The purpose of the Older American Act (OAA) entails supporting the diverse needs of individuals aged 60 and above. According to the Congressional Research Service (2021), OAA promotes the delivery of support services, home-delivered nutrition services, congregate nutrition services, community service employment, family caregiver support, and services that prevent neglect, abuse, and exploitation of older adults. The OAA outlines these services in seven titles, which Area Agency on Aging have to ensure they deliver.
The Piedmont Triad Regional Council Area Agency on Aging (PTRC AAA) has managed to implement the seven titles of OAA in its programs. For instance, Tittle I of AAA focuses on improving the lives of older persons by providing sufficient support on areas such as mental and physical health, health promotion, and disease prevention. PTRC AAA has facilitated these by providing long-term care, including advocating and mediating, and providing education on long-term care issues. Additionally, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, PTRC AAA has been on the forefront in ensuring vaccination of older adults.
PTRC AAA also complies with Title II by facilitating and overseeing comprehensive and well-coordinated service delivery in areas of long-term services, nutrition, and social services that support elderly persons (Congressional Research Services, 2021). For example, PTRC AAA offers nutritional services covering home-delivered meals and congregational meals and nutritional education and counseling. These also comply with Title III that focuses on funding delivery of supportive nutritional services to older persons, especially minority persons and low-income persons. Title IV of OAA focuses on focuses on health, independence, and longevity. One such program that PTRC AAA has established to ensure longevity includes the Diabetes Age Well Services, a referral program in which older adults undergo evidence-based assessment and education on healthy eating, medication use, communication, and foot care among others by registered dietitian. Other programs by PTRC AAA include family caregiving, elder abuse awareness, matching older adults with senior centers. All these align with the other titles of Older Americans Act. Thus, a close analysis on PTRC AAA activities and services indicate that they align with the requirements outlined by OAA.
