NYSOFA's Four-Year Plan 2023-2027

As the state's designated unit on aging, NYSOFA is responsible for developing and administering a multi-year State Plan on Aging that provides goals and objectives related to assisting older residents, their families, and caregivers. The federally required Four-Year Plan is submitted to the Administration on Community Living (ACL) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), outlining how NYSOFA and its network will address federal priorities for older adults in several focus areas: 

• Long term care reform
• Continuing to address COVID-19
• Targeting and equity – supporting individuals of greatest social and economic need
• Building system capacity
• Caregiving supports

Join us for one of the upcoming information sessions (listed below) to learn about the draft plan and provide input. 

The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) is seeking public input on its proposed Four-Year Plan to the federal government. As part of its Plan, NYSOFA is holding a series of upcoming public information forums outlining NYSOFA's goals and objectives to assist older residents, their families, and caregivers. See below to learn more about the Four-Year Plan.

Livestream

May 18 at 12 p.m.
Watch an archive on YouTube

In-Person Events

Central New York
May 22 at 10 a.m.
Upstate Oasis
6333 State Route 298
East Syracuse, NY 13057

Long Island
May 23 at 11 a.m.
LGBT Network Hauppauge Center
125 Kennedy Drive, Suite 100
Hauppauge, NY 11788

Western New York
May 23 at 1 p.m.
Amherst Senior Center
370 John James Audubon Parkway
Buffalo, NY 14228

Southern Tier
May 24 at 1 p.m.
Broome West Senior Center
2801 Wayne Street
Endwell, NY 13760

Hudson Valley
May 25 at 11 a.m.
Hudson Hall Auditorium 
Mount Saint Mary's College
330 Powell Avenue
Newburgh, NY 12550

Finger Lakes
May 25 at 12:15 p.m.
Monroe Community Hospital
Auditorium A
435 E. Henrietta Road
Rochester, NY 14620
*Parking is in Lot 3, and the Main Visitor Entrance is located on the canal side

New York City
May 25 at 1 p.m.
The Carter Burden/Leonard Covello Older Adult Program
312 East 109th Street
Between 1st and 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10029

North Country
May 30 at 12 p.m.
Nutrition Center at the Gouverneur Community Center
4673 State Highway 58
Gouverneur, NY 13642

As part of the Four-Year Plan, NYSOFA recently announced a statewide Community Assessment Survey of Older Adults that has received over 26,000 responses. The survey assesses core age-friendly principles, including overall community quality and belonging, availability of information, productive activities, health and wellness, community design and land use, and more. The survey results include over 100 data points and provide important background for our Four-Year Plan. A sample of some preliminary results is below.

Overall Health

• 72% of older adults considered their overall health to be “excellent or good” and 82% considered their overall mental health/emotional wellbeing to be “excellent or good.”

Overall Community

• Respondents answered several questions rating their community, with 78% calling it an “excellent or good” place to life, and 52% calling it an “excellent or good” place to retire.
• 71% of older adults said they are very “likely/somewhat likely” to remain in their community throughout retirement. Nearly 70% of older adults have lived in their community for 20 years or more.

Housing

• Housing was identified as a priority area of need, with 39% of older adults indicating some problem finding housing that “suits their needs.”

Transportation and Ease of Travel

• Respondents provided a mix of results on ease of travel, depending on the mode (i.e., public transportation, car, walkability, and more).
• In general, 73% of respondents rated their community as “excellent or good” when it comes to the ease of “getting to places they like to visit.”

Economic opportunity

• 31% of older adults felt they had “excellent or good” opportunities to build work skills (69% said these opportunities were “fair/poor”).
• 19% of older adults felt they had an “excellent or good” variety of employment opportunities (81% said these opportunities were “fair/poor”).

Engagement and Recreation

• Older adults were split in their assessment about engagement and recreation opportunities.
• 50% of older adults said recreation opportunities were “excellent or good,” 44% said opportunities to participate in community matters were “excellent or good,” and 33% said that opportunities to enroll in skill building or personal enrichment classes were “excellent or good.”

Concerns about daily activities

• When it comes to “doing heavy or intense housework,” 34% of older adults said this activity was “not a problem,” 29% said it was a "minor problem," and 37% said it was a "moderate or major problem.”
• When it comes to “maintaining their home,” 41% said this activity was "not a problem," 27% said it was a "minor problem," and 31% said it was a "moderate or major problem.”
• Regarding the “ability to drive," 76% said it was "not a problem," 7% said it was a "minor problem," and 37% said it was a "moderate or major problem."

Availability of resources

• Depending on the specific question, between 72% and 76% of respondents had concerns about the availability of resources like financial/legal planning, daycare for older adults, and availability of quality mental health, ranking these as “fair or poor.”

Services and Care

• Respondents identified some problems with falling or injury in the home (33%); finding affordable health insurance (39%); getting needed health care (38%); getting needed vision care (36%); maintaining a healthy diet (47%); or affording medications (35%).

Social isolation

• 84% of older adults said feeling lonely or isolated was either “not a problem” (for 61% of respondents) or a “minor problem” (for 23% of respondents), with similar results for feelings of depression, boredom, or having friends/family to rely upon.

Crime and Social Inclusion

• While only 18% of older adults said that “being a victim of crime” is a “minor” or “moderate/major” problem, 27% had concerns about “being a victim of fraud/scams,” 26% had concerns about “being discriminated against due to age,” and 46% felt like their “voice was not heard in the community.”

Caregiving

• 33% of older adults are providing some uncompensated care to someone older than 55, including 15% who are doing so for 1-3 hours per week, 9% for 4-10 hours per week, 2% for 11 to 19 hours per week, and 7% for 20 or more hours per week.
• Between 23% and 27% of older adults felt physically, emotionally, or financially burdened by the role of uncompensated caregiving.

Hospitalizations and Long Term Care

• 80% of older adults had not been hospitalized in the past 12 months.
• 97% had not needed long term care in a facility (i.e., nursing home or rehab) during the last 12 months.
• 68% did not have injuries from falls in the last 12 months, with 28% experiencing some injury 1 to 2 times, and 4% experiencing some injury 3 or more times.