We are opening the door to a whole set of resources most people don’t realize are available. Nancy Treaster
Have you heard of the AAA? Not the one that changes your tires, the one that can connect you with valuable resources in your community. In this case, AAA stands for Area Agency on Aging. Their resources can make a significant difference for you and your loved one living with dementia.
We are Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster. As caregivers for our loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, we know how hard it can be to find the right help at the right time. We’re sharing insights from Sandy Markwood, CEO of USAging, the national organization that represents Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI Native American Aging Programs. Sandy has been a nationally recognized advocate for older adults for many years. She was a caregiver for her mother, who lived with dementia, so she understands this journey personally as well as professionally.
While AAAs were established in 1973 as part of a reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), they have been represented by USAging since 1975. The AAA’s work to ensure every American can age with maximum health, well-being, independence and dignity.
We’re exploring three essential tips:
- Learning what your Area Agency on Aging is and what it offers
- Knowing the eligibility requirements, and
- Finding the agency that serves your loved one.
A note for readers outside the United States: Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) is a US program. AAAs coordinate and offer services that help older adults remain in their homes, if that is their preference, aided by services such as home-delivered meals, homemaker assistance, and whatever else it may take to make independent living a viable option. If you live outside the United States, look for your local council on aging or social services office, which may offer similar services.
Dementia-Friendly Resources from USAging
Before we focus specifically on Area Agencies on Aging, here is information about the dementia-focused programs USAging administers. As a caregiver for her mother, Sandy found services for her mom, but she still had to navigate the community with her, and she needed people in the community to accept her mom and support her as a caregiver. These programs grew from exactly this kind of need.
- Dementia Friendly America: A national network of communities working to make everyday life easier for people living with dementia, including walking through a grocery store, eating at a restaurant, and getting to the doctor’s office. According to Sandy, more than 400 communities across the country carry the Dementia Friendly America designation.
- Dementia Friends USA: A program licensed from the UK movement that began this work. Its focus is helping you recognize people living with dementia in their communities and respond appropriately. Sandy shared that more than 300,000 people in the US have become Dementia Friends, and we encourage you to join too.
- Dementia Friendsgiving: USAging’s second annual Dementia Friendsgiving takes place on November 10th, 2026. It brings together advocates, people living with dementia, and aging professionals, to focus on making communities more dementia friendly. There is no cost to register.
- Dementia Friendly Holiday Toolkit: The holidays can be especially stressful for people living with dementia and their caregivers. This free toolkit offers tips and techniques to help make the season a good and welcoming time for everyone.
Tip 1: Learn What Your Area Agency on Aging Is and What It Offers
Area Agencies on Aging are part of the Older Americans Act, which was passed in 1965. Sandy explains that AAAs were added in 1973, when it became clear every community needed a hub to provide supportive services for older adults. For more than 50 years, they have been helping older adults age where most of them want to: at home and in their communities.
The Five Core Services
The five core services include:
- Nutrition: Congregate meals are served at senior centers and community centers, offering both a nutritious meal and social connection, which is equally important for healthy aging. For older adults who can’t get out, home-delivered meals come right to the door. The volunteer delivering this meal also has eyes on your loved one and can notice if other help is needed.
- Supportive services: These can include transportation to doctor’s appointments, home modifications such as a grab bar or ramp, personal care such as bathing and dressing, and chore services such as light housekeeping.
- Caregiver support: Through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, AAAs offer caregiver education and training, respite so you can take a break, and practical help such as lawn mowing or snow shoveling. Sandy shared research showing caregivers who used these services reported being able to care for their loved one about three years longer. Family caregivers are the backbone of long-term care in this country: 63 million Americans are now family caregivers (Source: Caregiving in the U.S. 2025, AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving).
- Health and wellness: Evidence-based programs for falls prevention, chronic disease self-management, depression, and other caregiver supports.
- Elder rights: Protection against scams and fraud targeting older adults, as well as help addressing abuse and self-neglect.
Dementia-Specific Services Beyond the Core
According to Sandy, most Area Agencies on Aging provide an additional 26 or more services tailored to the needs of their local communities. Many include services designed specifically for people living with dementia and their care partners, such as:
- Memory cafés, which offer a welcoming social setting for people living with dementia and their care partners.
- Dementia Friends programs that build awareness in the local community.
- Dementia care specialists, a role more and more AAAs are creating to meet the specific needs of people on the dementia caregiving journey.
