Serving Older Tennesseans Age 60+
Background:
In 2014, the Tennessee Attorney General recovered $40.1 million from the dissolution of two nonprofit nursing homes in Murfreesboro, TN (State of Tennessee vs. SeniorTrust of Florida, Inc. Case No. 11-1548-III and State of Tennessee vs. ElderTrust of Florida, Inc. Case No. 12-1283-IV (III)). The funds were under the auspices of the Chancery Court of Davidson County, with Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle presiding. In late 2016, Chancellor Lyle ruled that the “funds shall be used to sustain and improve the quality of life for the elderly of Tennessee”. The Chancellor’s ruling called for the following:
$5 million was awarded to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to administer a statewide rapid response grant process to address immediate needs of senior serving agencies.
$35 million was designated for a statewide grant program to address four key areas of need: Oral Health, Affordable Housing, Legal Services and Transportation. The Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) was designated the administrator of the funds. The Court established a SeniorTrust Consortium comprised of leaders of nonprofit foundation and grantmaking organizations including The West End Home Foundation, Memorial Foundation, HCA Foundation, Assisi Foundation of Memphis and the United Way of Greater Knoxville. The Consortium served as advisor to TCAD and the Chancery Court on the design, implementation and monitoring of the grant program.
Multi-year Statewide Initiatives to Address Priority Areas of Need:
The SeniorTrust Grant Program launched its first four statewide initiatives on April 18, 2018. These initiatives were initially funded for a three-year period. Due to delays in the programs becoming fully operational, followed by the many challenges and barriers created by the Coronavirus Pandemic, the programs continued to operate until all funds had been expended. The last program concluded in late 2023.
Aging in Place Program: $14,040,000
Program Goal: To enable older adults to live safely, comfortably and independently in their homes and in their communities.
Lead Agencies:
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis
Westminster Home Connection
SMILE ON 60+: $12,520,000
Program Goal: To improve the overall health and quality of life for low-income, mobile older adults age 60+ through access to oral healthcare services and community education.
Lead Agency:
Interfaith Dental of Nashville
Tennessee Senior Law Alliance: $5,520,000
Program Goal: To provide civil legal assistance to meet the legal needs of Tennessee’s most vulnerable adults age 60 and over.
Lead Agency:
Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS)
Tennessee Senior Volunteer Transportation Network / MyRide TN: $3,620,000
Program Goal: To meet the 5 A’s of age-friendly transportation: Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, Affordability and Adaptability by expanding the capacity of existing volunteer transportation programs and creating thirty new programs in underserved areas across the state.
Lead Agency:
Southwest Tennessee Development District
Digital Literacy Statewide Initiative: $3,826,541
In late 2021, as the four statewide initiatives were nearing completion, there remained an unallocated balance of approximately $4 million. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee was awarded $250,000 for another rapid response grant program for senior serving agencies. The West End Home Foundation was awarded the remaining funds for the purpose of designing and administering a statewide grant program aimed at bridging the digital divide that became apparent for older adults during the pandemic.
Program Goal: To reduce social isolation and increase access to essential services through digital literacy and inclusion for older Tennesseans.
Lead Agency:
The West End Home Foundation
Nashville Public Television Aging Matters: $200,000*
Nashville Public Television received funding to produce Aging Matters documentaries on Oral Health and Legal Services to help promote the availability of these services. Additional funds were provided through the Digital Literacy and Inclusion for Older Tennesseans grant program to produce an Aging Matters documentary on Cyber Threats.
*Does not include NPT’s Digital Literacy Grant which is instead included in the Digital Literacy Grant total.
Final Impact Reports:
The West End Home Foundation produced two reports that document the impact of the SeniorTrust Grant Program:
This report documents the entire journey of the SeniorTrust Grant Program beginning with the origins of the funds in 2014. There is a summary of each component of the grant program that presents the program goals, the outcomes achieved and the status of programming that has continued beyond the life of the grant. The report also provides aggregate data on the far-reaching impact that this program had on older Tennesseans and the entire system of care.
This report documents the statewide grant program that enabled thirty organizations across the state to provide digital literacy training, age-friendly devices and affordable internet access to Tennesseans age 60+. The report highlights the outcomes achieved, evaluation methodologies, and the many lessons learned that are helping to sustain these programs beyond the life of the grant.
The West End Home Foundation provided Digital Literacy Grant funding to the Sycamore Institute to produce a policy brief to highlight the impact of digital literacy on the lives of older adults. The report examines recent trends and barriers to digital literacy among older adults and key initiatives and policy considerations to narrow the digital divide.
