Title: The impact of a congregate meal programme on facilitating ageing in place: the case of an area agency on ageing in Florida

Authors: Sofia Prysmakova; Su-I Hou

Addresses: School of Government and International Affairs, Kennesaw State University, 402 Bartow Ave, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA ' School of Global Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, 12494 University Blvd. Orlando, FL 32816, USA

Abstract: Although social policies on ageing have historically received significant attention in the academic literature, strategies for successfully implementing these policies in real-world practice must be further researched. This case study aims to empirically evaluate the impact of a federal congregate meal programme (CMP) on seniors' ability to age in place and examine the challenges associated with this programme. High decentralisation, significant discretion, and territorial variation in the programme's implementation across states and regions present challenges for evaluating its efficiency and effectiveness nationwide. This case study examines the CMP of one of Florida's area agencies on ageing non-profits. The findings suggest that the CMP positively impacts self-care and independent living amongst participating seniors, independent of the number of days per week they participate in the programme. However, the programme's implementation faces several challenges in achieving a long-term impact on the community it serves. Many seniors lack access to the CMP due to long waiting lists, a lack of funding, or inadequate transportation. The study concludes that community governance and local cross-sectoral collaborations can be critical in mobilising tangible and intangible resources for the successful local administration of the federal CMP and serving a larger population in need.

Keywords: ageing policy; ageing in place; federal programmes; impact assessment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPP.2023.133622

International Journal of Public Policy, 2023 Vol.17 No.1/2, pp.100 - 117

Received: 28 Apr 2022
Accepted: 16 May 2023
Published online: 25 Sep 2023 *

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