In 1965 Congress passed the Older Americans Act which for the first time recognized that the needs of older adults were not being met under traditional social policy. This revolutionary act created an interconnected structure of agencies and services called the Aging Network. At that time, the state units on aging were responsible for the granting of funds to various community projects to further the independence and socialization of seniors. Among the primary projects during these years was the creation of senior centers.
Amendments to the Older Americans Act in 1973 shifted the focus from an independent system of diverse projects to a more cohesive system of service delivery. It was determined that the decisions of what services were of most use for seniors should 1.) Occur at the local level and 2.) Should involve input by the area’s seniors themselves. These Amendments of 1973, through their focus on community-based priority setting, paved the way for the creation of the Area Agencies on Aging.
The Area Agencies on Aging are private non-profit agencies that have been established to represent at the local level the best interest of seniors by functioning in an advocacy, general planning, and management capacity. The Area Agencies on Aging rely on Boards of Directors and Advisory Councils comprised of area seniors and others involved and interested in issues related to aging, for assistance with the granting of funding, the oversight of agency budgets and the development of additional programs.
There are 5 Area Agencies on Aging in CT located regionally in Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, Norwich and Hartford. There are 655 Area Agencies on Aging nationally. NCAAA was established in July 1974 as a part of the Community Council of the Capitol Region (now known as the Institute for Community Research). NCAAA separated from ICR and was officially incorporated in 1990.