The Older Americans Act also known as the OAA was established in 1965. This act provides services and the funding for services within all states to provide welfare to people who are 60 years old and older who qualify. This act is reauthorized every four years to allow Congress the ability to improve the laws within this act. The services of this act include nutritional programs, health promotion activities for older adults, and protection for older adults. The services are both home and community based. As the years have passed, the OAA has benefited the well-being of older adults and many communities. Although this has been the case, the funding for OAA has been reduced and lagged behind inflation and population growth. Currently, due to the changing demographics of an aging population and an increase of life longevity, this is pushing the demand for an increase in funding for the OAA. People are living longer, and more funding will likely be required to provide services to the entire aging population in the upcoming years.
The most recent reauthorization of the OAA happened in 2020. The main highlight is the OAA being reauthorized for five years with a 35% increase in funding over that period of time. It also reaffirmed that this act addresses the two growing societal challenges, health status and social loneliness. Social determinants of health are social and economic conditions that influence the difference in health status. The OAA wants to provide for the aging population with access to health care options and better food quality. They also want to strengthen efforts to combat social isolation which is faced by many older adults pre and post the pandemic.
Although there was an increase in funding, it is still not enough to care for the aging population that the United States is expected to have. When inflation is taken into consideration, the inadequate funding of the Older Americans Act becomes very visible. During the pandemic in 2020, the OAA obtained $250 million in emergency funds for the senior nutrition programs. Without the Older Americans Act, this money would have not been provided for the aging community. This shows how vital the act is for the daily lives of older adults in need of care and services.
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By: Cindy Birrueta
Office Support Specialist at WellPath Partners
B.S in Health Care Administration at California State University, Long Beach
