Executive summary the central vermont council on aging (cvcoa) has been supporting elders and family caregivers in leading healthy, independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their homes and…

Executive summary the central vermont council on aging (cvcoa) has been supporting elders and family caregivers in leading healthy, independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their homes and communities for over 45 years. The council supports independence, self-choice and security for all elders through a variety of programs and services, some of which are provided directly through cvcoa staff, others provided via contract with partnering organizations. We are applying for 60 volunteer service years (vsys). This is 11 more than the senior companion program performance measure requirements calculation of 49 (based on the base level funding amount of $296,474), because 49 volunteers would be insufficient to meet client need in vermont. We anticipate that this 60-VSY level, which is less than the 68 vsys from the previous grant period, will allow US to obtain volunteers while easing the difficulty of recruitment and retention that the program has previously experienced. Our major area of focus will continue to be healthy futures-independent living. We are using the vermont state plan on aging for fiscal years 2015-2017, indicators from the vermont center for rural studies, the vermont health department, census data and that from the aarp, N4A, centers for disease control, national institutes of health and the national academy of science as reference materials. The results of the performance measures will indicate that clients of this project will be more socially connected helping vermonters live as independently as possible and delay or avoid potential institutionalization; a costly and undesired alternative