Advocates for Aging Care and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to Launch Survey January 15

Advocates for Aging Care and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to Launch Survey January 15

"Your Voice Matters: A Survey of Older Adults and Family Caregivers in Champaign County” Aims to Understand the Needs for County’s Aging Population

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Advocates for Aging Care (AAC), formerly Advocates for Nursing Home Care, in collaboration with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), will launch the survey titled, “Your Voice Matters: A Survey of Older Adults and Family Caregivers in Champaign County” on January 15. The survey aims to gather insights from adults aged 60 and older, as well as family caregivers, to better understand the experiences and needs in caring for Champaign County’s senior population. The survey will assess access, interest, and utilization of rehabilitation, long-term, nursing home care, and related services and facilities in Champaign County. The results will be used to develop a plan to meet gaps in services. These results will be combined with a provider survey being conducted by CUPHD as well as a market study conducted by an outside consultant. The complete results are expected to be finalized this spring.

The effort was initiated in May 2023 after AAC identified a deficit of 300 nursing home beds in Champaign County, based on calculations by the Illinois Department of Public Health. This initiative followed the closure of three nursing home facilities in Champaign County, along with the downsizing of nursing home beds by Clark-Lindsey. The committee is joined in its endeavor by a community collaborative, comprising local health care and social service agencies, as well as representatives from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The survey will be accessible through social media channels managed by CUPHD, Carle Health, OSF HealthCare, and Christie Clinic; the AAC website; as well as other in-person and online distribution channels.