Older American Act

Older American Act
Name
Institution
Older American Act
The Older American Act began in 1965; it handles a variety of programs like nutrition, transportation, legal services, prevention of elderly abuse and caregivers support (Fox-Grage & Ujvari, 2014). Such programs assist the seniors to be independent within their environment and society. It also helps them evade getting an admission in a hospital or nursing home; in return, this saves state and federal money that would have been put to use for the same purpose California. This paper addresses the history of the “Older American Act” (OAA). It talks about the who, the what, and the why regarding the act (Fox-Grage & Ujvari, 2014).
Thomas (2013) explains that the program’s aim is to heighten the level of dignity of the elderly through serving and supporting them, hence making it possible for them to have their independence and also have something to engage in within their society. Originally, OAA was established to administer the network services for the aging population, hence provide the necessary aid for the homes and the communities of this population. The OAA programs are distributed to 56 state agencies and are accessible to the elderly population; that is individuals aged 60 and above (Fox-Grage & Ujvari, 2014). Its objective is to provide aid to those that have social and economic problems like minimum income, or their old staying in rural setups. By bad luck, the Act has seen some extended periods of minimal funds that have restricted the number of people that can be assisted at a time.

This phenomenon results in long lists of individuals who have to wait before they get access to the programs available under the Act (Wellman, Rosenzweig, & Lloyd, 2002). The programs do not just benefit the elderly; they also give employment to those who work in health segments and nursing homes within the local society and the country. As a result, they indirectly help in supporting the families of these people.
What benefits does the program provide? It assists the elderly Americans to sustain their independence and be as productive as they can. OAA has seven titles, 1 and 2 state its goals and builds the management on aging. 3 gives provision for programs in the States meant for the elderly; hence every state has its method of providing OAA funds. Title 4 provides aid for training, research, and runs projects for demonstration, and 5 provides authority for Senior Community Service Employment Program. Division 6 handles grants for Services and provision of funding for Native Americans and title 7 gives aid to programs to make sure that they protect the rights of the elderly (Thomas, 2013).
The National Committee support added a number of funds to the OAA program to cater for the growing number of older persons and to compensate for the deductions in the previous years due to federal funds not being in sync with inflation (Fox-Grage & Ujvari, 2014). It also improved critical plans of action for the elderly that aids in giving income stability and enables the seniors to get the help and assistance that they require to keep healthy and vibrant in their places of accommodation and in the society. Also, it protects the elderly from abuse and gives strength to an extended period care ombudsman service. As a result, it protects the weak elderly. The system also promotes healthy living through the programs that better the living standards of people and stops unnecessary medical expenditure hence enabling them to afford a healthy diet (Wellman, Rosenzweig, & Lloyd, 2002).
In conclusion, one can say that aside from social and health services, many elderly Americans depend on the benefits from Social Security which are altered appropriately for inflation every year. There has been an adoption of a wholly built way of measuring changes in prices in the market for the old which more precisely mirrors costs encountered by seniors as a way of adding up to Social Security changes in expense on survival. This index provides an assurance of the economic security of those who subscribe to it as they grow old.
References
Fox-Grage, W., & Ujvari, K. (2014). The Older Americans Act. AARP Public Policy
Institute, 92, 2-7.
Thomas, K. S. (2013). “The relationship between Older Americans Act in-home services and
Low-care residents in nursing homes.” Journal of aging and health, 0898264313513611.
Wellman, N. S., Rosenzweig, L. Y., & Lloyd, J. L. (2002). “Thirty years of the older Americans
Nutrition program. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,” 102(3), 348.