Meet a Commit to Connect Champion: Rebecca Levine
In this short interview, learn more about @Rebecca Levine and the work of her organization, USAging.
USAging is the national association representing and supporting the network of Area Agencies on Aging and advocating for the Title VI Native American Aging Programs. Our members help older adults and people with disabilities throughout the United States live with optimal health, well-being, independence and dignity in their homes and communities. USAging is dedicated to supporting the success of our members through advancing public policy, sparking innovation, strengthening the capacity of our members, raising their visibility and working to drive excellence in the fields of aging and home and community-based services.
Are you involved with a program, service or support related to social engagement? Please describe it! What are the goals of this program/intervention?
As part of my role at USAging I get to work on engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults. engAGED is a national effort administered by USAging and funded by the Administration for Community Living that is working to increase the social engagement of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers by helping the Aging Network expand and enhance social engagement programming. engAGED provides training, technical assistance and outreach opportunities to connect organizations to social engagement resources and best practices.
Share one of your top achievements or a success story.
One achievement the entire engAGED team is particularly proud of is the development of the engAGED Social Engagement Innovations Hub. engAGED created the Innovations Hub in 2021 to help organizations learn about the types of social engagement programs that they might be able to start at their organizations. Each program summary contains the information organizations need to get a program off the ground—partners involved, outcomes, lessons learned, resources needed and contact information to learn more. We currently have more than 80 program examples featured on the Innovations Hub that can serve as inspiration for social engagement work.
A quote from one of our Innovations Hub program examples sums up what we have hoped to achieve with this resource!
"When we got extra funds to expand our Reducing Social Isolation program, I visited the Innovations Hub to look for new ideas. I was able to find a credible and tested idea with the same goals as our program. I contacted the staff to learn more and many were willing to share their work, budgets and more. The fact that we were replicating an existing and successful program helped us encourage our funder to support the program. We continue to browse the Innovations Hub for ideas and have already found inspiration for our program’s next steps.”— Laura Gallagher Watkin, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Program Development, CRIS Healthy Aging
Why is promoting social connectedness important to the community/population you serve? Why and when did you start incorporating social connectedness into your programming?
Social engagement is inherent in the core services and programs that USAging members provide, whether that is congregate or home-delivered meals, caregiver services or supportive services. As our members saw the impact of social isolation on their consumers and the benefits of social connection, they began to develop more and more programs and services focused specifically on increasing social engagement.
USAging began administering engAGED in 2017. Since then, we have continued to expand and grow our focus on social connection and engagement through other projects at the organization, including Commit to Connect. Prior to administering engAGED, USAging also administered projects focused on building the capacity of the Aging Network to support older adult volunteerism, which is a type of social engagement.
USAging is committed to supporting the social connection and engagement of older adults and caregivers, as well as people with disabilities!
Any exciting projects/news coming up?
One new resource we are especially excited about is a series of fact sheets focused on online safety that we developed in partnership with Older Adults Technology Services from AARP. The three fact sheets, which will be released later this summer, provide older adults with tips, best practices and action steps they can use to browse the internet with confidence while protecting their personal information and socializing safely with others. Sign up for the engAGED newsletter or follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook) so you can learn when the fact sheets are released!
Do you have tips for others looking to increase the social connection and engagement programming or a key resource you would share?
The engAGED website has a variety of resources that can help support social engagement programming! Our Innovations Hub, publications and webinars provide connections to best practices. Our consumer-friendly materials and Community Awareness Toolkit provide co-brandable materials and grab-and-go language to share with consumers.
Do you have any recommended reading for others interested in this topic?
Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, which is the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, explores pillars and recommendations to advance social connection. Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad served as the Lead Science Editor of the Advisory and also serves as the engAGED Research Advisor. Dr. Holt-Lunstad has a wealth of research on social connection that may be helpful for others to read.
How can others connect with your work? Do you have a project website?
The engAGED website is www.engagingolderadults.org, where you can browse our resources! If anyone has questions or feedback on the types of resources that would be helpful, you can contact me at rlevine@usaging.org.