Defining Our Purpose and Future
Mission Statement
The CAC Office on Aging is dedicated to empowering older adults to live with dignity, purpose, and independence. We connect individuals and caregivers to vital resources, advocate for aging-related needs, and foster a community where all older adults are valued, supported, and engaged.
Vision Statement
A community where every older adult in Knox County is respected, connected, and empowered to thrive throughout the aging journey.
About the Office on Aging
The CAC Office on Aging is here to support older adults in Knoxville and Knox County—helping ensure that aging is a journey marked by dignity, connection, and care. As a public nonprofit agency, we bring together programs, services, and resources to meet the evolving needs of older individuals in our community. Our role includes:
- Identifying the needs of older adults and finding creative ways to meet them
- Coordinating services across agencies to avoid duplication and ensure no one falls through the cracks
- Offering guidance and information to older adults and their families, connecting them to the help they need
- Advocating for older adults and making sure their voices are heard
We are committed to serving all older adults, but we place special attention on those facing the greatest challenges—whether it’s fragile health, financial struggles, or social isolation. For those individuals, our mission is especially clear: to stand beside them, help lighten their load, and open doors to support and opportunity.
History of CAC & Office on Aging
Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC)
The CAC Office on Aging is a part of the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, a local public agency serving the community with a comprehensive range of federal, state, and locally funded programs. It is a part of the nation’s premier network in building communities and servicing families and individuals. CAC promotes family economic upward mobility and independent living through caring and effective delivery of needed services and the development of partnerships at all levels.
Since 1964, when it was created by Knox County and the City of Knoxville, CAC has served to uphold its commitment: Helping People and Changing Lives. CAC is locally governed by citizens who represent the people served by CAC, low-income neighborhoods, government, and the community at large.
The CAC Office on Aging was established in 1975 as part of the Knoxville-Knox County CAC to help older adults maintain their independence, improve their quality of life, and avoid unnecessary institutional care.
CAC Timeline
Office on Aging Directors
- Hilton Bolton, 1975-1977
- Barbara Monty, 1977-2013
- Susan Long, 2013-2019
- Dottie Lyvers, 2019-Current
Office on Aging Now
Currently, the Office on Aging has over 25 programs, services, and initiatives and approximately 30 full-time staff members.
Programs & Services
Programs, Services, & Initiatives
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Client Confidentiality
Being respectful of our clients and preserving their dignity while providing them with the services they need to remain independent in their own homes is of the utmost concern to the staff of the CAC Office on Aging. For that reason, the names used in the stories on this website have been changed or abbreviated to protect our clients’ identities.
All of the stories on this site reflect the real-life situations that our staff members encounter daily; any alterations to those stories are only to make identification of a specific individual impossible. Likewise, any photos that accompany the stories are not necessarily associated with the people in the stories.