Illinois Department on Aging recognizes Older Americans Month

Springfield – What does it mean to blaze a trail? To the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), blazing a trail means evolving to better meet the needs of our growing older adult population and creating a sustainable path for older adults in Illinois – today and for many more years to come. As we celebrate Older Americans Month, IDoA is embracing this year’s theme – Blaze a Trail – and using it as our call to action.

“Older Americans Month is an important month for us to celebrate the contributions of older adults and raise awareness about the issues facing our community,” remarked IDoA Director, Jean Bohnhoff. “We’re being challenged to keep pace with technology and a growing aging population; the Department is meeting that challenge head on and, working with the Rauner Administration, we believe we’ve found the right solution to avoiding premature institutionalization while maintaining the sustainability of critical programs,” she continued.

Director Bohnhoff is a trailblazer in her own right, coming from the provider community and joining IDoA earlier this year. She encourages IDoA staff to think outside the box and develop innovative and creative new ways to interact with providers and advocates across the network and improve service delivery for our clients.

IDoA recognizes the contributions of local trailblazers year-round through awards programs such as the Senior Hall of Fame and our Caregiver Awards.
“Blazing a trail means taking action, moving forward and paving a way for others to follow. We’re doing that at IDoA and we’re optimistic about what that means for our state and our older adult population,” said Bohnhoff.