Twelve percent of New Hampshire's population is 65 and older, and in 20 years this figure will double.

To increase awareness of the challenges of aging and identify ways to ensure the well-being of citizens as they grow older, New Hampshire Public Television and Easter Seals NH/Seniors Count have developed a year-long community outreach project called Seeing Seniors: Shaping The Future of Aging in NH with the aid of a $60,000 grant from Sound Partners for Community Health.

"Seeing Seniors will open a statewide, community-based discussion for seniors, caregivers, and the organizations that are responsible for ensuring the well-being of our older citizens," noted Lynn Zuccarelli Austin, NHPTV Community Outreach Coordinator and project manager for this effort. "Census 2000 indicates that 12% of New Hampshire's population is 65 and older. That figure is expected to more than double by 2025. The Seeing Seniors project will help all seniors optimize their quality of life."

"This is a unique public television/nonprofit community organization collaboration," said Peter A. Frid, General Manger and CEO of New Hampshire Public Television. "We are pleased to be one of 36 public radio and television stations selected to forge alliances between community health care service providers and public broadcasting."

Easter Seals NH/Seniors Count was awarded $7,500 grant to support its role as a community partner in the Seeing Seniors campaign. "Together, NHPTV and Easter Seals NH/Seniors Count aim to make a difference in the way the public understands and influences issues related to the needs of our growing senior population," said Arlene Kershaw, Director of Senior Services for Easter Seals NH.

Throughout 2005, six feature stories on NHPTV's nightly newsmagazine, NH Outlook, along with other media efforts, will focus attention on this issue. Community forums in four locations across the state will bring seniors and caregivers together with local leaders to begin planning the kind of communities we want for ourselves and our neighbors as we age.

Sound Partners for Community Health is a program of the Benton Foundation , funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation , which is dedicated to improving health and health care for all Americans. Additional funding for Seeing Seniors: Shaping The Future of Aging in NH has been provided by the Doris L. Benz Trust and the Endowment for Health .