Background & Goal
Arkansas is the only state in America offering a state-wide infrastructure of regional Centers on Aging aiming
to promote optimum health through person-centered health care and education. This network of Centers on Aging, the Arkansas Aging Initiative (AAI) draws upon over fifteen years of experience working with hospitals, communities, educational institutions, health care professionals and health care and social service educators. The established format of providing both primary care and education by an interprofessional team has proven to offer seniors health care and education individualized to meet their needs.
The Arkansas Aging Initiative aims to improve the quality of life and care for older adults and their families by developing regional Centers on Aging that provides quality interdisciplinary clinical care and innovative education programs; and influences health policy at the state and national levels, with emphasis on care of rural older adults, culturally relevant, providing not only access to clinical services but also to a wide-range of health promotion and disease prevention services to reduce health disparities in an underserved population.
Center Description
Arkansas Aging Initiative (AAI) is a network of eight regional centers on aging located geographically across the state and is funded by a portion of Arkansas’ share of the Master Tobacco Settlement receiving between $1.5 and 2 million annually since 2001. Each center has an interprofessional practice that includes a primary care clinic owned and operated by the partner hospital. Each clinic interprofessional team is person centered and assists the older adult to achieve optimal functioning and management of chronic illness. Several centers have a nursing home practice and two of the centers offer primary care in the home.