Gail Frank, 89, of Lakewood, loves sports.

"Golf,” said Frank. “Baseball."

Most of his family has passed away, including his wife in 2013.

"I got a son, he works long hours and I stay here at home," he said.

"We kind of got each other I guess," said Terry Frank, Gail’s son.

Terry lives with and cares for his dad.

"I wanted him to stay here for the rest of his life as long as he was able to,” said Terry.

Three days a week, Terry helps Gail get ready to go to Chautauqua Adult Day Services in Jamestown to socialize with others.

And in a role reversal of sorts Terry, walks him down to catch the bus.

"My parents gave birth to me. They raised me. As far as I'm concerned, it's giving back,” said Terry. “I love doing it."

"They want to live where you and I want to live, in the homes and the communities we lived in our entire lives,” said Greg Olsen, who leads the state Office for the Aging. “Where our social connections are, where we grew up, we have great memories."

The Office for the Aging recently released its annual report stating more than 1.3 million older adults and their families were served in 2021.

"We're a small state agency with a huge community footprint,” said Olsen. “It's a large portfolio for the work that we do that almost represents half of the state's population."

The state has the 4th largest population of older adults in the nation, with 4.6 million, age 60 and older, while 4.2 million are right on their heels, between 45 and 59.

"These will be our next customers,” said Olsen. “Trying to combat ageism, with legit facts about the value of this population helps decide interventions and programs.

The report goes on to say more than 196,000 people received meals in a congregate or group setting, almost 90,000 received nutrition counseling or education, more than 63,000 received home delivered meals, almost 11,000 received legal assistance and 600 received support through social adult day services.

Greg says other 2021 highlights include a shift in operations and policy during the pandemic, meeting people's basic needs.

"We're a network that finds a way to get things done, and that showed clearly then, and it continues to show clearly now, and it'll show clearly in the future,” he said.

"These reports really show on a year-to-year basis how much more we're serving and how many more people are coming to us for assistance,” said MaryAnn Spanos, who leads Chautauqua County's Office for Aging, where the agency helped 9,000 of the county's 35,000 older adults, up from 6,000 in a typical year.

As one of 59 county based offices in the state, she says highlights include getting seniors COVID supplies and vaccines, while challenges include reaching the underserved.

"We need to make a concerted effort to be more diverse, more inclusive,” said Spanos. “Make people feel like they belong."

It’s part of the mission to keep seniors, like Gail at home and in the community.

Gail is appreciative for the day services.

"I like what they present to you,” he said. “It's a, it's a challenge, it's good."

And at the end of the day, Terry is there to welcome dad home.