Each year about seven to nine million older people use Older Americans Act (OAA) services, whose delivery largely depends upon the efforts of half a million volunteers. These volunteers work through State and Territorial Units on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging, and more than 20,000 local organizations that offer opportunities and services to active older persons as well as those elderly who need help.

Volunteer activities include: assisting at group meals sites and delivering meals to the home-bound elderly; escorting frail older persons to health care services, on shopping errands and to other needed services; visiting homebound older persons and providing telephone reassurance to help ensure their well-being through regular social contacts; repairing and weatherizing the homes of low-income and frail older persons to ensure their safety and improve their mobility; counseling older persons in a variety of areas including health promotion, nutrition, legal and financial concerns; serving as a nursing home ombudsman to resolve resident facility disputes and to help ensure the safety and well-being of residents; providing homemaking assistant to frail older persons; and assisting in senior center, day care, and other group programs for seniors.