INTRODUCTION OF AMENDMENT TO THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 21, 2006)
* Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation giving America's seniors a new opportunity to benefit from culturally competent multigenerational programs with our young people. Specifically, many older Americans have limited English proficiency and can face difficulties finding younger individuals with whom to communicate because of language barriers. In addition, multilingual young people can act as a valuable communication resource to help increase awareness for seniors on a range of issues.
* I became aware of this issue recently while visiting a site for a supportive senior housing project in my district in San Diego. This supportive housing includes affordable housing for low-income seniors, nutrition services, social services, and mental healthcare. The program is in a culturally diverse neighborhood, and therefore, the people whom this program benefits come from a wide variety of backgrounds and speak many languages. The program staff wants to ensure that the seniors in the neighborhood are aware of the programs available to them, and feel comfortable coming to the senior center to receive those services.
* But there are major language and cultural barriers to overcome. In this case, young people in the neighborhood, who speak English and another language, could go out into the community to help increase awareness about the programs, and help seniors navigate the programs--the eligibility requirements, the enrollment process, and other vital information.
* Mr. Speaker, not only is it important that we do what we can to give older Americans the opportunity to share their wisdom and experiences with younger generations, it is also important that we give young people the opportunity to work with and help seniors. We know about the joy our seniors experience from visiting with younger folks. We must ensure that all segments of our older population have this opportunity and multigenerational programs are an excellent way for seniors and young people to benefit from each other.
* My legislation would amend the Older Americans Act, OAA, to encourage and facilitate regular interaction between seniors with limited English proficiency and students with multilingual skills across the United States. Now that we are on the verge of reauthorizing the OAA, I encourage my colleagues to support action to give all of our seniors the gift of multigenerational activities.
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