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Older American’s Month celebrates long-term living
Older American’s Month originated in May 1963 as “Senior Citizen’s Month” with a presidential proclamation by President John F. Kennedy. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter changed the name 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. Every president since JFK 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.
Last year, President Bush stated, “Our seniors have cared for their families and communities, enhanced our economic prosperity, defended our nation, and preserved and protected the Founders’ vision. Their commitment to our future sets an inspiring example for us all.”
This year, the theme of Older Americans Month is “Celebrate Long-Term Living.” During the last century, the average American life span has almost doubled. Older Americans are living longer, staying healthier, and remaining more active and engaged in their communities than ever before. Maintaining health, happiness, and engagement into one’s later years requires thoughtful planning, wise choices, and the development of good habits.
Here are some interesting facts about Older Americans:
• There are 35.3 million people 65 and older in the U.S., making up 12% of the total population.
• Seventy-two percent of citizens ages 65 to 74 voted in the 2000 presidential election - the highest rate of any age group.
• Those who were born in the first year of the baby-boom generation will reach age 65 in 2011. Starting in 2011 and continuing through 2025, annual percentage increases in the age 65 and older population will outstrip increases in the general population by three to four times. In contrast, in the first 15 months after Census 2000, the older population grew at a slower rate than the general population.
• The United States rates second among the nations of the world in number of people 80 and over. Only China has more. Although the U.S. contains less than 5% of the world’s population, it has 13% of its people age 80 and over.
• For every 100 U.S. women 65 and older, there are only 70 men. In the 65 to 74 age group, the ratio is 100 women to 83 men, but drops to 100/42 in the 85 and over age group.
• The most popular form of recreation exercise among people 65 and over is walking: 15.8 million people engage in this activity at least six times a year. The next most popular forms of exercise are swimming and exercising with equipment (3.8 million participants each), and playing golf (3.1 million).
• The number of centenarians (those 100 or older) is growing in U.S. and worldwide. In the United States, the 2001 Census Bureau estimated that there were over 48,427 individuals over 100. The United Nations estimates that in 2000, there were 180,000 centenarians throughout the world. By 2050, this number is projected to number 3.2 million, an eighteen-fold increase.
Parts of this article were excerpted from the websites www.aoa.gov, of the Administration on Aging, and from www.census.gov, of the U.S. Census Bureau.