CENTRAL MASSCHUSETTS AGENCY ON AGING

The Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging is the largest, both geographically (1, 500 square miles) and numerically (128, 000 elders) of the twenty-three area agencies on aging (AAA) in the Commonwealth. Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging works with three independent aging services access points (or ASAPs, once known as home care corporations) as well as sixty-one Councils on Aging and dozens of human service providers to build the capacity of the entire elder service system.

The Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging (CMAA), formerly Region II Area Agency on Aging, was incorporated in September, 1974, in Holden, Mass. An eleven member Board of Directors was formed with individuals from throughout the region. Shortly after the Board was in place, they formed an Advisory Council, which consisted of thirty-four people drawn from consumers, providers and Councils on Aging. The original staff consisted of four persons who managed a budget of $450, 000, which covered administration and grants for community-based elder support services.