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.”
~from the Administration for Community Living website
Happy Older Americans Month! As President Obama, whose Administration is hosting the 2015 White House Conference on Aging this summer, officially proclaimed,
After a lifetime of contributions, [older Americans] have earned our care and respect, and they deserve to live out their years with dignity and independence... This month, we celebrate the accomplishments and sacrifices of our elders, and we reaffirm our belief that the promise of our Nation extends to Americans of all ages.
This year also marks several other anniversaries of note: 80 years of Social Security, and 50 years for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act. Why not celebrate Older Americans Month with some items from the library catalog, including:
Love, Again: The Wisdom of Unexpected Romance by Eve Pell
Unexpectedly Eighty: And Other Adaptations by Judith Viorst
Conscious Living, Conscious Aging: Embrace & Savor Your Next Chapter by Ron Pevny [Large Print]
Sex After--: Women Share How Intimacy Changes as Life Changes by Iris Krasnow
Gut Busters and Belly Laughs: Jokes For Seniors, Boomers, and Anyone Else Who Thinks Thirty-Somethings Are Just Kids by Steven D. Price
With a Little Help From Our Friends: Creating Community as We Grow Older by Beth Baker
The Wonder of Aging: A New Approach to Embracing Life After Fifty by Michael Gurian [Large Print]
Life Reimagined: Discovering Your New Life Possibilities by Richard J. Leider, Alan M. Webber
For more books with issues affecting older Americans, try a subject search in the catalog of "older people".
Also, consider checking out these feature films with mature characters and themes of interest to older people:
Last Tango in Halifax
Unfinished Song
Still Mine
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Something's Gotta Give
Young at Heart
It's Complicated
Le Week-End
Administration for Community Living
Older Americans Month on Pinterest
AARP Bulletin: Get Into the Act
Presidential Proclamation - Older Americans Month 2015
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