• established Medicaid and Medicare, for example

The OAA was enacted under this wave of progress.

To all individuals aged 60 and older, for those with social and economic needs.

Service Programs like:

-Nutrition

-Transportation, in-home care

• Family caregiver support

• health promotion

• Healthy aging: Everyone deserves access to care that helps them stay healthy and independent—and avoid costly hospital or nursing home stays. Falls prevention, chronic disease self-management education (CDSME), and evidence-based healthy aging programs should be maintained.

• Economic security: With poverty rising, older adults need better support, especially as many work longer while facing age-related barriers to employment. The Senior Community Service Employment Program(SCSEP), the only workforce development program for older workers, should be maintained.

• Senior centers: Senior centers promote healthy living, social connection, and overall well-being for older adults. Congress and the administration must strengthen the authorization for modernizing these vital community hubs.

- It works to advance the needs of older adults and their caregivers.

• funds and supports state and federal agencies that provide services such as: home and community-based care, nutrition programs, caregiver support, legal assistance, and falls prevention

-1 in 25 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness

• The cost of one day in a hospital is roughly the same as providing a patient with one year of meals through OAA nutrition programs.

• The cost of one month in a nursing home is the same cost as providing an OAA nutrition client with mid-day meals, five days per week, for seven years.

• gives states more flexibility on how they allocate resources

• improves the capacity of the network

• includes elder abuse prevention programs

• provides education and training for caregivers

• increases focus on trauma-informed services for elders

• currently, it has been reauthorized to prioritize Greatest Need (Individuals at/below the poverty line or Individuals whose social factors, like disabilities, language barriers, or isolation impede their health)

Example:

Step 1: Federal Funds (Title III)

Step 2: State Unit on Aging (SUA)

• Distributes funds using IFF

  
  

Step 3: IFF Factors

• Geographic distribution of older adults

• Economic need (poverty level)

• Social need (disability, isolation, language/cultural barriers)

• Special focus on low-income minority seniors

• 
  

Step 4: Local Distribution

• Allocations to Planning & Service Areas (PSAs)

• Funds support:

  • Nutrition programs

  • Supportive services

  • Family caregiver programs

Section 504 of the Act prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities in any program receiving federal funding. This was the first time disability rights were framed as a civil rights issue rather than just medical or welfare support.

It also guaranteed accommodations in schools receiving federal funds, paving the way for today’s Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 plans for students.

Sparked Disability Rights Movement:

These protests helped unite diverse disability groups into a broader civil rights movement.

Title I: Employment:

Prohibits private employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. It requires employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" unless it would create an "undue hardship".

Title II: State and Local Government Services:

Ensures that people with disabilities have equal access to the programs, services, and activities provided by state and local government entities, including public transportation.

Title III: Public Accommodations:

Prohibits discrimination in public accommodations (like restaurants, movie theaters, and hotels) and commercial facilities. It requires businesses to remove barriers and make "reasonable modifications" to their services and facilities.

Title IV: Telecommunications:

Requires telephone and internet companies to provide nationwide relay services, allowing people with hearing and speech disabilities to communicate over the phone.

Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions:

Contains other important provisions related to the ADA, including its relationship to other laws and protections against retaliation.

Ella Williams, who had carpal tunnel syndrome, sued Toyota for failing to accommodate her. The Supreme Court ruled she wasn’t “disabled” under the ADA because she could still perform daily activities outside of work, even though she couldn’t do her job tasks. This narrow interpretation excluded many workers with serious conditions until the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 expanded the definition of disability.