The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is pleased to announce that the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services is now the Bureau of Adult and Aging Services (BAAS). The Bureau sought to change its name in acknowledgment of the evolving landscape for serving adults in New Hampshire as they age and to align with the vision, goals, and objectives in the State Plan on Aging.
“We have been steadily moving away from the stereotypical term ‘elderly’ when we talk about older adults,” said BAAS Bureau Chief Wendi Aultman. “We are all aging every day, and this name change reflects the Bureau and Department’s commitment to understanding, serving, supporting, and celebrating people as they age. Our new name demonstrates respect for and value of all adults across New Hampshire.”
The number of older adults in New Hampshire is expected to increase rapidly in the next two decades. By the year 2030, it is estimated that more than a third of the state’s population will be over the age of 65. As the administrator for the State Plan on Aging, BAAS works in partnership with the US Administration for Community Living to advance New Hampshire’s system of care for healthy aging to build a comprehensive, coordinated system of long-term supports and services, in accordance with the Older Americans Act of 1965.
The most recent four-year State Plan on Aging, released in September 2023, assessed New Hampshire’s strategies and approaches to policymaking, service delivery, and investments that further advance the system of care for healthy aging in the State. The plan includes purposeful language that reframes aging to reflect the many contributions that older adults bring to every New Hampshire community. Combined with the initiatives that promote thriving communities in the DHHS 2024 Roadmap, the Plan will help guide the Department’s work over the next four years to develop long-term supports and services that prioritize person-centered care.
Over the next several months, BAAS will be making the technical and logistical changes necessary to complete the name change transition. For more information about BAAS, please visit https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/adult-aging-care.