Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
<br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 1, 2018 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-d <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Older Americans Month Proclamation <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Aging and Advisory Board on <br />Aging <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Older Americans Month Proclamation <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Janice Tyler, Director, 245-4255 <br />Margaret Cohn, Chair, Advisory Board <br />on Aging <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <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 the community. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: May is Older Americans Month, a tradition dating back to 1963. For many <br />years the Orange County Board of Commissioners has issued a proclamation for Older <br />Americans Month. This year’s national theme is Engage at Every Age. The theme emphasizes <br />that you are never too old (or young) to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, <br />mental, and emotional well-being. It also celebrates the many ways in which older adults make <br />a difference in communities. It encompasses the idea that getting older does not mean what it <br />used to. For many aging Americans, it is a phase of life where interests, goals and dreams can <br />get a new and second start. Today, aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions and <br />redefining the way you want to age. <br /> <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 /> <br />While the Department on Aging offers outstanding programs and services to older adults year- <br />round, Older Americans Month offers an opportunity to emphasize how older adults can access <br />the home- and community-based services they need to live independently in their communities. <br />It is also an occasion to highlight how older adults are engaging with and making a difference in <br />their communities. Orange County’s Project EngAGE Senior Leaders are shining examples of <br />how it is to Engage at Every Age. They are engaging in their communities and reinventing <br />1