About Us

About Us

Mission Statement

It is the mission of Trident Area Agency on Aging to promote and support the health and wellness of current and future generations of older adults in our communities. We focus on the overall well-being of these older citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, confidence, and personal and family fulfillment.

Vision Statement

It is the vision of Trident Area Agency on Aging empower seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers to make informed decisions about their long-term care and to coordinate innovative, cost-effective and quality home and community-based services for those with the greatest needs.

Who We Are

Trident Area Agency on Aging is a not-for -profit, 501C3 organization that provides assistance, advocacy and answers on aging. As a private, non-governmental organization, we receive grants and donations to fund our services. The organization serves as an Aging and Disability Resource Center for older Americans. As a resource center, it creates a single, coordinated information system which provides access to individuals seeking long-term care, minimizing confusion, enhancing individual choice, and supporting informed decisions.

Older Americans Act

Congress passed the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 1965 in response to concern by policymakers about a lack of community social services for older persons. The original legislation established authority for grants to States for community planning and social services, research and development projects, and personnel training in the field of aging. The law also established the Administration on Aging (AoA) to administer the newly created grant programs and to serve as the Federal focal point on matters concerning older persons.

Although older individuals may receive services under many other Federal programs, today the OAA is considered to be the major vehicle for the organization and delivery of social and nutrition services to this group and their caregivers. It authorizes a wide array of service programs through a national network of 56 State agencies on aging, 629 area agencies on aging, nearly 20,000 service providers, 244 Tribal organizations, and 2 Native Hawaiian organizations representing 400 Tribes.

To meet the diverse needs of the growing numbers of older persons in the United States President Lyndon Johnson on July 14, 1965, signed into law the Older Americans Act (OAA).  The OAA set out specific objectives for maintaining the dignity and welfare of older individuals and created the primary vehicle for organizing, coordinating and providing community-based services and opportunities for older Americans and their families. An unofficial compilation of the OAA, as amended in 2006, is available below along with historical and current information about the OAA, and a link to National Aging Network information (State Units on Aging and Area Agencies on Aging).

Trident Area Agency on Aging History

In 1965, the Older Americans Act became the framework for a national network dedicated to serve and advocate for the nation’s elderly.  Amendments added in 1973 resulted in the establishment of Area Agencies on Aging. Trident Area Agency on Aging is a not for profit, 501(c)3 organization that provides assistance, advocacy and answers on aging. We are a private, non-governmental organization that receives grants and donations to fund our services. It is the mission of Trident Area Agency on Aging to promote and support the health and wellness of current and future generations of older adults in our communities. We focus on the overall well-being of these older citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, confidence, and personal and family fulfillment. As the designated Area Agency on Aging, TAAA directly provides contracts for home delivered meals, home care services, group dining, transportation to programs, health promotion activities, and legal services.

ElderLink received its charter as a private, non-profit corporation on October 23, 1991 and began functioning independently on July 1, 1992.  For the prior fifteen years, the agency was called Trident Area Agency on Aging and was a division of Trident United Way.  Existing staff, Trident United Way membership and State designation as the regional Area Agency on Aging serving Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, were also transferred to ElderLink on July 1, 1992.

ElderLink began to operate independently of Trident United Way, and was governed by its own Board of Directors.  On January 26, 2005, the ElderLink Board of Directors voted to change the name from “ElderLink” back to “Trident Area Agency on Aging” in order to be consistent with area agencies across the state. In August 2007, Trident Area Agency on Aging began serving as the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC).

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