LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i’s Outstanding Older Americans will be announced during a luncheon hosted by the county’s Agency on Elderly Affairs, Thursday. The luncheon coincides with May being Older Americans Month. Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. issued a proclamation to a
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i’s Outstanding Older Americans will be announced during a luncheon hosted by the county’s Agency on Elderly Affairs, Thursday.
The luncheon coincides with May being Older Americans Month. Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. issued a proclamation to a group of representatives from organizations and agencies taking care of Kaua‘i’s older Americans.
Kaua‘i is a community that includes 14,142 citizens who are aged 60 and older, states the proclamation.
As a point of reference, the U.S. Census Bureau notes the Kaua‘i population at 64,529 people with 14.9 percent of that number being people 65 years old and over.
Older adults on Kaua‘i are the island’s most “treasured resources,” united by historical experiences, strengthened by diversity and interpreting events through varied perspectives and backgrounds to bring wisdom and insight to the community, states the mayoral proclamation.
The older adults on Kaua‘i deserve recognition for the countless contributions they have made and will continue to make to the culture, economy and character of our island community and the nation.
Kaua‘i can provide that recognition and respect by improving the quality of life for Older Americans by increasing their opportunities to remain active and engaged in community life, providing individualized services and support systems to maintain the dignity, independence and self determination of older Americans as they mature, and combating ageist attitudes by honoring their past, present and future considerations, the proclamation states.
In celebrating May as Older Americans Month, Kaua‘i joins the nation with the celebration and recognition of its older American population.
When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday, states the Administration on Aging Web site. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few programs to meet their needs.
America is not alone in celebrating its older residents.
Japan celebrates Respect-for-the-Aged Day, or keiro no hi, during the third Monday of September, the event being celebrated as a national holiday since 1966, states an online source.
This national holiday traces its origins to 1947 when Nomatanimura, known now as Yachiyocho, Hyogo Prefecture proclaimed Sept. 15 as Old Folks’ Day, or Toshiyori no Hi.
The gesture spread nationwide and in 1966, it took its present name, a time when Japanese media use the opportunity to feature the elderly, reporting on the population and highlighting the oldest people in the country.
This year’s theme for Older Americans Month is “Age Strong! Live Long!” and recognizes the diversity and vitality of today’s older Americans who span three generations.
