Texas Connections: Resources and Initiatives to Socially Connect with Older Adults
The global pandemic continues to highlight multiple gaps in social systems and compels us to adapt to new ways for social connection. The population of Texas is expected to triple by the year 2050, and Texas has the third-largest population of adults 60+ in the U.S. Many isolated older Texans lack technology skills and live with one or more barriers impacting their ability to socially connect. This session provides an overview of resources and initiatives developed by Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Aging Services Coordination to improve social connection, reduce social isolation/loneliness and encourage older Texans to age well. Texas HHSC’s Aging Texas Well initiative and Age Well Live Well statewide campaign for healthy aging provides multiple ways to connect with free programs, services, and initiatives, as well as collaborate to strengthen social wellness and local community capacity to better serve older adults. |
Camden Frost
Project Mgr
Texas Health and Human Services
Camden serves as Project Manager for the Aging Services Coordination team at Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in Austin, Texas. Prior to this role, she coordinated ASC's Civil Monetary Penalty Project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The grant's scope was to improve quality of life for long-term care residents and staff through the development of new tools, provision of existing HHS resources/programs and outreach to participating nursing facility communities (residents, staff, volunteers, and community partners). Camden has served Texas Health and Human Services agencies since 2006 with the former Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Her background combines skills across multiple areas including program development, program evaluation, policy analysis, volunteerism, community engagement, curriculum development and training, and stakeholder relations. Camden has a BS in Advertising Design from the University of Maryland and an MA in Human Services from St. Edward's University in Austin.
Kathleen Cameron (Moderator)
Senior Director, Center for Healthy Aging
National Council on Aging
Kathleen Cameron, BSPharm, MPH, has more than 25 years of experience in the health care field as a pharmacist, researcher, and program director focusing on falls prevention, geriatric pharmacotherapy, mental health, long-term services and supports, and caregiving. Cameron is Senior Director of the NCOA Center for Healthy Aging, where she provides subject matter expertise on health care programmatic and policy related issues and oversees the Modernizing Senior Center Resource Center.