Older Americans Month

Older Americans Month is an annual event dating back to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month. It was later renamed Older Americans Month, honoring older Americans and celebrating their contributions to our communities and our nation.

Join us in promoting flexible thinking about aging—and how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included.

The Administration for Community Living has announced that the theme for Older Americans Month 2023 is “Aging Unbound.” This special recognition provides an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and discuss how communities can combat stereotypes.

Many thanks to Governor Jay Inslee, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and the Seattle City Council for proclaiming May as Older Americans Month locally!

: Click on the image above to open Governor Inslee’s proclamation.

: Click on the image above to open King County Executive Dow Constantine’s proclamation.

: Click on the image above to open the proclamation from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Seattle City Council.

2023 Older Americans Month

Theme: Aging Unbound
Proclamations: Governor Jay Inslee | King County Executive Dow Constantine | Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle City Council
Calendar: May 2023 calendar
Materials: acl.gov/oam/2023/oam-2023-materials
Social Media: pending
Hashtags: #OAM2023 #OlderAmericansMonth

See also: Our Pinterest Older Americans Month page.

2022 Older Americans Month

Theme: Age My Way
Proclamations:
Calendar: May 2022 calendar
Materials: acl.gov/oam/2022/oam-2022-materials
Social Media: acl.gov/oam/2022/oam-2022-social-media
Hashtags: #OAM2022 #OlderAmericansMonth

2021 Older Americans Month

Theme: Communities of Strength
Proclamation: City of Seattle
Activity Ideas: acl.gov/oam/2021/oam-2021-activity-ideas
Calendar: May 2021 calendar

2020 Older Americans Month

Theme: “Make Your Mark”
Logos: To download the 2020 logo in various formats for use online and in print, click here (ACL).
Hashtag: #OAM2020 (please use in social media posts about Older Americans Month 2020)

2019 Older Americans Month

Theme: “Connect, Create, Contribute”
Proclamations: City of Seattle | King County
Article: Connecting with Others—Why That’s So Important, by Ava Frisinger (AgeWise, May 2019)
Materials, Activity Ideas & Resources: Older Americans Month 2019 (ACL site)

2018 Older Americans Month

Many thanks to Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw who hosted “Engage at Every Age,” an Older Americans Month forum on social and civic engagement on May 4, 2018. The forum focused on older adults who are making a difference, Age Friendly Seattle, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ new Community Resource Hub, and Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation, Dementia-friendly Recreation, Sound Steps, and Rainbow Recreation programs. Councilmember Bagshaw presented four proclamations from the Mayor and Council—one recognizing the month, and three recognizing individuals in our community:

Older Americans Month 2018
June Michel—a member of the ADS Advisory Council—was recognized “as an effective advocate for older adults, individuals with disabilities, people with memory loss, and multicultural communities throughout our region.”
Mary Diggs-Hobson, co-founder of African-American Reach & Teach Health (AARTH) was recognized “for dedicating her life to inspiring and empowering others to improve the health of people of African descent, now and for generations to come.”
Ninety-one year old John Pehrson, long active in neighborhood affairs and currently the community lead on the Market to MOHAI urban trail project, was recognized “as a mover and a shaker in Seattle who serves as a social and civic engagement role model for others, young and old.”

Article: Chair’s Corner: Aging and Engaging!, by Ava Frisinger (AgeWise, May 2018)

Get Into the Act in Seattle-King County

Following are a series of graphics produced by Aging and Disability Services in 2015 for the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act of 1965, which was highlighted during Older Americans Month with the theme “Get Into The Act!

Get into the Act picture