Q&A on the News

Q: The chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission recently talked about making aging services the commission’s second priority. What does the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) do with aging services?

—Mike Nicholson, Atlanta

A: The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the planning agency for a 10-county region (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale) and is responsible for helping local governments and businesses plan for the future. "Between now and 2040, the older adult population in the region will triple," Grace M. Trimble, interim manager for marketing and communications, told Q&A on the News in an email. "That changing demographic will present challenges to our local governments as they strive to meet the needs of their older residents who seek new types of housing, transportation choices that don't require an automobile and ways to remain healthy and active." ARC works with local governments, nonprofit and business partners to help create "Lifelong Communities," where older adults can age in place and remain independent as long as possible, she said. The region strives to continue to make services such as home-delivered meals, senior centers, transportation, adult day care and respite care more easily available, particularly for the elderly. "To meet those needs, ARC works with public and private agencies in each county to deliver services," Trimble said. ARC has a searchable database of services (www.agewiseconnection.com) that allows older adults, caregivers and professionals working with older adults to find services.