Age My Way! Happy Older Americans Month!

As you may know, the month of May is Older Americans Month, and the theme this year is Age My Way! 

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.
 

Age My Way NC is surveying people 45 plus across the state of North Carolina to identify priorities such as safe and walkable streets; age-friendly housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate at home in community life. Approximately 1.7 million North Carolinians are age 65 or older and that number is growing. By 2030, fully one-in-five will be older than 65 and for the first time ever, North Carolina will be comprised more of older adults than children. This is already true for Buncombe County, and by 2030 nearly one in four of us in Buncombe County will be older than 65.

We encourage you to share this information with your communities and help them understand the importance of such a survey.  It will help those that support the aging community be better informed on the types of needs and challenges they face.  The survey can be found here: https://survey.cmix.com/69C2ABE3/G10DF6LT/en-US