For Immediate Release:
May 5, 2009

Contact:
Kit Wagar
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

More Than 50 Statewide Events on Tap to Honor Older Americans in May

May is Older Americans Month, and the Department of Health and Senior Services is spearheading more than 50 statewide events to honor older Missourians from now through May 31.

“Economic security, health care and social activities are seniors’ top three concerns, and we compiled a list of dynamic speakers to address these concerns as part of Older Americans Month,” said Margaret Donnelly, director of the department. “Then we encouraged our partners to book a speaker for a special event in May, or let us know about the activities they already had planned.”

And they did.  From St. Louis to Joplin to Trenton to Licking, senior centers and nursing homes scurried to book FBI agents, comedians, experts on healthier living – even a former beauty pageant winner.

Here’s a sampling of the lineup:

• FBI agents will tell seniors how to protect themselves from investment fraud schemes.
• A former Ms. Missouri Senior America will extol the positive aspects of aging, using her banjo as backup.
• A historian will offer unusual and witty insights into everyday life of the past, such as the use of arsenic as a 19th Century beauty aid, when it was a common ingredient in cosmetics.

Those speakers, and dozens of others, will appeal to a broad range of seniors. Many of the events will appeal to seniors living on their own. Other events are aimed at residents of assisted living centers or seniors who attend day care. And many will appeal to people of all ages. All of the speakers donate their time.

Donnelly said Older Americans Month originated with a presidential proclamation by John F. Kennedy in May 1963.  U.S. presidents ever since then have proclaimed May 1 through May 31 as a time to honor and pay homage to older people, whose ranks have swelled with the 78 million baby boomers who began turning 60 three years ago. The month is celebrated with ceremonies, events and fairs nationwide. This year’s theme is “Living Today for a Better Tomorrow.”

Americans are living far longer than they did when President Kennedy first proclaimed May to be Senior Citizens Month.  In 1963, only 17 million people were 65 or older. Now, 37.9 million people are over 65, the U.S. Census Bureau says. 

The department’s statewide calendar of Older Americans Month events appears through May at: http://www.dhss.mo.gov. To view, click on the purple and orange Older Americans Month 2009 logo.