Arizona to establish Office of Aging

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has opened a state Office ofAging to coordinate the efforts of various agencies dealing with issuesfacing the state’s fast-growing population of seniors.  “Aging Arizonans have the right to live independently and with dignity,and we want to help them do that,” said Melanie Starns, tapped byNapolitano to direct the office.  Until now, the governor’s office had relied solely on an advisorycouncil to understand and respond to the state’s changing demographics.”As we look forward, we have to take a proactive approach,” Starns said.  Thefour-person office already is working on ways to protect seniors fromidentity theft and to ensure access to dental care, Starns said.  Its chief role is coordinating the work of 14 state agencies that dealwith various issues facing the elderly. It also will deal with privateagencies around Arizona that work directly with seniors.

Source/more:  Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0927aging0927.html