For 50-plus years, the Agency on Aging Area 4 has helped seniors connect with vital services and resources
By Dorsey Griffith
For over 50 years, Agency on Aging Area 4 (AAA4) has helped to improve the lives of older adults in seven diverse California counties. From the sparsely populated and rugged Sierra County to the north to the metropolitan hub and vast agricultural segment of Sacramento County to the south, AAA4 works with regional agencies to provide meals and mental health services, protect rights, help to prevent abuse, support caregivers and offer other critical resources that help people 60 and older stay healthy and independent as long as possible.
Will Tift, AAA4’s planning administrator, has been with the agency for 22 years. During that time he’s witnessed the evolution of the aging service system, the growing need for services as California’s aging population surges, the increasing incidence of ageism, and the strength of the regional network that is the backbone of a thriving agency. In addition to Sierra and Sacramento, AAA4 also includes Placer, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba and Nevada counties.
Founded in 1973, AAA4 is one of 33 Area Agencies on Aging in California, each consisting of one or more counties. Unlike some AAAs, which are county-run, AAA4 operates independently. It is governed by a representative board of county supervisors and supported by an advisory council of public-facing members with knowledge and experience in aging services.
The agency’s $15 million annual budget comes primarily from the federal government through the Older Americans Act, with additional funds from the state and the counties. In addition to administering Meals on Wheels in the seven-county region, the agency supports 21 different programs to assist older adults in everything from transportation and nutrition to health insurance counseling and transitions of care from hospital to home.
“We’re here to help older adults live as independently as possible and as long as possible with dignity, health and wellness.”
Will Tift, Planning Administrator, Agency on Aging Area 4
Tift emphasizes that despite a member county’s political leanings, the agency is non-partisan.
“We all want the same thing. Aging with independence is not in and of itself a partisan issue. We’re here to help older adults live as independently as possible and as long as possible with dignity, health and wellness.”
The needs of older adults have changed over the decades that AAA4 has served them, and AAA4 has adjusted and added services to accommodate them. For example, he says, Meals on Wheels began in the 1950s when suburban women went back to work and grandparents had no one to look after them during the day or prepare their midday meals.
Today, he says, older adults may be alone day and night, or, if they’ve lost their home, they might be living on the street or in a shelter.
“A lot of people won’t have anyone for a range of reasons, most of which are not fixable by the time you’re in your 70s or 80s,” he says. “The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is people 50 and older, many of whom have never been homeless a day in their lives. They are outliving their money.”
Whereas moving into a skilled nursing facility was once the biggest fear an older adult faced, today, it’s now eviction or loss of housing because of an inability to cover repairs or pay rising rent.
“To prevent this whole cascade of things, we need to know if you are not getting enough food, if you don’t have a ride to the doctor, if you are not interacting with anyone or you’re socially isolated, because all of those things affect your health,” he says.
And what once was a more paternalistic system that provided a program for every problem, he adds, the AAA model is evolving into a more holistic system that works proactively to keep older adults independent—and pushes on their behalf to preserve foundational supports including Medicare and Social Security.
“Above all, what we are is advocates for individuals, families and communities,” Tift says.
For more information on the Agency on Aging 4 visit https://www.agencyonaging4.org/.
