LVAA History/Chronology

In 2000 and early 2001, United Way staff conducted nearly 70 interviews with agency, business, and community representatives to determine the community's readiness to start on a planning process. Additionally, nearly 1,200 one-to-one surveys were conducted with older adults at various "Senior Fairs" in Allentown and Bethlehem to determine consumer priorities. Support from the community was obtained for United Way to bring everyone together and lead the community in a process that would begin to plan for system-wide improvements for older adults.

In May 2001, United Way convened a 22-member volunteer steering committee, chaired by United Way board member George Treisner. Francis Salerno, Chief of Geriatrics at Lehigh Valley Hospital's Geriatric Center and Pam Boyer of Rodale Press served as co-vice chairs. Committee members included broad-based representation from business and industry, public and private health care, print and broadcast media, state and local government, local planning boards, human service providers, communities of faith, volunteer organizations, minority organizations, and consumers. During 2001, the steering committee created the vision, mission, goals, planning outcomes, guiding principles, and structure for the Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging.

The Alliance conducts all work under the following "Guiding Principles," adapted with permission from the Retirement Research Foundation:

We believe that caring communities:

- Engage older adults as active and integral contributors

- Promote community-wide involvement with and care for older adults

- Promote and support freedom of older adults to make life choices

- Support institutions that offer person-centered care

- Facilitate older adults' access to services and opportunities

- Invest in the infrastructure of community organizations that sustain older adults.

In May 2002, LVAA hosted the first "Imagin-aging" conference to educate and engage the broader community on issues of aging. Of the 200 people in attendance, 131 committed to participate in the planning process. The result was the formation of six committees that met 33 times over five months to identify, examine, and prioritize issues needing more intensive study and community input.

In November 2002, a second "Imagin-aging" conference was held to announce the five priority issues identified by the focus committees. Conference attendees were again asked to serve on one or more of the five priority issue committees that would work over the next six months to extensively research model strategies and best practices.

During the summer of 2003, a conference series entitled "Changing Outcomes for Older Adults and Their Families" reported on the best practices and model strategies that emerged from the six month study process.

In January 2004, the steering committee completed its report, entitled "Blueprint for Action." The report provided a synopsis of each conference, identified opportunities and barriers, key recommendations, and actions for individuals, organizations, and the Alliance to take in order to implement the recommendations.

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