As the U.S population gets older and increasingly diverse, the federal government, states, and stakeholders are recognizing the need to conduct systems-level, cross-sector planning. In 2024, the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities (ICC) solicited feedback on a strategic framework to inform the development of a National Plan on Aging (NPA). The NPA will serve as a blueprint to guide and align federal policy and programmatic efforts to advance healthy aging opportunities for all older adults.
The National Plan on Aging Community Engagement Collaborative, a group of three philanthropies, The SCAN Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, and West Health, focused on elevating the voices of older adults and community partners, and in 2024 and 2025, organized a survey and multiple listening sessions across the country to gather input on the framework. As the ACL synthesizes stakeholder feedback, we must also think about future NPA implementation.
The National Plan on Aging Community Engagement Collaborative supported the development of a toolkit to support community partners in engaging with older adults to collect their input and to support peer-to-peer conversations among older adults.
The NPA is a critical opportunity to improve the systems of care that we all need as we age. While the strategic framework provides a visionary foundation for the NPA, in order to be successful, the NPA will need to be actionable, reflective of older Americans’ needs, coordinated with state MPA activity, and engage multiple sectors. The ongoing engagement of stakeholders, utilization of data to track progress, and fostering partnerships across various sectors will be crucial for the NPA’s successful implementation. Through these efforts, the NPA can become a robust and responsive blueprint that supports all Americans as they age, ensuring that communities are better equipped to meet the evolving needs of older adults.