Area Agency on Aging Region One Incorporated

The Area Agency on Aging, Region One receives more than 40,000 phone calls annually to our 24-hour, 7-day-a-week Senior HELP LINE.  That’s a lot of calls from people in need of services!  We serve nearly 80,000 of the most vulnerable individuals in Maricopa County through more than 60 programs every year, yet there is still a waiting list of over 1,000 people in need of life-changing services!  Many of these services are things that most of us take for granted:  bathing, nutritious meals, help with grocery shopping.  With your generous donation, we can all help "lift the wait" and provide the help that will allow older adults to stay independent in their own homes.  One of our clients, Marvin, tells this story:  “I live alone and depend on the Area Agency’s R&R Respite Care Center for socialization.  After my heart attack and shoulder surgery, I needed help with basic things such as dressing and bathing.  Thanks to the Area Agency’s SAIL (Senior Adult Independent Living) program, I received the help I needed to stay in my own home.  The R&R Respite and SAIL programs saved my life!” 

DOVES® is another unique and vital program offered by the Area Agency.  The only program of its kind in Arizona, DOVES® provides older victims of domestic violence with weekly support groups, emergency housing, and safe, affordable transitional housing for up to 2 years.  While at the DOVES® housing complex, older domestic violence survivors are helped to heal from the abuse through the emotional support and guidance of caring domestic violence staff, who assist the residents in becoming self-sufficient by helping them secure employment and/or benefits, supportive services, and safe, permanent housing. The goal for every resident is self-sufficiency so that they can live free from violence and fear, many for the first time in their adult lives.  One of our residents writes: “I came into DOVES after a long history of violent relationships dating back to my childhood. Since the day I moved in, I have felt safe here.  No one here was yelling at me, or belittling me. He wasn’t here hitting me because something wasn’t done right, or just hitting me because he could. Your staff helped me begin the process of finding the peace I have longed for since I was very young.  This program literally saved my life!” 

The Agency’s programs provide a diverse array of services that include delivering home and community-based services, protecting elder rights, operating senior centers, providing case management services to people with HIV/AIDS, and providing information, assistance and education.  Your donation will help us continue to provide these critical services to older adults and others in our community.  Thank you so much for supporting our efforts!