Strategies and Initiatives: Year 1
Building upon the momentum of the last decade, Colorado's Multisector Plan on Aging charts a roadmap for how to support aging and older Coloradans by: 1) identifying Year 1 strategies to propel work forward; and 2) setting a foundation for establishment of medium- and long-term strategies that will ensure continuous improvement and to ensure every adult has what they need to thrive.
The below strategies for Year 1 comprehensively address next steps for each of the five major goal areas, build upon initiatives already underway, and seed new initiatives to close gaps in Colorado’s system of support.
View a glossary of abbreviations used on this page.
Goal 1: Connected Communities
By 2030, Colorado will be home to 1.5 million adults over the age of 60, which will represent almost a quarter of the population of Colorado. For the first time in history, people over the age of 60 will outnumber people under the age of 18. In order to ensure all members of our communities are well resourced and engaged in community, the State of Colorado seeks to support age-friendly communities by focusing on the eight domains of livability, as defined by the World Health Organization, AARP and the Lifelong Colorado Initiative.
Below are the Year 1 strategies and initiatives regarding connected communities.
| Initiative Number | Initiative Name | Description | Lead Agencies | Partner Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1.1 | Build Age-Friendly Communities Framework | By September 2025, CDHS and the CCOA will develop and publish robust toolkits to empower rural, suburban and urban cities and towns to implement age-friendly community initiatives. | CDHS/CCOA | Local municipalities Housing |
1.2 | Deploy Colorado State Affordable Housing Fund, Proposition 123 | DOLA, OEDIT and CHFA will deploy the Colorado State Affordable Housing Fund through Proposition 123 to support affordable housing investments. DOLA will administer funds to support Affordable Homeownership, Serving Persons Experiencing Homelessness and Local Planning Capacity Grant Program. OEDIT will administer funds to support Land Banking, Equity and Concessionary Debt. Though these programs serve all low-income individuals, older adults are consumers of these programs. | CHFA | |
1.3 | Implement Tiered Assisted Living Rates | HCPF will implement a tiered assisted living rate model to compensate facilities more appropriately for the acuity level of each resident. Higher-acuity residents will be reimbursable for higher dollar amounts to better support the staffing needs of the resident. Alternatively, lower-acuity residents will be reimbursed at lower dollar amounts, leading to budget savings. | HCPF | None at this time |
1.4 | Explore Long Term Care Decision Making Tool | CDHS will explore development or partnership opportunities to support a digital decision-making tool for long-term care. The goal of this tool is to aid families in long-term care decision-making strategies that meet the financial, social and healthcare needs of older adults. | CDHS | |
1.5 | Rural Transportation Economic Development Coalitions Building | In partnership with CDOT, OEDIT and CDLE, CDHS will develop strategies to encourage economic development and capacity building of transportation providers in rural Colorado. This includes building relationships with economic development councils, transportation providers, chambers of commerce and other community leaders to identify creative economic development strategies to encourage transportation providers to work in rural areas. | CDHS | |
1.6 | Explore Development of Localized, Accessible Resource Navigation Tool | Although resource navigation tools exist across the state — including private entities — community partners note that these tools do not always provide up-to-date information regarding availability and eligibility and can be costly to use. CDHS will explore developing a technology-based resource navigation model or partnering with an existing resource to assist Coloradans in their care management with the goal of ensuring equitable access to up-to-date information about available services and resources. | CDHS | |
1.7 | Hidden Gems Initiative Implementation | The Colorado State Library will implement its Hidden Gems Initiative, which provides resources and service information to library leadership to disseminate to library patrons. Libraries have consistently been a trusted resource for information and this initiative will empower library staff to provide trusted resources to community members. | CDE | Older Adults Technology Services |
1.8 | Explore Local MPA Framework Models | The MPA will provide guidance and goal setting for the State of Colorado to develop the infrastructure and supports to ensure Colorado is a great place to age. In order to build community-led initiatives that support Colorado’s diverse municipalities, CDHS will explore a model to develop MPAs to supplement this statewide MPA. This will help build local support for age-friendly communities. | CDHS | Technical Advisory Committee Community Support and Health Service |
1.9 | Bridging Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Aging Strategies Coalition Development | In partnership with CDOO and HCPF, CDHS will evaluate strategies to ensure older adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities have access to meaningful, evidence-based services and resources. This coalition will also strategize to support older parents caring for children with intellectual/developmental disabilities. | ||
1.10 | Transform the Perception of Aging | In order to reduce ageism in Colorado and help Coloradans value aging and getting older, CDHS will partner with NextFifty Foundation, a Colorado-based private foundation to support their strategic goal of transforming the perception of aging. NextFifty Foundation will engage with national thought leaders and media outlets to reframe how we think and talk about getting older. | NextFifty Foundation |
Goal 2: Healthcare Access
The National Council on Aging predicts almost 95 percent of adults over the age of 60 have at least one chronic health condition. In order to support older Coloradans with chronic conditions, and to prevent the development of chronic conditions, our health care systems need to be accessible, affordable and prioritize continuity of care. In order to accomplish this, Colorado will call attention to three health system goals: health promotion and disease prevention; health benefits satisfaction; and improving access to appropriate providers and care.
