Mission :
To enhance the quality of life for area seniors and their caregivers, the central massachusetts agency on aging will provide leadership, information and resources , coordination of services and advocacy.

History:
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.

In 1976, the Agency began administering a Title V, Senior Aide program, which places 38 elder enrollees in various community work settings. The affiliation with this program ended in 2002. In 1977, the Agency gained responsibility for three Nutrition Projects; the overall budget had reached $1.5 million. In 1980, the Advisory Council was sub-divided into three sub-area advisory councils (SAAC's) in North, Central and South County. In 1983, the Board increased to seventeen members, adding two seats from each of the three SAAC's.

An Information and Referral (I&R) service was established at the Agency in 1985. In 1987, the State began supplementing the Agency's federal funds, which had started leveling off in the early '80's; this State supplement ($100,000) ceased in 1990.

The Board of Directors, now with 17 members, changed the Agency's name in 1989 to more accurately reflect our planning and service area of sixty-one communities in Central Massachusetts. The Agency moved to its current location in West Boylston in 1990. The annual budget is approximately $2.9 million; the staff numbers eleven (8 full time, 3 part time). In 1996, the Advisory Council was reestablished as a single body, and now includes up to 45 members.

In the late 1990's, Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging inaugurated a presence on the world wide web with the SeniorConnection website. Filled with information about the Agency and its Title III grants, it also includes an interactive database of over 1700 programs and services throughout central Massachusetts. In 2002, SeniorConnection was enhanced to include the Connection for Caregivers, a fully interactive website providing information in multiple formats, including a 24/7 peer support group and a monthly live support group.

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.