Historical Perspective Since 1967, Pima Council on Aging has worked alongside community partners to identify the needs of older adults in Pima County and respond to those needs with innovative programs and services. As the designated Area Agency on Aging, PCOA has served older adults and their families in communities across Pima County through planning, advocacy, and providing and contracting for services. 1970s In the earliest days of our 50-year history, Pima Council on Aging helped establish the City of Tucson Special Needs Transportation Services division. In the 1970s, we developed one of the first case management systems in the country to coordinate in-home supportive services for older adults–a model that has since been duplicated across the country, providing in-home services as alternatives to institutionalization. We began offering legal services and home repair programs for older adults and initiated the Pima County Ombudsman Program–all of which are still in operation today. In 1975, we conducted the first formal Community Needs Assessment of older adults and have repeated that process every three to four years since. 1980s In the 1980s, PCOA assisted the Junior League in the development of what is now St. Luke’s Home. We helped to create the Tucson Interfaith Coalition on Aging. We worked alongside community partners at Tucson Medical Center to develop the Annual Salute to Tucson Centenarians, celebrating the lives and longevity of our community’s oldest citizens. In 2023, we held our 36 th event honoring Tucsonans over the age of 99. 1990s As the needs of older adults in our society and community changed into the 1990s, we developed a Medicare counseling program to assist in navigating the complex world of Medicare. We worked with local government, as well as public health nurses to develop a home safety and falls prevention assessment and education program.
A Report to the Community
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Pima Council on Aging
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