Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties are part of a state program that has enrolled more than 63,000 senior citizens from local offices for the aging about weather events, program benefit application deadlines, event reminders, surveys, and other important notifications.

The text alert program is a partnership between the state Office for the Aging, the Association on Aging in New York (AgingNY) and Blooming Health.

The partnership began in September 2022 and is now being extended through September 2024 so that additional counties can opt-in and scale up their community outreach capabilities for benefit programs like the Home Energy Assistance Program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as well as time-sensitive information like weather or scheduling updates.

“NYSOFA is pleased to continue our partnership with Blooming Health and help local offices for the aging in their efforts to scale up community engagement efforts in ways that reflect the diversity of available communications methods and preferences,” said Greg Olsen, state Office for the Aging director. “Thanks to this partnership, agencies can help even more individuals who may not have realized they were eligible for – or needed to renew – benefits that can help them pay for food or lower their out-of-pocket costs. Older adults are also able to receive broadcasts to help them prepare for extreme weather events or simply learn about an upcoming program that can keep them engaged in their communities through health and wellness or social opportunities. We are thrilled about the outcomes – including a 300 percent increase in social engagement and a 500 percent increase in access to SNAP benefits.”

Blooming Health is designed to improve older adults’ awareness and connection to community-based aging services via an inclusive, digital engagement platform. Targeted communications are sent via text message, landline voice calls, emails, and in an older adult’s preferred language (including English and over 69 non-English options).

So far, older adults have received over 600,000 messages from Area Agencies on Aging notifying them with:

¯Emergency weather alerts and broadcasts for community nutrition programs.

¯Event reminders for evidence-based programs, nutrition education, vaccination clinics, and wellness programs.

¯Surveys to assess client satisfaction with personal care aides, home-delivered meals, and other programs.

¯Wellness check-ins to identify clients’ social and health needs, and navigate them to relevant support services.

¯Reminders to test devices such as personal emergency response systems.

¯Application reminders for programs like HEAP or SNAP to ensure that individuals get timely access to important benefits.

Clients do not need broadband internet or a smart device to receive these communications. Providers can also receive longitudinal data on clients’ needs and outcomes, coordinate care, and better manage their population’s health risks. In addition, agencies have been more easily able to screen clients for social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, financial insecurity, and transportation needs to provide them with appropriate support.

For its existing clients, Blooming Health has contributed to a three-fold increase in older adult engagement with provider services while saving two hours per day in outreach capacity for program staff and garnering an 85 percent satisfaction rate for older adult end-users.

Through a collaboration with the AARP Foundation and New York City-based community organizations, Blooming Health helped drive a five-fold increase in the number of older adults applying for SNAP benefits. Blooming Health also helped reduce the time from initial outreach with older adults about SNAP benefits application and their final application submission, from 57 days to 30 days – a 47 percent decrease. Further, personalized communication and engagement via Blooming Health enabled an increase in access to aging-in-place services across New York in 2023 versus 2022. This translated to 21% more meals, 65% more health and wellness attendance, 58% more education and recreation attendance, 39% more transportation, and a 41% increase in benefits screening and applications.