Governor Ted Kulongoski today launched the “Network of Care,” a multilingual, community-based Website that provides comprehensive information and education to the thousands of Oregon seniors and persons with disabilities.

“Network of Care represents a breakthrough solution for the elderly and people with disabilities and those who care for them,” the governor said during an event marking the posting of the new site on the Internet. “It is an online community that provides critical information, communication and advocacy tools with a single point of entry.”

“Network of Care” is the first outcome of Senate Bill 870, passed by the 2005 Oregon Legislature, to “modernize” Oregon Project Independence, which provides the services necessary to keep seniors in their own homes. This modernization will provide tools such as the Network of Care to expand access to services to people with disabilities.

The Website is: www.oregon.networkofcare.org.

The new website gives seniors and their caregivers the ability to find the right service at the right time, to educate themselves about the issues they care about, find assistive devices, understand current policy initiatives and communicate directly to elected officials. It will help them manage their affairs and keep important records.

It also provides a comprehensive directory of service providers, easy-to-search libraries
and vital information about specific disorders, pending legislation and advocacy, as well as daily news articles from around the world concerning aging and disabilities. The site will help all Oregonians find answers to questions about adult care facilities, Alzheimer’s, end-of-life care, health care, care giving, nutrition, home repair, recreation, transportation and much more. The site represents the first time that a comprehensive list of services for seniors has been available at one location.

“The goal of this project was simple: Help the community age with dignity,” the governor said. “With the launching of Network of Care, Oregon is leading the way in helping seniors and people with disabilities lead independent lives.”

The Website is a cooperative project of the Oregon Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities (O4AD) and the Department of Human Services. Funding for the site is from the Older Americans Act and Oregon Project Independence (OPI). Trilogy Integrated Resources developed the site.

The Central Oregon Council on Aging has been an active participant in the development of the local portion of the website. Using its 6-year old publication “Central Oregon Senior Resource Directory”, which the Council on Aging puts out biannually in partnership with the Deschutes County Retired and Senior Volunteers Program (RSVP), as its basic resource, the Council on Aging has established a significant presence on the new website.

Several hundred resources in twenty-six separate categories in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties are immediately available to local seniors and the people who care for them through the new website. “This website fits directly into our strategic priority of being the service and information hub for seniors in Central Oregon,” said Council on Aging Executive Director Jeff White. “As the Baby Boomer generation ages, and as more and more retired people move to Central Oregon, providing information on support services for seniors has become increasingly important.”

“We also want to thank again our Central Oregon legislators, Senators Ben Westlund, Doug Whitsett and Ted Ferrioli, and Representatives Gene Whisnant, Chuck Burley, George Gilman and John Dallum, for supporting the Oregon Project Independence Modernization Act and making this website possible,” White said.

The Central Oregon Council on Aging was established in 1975 as the Area Agency on Aging for Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties under the Older Americans Act. The Council’s Mission is “Promoting dignity, well-being, security and independence for

Central Oregon’s Senior Citizens.” The segment of the population which the Council serves is 60 years and older and has varying levels of social and economic need, some of it significant. The services which the Council on Aging provides to some of these people are frequently things they cannot do for themselves, or can only do with difficulty. All of the services which the Council provides add considerably to the quality of life of the recipients; in some cases it is actually life-sustaining. These services include meals and nutrition, transportation, support for independent living, and information and assistance.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 25th, 2005 at 5:30 pm and is filed under Oregon Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.