As part of the Shapiro Administration’s ongoing implementation of a new tool to monitor and improve the performance of older adult protective services across the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich in recent weeks traveled to three locations and spoke with leaders from Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) covering five Pennsylvania counties.

The three visits are part of the secretary’s ongoing statewide tour to unveil, implement and assess the Commonwealth’s new Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation (CAPE) tool. CAPE was designed to help local Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) improve the services they provide for older Pennsylvanians, including protective services.

Secretary Kavulich’s first visit during this stretch of the statewide tour was to Allegheny County several weeks ago after the local AAA underwent a performance evaluation using the new CAPE tool. The secretary highlighted the ways the tool is improving the health and safety of older Pennsylvanians while bringing enhanced transparency and accountability to the evaluation and monitoring process. Performance results are now routinely posted to the Department’s website for the first time ever, with clearly defined, simple key categories for each AAA.

The second visit took place in Montgomery County after its AAA also underwent a full performance evaluation using the new CAPE tool. Secretary Kavulich met with leaders and staff from the AAA and heard about the ways the new tool is helping them to better serve older adults.

The new tool replaces an old, ineffective, pass/fail system that didn’t provide adequate oversight for AAAs and failed to deliver actionable feedback for them to improve.  The CAPE tool provides AAAs with specific feedback about areas and ways the agencies can improve care and services for older Pennsylvanians.

The third meeting took place in Scranton and featured leaders and staff from three Northeastern Pennsylvania AAAs. During the visit with aging services and community leaders from Lackawanna, Monroe and Pike counties, Secretary Kavulich noted some of the differences between the new CAPE tool and the previous system.

Launched in 2025, CAPE streamlines monitoring of a AAA’s performance through a more comprehensive approach, where each of Pennsylvania’s 51 AAAs is evaluated for different programs during a singular monitoring review. This approach gives the department a better snapshot of the local organization’s overall functioning, helping to quickly identify trends and focus training resources where they are most needed. Secretary Kavulich recently hosted a virtual training for 500 aging network professionals to directly address issues identified through the new system that, for years, often went unaddressed.

Secretary Kavulich plans to continue traveling to AAAs across Pennsylvania to unveil the new CAPE system, highlight its strengths and answer questions from local aging leaders and staff.

If you know or suspect an older Pennsylvanian is a victim of elder abuse, you can report it by calling the elder abuse hotline at 1-800-490-8505.

Pennsylvania is building an integrated crisis response system to ensure people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis have someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. PDA recently attended Latino Connection’s Latino Health Summit to talk about the resources that are available to Pennsylvanians, including the 988 Lifeline.

For the first time ever, Governor Shapiro secured $10 million in dedicated state funding in the 2026-27 state budget for 988 and the Commonwealth’s 14 crisis call centers. This funding will expand mental health resources, and maintain caring, professional, round-the-clock staffing.

The Department of Aging is seeking nominations for the Alma Jacobs Distinguished Aging Professionals Award for Civic and Community Engagement – named after Pennsylvania’s second Secretary for PDA, Alma Jacobs. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 94.  

This award is given annually to an AAA professional who is a champion of engagement, connection, and inclusivity within their agency and community.

You can use this online form to nominate someone. The deadline for nominations is Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Please reach out to agingcomms@pa.gov with any questions.

Throughout her 40-year tenure, Alma was a pioneer for women executives. She held positions of increasing responsibility in public affairs, supervisory training, market research and government affairs. In addition to her distinguished career, Alma was actively engaged in community activities, civic projects and state government.

We look forward to honoring one of our distinguished aging network leaders and celebrating the legacy and service of Alma Jacobs.   

Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich recently unveiled a series of new videos to increase awareness about the PA CareKit, a department resource supporting the diverse array of 2.4 million unpaid caregivers and the people they serve in the Commonwealth.

The video series – titled “The Many Faces of Caregiving” – highlights the various forms of caregivers in Pennsylvania, speaks to their unique situations and needs, and guides viewers to the PA CareKit website to access support for their individual circumstances.

“The PA CareKit is a nationally recognized tool to support the caregivers who selflessly step up to provide care for their spouse or a loved one, and often do so without any financial support,” Secretary Kavulich said. “We want more caregivers to know about the PA CareKit and the tools available to support Pennsylvanians who care for spouses, parents, children or other loved ones. These videos are intended to draw the attention of caregivers and people who may not even recognize themselves as caregivers, and provide a starting place where they can access information and resources for their situation.”

The PA CareKit offers an array of person-centered support, including personalized and tailored resource guides. The kit also includes a series of guides with the first five steps various caregivers should take when starting to care for their loved ones.

"The Many Faces of Caregiving" includes videos for spousal, long-distance, parent, working, solo, sandwich, dementia, youth, and grandfamily caregivers. The videos are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

The PA CareKit was developed and launched by the Shapiro Administration as part of Aging Our Way, PA, the Commonwealth’s first-ever 10-year strategic plan to better meet the needs of older adults and improve the infrastructure of aging services.

Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich recently appeared as a guest on StateScoop Priorities podcast, a national platform where he discussed the Shapiro Administration’s new Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation (CAPE) tool, which is enhancing transparency and accountability to ensure local aging agencies are adequately serving older Pennsylvanians.

The Shapiro Administration rolled out CAPE in March 2025 to completely overhaul the way the department collects, tracks and publicly reports performance results about local AAAs across the Commonwealth.

Secretary Kavulich’s appearance on StateScoop Priorities podcast can be accessed by visiting its website or downloading the episode through a listener’s favorite podcast app.

Learn more about Secretary Kavulich’s appearance on StateScoop Priorities podcast.

PDA Deputy Secretary Gabrielle Szymanski represented PDA at the "Standing Up for Home Care Workers" announcement event.

Roughly 40 percent of Minimum Wage Act complaints in Pennsylvania come from home care workers. PDA joined the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker – along with the Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, labor partners, worker advocates, and home care workers – to announce the launch of Standing Up for Home Care Workers, a strategic labor law enforcement initiative to protect home care workers’ wages and ensure home care agencies and other third-party employers comply with Pennsylvania law.

Standing Up for Home Care Workers will use proactive enforcement to help ensure home care workers receive the wages they are owed for hours worked.

September is Senior Center Month, a great opportunity to show how vital centers are to the health and well-being of older adults and their community not only this month, but all year long.  

Whether it's a nutritious meal, social engagement, or health and wellness programs; these centers are often a real lifeline for older community members. There are more than 450 Senior Community Centers across the commonwealth. 

This month is a time to spotlight suicide, which is tough to discuss but should be talked about, because silence and stigma mean that many people are unable or unwilling to get help until it’s too late. Social isolation, pain, physical illness, and functional impairment play a significant role in a higher risk among older adults, particularly men aged 65 and older. The Department of Human Services (DHS) offers a list of mental health services on its website.

Whether it’s volunteers giving their time and talent, a PEER graduation, or a fun exercise program, PDA wants to see your ‘good feels’ moments. Send photos and some details to agingcomms@pa.gov, and you could see your moment in a future edition of Inside Aging and on PDA’s Facebook page.

Joyful aging (with dancing and a spectacular river view) was the vibe at the Senior Jazz Connection All White Party at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh! Secretary Kavulich and the PDA team joined more than 600 beautifully attired persons including AARP, PA Council on Aging, NAACP and a visit from Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor.

What a pleasure! We’ll be back.

Aging network leaders and advocates recently gathered to celebrate the leadership, advocacy and service of Rebecca May-Cole, who is bidding goodbye to Pennsylvania and to her role as executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

During her 11-year tenure, Rebecca has strengthened relationships with state legislators, state agencies, and partner associations, all toward the mission of delivering the best services to Pennsylvania’s older adults in every corner of the commonwealth. Under her leadership, P4A has added a behavioral health policy specialist, project manager, and policy & programs specialist to advocate for the AAAs and help them address specialized concerns.

As a Reframing Aging trainer and fierce defender of the rights and dignity of older adults, Rebecca challenges others to think differently about aging and ageism. She has strengthened the AAAs’ advocacy efforts by advancing funding priorities and educating decision-makers about the needs of older Pennsylvanians. She has also welcomed and supported many new directors entering the aging network, generously sharing her knowledge, guidance, and expertise whenever needed.

We thank you, Rebecca.

Room to Breathe: Understanding Hoarding, Purging & Downsizing is an in-person event presented by Mature Resources and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Blair County. 

The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 beginning at 11 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 121 S. 2^nd Street, Clearfield, PA. 

Participants will learn about:

Everyone is welcome! Contact Mature Resources for more information: 814-765-2696

Substance Use Among Older Adults, the first in a new series behavioral health training events, will be presented virtually on Thursday, Oct. 15, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Rates of alcohol and substance use are increasing among older adults. This training will focus on the prevalence of alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use among older adults, as well as best practices for assessment and intervention. Older adults are often underdiagnosed and undertreated for substance use disorders. Upon completion of this training, attendees will be aware of common signs of substance use among older adults, appropriate substance use assessments for older adults, and a variety of evidence-based treatment approaches that can be used with this population.

The speaker for the event is Dr. Erin Woodhead, San Jose State University. Dr. Woodhead is Professor of Psychology at SJSU. She is a licensed psychologist and holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University. She completed her undergraduate degree at Penn State. Dr. Woodhead's research interests are in the areas of substance use and mental health in midlife and older adulthood.

Mark your calendar for this multi-location falls prevention education and awareness event, Friday, Sept. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. 

The event will feature a 30-minute fall prevention tutorial, prevention resources, fall risk and other health screenings. This is a free event happening in Lehigh and Northampton counties. 

For more information, call 610-782-3034.