In Georgia, Nancy has met many of the dementia care specialists. Their knowledge of dementia-specific resources in their communities is unmatched, and their hearts are truly service hearts. Sue has seen the same compassion in Florida:
They meet you where you are on the journey, and they know how to help even when you don’t know what to ask.
Reach Out Before a Crisis
Sandy notes many people don’t seek support until they’re in crisis, which is the hardest time to find it. Much of this crisis can be prevented by learning what’s available in your community before you need it.
She shared a common example from the Eldercare Locator, the national call center USAging operates. A caregiver calls saying, “I need to put my mom in a nursing home. I can’t keep leaving work for every doctor’s appointment or coming home to make sure she eats.”
When a specialist explores the situation further, it often turns out a ride to the doctor, a home-delivered meal, and a friendly visitor who checks in by phone each day are enough for mom to stay safely at home, and for the caregiver’s stress to ease.
Where the AAA Fits in the Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap
The Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap points to your Area Agency on Aging twice. The first time is in Step 1, Reach Out for Guidance, because connecting early helps your caregiving journey begin on a solid foundation.
We know many caregivers early in the journey feel they have things under control and don’t reach out yet. This is why Step 9, Investigate your local government community support, contains only one action: reach out to your Area Agency on Aging. If you didn’t do it in Step 1, do it now. If you did start in Step 1 but haven’t gone very far, consider this your reminder to call again and expand the support you’re receiving.
Tip 2: Know the Eligibility Requirements
Many caregivers wonder whether their loved one qualifies. The answer is simpler than you might expect. Sandy explains that under the Older Americans Act, anyone age 60 or older is eligible for these services. She also noted there are no forms to fill out and no eligibility criteria beyond age.
Some people under 60 may also be eligible, including:
- Veterans with a traumatic brain injury or other service-related conditions.
- People living with early-onset dementia.
- Kinship caregivers, such as older adults raising a younger child.
If your loved one needs any of the services described above, contact your local Area Agency on Aging. It’s very likely they are eligible. Because the specific services available can vary by community, it’s important to ask what’s offered where your loved one lives.
Tip 3: Find Your Area Agency on Aging
According to Sandy, there are more than 600 Area Agencies on Aging serving every community in the country, along with more than 200 Title VI Native American Aging Programs serving tribal elders.
Why They Can Be Hard to Find
- Structure varies by state: For example, New York has 59 county-based AAAs, while Wisconsin has three. Either way, every community in the state is served.
- Names vary too: Not every agency includes “Area Agency on Aging” in its name. In Illinois, one is called AgeOptions, and in Michigan, one is called Senior Resources of West Michigan. The names differ, but the services are the same.
The Easiest Way to Find Yours: Use the Eldercare Locator
The easiest way to find the right agency is the Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living administered by USAging. You can reach it by phone at 1–800–677–1116 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern), or online at eldercare.acl.gov, where a chat feature is also available.
All you need is your loved one’s zip code or, if you don’t know it, the county where they live. A live information specialist will ask what you’re looking for. Even if you call about one thing, such as home-delivered meals, the specialist may ask further questions and uncover other services that could help.
Find It on Our Roadmap
Go to The Caregiver’s Journey Caregiving Roadmap, Click on Step 1, and you’ll find the link to the Eldercare Locator’s AAA finder in the third bullet.
Taking Action: Connect with Your Area Agency on Aging
Your Area Agency on Aging may be one of the most valuable resources available to you. Take these steps now:
- Find the AAA serving your loved one through the Eldercare Locator, using their zip code or county.
- Call before a crisis, and share the complete details of what you and your loved one need, not just one service.
- Ask specifically about dementia services, such as a dementia care specialist, memory cafés, caregiver education, and respite.
- Confirm eligibility: age 60 or older, or one of the exceptions such as early-onset dementia.
- If you’ve already connected, call again as needs change to expand the support you receive.
- Become a Dementia Friend and download the Dementia Friendly Holiday Toolkit.
As Sandy reminds us, caregivers face real challenges, but you’re not alone. Through the nation’s Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI programs, help is available to support your loved one at home and in the community, and to support you as a caregiver.
You can find more information from our expert guest at:
- USAging: usaging.org
- Eldercare Locator: eldercare.acl.gov or 1–800–677–1116
- Dementia Friendly America: dfamerica.org
- Dementia Friends USA: dementiafriendsusa.org
Have you connected with your Area Agency on Aging? What services made the biggest difference for you and your loved one? Share your experiences in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages.
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