NKADD outlines aging, caregiver and workforce services at Erlanger council meeting

Tara Johnson Noam of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District told the Erlanger City Council on Aug. 6 that the agency is visiting all 60 cities and counties across its eight-county region to raise awareness of technical assistance, workforce and grant-compliance services. "We are a kind of behind-the-scenes organization," Johnson Noam said, describing NKADD's work on tax-rate calculations, personnel policy, hazard-mitigation planning and water planning.

Anne Wildman, associate director of aging and disability services at NKADD, described the agency's Aging and Disability Resource Center and programs that serve older adults in the region. Wildman said the resource center has three full-time staff now, expects a fourth to join soon, and answered roughly 12,000 calls last fiscal year. "That's our front door to all of our services," Wildman said, explaining the center connects residents to in-home services, senior centers, home-delivered meals and Medicaid waiver programs.

Wildman highlighted the Kentucky caregiver program, revived last year to assist low-income grandparents raising grandchildren with items such as furniture, clothing and school supplies. The program is funded through state general funds, she said. Johnson Noam also noted a recent four-year grant from the Durr Foundation that will expand community development planning services across the NKADD region.

Council members thanked the presenters and complimented NKADD's outreach materials. No formal action or funding decision resulted from the presentation; the session was framed as community outreach and information-sharing. The NKADD handout provided contact numbers for the resource center, NKY Works (an employer-focused initiative) and other regional services.