{"id":1016,"date":"2016-05-03T04:33:20","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T04:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/?p=1016"},"modified":"2016-05-03T04:33:20","modified_gmt":"2016-05-03T04:33:20","slug":"blaze-trail-older-americans-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/2016\/05\/03\/blaze-trail-older-americans-month\/","title":{"rendered":"“Blaze A Trail” During Older Americans Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Logos2\"Older Americans Month<\/a> is an annual event dating back to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy designated May as “Senior Citizens Month.” It was later renamed Older Americans Month, honoring older Americans and celebrating their contributions to our communities and our nation.<\/p>\n

When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few programs to meet their needs. Interest in older Americans and their concerns was growing. A meeting in April 1963 between President John F. Kennedy and members of the National Council of Senior Citizens led to his designating May as \u201cSenior Citizens Month.”<\/p>\n

Two years later, in 1965, Congress passed the Older Americans Act<\/a> to address the lack of community social services for older people in the United States. The original legislation authorized the federal government to make grants to the states for community planning and social services, research and development projects, and personnel training in the field of aging.\u00a0The Older Americans Act also established the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA)<\/span><\/a> to administer the newly created grant programs and to serve as the primary federal agency on issues concerning older Americans.<\/p>\n

Historically, Older Americans Month has been a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older persons to our country, in particular those who defended our country. Every President since Kennedy has issued a formal proclamation during or before the month of May<\/a> asking that the entire nation pay tribute in some way to older persons in their communities. Older Americans Month is celebrated across the country through ceremonies, events, fairs, and other such activities.<\/p>\n

Each year, the\u00a0Administration on Community Living Resources (ACL)<\/a>\u00a0sets the theme for Older Americans Month. The 2016 theme is “Blaze a Trail,”<\/a> acknowledging the perennial contributions of older adults to our nation and celebrating how older adults take charge of their health, get engaged in their communities, and make a positive impact in the lives of others.<\/p>\n

What can you do to celebrate Older Americans Month this year?<\/p>\n