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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 2, 2019 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 4-a <br /> SUBJECT: Older Americans Month Proclamation <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 2019 as Older Americans Month and a time to honor older adults for their <br /> contributions to the community. <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 Connect, Create, Contribute. The theme emphasizes that no one is <br /> ever too old (or young) to take part in activities that can enrich their physical, mental, and <br /> emotional well-being. It also celebrates the many ways in which older adults make a difference <br /> in their communities. It encompasses the idea that getting older does not mean what it used to. <br /> For many aging Americans, it is a phase of life where interests, goals and dreams can get a new <br /> and second start. Today, aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions and redefining the <br /> way each individual wants 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 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 needed to live independently in their communities. It <br /> is also an occasion to highlight how older adults are engaging with and making a difference in <br /> their communities. Project EngAGE Senior Leaders are shining examples of how it is to <br /> Connect, Create, Contribute by connecting in their communities and reinventing themselves <br />