Honoring the Older Americans Act 50th Anniversary

Floor Speech

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Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the Older Americans Act 50th Anniversary. Originally passed in 1965, the Older Americans Act ensures that older individuals and their caregivers have access to a wide array of services. Aside from Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, services such as community-based care, meal delivery, health prevention programs, and elder rights protection are just a few of the many vital programs that the Older Americans Act provides.

The population age 65 and over increased by 24.7 percent between 2003 and 2013 and the number of individuals in need of aging programs continues to rise. Nearly 50 million older Americans and Americans with disabilities rely on Medicare coverage and more than 70 million individuals depend on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for their health care needs. Nearly 42 million Americans receive Social Security retirement benefits and for 6 out of 10 seniors, Social Security provides most of their income. I strongly believe in solvent Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security systems that give older Americans the security they need.

As for the impact of the community and social services provided by the Older Americans Act, the aging network serves an average of 11 million people each year. For example, over a five year period, 130 million rides to doctors' offices, grocery stores, and other locations were provided. More than 1 billion meals were served and 95 percent of those served would recommend the nutrition program. Nearly 20 million hours of case management, over 60 million hours of homemaker services, and more than 30 million hours of respite care were provided, helping older adults continue to live in their own homes. Through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, more than 200,000 participants provided almost 248 million hours of community service, effectively allowing seniors to give back to their community.

As the Baby Boomer Generation enters the 65 and over age bracket and the average life expectancy lengthens, it is clear that we cannot afford a shortage of services. As we celebrate the Older Americans Act 50th Anniversary, we must also keep in mind that these services often end up on the chopping block. On this historic day, I hope that we can all work together to find ways to continue to provide these vital services to our older Americans.

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