The National Academy on Aging offers a summary of this legislation, which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act of 1965, a federal law with longstanding bipartisan support. The law provides for the organization and delivery of social and nutrition services to older Americans and their caregivers.
This bill reauthorizes programs through 2018 and includes provisions that aim to protect vulnerable elders by
strengthening the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program and existing elder abuse screening and prevention
efforts. The bill also promotes the delivery of evidence-based programs, such as falls prevention and chronic
disease self-management programs. The reauthorization streamlines federal level administration of programs,vpromotes the efficient and effective use of transportation services, and improves coordination between programs at the federal, state, and local levels.