May
1, 2009 – May is Older Americans Month, as declared by the
Administration on Aging and a long list of U.S. Presidents, and it ranks
about even with Grandparents Day in the attention it gets each year from
the public. The theme this year is "Living Today for a Better Tomorrow,"
which is supposed to emphasize that Americans “must work together to
give older adults the tools they need to make healthy decisions.”
The AOA also says this is “a great time to bring
attention to the issues that affect older adults and create
community-wide opportunities to help older Americans improve their
quality of life.”
By 2030, one in every five Americans will be age 65
or older. Although the risk of disease increases with advancing age,
poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Many illnesses,
disabilities and even death associated with chronic disease are
preventable, according to the AOA news release.
President John F. Kennedy designating May 1963 as
Senior Citizens Month, encouraging the nation to pay tribute in some way
to older people across the country; now Older Americans Month in May
2009
Sometimes it is a reach to find things to say that
have not been said a million times, like the following from the news
release:
“Nearly 40% of deaths in America can be attributed
to poor health habits such as lack of physical exercise, poor eating
habits and smoking. Older Americans can prevent or control chronic
disease by adopting healthy habits such as exercising regularly,
maintaining a healthy diet and ceasing tobacco use.
During Older Americans Month,
Let's Focus on Keeping the Elderly Out of Poverty
Deborah Weinstein, Executive
Director, Coalition on Human Needs
May is Older Americans Month. While there
is much to celebrate about our elders' many historic
contributions, the recession's toll is making this group -
particularly older women - feel anything but festive.
Consider these disturbing facts:
• According to the most recent federal data, 23 percent of women
65 and older who live alone are poor compared with 16 percent of
men. (That means their annual income is $10,590 or lower).
Overall, 11.4 percent of elderly women and
6.9 percent of elderly men live in poverty.
Those numbers are almost certainly higher
today, given that the data was collected in 2007 - before the
recession began.
“The benefits of regular physical activity include
weight control; healthy bones, muscles and joints; arthritis relief;
reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression; and more. Exercise does not
have to be strenuous and is safe for people of all age groups.”
And, here is a real zinger: “In fact, it’s
healthier to exercise than eliminate it altogether.”
“Older Americans can greatly benefit from a regular
exercise routine that includes strength, balance, stretching and
endurance exercises,” the news release emphasizes.
The AOA also finds that senior citizens are not
eating healthy:
“In addition to a regular exercise routine, good
nutrition is vital in maintaining good health. Improving older
Americans’ diets can reduce the occurrence of chronic diseases, but most
older adults over age 65 do not maintain a healthy diet.”
And, they add zinger number two: “Reducing
saturated fats and eating a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and
grains can help out older Americans on the right track to staying
healthy.”
And, zinger number three: “Tobacco use increases
the risk of heart disease and cancer and is the single most preventable
cause of death in the United States. Older adults who stop smoking will
gain immediate and long-term health benefits.”
Then, the news release turns our attention to the
mental health of senior citizens. Well, it is actually a reach that so
many people make now days, when they lump youngsters down as low as 50
years old in with those of us who really are “older Americans.”
It is very hard for me to think I have the same
challenges of aging with a group that includes people young enough to be
my children.
Mental Health
“While it’s important for older Americans to have
good physical health, it’s equally important that they maintain good
mental health. Nearly 20 percent of Americans age 55 and older
experience depression and anxiety disorders.”
Actually, as for as I can see, older Americans –
and I mean people age 65 and older – do extremely well in meeting the
challenges of depression.
Depression is “not a normal part of the aging
process,” according to Mental Health America (formerly known as the
National Mental Health Association).
MHA points out that 19 million Americans a year
suffer the affects of depression, but only about two million are senior
citizens. That’s a little over 10 percent, while our age group is more
than 12 percent of the total population.
History of Older Americans Month
When Older Americans Month was established in 1963,
only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthdays. 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, however. In April of 1963, President John F. Kennedy's meeting
with the National Council of Senior Citizens served as a prelude to
designating May as "Senior Citizens Month."
Thanks to President Jimmy Carter's 1980
designation, what was once called Senior Citizens Month, is now called
"Older Americans Month," and has become a tradition.
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 JFK has issued a formal proclamation during or before
the month of May 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.
