Most people contact local agencies when seeking to access aging services. It is helpful to know that the aging network is a network of organizations that interact on a local, state, regional and national level.
The Older Americans Act is the base for organizing, coordinating, and providing community-based services and opportunities for older Americans and their families. More than 655 Area Agencies on Aging are designated to address the needs and concerns of all older Americans. Area Agencies on Aging form partnerships with local service providers as well as link with State Units on Aging.
The State Unit on Aging receives funding for home and community-based services. The State Unit on Aging is linked to regional administrative offices, which report directly to the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The ACL combines the efforts of the Administration on Aging (AOA), the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) and the HHS Office on Disability. The Administration for Community Living is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The partnerships of the aging network have many advantages which include opportunities for research and sharing of information, collaborative efforts, ease of making referrals when working with long-distance caregivers and the ability to launch national initiatives under the direction of the Administration for Community Living.
Access the aging network anywhere in the United States
Call the ElderCare Locator at (800) 677-1116.