Ok. We did it. We collectively put Chris Langston’s “What-if-we-have-a-party-and nobody-shows” fears to bed.
We had hoped for 200 attendees at our launch of the Change AGEnts Initiative at the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) annual meeting last month. Huzzah! Close to 400 Change AGEnts showed and actively participated in the interactive activities designed to inspire conversation and connections.
In case the launch or the AGEnts initiative has been off your radar:
Through this work, we aim to capitalize on the collective energy, expertise, and enthusiasm of the thousands of people affiliated with John A. Hartford Foundation projects to make real and sustained change in the way health care is delivered to older Americans. There are many vehicles to make practice change; for example, it can refer to policy (with “p” or a “P”) work, efforts in redesigning health systems, or implementation of evidence-based practices in a health care or community setting.
What it doesn’t mean is a white paper, a poster, or a traditional academic response.
The postcards and Change AGEnts interdisciplinary Bingo Cards distributed at the launch reinforced the interest from the AGEnts to work together and to acquire skills, tools, and resources to make practice change on behalf of older adults. Alicia Volk, wife of Norman, the Chairman of the Hartford Board of Trustees, elegantly summed up the launch: “The synergy created at the Change AGEnts Launch was historical.”
Photos from this evening on Facebook document potential new collaborations.
It was inspiring to watch some of these (sometimes unanticipated) connections. We heard that many of you stepped outside of your comfort zones and crossed disciplinary lines to make new connections and share like-minded practice interests. Out of sight!
I have grown fond of saying the Change AGEnts Initiative really is not about the money (in fact, there’s not a ton). It is about the power of connecting and convening Hartford grantees who want to hone their practice change skills and do things better together for our aging society. Our newest Hartford grantee, Community Catalyst, exemplifies this point in a recent Health Policy Hub blog post where they celebrate the launch of the Change AGEnts Initiative and highlight the potential for AGEnts to partner with consumer advocates working to improve care for vulnerable older adults.
Yet, despite these resounding endorsements, we now give Chris license to worry about other things, such as “What if people don’t participate in the AGEnts Initiative?”
The Change AGEnts leadership team: back row, from left: James Appleby, Nancy Whitelaw, Marcus Escobedo, Rachael Watman, Laura Gitlin, and Paul Stearns; front row, from left, Chris Langston, John Beilenson, Julia Meashey, and Christine Gherst.To address this and to inform those who were not able to attend the launch, left early, or prefer their information delivered in a written format, here are the upcoming AGEnts opportunities that AGEnts Leadership Team member Dr. Laura Gitlin shared at the event.
1. Pilot Grant: A new collaborative pilot award is being offered in partnership with our 28 Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine administered through the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR). Up to five grants of $40,000 each are available for collaborative projects among the centers for projects that align with the new Change AGEnts Initiative focused on interprofessional collaboration and practice change. Application deadline is Feb 1, 2014, with funding starting on July 1, 2014.
2. ChangeAGEnts Webinar: Based on your feedback at the launch, many ideas were generated for a series of AGEnts webinars to provide you with the tools and resources to make practice change to improve the health of our aging society. The first webinar will be in February 2014, organized by our AGEnts partner at SCP. If you have an idea for a webinar, feel free to share by emailing changeagents365@geron.org.
3. Change AGEnts website: And finally, we know you want to connect with others. Again, this was very evident (and heartwarming) at the launch. All said, in partnership with GSA, we aim to launch the Change AGEnts website, database, and profile pages in Feb/March 2014, so you can begin to identify colleagues doing like-minded work. In order to design the most functional and effective AGEnt website (goodness there are some troubling sites out there), we need your help. Please take a moment to participate in this brief survey, which will assist us in building a networking platform that best meets your needs (and you’ll be entered into a prize drawing!). Thanks in advance.
So that is where the AGEnts have landed for now. We have loads of other opportunities and events on the horizon, such as mini grants and leadership, policy, and communications training institutes.
For the latest AGEnts information, check out the Change AGEnts page at www.changeagents365.org or email us at changeagents365@geron.org. You can also follow the action on Twitter using the hashtag #changeagents365.
Let’s show Chris the AGEnts have The Right Stuff.