Past Older Americans Month Themes
● 1978 - Older Americans and the Family
● 1984 - Health: Make it Last a Lifetime
● 1985 - Help Yourself to Independence
● 1986 - Plan on Living the Rest of Your Life
● 1992 - Community Action Begins with You: Help Older Americans Help
Themselves
● 1993 - No theme selected (proclamation signed on May 25, 1993)
● 1994 - Aging: An Experience of a Lifetime
● 1995 - Aging: Generations of Experience
● 1996 - Aging: A Lifetime Opportunity
● 1997 - Caregiving: Compassion in Action
● 1998 - Living Longer, Growing Stronger in America
● 1999 - Honor the Past, Imagine the Future: Towards a Society for All
Ages
● 2000 - In the New Century. . . . The Future is Aging
● 2001 - The Many Faces of Aging
● 2002 - America: "A Community for all Ages"
● 2003 - What We Do Makes A Difference.”
● 2004 - Aging Well, Living Well
● 2005 - Celebrate Long-term Living
● 2006 - Choices For Independence
● 2007 - Making Choices for a Healthier Future
● 2008 - Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive
Communities
Now, I think that is very good, when you consider
the challenges of chronic disease, injury, dementia, spousal loss,
financial challenge and just plain old physical deterioration that
senior citizens face.
I’m sure the AOA’s suggestion on this is helpful.
“Studies have shown that engaging in social
activities within the community can greatly improve mental health. In
fact, research has demonstrated a strong relationship between
volunteering and mental health and that volunteering provides older
adults with greater benefits than younger volunteers. Benefits include
improved mental and physical health, greater life satisfaction, lower
rates of depression and lower mortality rates.”
I guess my annual problem with Older Americans
Month is that it appears to be created and managed by younger people,
who know little about today’s senior citizens and tend to talk down to
us like we are all mentally deficient and physically decrepit.
If you go over the themes (see box on this page)
for this event in past years it seems evident that many of them are
aimed at helping us elderly people make it through another year or two.
There are many older people who need help, I’m certainly not denying
that, but I would rather see the emphasis be on the accomplishments of
today’s American’s who have reached and far surpassed age 65.
The whole event, I’m sure, would get a lot more
attention and achieve a great deal more if the month was spent bringing
to the attention of all Americans what is being accomplished every day
by these people who continue to make America great.
Here are my parting shots on some better themes for
future years:
"Honoring Those Who Made America
Great"
"Aging Just Means Different
Challenges"
"Learning from Experience"
"Spotlight on Role Models"
About the AOA and Older Americans
(by AOA)
The U.S. Administration on Aging and
its National Aging Services Network support a number of successful
programs throughout the country that are helping older adults live
better today and in the future. These programs keep people independent
and out of nursing homes through streamlined access to health and long
term care information and options and provide home and community-based
systems of services that include the support for family caregivers.
These programs also encourage older people to remain active and make
behavioral changes through the increased use of evidence-based disease
prevention programs under the Older Americans Act as well as the use of
preventive benefits available under Medicare.
Americans of all ages and
backgrounds can celebrate Older Americans Month. Contact your local
Agency on Aging and volunteer for activities in your area; promote
community, state, and national efforts to serve older adults; and find
ways to enrich the lives of older adults who touch your life.
Additionally, actively search out
ways you can involve your community’s older adults in volunteer efforts,
allowing them to share their wisdom and energy. By working together, we
can improve the health and well being of our Nation’s older adults and
pave the way for better health as we age.
May
1, 2009 – May is Older Americans Month, as declared by the
Administration on Aging and a long list of U.S. Presidents, and it ranks
about even with Grandparents Day in the attention it gets each year from
the public. The theme this year is "Living Today for a Better Tomorrow,"
which is supposed to emphasize that Americans “must work together to
give older adults the tools they need to make healthy decisions.”
The U.S. Administration on Aging and
its National Aging Services Network support a number of successful
programs throughout the country that are helping older adults live
better today and in the future. These programs keep people independent
and out of nursing homes through streamlined access to health and long
term care information and options and provide home and community-based
systems of services that include the support for family caregivers.
These programs also encourage older people to remain active and make
behavioral changes through the increased use of evidence-based disease
prevention programs under the Older Americans Act as well as the use of
preventive benefits available under Medicare.