Advisory group needs to retain advocacy role

Commission on a Mission by Rick Ryan

More than 202,000 persons age 60 and older call Rhode Island home. They represent 20 percent of the state’s population. The average life span is now about 77 years. Recently, the U.S. Census revealed that Rhode Island ranks first in the percentage of persons age 85 and older. 

Changing DEA status considered ill-advised

Commission on a Mission by Rick Ryan

    The Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs is now the Division of Elderly Affairs (DEA) within the Department of Human Services (DHS). The merger and subsequent loss of cabinet-level agency status was the result of the recent fiscal 2012 budget development process. 

Assistance plan has support

Commission on a Mission by Rick Ryan

    The recent recession is making it difficult to maintain a system of community-based services that support the independence and dignity of seniors and adults with disabilities. The state has started to emerge from the recession, but budget challenges remain.

Commission planning listening sessions

Commission on a Mission by Rick Ryan

    The root of the word advocacy can be found in the Italian word voce, which means voice. If you look up the meaning of advocacy, it’s defined as “the act of speaking or writing in support of something such as a cause, idea or policy.” By its very nature, advocacy is a call to action. Advocacy means giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves, and it is one of the central missions of the Rhode Island Governor’s Advisory Commission on Aging.
   

Advisory Commission raises awareness

 Commission on a Mission by Rick Ryan

   At one time or another, we can all use a little advice. Productive discussions among members of an advisory group can often serve as a platform for a fresh focus and creative solutions to the challenges facing their constituents. Since 1977, the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Aging has been the primary advocacy group that explores the issues of growing older or being an adult with disability in the state. In the true spirit of advocacy, the commission is the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves.

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