Elderbridge Agency on Aging has been meeting the needs of older adults and their families for more than thirty years. Elderbridge serves adults ages 60 and over and family caregivers in a twenty-county area consisting of Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Crawford, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Mitchell, Pocahontas, Sac, Webster, Winnebago, Worth and Wright Counties.

Elderbridge is a free-standing, 501(c)(3) organization designated in 1974 by the Iowa Commission on Aging (now the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs) to serve as the area agency on aging in north-central Iowa. Elderbridge is charged under the Older Americans Act with providing:

• Advocacy for aging issues and older adults,
• Coordination of programs and service such as congregate and home-delivered meals, case management, transportation and caregiver assistance,
• Development and administration of the Area Plan for Aging Services
• Information and assistance to assure access to services by individuals age 60 and over.
• Leadership on aging issues
• Developing new services as unmet needs are identified
• Funding services for seniors

It is the mission of Elderbridge Agency on Aging to enable older Iowans to live with the maximum dignity, well-being, and independence. Our goal is to provide the necessary information and resources to empower our constituents to manage their lives and the aging process to the best of their and our abilities.

Elderbridge is one of thirteen organizations designated as area agencies on aging in Iowa. The agency is part of a national aging network designed to address the needs and concerns of older adults. Elderbridge provides services either directly or through subcontracted agencies from its administrative office in Mason City and its field offices in Fort Dodge and Carroll.

A 20-member Board of Directors representing the 20 counties of our region governs Elderbridge. The Board receives input from a 40-member Advisory Council. The majority of the Board and Advisory Council members are over age 60.

The 20-county service area includes a senior population of 74,996. Annually, over 9,500 persons age 60 and older receive one or more of Elderbridge’s nineteen funded services.

Elderbridge develops and administers an Area Plan for Aging Services in Planning and Service Areas (PSAs) 2, 5, and 12, i.e., north-central Iowa. The Area Plan is a comprehensive planning, management and funding document. In developing the plan, Elderbridge assesses the needs of older adults, identifies issues for long-range planning, sets priorities for funding, and outlines state and local initiatives. As part of the planning and funding process, a network of social, nutritional, and other supportive services for older persons and their caregivers is established.