By Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Administration on Aging
I join President Obama in celebrating Older Americans Month. For 47 years, our nation has set the month of May aside to honor older Americans and acknowledge their continued contributions to our nation. Our theme for this year is “Age Strong! Live Long!” which recognizes the diversity and vitality of today’s older Americans and highlights the importance of staying healthy throughout our lives.
To salute all older Americans and send a message about the importance of staying healthy and as independent as possible, AoA is sponsoring a festive and fun one-mile walk and low-impact tai chi session with local older Americans in Washington, D.C on May 27. Other communities across the country will be holding similar events throughout the month. We have also conducted a national “My Recipe for Strength” contest, which invites Americans to share what they are doing to age strong. Winning entries will be selected in three categories: video, photography, and poetry/prose. I’d like to personally encourage everyone to take time to celebrate older Americans Month during May. We owe so much to our elders, and this is a great opportunity to thank them for what they have done for us.
I also would like to thank AOA’s many partners at the federal, state, and tribal level and our national network of community-based organizations who work on a daily basis to improve the health and quality of life for our nation’s older population.
