Using state and federal funding, AAAs in Texas help seniors with information and referral assistance, benefits counseling, legal assistance, care coordination and caregiver support. Area Agencies on Aging also coordinate in-home support, legal awareness, nutrition and ombudsman services.

The 28 area agencies in Texas are dedicated stewards for older adults and their caregivers, committed to providing critical services, programs, and resources that positively impact health and wellbeing.

Who We Are

We have a solid, established network of volunteers, contractors, and resources dedicated to aging services and programs, built and nurtured over 40 years. We are the senior network that the people and providers of Texas rely on.

We are collaborative in nature, dedicated to meeting the needs of older adults in Texas, through both formal programs and informal partnerships and assistance. We spearhead and participate in local coalitions addressing vital health and social service issues such as elder abuse, mental illness, caregiver burnout and lack of housing and transportation.

We have experience working with high-risk individuals, particularly those who are at risk for premature nursing home placement. Established under the Older Americans Act, we are stewards for aging Texans, including those with the greatest social and economic needs.

We have flexible and trained staff to implement relevant and proven evidence-based programs such as the Matter of Balance falls prevention system and the Chronic Disease Self-Management program (also known as Better Choices, Better Health).

What We Do

• We provide experienced and knowledgeable staff who serve over 250,000 people annually.

• We provide statewide coverage and support for all 254 counties in Texas, as well as serving on an extended national network of agencies.

• We provide quality services and programs focused on meeting our key objective of providing optimal quality of life and keeping older adults independent.

Services and Programs

Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging (T4A)

Established in 1976, the Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging (T4A) is the statewide network of local area agencies on aging dedicated to understanding and supporting the needs of adults over 60 and their caregivers. T4A provides a forum for collaboration, training, and outreach across the state.

Supported by federal, state and local funds, area agencies on aging provide financial support to programs that have buy-in and commitment from local elected officials and are highly responsive to the needs of the communities they serve.

A Profile of Our Network

• There are 28 Area Agencies on Aging in the state of Texas with over 200,000 seniors served annually and growing.
• Area Agencies on Aging have been serving older adults for more than 45 years.
• Each agency in the T4A network provides dozens of relevant services and programs.
• There are more than 800 certified volunteer ombudsmen in the T4A network.

T4A Officers

President: Paula Johnson (Harris County Area Agency on Agency)

Vice-President: Christal Martin (West Central Texas AAA)

Secretary: Halie Smith (South East Texas AAA)

Facts on Aging

Aging in Texas

• As Texan Baby Boomers age, the state’s elder population is projected to reach 5.9 million, or 19.4 percent of the total population of Texas in 2030. At this point, just under one in five people in Texas will be over 64 years of age. Texas’ elder population is growing at a faster rate than the U.S. elder population, and it is growing even faster than the overall state population.
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•  In 2019, poverty rates were at or above 10% for older adults living in New Mexico (13.5%), District of Columbia (13.3%), Louisiana (13.2%), Mississippi (13.2%), New York (12%), Kentucky (11.6%), Florida (10.7%), Texas (10.6%), Alabama (10.5%), Arkansas (10.5%), California (10.5%), Georgia (10.4%), and South Carolina (10.1%).
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The Older Populations

• In the U.S. the population age 65 and older numbered 54.1 million in 2019 (the most recent year for which data are available). They represented 16% of the population, more than one in every seven Americans.
• The number of older Americans has increased by 14.4 million (or 36%) since 2009, compared to an increase of 3% for the under-65 population. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of Americans age 45-64 (who will reach age 65 over the next two decades) increased by 4% from 80.3 million to 83.3 million. The number of Americans age 60 and older increased by 34% from 55.7 million to 74.6 million.
• In 2019, 30 million women and 24.1 million men were age 65 and older. That’s 125 women for every 100 men. At age 85 and older, this ratio increased to 178 women for every 100 men.
• Since 1900, the percentage of Americans age 65 and older nearly quadrupled (from 4.1% in 1900 to 16% in 2019), and the number increased more than 17 times (from 3.1 million to 54.1 million).
• In 2019, persons reaching age 65 had an average life expectancy of an added 19.6 years (20.8 years for women and 18.2 years for men). A child born in 2019 could expect to live 78.8 years, more than 30 years longer than a child born in 1900 (47.3 years).
• Between 1980 and 2019, the centenarian population experienced a larger percentage increase than did the total population. There were 100,322 persons age 100 and older in 2019—more than triple the 1980 figure of 32,194.
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Facts on Future Growth

• The older population is expected to continue to grow significantly in the future. Growth slowed somewhat during the 1990s because of the relatively small number of babies born during the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the older population is beginning to burgeon again as more than two-fifths (41%) of the “baby boom” generation is now age 65 and older.
• The population age 65 and older increased from 39.6 million in 2009 to 54.1 million in 2019 (a 36% increase) and is projected to reach 94.7 million in 2060. By 2040, there will be about 80.8 million older persons, more than twice as many as in 2000. People age 65 and older represented 16% of the population in the year 2019 but are expected to grow to be 21.6% of the population by 2040.
• The 85 and older population is projected to more than double from 6.6 million in 2019 to 14.4 million in 2040 (a 118% increase)
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