The Pennsylvania Department of Aging creates a State Plan on Aging every four years in order to provide a vision and direction for Pennsylvania’s network of aging services. The 2020-24 State Plan on Aging has five goals designed to address all initiatives that the department has or will undertake to improve aging services in Pennsylvania. Those goals are:

• Strengthen the aging network’s capacity, promote innovation and best practices, and build efficiencies to respond to the growing and diversifying aging population.
• Improve services for older adults and the ability to advocate for them by using evidence-informed planning, committing to data integrity and being accountable for results.
• Establish and enhance efforts to support healthy living, active engagement and a sense of community for all older Pennsylvanians.
• Emphasize a citizen-first culture that provides outreach, embraces diversity, and honors individual choice.
• Advocate for the rights of older adults and ensure their safety and dignity by raising awareness of and responding effectively to incidences of abuse, injury, exploitation, violence and neglect.

The 2020-24 State Plan on Aging draft is currently on the department’s website and can be viewed here. The draft is being presented for review during a two-week public comment period ending on August 3. Feedback can be provided here.