responsibilities is to monitor the performance of each AAA to make sure they are meeting performance standards. However, the Department’s system for doing so has previously been fragmented, inconsistently scheduled, and did not focus on objective measures. Learn more about how Pennsylvania is serving the needs of older adults by visiting the Department of Aging's website.