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Community Agencies For Seniors Through The Older Americans Act

from: Kyle Besser

The Older Americans Act (OAA) was signed into law on July 14, 1965. This law and its amendments established and funded the Areas on Aging that have become parts of many communities across the county. This community agency for seniors has slowly developed into a major organization providing a variety of services and information to older Americans and their families.

The enactment of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000 established an important new program, the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). The program was developed by the Administration on Aging (AoA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services to help provide support for the increasing number of caregivers who support an elderly relative.

The OAA was to be reviewed in 2005, but the United States Congress only continued the program as it had been. The program included the concept that all seniors should have access to legal assistance, transportation services, meals, nursing home ombudsmen, elder abuse prevention and opportunities for employment. The law mandates that every state have its own community agency for seniors. All seniors should have access to the agency through their local communities.

Many components of this important community agency for seniors are aimed at helping the frailest of the elderly remain as active and healthy as possible. These seniors also should have the right to be treated fairly and well. Each community can construct its own community agency for seniors to serve its senior population in the most appropriate way befitting the needs of the seniors and the community.

Subsequent modifications to the original act authorized local communities to have access to funding in order that each community could create a community agency for seniors that was appropriate, useful and fit the needs of the local seniors. Many communities have established a variety of health related programs that can offer health promotion and disease prevention programs for the local seniors. Many communities offer some form of nutrition and meal programs as part of their local community agency for seniors. Congregate meals as well as the familiar Meals on Wheels programs were able to be established through the OAA.

Since the number of seniors is expected to increase greatly in the next ten years, the next review and authorization of the Older Americans Act is viewed as important. If funding isn't increased and if the number of seniors does grow rapidly as expected, many of the current programs may need to be cut, simplified or have increased waiting times.

Some people believe that the people who will become eligible for the local community agency for seniors in the future may not need the services as much as seniors in the past needed them. Anyone who expects to become a senior in the next decade or two should become interested in the legislation related to the OAA and its components.

For more information on the OAA, one of these two web sites should be helpful:

* http://www.tcsg.org/law/oaa/reauth.htm
* http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov

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