The 2015 White House Conference On Aging Is July 13
The 2015 White House Conference on Aging:
Key Themes: Healthy Aging, Long-Term Services & Supports, Elder Justice, and Retirement Security
The first White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) was held in 1961, with subsequent conferences in 1971, 1981, 1995, and 2005. These conferences have been viewed as catalysts for the development of aging policy over the past 50 years. The conferences generated ideas and momentum, prompting the establishment of, or key improvements in, many of the programs that represent America’s commitment to older Americans today including: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Older Americans Act.
This year, marks the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security. The 2015 White House Conference on Aging is an opportunity to recognize the importance of these key programs as well as look ahead to the next decade.
In the months leading up to the July 13th event, the White House Conference on Aging has been collecting input and feedback from Americans about how to shape the aging policy landscape through a number of venues, including a website, social media, listening sessions with stakeholders and by hosting regional forums across the country including in Tampa, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, Seattle, Washington, Cleveland, Ohio, and Boston, Massachusetts.
How can you get involved in the conference?
1. Sign up to receive regular updates and emails to stay informed about listening sessions, regional forums, webinars, and other opportunities for public engagement. Join the mailing list.
2. Provide your thoughts about the issues. The White House Conference on Aging has released four policy briefs on the topics of healthy aging, long-term services and supports, elder justice, and retirement security. The briefs define and frame each issue and examine it from various perspectives. They also include comments collected from the Conference on Aging website, and the latest in evidence-based information. Each Brief concludes with a series of discussion questions, to which organizations and individuals are encouraged to respond. Comments received by June 12 will be used to develop a report that will be issued in conjunction with the summer conference.
3. Share your story about aging either as an older adult or a caregiver. The 2015 White House Conference on Aging wants to especially put a spotlight on stories that recognize and celebrate the contributions of older Americans. Share your story.
4. Interview an older adult. Download the StoryCorps app to record an interview with an older adult in your family or community. Upload the interview to archive it in the Library of Congress and share it on social media using the #WHCOA hashtag. Or use the Complete the sentence (PDF) that asks a senior to finish the sentence, “Getting older is getting better because …”
5. Watch the event live on July 13 via http://whitehouseconferenceonaging.gov/
If you’re an organization or business, and have plans to take new actions related to aging in America, the conference would like to hear from you. Contact them at info@whaging.gov.
BLOG Date: Thursday, July 9, 2015
Writer: Ryan Allen