A Proclamation on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2022

 

June 14, 2022 • Statements and Releases

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

It is more vital than ever that we ensure our older adults can age with the dignity, security, and appreciation that every person deserves.  Honoring and respecting older Americans is a matter of basic human dignity and justice — it is part of the character of our Nation.  Yet every year, many Americans aged 60 and older experience abuse and neglect.  On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we join the international community to raise awareness and help end elder abuse here at home and across the world. 

Elder abuse takes many forms, such as financial, emotional, physical, and sexual harm, including intimate partner violence in later life.  It often comes in the form of neglect, abandonment, or exploitation.  It is estimated that approximately 1 in 10 elderly Americans are abused annually.  However, many of those who are abused suffer in silence, and many cases are never reported or brought to light.  In the past few years, while the pandemic isolated all of us to different extents, it especially exacerbated the isolation felt by too many older adults.  All of us have a role to play in preventing elder abuse and ensuring that our Nation’s seniors are able to age with dignity.  With a majority of elder abuse victims being women, my Administration is focused particularly on improving our support for all women and preventing and addressing gender-based violence that impacts older adults both domestically and abroad.

We must remain steadfast in our commitment to preventing elder abuse.  My Administration allotted $178 million through the American Rescue Plan and the COVID-19 recovery bill to improve and strengthen the work of Adult Protective Services (APS).  Additionally, my budget proposal for 2023 would provide ongoing support for APS and State Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs.  Our comprehensive, collaborative efforts to respond to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation include initiatives to reform guardianship, support adult decision-making, crack down on scammers and fraudsters, and empower victims of exploitation.  Our commitment to supporting survivors of all ages is reflected in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes dedicated Federal funds to support survivor service providers, law enforcement, and prosecutors working to respond to domestic and sexual violence experienced by older adults.

As we continue to build a better America, we must ensure that we bring everyone along.  That is why my Administration is committed to safeguarding the rights of those who live in retirement and shared residential settings.  I have called on the Congress to deliver significant reforms to improve the safety and quality of care in our Nation’s nursing homes.  Recognizing the critical work of caregivers, I have also proposed measures to create a strong and well-compensated caregiving workforce to advance the well-being of our Nation’s older adults.  By ensuring a high quality of life and care for older Americans, we can support every community and honor the dignity of every person. 

On this World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, let us recommit to delivering all older Americans the promise of a comfortable and peaceful life with dignity.  Let us reaffirm our commitment to a world free from the scourge of abuse and neglect.  Let us join the world in celebrating the essential role older adults play in our lives.  

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 15, 2022, as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.  I encourage all Americans to be diligent, work togetherto strengthen existing partnerships, and develop new opportunities to improve our Nation’s prevention and response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR

 

Source:

A Proclamation on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2022 

A Proclamation on Older Americans Month, 2021

May 03, 2021 • Presidential Actions

   During Older Americans Month, we celebrate older Americans and the key role they play in sharing the wisdom and experience that inform today’s decisions and actions, and fostering the connection and engagement that build strong, resilient communities.  And, we recognize our responsibility to ensure that every American has the opportunity to age with dignity.

     The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed tremendous hardships on our Nation’s older Americans.  Older adults — particularly those from communities of color — have comprised the majority of deaths from COVID-19, with more than 80 percent of all deaths to date occurring in persons 65 and older.  Many older Americans have also suffered extreme social isolation from being separated from friends, family, and community resources throughout the pandemic.  In spite of this, older Americans have stepped up to support their families, friends, and neighbors.  They are among our essential workers, volunteers, and donors, bolstering their communities and inspiring others to do the same.  I am committed to ensuring older adults are central in our country’s recovery efforts.  

     My Administration recognizes the value of our older adults and supports the issues most important to them, such as Medicare, Social Security, lowering the price of prescription drugs, and long-term care options — including Medicaid’s home and community-based services programs.  The American Rescue Plan puts the needs of older Americans at the forefront of our country’s path to recovery, starting by mounting a national vaccination program to quickly and efficiently deliver lifesaving vaccines, prioritizing our older citizens.

     The American Rescue Plan also provides much needed support to skilled nursing facilities, so they can improve infection control and vaccination rollout capability by partnering with quality improvement organizations.  The law allocates funding to support mitigation, clinical care, infection control, and staffing in long-term care facilities during the pandemic.  The law also provides significant funding to support older adults who receive home and community-based services through Medicaid to help them remain safe and independent in their own homes and communities throughout the pandemic.

     And, the American Rescue Plan adds substantial funding to programs authorized under the Older Americans Act.  These programs also connect older adults and their caregivers to food, health care, and other home and community-based services.  The American Rescue Plan also calls for the establishment of the National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families, to give much needed aid to those older Americans who have stepped up to parent the next generation of Americans.  Finally, the plan enhances the Elder Justice Act and ensures Adult Protective Services can be used to protect the safety of all adults as they age.

     As our country works to put COVID-19 behind us, we know there is more we must do to ensure that older Americans can live and age with dignity.  We are committed to ensuring older Americans can easily access appropriate services they need to stay safe and healthy as they age.

     In this year of peril and promise, older Americans have suffered greatly, and provided inspirational demonstrations of strength.  During Older Americans Month, we honor these citizens and their continued contributions.  We commit to learning from them, and we pledge to support their futures.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2021 as Older Americans Month.  I call upon Americans of all ages to celebrate older Americans during this month and throughout the year.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Source:

A Proclamation on Older Americans Month, 2021