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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 16, 2017 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 4-c <br /> SUBJECT: Older Americans Month Proclamation and National Senior Center Accreditation <br /> Recognition <br /> DEPARTMENT: Aging and Advisory Board on <br /> Aging <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Older Americans Month Proclamation Janice Tyler, Director, 245-4255 <br /> Margaret Cohn, Chair, Advisory Board <br /> on Aging <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation joining Federal and State governments in designating <br /> the month of May as Older Americans Month and a time to honor older adults for their <br /> contributions to society and to Orange County; and to recognize the Passmore and Seymour <br /> Centers for becoming nationally accredited senior centers with the presentation of accreditation <br /> plaques. <br /> BACKGROUND: May is Older Americans Month, a tradition dating back to 1963. For many <br /> years the Board of Commissioners has issued a proclamation for Older Americans Month. This <br /> year's national theme is Age Out Loud. It encompasses the idea that getting older does not <br /> mean what it used to. For many aging Americans, it is a phase of life where interests, goals and <br /> dreams can get a new and second start. Today, aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions <br /> and redefining the way you want to age. <br /> President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Older Americans Act into law in July 1965. Since that <br /> time the Act has provided a nationwide aging services network and funding that helps older <br /> adults live with dignity in the communities of their choice for as long as possible. These services <br /> include senior centers, daily lunch programs, caregiver support, community-based assistance, <br /> preventive health services, elder abuse prevention, and much more. <br /> While the Department on Aging offers programs and services to older adults year-round, Older <br /> Americans Month offers an opportunity to emphasize how older adults can access the home- <br /> and community-based services they need to live independently in their communities. It is also <br /> an occasion to highlight how older adults are engaging with and making a difference in their <br /> communities. Project EngAGE Senior Leaders are examples of how it is to Age Out Loud by <br /> engaging in their communities and reinventing themselves through new work and new passions. <br />