Bill Lamb, a key figure in the annual NC Conference on Aging, retired from the Institute on Aging in November.
The UNC Institute on Aging (IOA) was a fledgling when Bill Lamb joined the staff in 2000. He had just retired as Chief of Planning for the Division of Aging after 30 years in the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
The NC Legislature created the IOA in 1996 with a mandate to extend its reach throughout the state, preparing for the aging of baby boomers and the growing number of older adults. Bill Lamb set about doing just that.
Recognizing the diverse nature of his constituency, he made a deliberate effort to include local, regional and state service providers, educators, students, consumers, volunteers, clients, caregivers, policy-makers and administrators. He helped link academia to real-world services while translating research into effective programs and policies.
The annual Conference on Aging is only one of a host of accomplishments in a distinguished career. He was one of the first state consultants to work with the Medicaid Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults. He initiated the Medicaid Enhanced Care Program in Adult Care Homes and local Social Services Departments and produced North Carolina Comes of Age, a demographic profile of older North Carolinians. He provided staff support to the Home and Community Care Advisory Committee, the Long-Term Care Roundtable, and most recently, the Long Term Care Advisory Committee of the NC Institute of Medicine.
Although retiring from the Institute, Bill will continue to teach at NCSU and to serve aging Tar Heels on the boards of Friends of Residents in Long Term Care, Resources for Seniors in Wake County, and the North Carolina Coalition on Aging.