Since becoming law in 1965, the Older Americans Act has provided grants to states for community planning and services programs, as well as for research, demonstration and training projects in the field of aging.
Over the years, grants provided funds to Area Agencies on Aging for local needs identification, planning, and funding of services, including but not limited to nutrition programs in the community as well as for those who are homebound; programs which serve Native American elders; services targeted at low-income minority elders; health promotion and disease prevention activities; in-home services for frail elders, and those services which protect the rights of older persons.
The National Institute on Aging estimates that by 2030 approximately 1 out of every 5 Americans, some 72 million people, will be 65 years or older. As we continue looking into the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, we must be prepared to meet the challenges of an aging society.
For more information, visit the National Institute on Aging at www.nia.nih.gov
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.hhs.gov/aging/index.shtml
or http://www.aoa.gov/about/legbudg/oaa/legbudg_oaa.asp for more information on the Older Americans Act.