Nebraska Ag Connection - May is Older Americans' Month in Nebraska

Nebraska Ag News Headlines

May is Older Americans' Month in Nebraska
Nebraska Ag Connection - 05/05/2021

The State Unit on Aging, a division of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), has partnered with the Nebraska Educational Network to produce a new 30-minute television program, Older Workers, New Opportunities. It highlights the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) that assists lower income, unemployed individuals age 55 to gain skills in order to find meaningful employment. The SCSEP is a stepping stone to employment that offers paid training at local organizations so that seniors may improve their job skills and build self-confidence. While preparing a skilled and experienced older workforce, the SCSEP also helps local organizations increase their services and operations and pays the trainee's wages. Employers can tap into a pool of trained, experienced and responsible older workers exiting the program.

The theme for this year's Older Americans Month is "Communities of Strength." The SCSEP helps to reinforce the strength of older adults and individuals with disabilities, engages them in their community and connects them to employment opportunities. "The State Unit on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging and other organizations in the aging network will celebrate the strength of older adults and their power of engagement in the communities during the Older Americans Month with a variety of activities" said Kevin Bagley, director of the Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care. "Employment can play a vital role in promoting the health, safety and long-term independence of older Nebraskans", said Bagley.

Older Workers, New Opportunities is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and will be shown on NET World. It features a panel of experts discussing how the program works and how it benefits the job seeker, the local training site and the employers. Real world stories from former and current program participants along with a training site supervisor will be featured as to how the program has been beneficial to themselves. A one-stop operator will describe the services available to both employers and job seekers alike at the American Job Centers. An employer will provide testimony on how their business gained a valuable employee coming from the SCSEP program.

Upcoming broadcast dates/times on NET World are:

- May 20, 7 p.m. CDT

\- May 23, Noon CDT

The program is also posted at dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Employment-Program.aspx. A grant from the U.S. Department of Labor allowed for the funding of this promotion.

The television program features interviews with the following individuals:

- Cynthia Brammeier, Administrator, State Unit on Aging, Medicaid and Long-Term Care Division within the Department of Health and Human Service

- Rebecca Tangeman and Nate Woods, Job Coaches with National Able Network, the local SCSEP program operator in Nebraska

- Nya Gatlauk with St. Vincent de Paul, Omaha

- Eunitta Payton, current SCSEP participant

- Donna Leahy, former SCSEP participant

- Andy Raffel, Human Resources Manager, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Omaha Campus

- Andy Huls, Manager, American Job Center -- Lancaster and Saunders Counties

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