Below are the Year 1 strategies and initiatives regarding healthcare access.
| Initiative Number | Initiative Name | Description | Lead Agencies | Partner Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2.1 | Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias State Plan | The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias State Plan outlines actions to advance risk reduction and early diagnosis and improve outcomes for all people living with ADRD and their care partners who live, work and play in Colorado. The plan prioritizes engagement, policy development, workforce development and evaluation. | CDPHE | Health Benefits Satisfaction |
2.2 | PEAK User Experience Data Collection | HCPF and the Colorado PEAK team will utilize Qualtrics to view and monitor the member experience in PEAK while allowing members to provide feedback on user experience during or after completion of the application process. This data will help determine future projects in PEAK and will allow the PEAK team to take action on issues that are negatively impacting the user experience. Improving the PEAK user experience will allow older Coloradans to access their benefits more easily. | HCPF | CDHS |
2.3 | Health IT Roadmap | Colorado’s updated Health IT Roadmap will continue to focus on a coordinated technology landscape, digital tools and services, and opportunities to leverage different funding streams and policies to support equitable use of health IT, enabling inclusion and equitable access to data and information for all people in Colorado. | OeHI | |
2.4 | Area Agencies on Aging Health Partnership Readiness Assessment | The Colorado Association of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) engaged in a readiness assessment with USAging to determine next steps for engaging with private-sector partnerships, including health plans. This initiative will support the action steps for promoting health-related partnerships with the AAAs. | CDHS |
Goal 3: Service Delivery
The federal government estimates 70% of adults over 65 will need paid long-term services and supports, including help with daily living and facility-based care. Most older Coloradans prefer to age in community, and Colorado supports this through multiple state agencies. These agencies provide services such as in-home care, transportation, licensing, Medicaid waivers and caregiver support. To meet growing needs, Colorado must expand provider capacity, refine data strategies, and explore new funding.
Below are the Year 1 strategies and initiatives regarding service delivery.
| Initiative Number | Initiative Name | Description | Lead Agencies | Partner Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3.1 | Community First Choice | Community First Choice (CFC) is a Medicaid program that allows states to offer select home and community-based attendant services and supports to eligible members on the State Plan, expanding these long-term care services to more members of Health First Colorado (the state's Medicaid program). Promoting self-direction, relocation out of institutions and person-centered practices are significant goals of CFC. Members will have the option to self-direct their attendant care services or to receive services through an agency. CFC gives members access to service delivery models that allow them to control their own budget, select and dismiss their attendants, and provide training for the people who provide their care. By expanding these options, members will experience greater choice and control over how they receive services. | HCPF | |
3.2 | Older Americans Act Final Rule Implementation | The State Unit on Aging, within CDHS, will implement the Older Americans Act Final Rule in order to become compliant with new federal regulations. This process involves strategizing to best serve Coloradans with the greatest social need and greatest economic need. | CDHS | Colorado Association of Area Agencies on Aging |
3.3 | Home and Community Based Services Cost Avoidance Analysis | With a difficult financial landscape and increasing need for home and community-based services for older adults, CDHS will work to determine the most cost-effective strategy to support more older adults. This analysis will evaluate Health First Colorado and Older Americans Act/State Funding for Senior Services and other interventions that may impact health outcomes and reliance on state funded services. | CDHS | |
3.4 | National Academy for State Health Policy Caregiving State Policy Learning Collaborative | Colorado’s participation in the National Academy for State Health Policy Caregiving State Policy Learning Collaborative will strengthen policies and strategies to improve the family caregiver experience. Policy discussion will include respite programs, payment models and training applications. | CDHS | |
3.5 | Disability Service Needs Assessment | CDOO will complete a needs assessment and gap analysis to understand the services and resources available to Coloradans living with disabilities. This assessment will lead to future initiatives to better resource and serve older Coloradans with disabilities. | CDOO/CDLE |
Goal 4: Colorado's Economy
Colorado is home to more than 1.3 million Coloradans over the age of 60. Many of these residents migrated to Colorado in the 1970s for employment purposes and have continued to reside in Colorado, providing skill and expertise to Colorado’s economy. As Colorado’s demographics continue to shift older, strategies to keep older adults in the workforce will be critical to Colorado’s economy. Because the number of births is decreasing, the number of deaths is increasing and fewer people are moving to Colorado than leaving, Colorado may face significant worker shortages. Goal 4 seeks to understand the impact of the shifting demographics on Colorado’s economy.
