This paper discusses Area Agencies on Aging (AAA). There are currently 655 area agencies which were created by the 1973 amendments to the Older American Act that plan, coordinate, and pool resources for the aged. The act mandated specific goals; however, because the AAA must have external support to survive, they have had to take into account group pressures, political realities, and competitive agencies in their coordination and planning roles. The South Central Connecticut Agency on Aging (SCCAA), a privately incorporated agency, yet one that is linked to the state for funding and monitoring purposes, is a model. The SCCAA fulfills the state and national directives yet shapes its internal organization through development of regional coordinating agencies and boards on which social service agencies and consumer groups participate. The planning process of the SCCAA involves five stages: (1) the education and information stage, where the values and importance of the SCCAA as a planner and coordinator is stressed; (2) the political accommodation stage, where the SCCAA deals with political realities, coping with potential threats to its survival; (3) the prioritizing stage on the Regional Committees on Aging (RCA) level, where the RCA funding needs are discussed; (4) the last prioritizing stage on the Advisory Council and Board of Director's level, where the needs of local RCA's are finally evaluated; and (5) the grant award stage. (Author/NE)