Congress passed The Older Americans Act in 1965 to help each state develop a comprehensive and coordinated network that would provide services, opportunities, and protections for older Americans to help them maintain health and independence in their homes and to be able to continue to function as a part of their community.

The Act was in response to the challenges the older population was imposing on the country's systems of health care, retirement, financing, housing, employment, and social and community services. The emphasis was on the coordination of existing resources rather than the development of new service programs. Planning was seen as an integral part of the process. The expectation was that the planning process would identify gaps in service delivery which could then be addressed and that planning would facilitate cooperation between service providers with minimal overlap. The design of the Act also encouraged local control over policy and program decisions in order to create more responsive supportive service systems.

Over the years, the Older Americans Act has been amended based on experiences at the state, regional, and local levels across the United States.

To oversee the program at the federal level, the Act established the Administration on Aging.

The Act also authorized funding under Title III to support a state unit on aging in each state. Title III provided funds to each state to allow the state to carry out the intent of the Act. The allocations are based on the number of persons sixty years of age and older in each state.

The North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the state unit on aging that has final responsibility for the program in North Carolina.

In 1973, an amendment to the Act directed the N.C. Division of Aging and Adult Services to divide the entire state into planning and service areas (PSAs). Each PSA would develop an area plan for aging and would have a new player in the aging network - the Area Agency on Aging - that would be responsible for the development and administration of the plan.

In North Carolina, the state already had established planning and service areas usually called Councils of Governments. It was decided to utilize the pre-existing PSAs as boundaries for the areas to be served by the new Area Agencies on Aging. Each Council of Governments would house an Area Agency on Aging and coordinate efforts for that region.

The N.C. Division of Aging and Adult Services grants each Area Agency on Aging a portion of the total Older Americans Act funds based on a funding formula that takes into account the number of persons aged 60+ in the area, the number of 60+ who live in poverty, and the number of 60+ who live in rural sections of the PSA. The funding formula is based on Older Americans Act amendments that provide for targeting resources to help ensure those most in need receive assistance.

The Act, as amended, is structured as follows (condensed):

Throughout all the amendments to the Act, the main tenet of the Older Americans Act has remained basically the same:to foster maximum independence by providing a wide array of community based services and protections to those older persons with the greatest economic and social needs.

The key philosophy has been to enable specialized assistance to older adults so that they can lead independent, meaningful, and dignified lives in their own homes, avoiding unnecessary or premature institutionalization. Should an older adult require institutionalization, the concern is then to provide protection and preservation of their rights and dignity.

The original ten objectives identified in Title I of the Older Americans Act recognized the rights of older persons to:

• adequate income
• the best possible physical and mental health
• suitable housing
• full restorative services
• employment without age discrimination
• retirement in health, honor, and dignity
• participation in civic, cultural and recreational activities
• opportunities for community service
• immediate benefit from research
• freedom and independence

Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act occurs periodically. At that time the Act is reviewed, advocates have the opportunity to be heard, and changes are made as appropriate. This is also the time when authorized spending levels are reviewed. These amounts are used as guidelines for annual appropriations made by Congress.