May Heritage & Cultural Highlight: Older Americans Month 

OAM2024DigitalMasthead

About 

“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 designating May as “Senior Citizens Month,” the prelude to “Older Americans Month.” 

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 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.” History of Older Americans Month | ACL Administration for Community Living

Connecting  

On a national and local level there are a plethora of organizations and service providers that support Older Americans and Older Durhamites! Check out some of these amazing spaces today.  

Learning 

Whether you yourself are an Older American, you love and care for an Older American, or if you are an ally to Older Americans, make sureOAM24_Family_0 you are up to date on the latest knowledge and information available for Older Americans. Particularly for local Durhamites, take a look at Durham’s Master Aging Plan and ways that Durham County works to make our spaces age-friendly! 

Doing 

Durham is full of events and activities for all of our fabulous citizens, no matter your age! Every single person has the right to be engaged and active in their community. Check out these specific events specifically designed for Older Durhamites.  

  • When you look up Library events you can filter by age, and there is a specific set of curated events for Senior Citizens 

OAM24_Friendship_0One of the key factors that we can use to support Older Americans is to combat isolation and loneliness; that’s why this year’s theme is “Powered by Connection”. The webpage for Older Americans Month highlights ways that everyone can participate and advocate through connection: 

  • Share facts about the mental, physical, and emotional health benefits of social connection and how it contributes to overall well-being. 

  • Promote resources that help older adults engage, like community events, social clubs, and volunteer opportunities. 

  • Connect older adults with local services, such as transportation, that can help them overcome obstacles to achieving or maintaining meaningful relationships. 

  • Encourage partners to host a connection-centric event or program focused on older adult mentors to youth, peer-to-peer support, or similar efforts. 

  • Challenge professional and personal networks to prioritize meaningful social connections and share the benefits. 

  • Inspire older adults to share what connection means to them on social media using the hashtag #PoweredByConnection. 

Conversation Starters 

Here are some questions to start conversations with others about Older Americans Month. For leaders, try building in time in supervisions orOAM24_Grandfamily_0 team meetings to prompt staff conversations about Older Americans Month. Options could include: 

  • Did you learn anything new about Older Americans this month?  

  • Have you made any new personal or professional connections this month that can help you support Older Americans? 

  • Did you learn anything new about Older Americans or the experiences of Older Americans this month? 

  • How did you participate in Older Americans Month?  

  • How can things you learned or did for Older Americans Month impact how you do your job?