A resolution designating May 2023 as "Older Americans Month".

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 234 Designating May 2023 as ‘‘Older Americans Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 1, 2023 Mr. KELLY (for himself, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. VANCE, Mr. RICKETTS, Ms. WARREN, Mr. FETTERMAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating May 2023 as ‘‘Older Americans Month’’. Whereas President John F. Kennedy first designated May as ‘‘Senior Citizens Month’’ in 1963; Whereas, in 1963, only approximately 17,778,000 individuals living in the United States were 65 years of age or older, approximately 1⁄3 of those individuals lived in poverty, and few programs existed to meet the needs of older indi- viduals in the United States; Whereas, in 2022, there were more than 57,794,852 individ- uals who were 65 years of age or older living in the United States and those individuals accounted for 17.3 percent of the total population of the United States; Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic— VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:08 Jun 02, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR234.ATS SR234 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 234 ATS (1) more than 853,670 individuals in the United States who were 65 years of age or older have died due to COVID–19; and (2) more than 200,000 residents and workers in long-term care facilities, including more than 168,000 in nursing homes, have succumbed to the virus; Whereas approximately 11,224 individuals in the United States turn 65 years of age each day; Whereas, in 2022, more than 8,543,000 veterans of the Armed Forces were 65 years of age or older; Whereas older individuals in the United States rely on Fed- eral programs, such as programs under the Social Secu- rity Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), including the Medicare program under title XVIII of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program under title XIX of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), for financial security and high-quality affordable health care; Whereas the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) provides— (1) supportive services to help individuals in the United States who are 60 years of age or older maintain maximum independence in the homes and communities of those individuals; and (2) funding for programs, including nutrition serv- ices, transportation, and care management to assist more than 10,000,000 older individuals in the United States each year; Whereas, as local aging network leaders, Area Agencies on Aging are critical partners in the healthy aging con- tinuum; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:08 Jun 02, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR234.ATS SR234 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 234 ATS Whereas, in 2022, an estimated 6,779,000 individuals in the United States who were 65 years of age or older contin- ued to work as full-time, year-round employees; Whereas older individuals in the United States play an im- portant role in society by continuing to contribute their experience, knowledge, wisdom, and accomplishments; Whereas older individuals in the United States play vital roles in their communities and remain involved in volun- teer work, the arts, cultural activities, and activities relat- ing to mentorship and civic engagement; Whereas more than 140,000 older individuals serve as AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in the Foster Grand- parent, Senior Companion Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, helping communities by men- toring and tutoring children, providing independent living support and companionship to other older adults, ad- dressing food insecurity, and more; and Whereas a society that recognizes the success of older individ- uals and continues to enhance the access of older individ- uals to quality and affordable health care will— (1) encourage the ongoing participation and height- ened independence of older individuals; and (2) ensure the continued safety and well-being of older individuals: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates May 2023 as ‘‘Older Americans 2 Month’’; and 3 (2) encourages the people of the United States 4 to provide opportunities for older individuals to con- 5 tinue to flourish by— 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:08 Jun 02, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR234.ATS SR234 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 234 ATS (A) emphasizing the importance and lead- 1 ership of older individuals through public rec- 2 ognition of the ongoing achievements of older 3 individuals; 4 (B) presenting opportunities for older indi- 5 viduals to share their wisdom, experience, and 6 skills with younger generations; and 7 (C) recognizing older individuals as valu- 8 able assets in strengthening communities across 9 the United States. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:08 Jun 02, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR234.ATS SR234 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS