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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 3, 2022 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-e <br /> SUBJECT: Older Americans Month Proclamation <br /> DEPARTMENT: Aging and Advisory Board on Aging <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Janice Tyler, Director, 245-4255 <br /> Older Americans Month Proclamation Heather Altman, 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 the community. <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 Americans <br /> Month. This year's national theme is Age My Way. Just as every person is unique, so too is how <br /> they age and how they choose to do it — and there is no "right" way. This year's theme focuses <br /> on how older adults can age in their communities, living independently for as long as possible and <br /> participating in ways they choose. <br /> In tough times, communities find strength in people — and people find strength in their <br /> communities. In the past two years, everyone has seen this time and again in Orange County as <br /> friends, neighbors, and businesses have found new ways to support each other. <br /> In the community, older adults are a key source of this strength. Through their experiences, <br /> successes, and difficulties, older adults have built resilience that helps them to face new <br /> challenges. When communities tap into this, they become stronger too. Ensuring that older adults <br /> remain involved and included in communities for as long as possible benefits everyone. Today, <br /> aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions and redefining the way you want to age.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 adults <br /> live with dignity in the communities of their choice for as long as possible. These services include <br /> senior centers, daily lunch programs, caregiver support, community-based assistance, preventive <br /> health services, elder abuse prevention, and much more. <br />