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With a growing population of older adults over the age of 65, Buncombe County Adult and Aging Services has hired Billie Breeden as the Age-Friendly Coordinator to help manage and organize the many branches of Age-Friendly work going on in our community.
Billie stepped into this role having had years of both personal and professional experience supporting older adults. “In addition to volunteering for Meals on Wheels in cities across the country, I have assumed caregiver roles for both of my parents and my mother-in-law.” Her experience as a caregiver inspired her to pursue a mid-life Master’s Degree in Social Gerontology. “While I was taking care of my mom, she would make comments about how good I was to her and how grateful she was for my support. She is the reason I decided to return to school and turn my gift for authentic and compassionate caregiving into a professional pursuit.”
Billie has worked as a Service Coordinator and Director of Congregate Nutrition for the Council on Aging of Buncombe County as well as Meals on Wheels of Asheville Buncombe delivering hot nutritious meals to homebound older adults.
As the Age-Friendly Coordinator, Billie has enthusiastically begun prioritizing her many responsibilities including:
- Supporting, guiding, and facilitating all of the work being done for the Age-Friendly Buncombe initiatives and ensuring that they all track with the priorities designated in the Age-Friendly Action Plan (2021-2024).
- Monitoring and updating the Age-Friendly Action Plan
- Advocating for holistic community improvements deemed essential by ALL older adults in Buncombe County through community engagement and policy
- Assisting with the planning, development, and execution of the largest initiative in the Age-Friendly Action Plan, The Active Aging Center
Click here to see a comprehensive overview highlighting the accomplishments of Age-Friendly Buncombe County over the past 5 years. This report was submitted to AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities in September 2022. Thank you to Ben Atkins, Communications Specialist, for the graphic design work.