National Asian Pacific Center on Aging

The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) is the nation's leading advocacy and service organization committed to the dignity, well-being and quality of life of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) as they age. NAPCA works at the local, state, and national levels to educate AAPI seniors and the general public on the specific needs of the AAPI aging community. NAPCA offers assistance with federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and provides a multilingual helpline to assist AAPI elders with questions.

Programs and Services

NAPCA partners with other agencies to provide programs and services to AAPI seniors. The services provided usually address cultural challenges and language barriers.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

The NAPCA Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) concentrates on serving limited- and non-English speaking Asian American and Pacific Islander older adults, age 55+. The SCSEP program allows participants to gain work experience and on-the-job training at nonprofit organizations or government agencies.^[1] Participants serve in a wide variety of community service assignments including day-care, childcare, senior centers, public libraries, social service agencies, and government offices.

Nationally, NAPCA serves over 1,200 older workers through the SCSEP program annually. NAPCA has SCESP operations in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Orange County, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Houston.

Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program

The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program assists the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal, state, and local agencies in meeting their environmental mandates by employing workers 55 and older. The SEE program was created with the passage of the 1984 Environment Programs Assistance Act, which allowed the EPA to establish a program of grants with other environmental agencies.^[2]

Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES/NRCS)

The Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program assists the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) by providing workers 55 years of age and older to support conservation-related programs.^[3]

National Multilingual Helpline

The NAPCA National Toll-free Multilingual Helpline was created in 2004 and is available for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) seniors in the U.S. The Helpline serves as a resource to help AAPI seniors with inquiries on topics ranging from Medicare Part D eligibility requirements and enrollment, to Economic Stimulus Payments/tax rebates.^[4] The Helpline consists of four separate language lines: English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean, and Vietnamese. Each language has its own dedicated phone line to assist those for whom English is not their first language.

References