The Area Agency on Aging is celebrating 50 Years of Impact during a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2024. 

The Area Agency identifies challenges, needs and issues affecting older adults, family caregivers, adults 18-59 with physical disabilities and long-term care needs, and individuals 18 and older with HIV. In addition, the Area Agency serves elder refugees, men and women with behavioral health conditions and victims of late-life domestic violence, elder abuse and sexual assault.

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“For five decades, the Area Agency on Aging has been making an impact by ensuring, enhancing and improving the quality of life for older adults, caregivers and the Valley’s diverse populations,” said President and CEO Mary Lynn Kasunic. “We care deeply about the people we serve and those who serve them.”

During 2023 alone, the nation’s only Council on Accreditation-certified Area Agency served 110,000 people across Maricopa County through 58 creative, innovative and effective programs.

Over the past 50 years, the numbers paint an impressive legacy of care, concern and impact.  Among them:

• 39 million meals served.

• 2 million hours of case management to homebound older adults and adults living with HIV.

• 11 million hours of respite relief for family caregivers.

• Answering more than 1 million calls to the 24-hour Senior HELP LINE connecting the community to appropriate resources, and 235,000 calls to the benefits assistance program.

• Leveraging 4.3 million hours of in-home care enabling older adults and persons with physical disabilities and long-term care needs to stay in their homes.

• Providing nearly 63,000 bed nights of safety to older adult victims of domestic violence, elder abuse and sexual assault and 88,000 hours of mobile advocacy to victims living in the community, and 

• Engaging volunteers who provided 1.2 million hours to support Area Agency programs and services in addition to 210 AmeriCorp Members giving 277,000 hours of service helping older adults with much-needed social support.

“The numbers are truly amazing, but we never lose sight of the fact that those numbers represent men and women looking for a helping hand, support and the touch and concern of other human beings,” Kasunic said. “We are proud of what we have achieved and the impact we will continue to make in the years ahead.”

The Area Agency will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary throughout the year and at a 50 Years of Impact Special Event in May.

For more information about the Area Agency on Aging, visit www.aaaphx.org.