Posts related to Older Americans Month

SAGE Celebrates Major Victory in Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act

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This release originally appeared on the SAGE website on March 26, 2020.

[New York, NY] Today, the Older Americans Act reauthorization was signed into law with provisions that will help ensure that LGBT elders get the services and support they need to remain independent. SAGE, the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older people, has spent years working with our allies in Congress, the LGBT community, and the aging sector to push for this inclusion and celebrates this victory for the LGBT community. This legislation is especially timely given the sobering risks LGBT elders face during the current COVID-19 pandemic and their heightened need for inclusive services and care.

The.... Read More

             

Sleep Is Crucial to Healthy Aging

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by Kayla Sawyer. This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

It is a common misconception that sleep needs decline with age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that 61-64-year-olds get seven to nine hours, and adults 65 and older get seven to eight hours.

Unfortunately, as people age they tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep. Older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep sleep. They also experience an overall decline in REM sleep and an increase in sleep fragmentation.

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Despite connectivity, social isolation is not declining—especially among diverse older adults

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This article originally appeared in Aging Today, the bimonthly newspaper of the American Society on Aging.

When asked by staff of the Diverse Elders Coalition about the aging services available in her area, Elva, an American Indian elder from New Mexico, relayed how important her local Elder Center was to her and her peers’ well-being: “We as elders need a place to come to, [where we] have meals, do activities and visit with friends and relatives.”

Elva noted that the Elder Center was a place where she could get information about benefits and other available resources. “Many times, as a Native elder, we feel that we don’t exist,” she said.

In our increasingly digitally connected world, there.... Read More

             

Success From The Mind Of Albert Harper

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by Xavier Jones. This article originally appeared in the Telegram Newspaper.

If you ask 10 people their definitions of success, you might get 10 different responses. Google defines success as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” World record holder, Albert “The Exercise Bandit” Harper describes success as motivation, a factor that drives his life in a positive direction.

At age 66, Harper has been breaking world records for over 30 years. His world records include 45 push-ups on top of a brick with one finger, 50 push-ups on top of a potato with one thumb, and a record for push-ups on raw eggs, while balancing an egg on a spoon in his mouth, a record.... Read More

             

Culturally Competent Care Resources for Providers Serving Dual Eligibles

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Dear Colleague,

April was National Minority Health Month, and May is Older Americans Month. In observance, we invite you to explore our resources for delivering culturally and linguistically competent long-term services and supports (LTSS).

Long-term services and supports (LTSS) are a vital part of care for many dually eligible beneficiaries. Nearly half (42 percent) of full-benefit dual eligibles used LTSS in 2013, including nursing facility services, adult day programs, home care, and personal care services. Individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups often experience disparities in access, quality, and outcomes.... Read More

             

Highlights of Older Americans Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

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The month of May was an exciting month for us at the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA). May was not only designated by the Administration on Aging as Older Americans Month, but Congress also designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM).

As the only national organization working at the intersection of aging issues and representing the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) older adults and families, the month of May provided NAPCA the opportunity to honor both: Asian Pacific Americans over 55 by sharing weekly program success stories, news about local activities and events, but more importantly, resources that are culturally competent and linguistically appropriate for our AAPI community.

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Older Americans Month: Engage at Every Age

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May is Older Americans Month! This year, the theme is Engage at Every Age, which emphasizes that you are never too old (or young) to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It also celebrates the many ways in which older adults make a difference in our communities.

How to Participate in Older Americans Month:

Join the ACL and AoA in the Older Americans Month Selfie Challenge! They want to see how you’re engaging. Simply take a selfie (or have someone take your photo) and tweet it with the hashtag #OAM18 Connect.... Read More
             

NAPCA Celebrates the Arrival of Older Americans Month and AAPI Heritage Month

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Why is the month of May such an exciting month for us at the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA)? Not only is May designated by the Administration on Aging (AoA), part of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) as Older Americans Month (OAM), but Congress also designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM).

NAPCA is the only national organization with a sole focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander American (AAPI) older adults, working at the intersection of the AAPI and aging fields to ensure that the challenges confronting AAPI older adults are heard and addressed.

The theme for Older Americans Month 2018 is Engage at Every Age, emphasizing that you are never too.... Read More

             

Older Americans Month and the Role of Older Adults in Our Lives

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U.S. culture is often described as youth focused — a description that is certainly true of U.S. popular culture. Driven by Hollywood standards of beauty and fashion, our media outlets inundate us with images and analyses of trends, as well as star gossip. Invariably, these images and analyses focus on the young and beautiful stars of stage, screen and popular music.

Today, however, the U.S. faces a demographic shift that will likely also force a cultural shift.  As the nation’s baby boomers age, we are for the first time in our history becoming an aging society, where older adults outnumber the young. Ever the harbinger of cultural change, the U.S. entertainment industry is already featuring older stars on stage and.... Read More

             

Celebrating Our Communities’ History and Future

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May is an exciting month at the Diverse Elders Coalition. Our communities, which are so often left out of mainstream conversations, are highlighted nationally in two different ways during the month of May: not only is it Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which allows our AAPI elders take the spotlight, it is also Older Americans Month, which celebrates the legacies and supports the future of all of our diverse elders. We love seeing the many ways in which our communities are working together to honor each other during May and all throughout the year.

The theme for this year’s Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month is “Walk Together, Embrace Differences, Build Legacies.” I love this theme, not only because it celebrates.... Read More

             

Diverse Elders Coalition to Host Congressional Briefing After White House Conference on Aging

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The Diverse Elders Coalition, in collaboration with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, is hosting a Congressional Briefing on July 14, 2015, the day after the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. Coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the Older Americans Act, this Briefing will discuss elders of color, indigenous elders, LGBT elders, and elders living with HIV/AIDS in light of the White House conference and will identify needs and challenges moving forward. The Diverse Elders Coalition will present a report documenting their engagement with the White House Conference on Aging and their policy recommendations on how to improve the lives of diverse elders and their families.

Congressmember Mark Takano (D-CA) will join the Briefing and provide comments. Rep. Takano.... Read More

             

Get Into the Act

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This year’s theme for Older Americans Month is “Get into the Act.” Although unintended, the theme made me think of how often LGBT older adults have had to “act” throughout their lives – whether it was living in the closet growing-up in a time and place when it was not acceptable to be out – or the unfortunate number who feel compelled to go back into the closet as they get older and enter places where they feel more vulnerable and don’t feel safe or comfortable being out. The bottom line, of course, is that after spending a lifetime of trying to get out of the closet, LGBT older adults have earned the right to grow older in places where.... Read More

             
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