Below are the Year 1 strategies and initiatives regarding Colorado's economy.
| Initiative Number | Initiative Name | Description | Lead Agencies | Partner Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
4.1 | Older Worker Employment Blueprint | CDLE will develop a report with strategies and tactics to employ and retain older workers in Colorado. In order to understand the economic impact of an aging workforce, CDLE will collect and analyze information about age discrimination, older adult skillset and expertise, hiring and retention strategies, and communication and outreach initiatives. | CDLE | |
4.2 | Colorado Digital Access Plan County and Regional Coalition Launch | In order to further digital access for Coloradans, the Colorado Digital Access Plan guides strategies for developing regional training coalitions to ensure digital literacy across the state. Older adults are a targeted population in the Digital Access Plan to support digital equity and inclusion. | CDLE |
Goal 5: Economic Security
Americans are living longer and healthier lives. Many older Coloradans live on fixed incomes, which can make it hard to afford rising healthcare costs, ensure retirement income keeps up with the cost of living and make savings last as we live longer. Colorado seeks to prioritize the financial security of older adults in order to promote independence and wellbeing. We recognize the need to support Colorado’s missing middle: community members whose income and assets are inadequate for self-sufficiency but still exceed the threshold to qualify for Colorado Medicaid and prioritize resources to help financially prepare Coloradans for retirement.
Below are the Year 1 strategies and initiatives regarding economic security.
| Initiative Number | Initiative Name | Description | Lead Agencies | Partner Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
5.1 | Explore Benefit Retention with Expanded Workforce Status | At a state policy level, Colorado will survey national and local work on the “benefits cliff” issue to understand the personal, societal and economic impact of benefit maintenance with increased work income and identify potential strategies for mitigation. | CDHS | |
5.2 | Improve SNAP Timeliness | CDHS will improve the application processing timeliness of eligibility determinations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to empower Coloradans with low incomes to have access to healthy food and the ability to make their own food choices. | CDHS | Colorado Counties |
5.3 | Research Middle-Income Solvency | Historically, the State of Colorado has heavily prioritized resources and programs for low-income residents. As the nation continues to struggle with affordability and as Americans continue to live longer and healthier lives, Colorado looks to ensure all residents can maintain solvency. CDHS will research strategies to support middle-income individuals and families, particularly those who do not qualify for public benefits but may struggle to maintain financial stability. | CDHS |
Glossary of abbreviations
AARP: American Association of Retired Persons
CCOA: Colorado Commission on Aging
CDE: Colorado Department of Education
CDHS: Colorado Department of Human Services
CDLE: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
CDOO: Colorado Disability Opportunity Office
CDOT: Colorado Department of Transportation
CDPHE: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
CHFA: Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
DOLA: Colorado Department of Local Affairs
HCPF: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
OEDIT: Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade
OeHI: Colorado Office of eHealth Innovation
OIT: Governor's Office of Information Technology
Did you know ...
- Over the next 25 years, adults over age 60 will make up more than a quarter of Colorado’s total population.
- People over age 50 drive nearly half of U.S. economic activity, contributing over $8 trillion annually.
- Colorado ranks second in the nation for older adult health and wellness, thanks to a combination of active lifestyles, prevention-focused care, and community-based supports.