May is Older Americans Month, and this year’s theme is “Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities.” President George W. Bush said in a proclamation that the theme highlights the importance of building partnerships to ensure that older Americans are able to live with dignity and independence.

“Our country remains strong because of the foundation our elders have helped lay,” he said. (Read the full proclamation at http://www.pr-inside.com/proclamation-by-the-president-older-americans-r553728.htm.)

Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, urges people of all ages to celebrate Older Americans Month.

“We celebrate older Americans and their families by praising their contributions to our country. We also celebrate and express our gratitude to the countless number of dedicated health and human service professionals, scientists and volunteers that work with or on behalf of elders in communities across the country every day,” she said.

Carbonell believes that as the first Baby Boomers begin to turn 65, the country has a unique opportunity to address these changing demographics. “We need to listen to what older consumers and their families are telling us,” she said. “We know that the overwhelming preference of the American people is to remain at home for as long as possible and to have the ability to choose where they live as they age.”

For ideas on how to observe Older Americans Month, or to read more of Carbonell’s comments, visit the U.S. Administration on Aging Web site at http://www.aoa.gov/index.asp.

Here is a quote from the President’s announcement earlier today:

During Older Americans Month, we recognize the many ways older citizens have enriched our Nation through their character, wisdom, and love.

Our country remains strong because of the foundation our elders have helped lay. This year’s Older Americans Month theme, “Working Together for Strong, Healthy, and Supportive Communities,” highlights the importance of building partnerships to ensure that older Americans are able to live with dignity and independence.

Every week thousands of older Americans give back to their communities by volunteering through groups like Senior Corps. From teaching young children how to read, to helping provide relief to those affected by natural disasters, seniors play an important and compassionate role in our Nation.

My Administration is dedicated to ensuring that our seniors are treated with the respect they have earned. They deserve to have choices and access to the best possible health care, so we have added new preventive care measures and prescription drug benefits as part of our effort to modernize Medicare and make medication more affordable. In this way and many others, our country honors our elders’ legacy and recognizes their countless contributions to our Nation.

America’s seniors provide an example for younger generations, and during Older Americans Month, we reflect on their efforts toward building a stronger and brighter future for all. Our country remains forever in their debt, as they have provided a guiding light for the rest of the Nation to follow.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2008 as Older Americans Month. I commend older Americans for the many contributions they have made and continue to make to our Nation. I also commend the Federal, State, local, and tribal organizations, service and health care providers, caregivers, and volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to our seniors. I encourage all citizens to honor their elders, care for those in need, and reaffirm our country’s commitment to older Americans this month and throughout the year.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

You can access the President’s announcment by visiting www.whitehouse.gov.

 

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