Delegates Gather Today for White Conference on Aging

Dec. 10, 2005 – Delegates to the White House Conference on Aging – an event that happens only every ten years – are gathering in Washington D.C. today to prepare for a volunteer public service project tomorrow and the beginning of official business on Monday. It has also been announced that Kaisernetwork.org, a free health policy news and webcasting service of the Kaiser Family Foundation, will webcast portions of the conference.

	Related Stories
	Public Transportation Group Taking Issue to White House Aging Conference Survey says if public transit more available, 3 in 5 seniors would use it more often Dec. 7, 2005 - More than four in five (82 percent) American senior citizens age 65 or older worry that they will be stranded and unable to get around when they can no longer drive, according to a survey released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which is taking the issue to the White House Conference on Aging, which begins this weekend. Read more... White House Seeks State Aging Solutions By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer Nov. 18, 2005 - On the brink of the first baby boomers turning 60, the White House is about to assemble 1,200 state delegates to focus on ways state aging departments, the private sector and federal officials can gird for the nation’s much-heralded retirement stampede. Read more... List of Delegates Released for White House Conference on Aging Input for conference has been provided by 350 events Sept. 7, 2005 - The 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) has announced the names of At-Large delegates who will participate in the WHCoA from December 11 to 14, 2005 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Read more... Agenda Taking Shape for White House Conference on Aging Aug. 23, 2005 – A draft agenda for the White House Conference on Aging has been released. It focuses on six areas: retirement planning, working in later life, livable communities for older Americans, health and long-term care, social involvement and the change in the marketplace for seniors. Read more...

For detailed information on how to receive the webcasts – click here.

Tomorrow's public service project is organized by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Washington DC Jewish Community Center. The delegates will help renovate the building used by the Educational Organization for United Latin Americans at 1842 Calvert St. EOFULA is a community-based non-profit agency dedicated to serving Spanish-speaking senior citizens. It provides counseling, recreational programs, transportation, health information, and a daily lunch. Works begins at 10 a.m.

The theme of the conference is "The Booming Dynamics of Aging: From Awareness to Action."

This will be the fifth of these White House conferences on aging and the first of the 21st Century. It will open for official business on Monday and conclude on Wednesday, after the delegates have voted on 73 resolutions being presented by the policy committee.

Sessions are open to the public. The conference hotel is the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW.

The conference mission is to make aging policy recommendations to the President and Congress, and to assist the public and private sectors in promoting dignity, health, independence and economic security of current and future generations of older persons.

Policy Committee Actions

On November 22, the WHCoA Policy Committee voted unanimously to approve the 73 resolutions to be presented to the WHCoA delegates for their review.

These resolutions are based on public input solicited by the WHCoA over the past 15 months from testimony and reports submitted at nearly 400 Listening Sessions, Solutions Forums, Mini-Conferences, and Independent Aging Agenda Events as well as general public input that has been received by the WHCoA.

Though these resolutions reflect diverse opinions and are not specifically endorsed by the Policy Committee, the Policy Committee believes that they accurately reflect the emerging issues, interests, and concerns of individuals who participated in these events as well as the unsolicited input from across the country.

Delegates will be asked to vote on up to 50 resolutions and develop implementation strategies that they believe are "the most important for current and future generations of seniors."

Following are links to more information.

● Chairman's Letter to Delegates (PDF)

● Policy Committee Members:

Honorable Dorcas R. Hardy, Chairman

Alejandro Aparicio, MD

Barbara B. Kennelly

Robert Blancato

Hon. Howard P. McKeon (R-CA)

Hon. Larry Craig (R-ID)

Hon. Jim Nicholson

Clayton Fong

Thomas E. Gallagher