This groundbreaking legislation, enacted in 1965, was the first national initiative to address a widespread lack of community-based services for older adults. It created an infrastructure that provides funding for local Area Agencies on Aging, state agencies on aging, and the national Administration on Aging, now part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Deeper dive
Currently, the national aging network consists of 56 State Agencies on Aging, 655 Area Agencies on Aging and more than 260 Title VI Native American aging programs that deliver services to seniors, and two aging organizations representing Native Hawaiians.
Services funded through the Older Americans Act help millions of seniors get regular meals at home, attend senior centers receive government benefits to which they’re entitled obtain help going to and from doctors’ appointments qualify for caregiving support services manage chronic diseases get job training and other elder-focused support services.
Anyone 60 or older qualifies for services delivered through the Older Americans Act except caregiver support services, which are available to those 70 and older. The Act was most recently reauthorized in 2020. The Administration on Aging has a more detailed breakdown of the OAA and the specific programs and services it addresses.