May is filled with many other health care celebrations in addition to this week’s National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week. Also on the bill are Older Americans Month, Mental Health Awareness Month and next week’s National Nursing Home Week (May 14-20).
Older Americans Month celebrates older adults as a growing and increasingly vital part of our country. The contributions they make to our communities are varied, deeply rooted, and include influential roles in the nation’s economy, politics, and the arts. From 69-year-old NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Jr. to 84-year-old actress Rita Moreno to 83-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who took her seat as a Supreme Court Justice at age 60, older adults are blazing trails in all aspects of American life.
In 1963, the federal government began to acknowledge the contributions of older people by using the month of May to celebrate Older Americans Month. Led by the Administration for Community Living, the annual observance offers the opportunity to learn about, support, and celebrate our nation’s older citizens. This year’s theme, “Age Out Loud,” emphasizes giving aging a new voice and raise awareness of vital aging issues across the country.
Resources to celebrate Older Americans Month can be found at https://oam.acl.gov/.
May 14-20 marks National Nursing Home Week, a designation that has been incorporated into the celebration of Older Americans Month since 1967. The week spotlights nursing home residents and staff who create supportive and caring environments in which to live and work. The year’s theme, “The Spirit of America,” provides an opportune message to honor everyone who contributes to our state’s nursing homes – residents, family members, employees and volunteers.
Resources for National Nursing Home Week can be found here.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. AHA joins other organizations in spreading the word that mental health treatment works. AHA is raising awareness of the value of behavioral health services through multiple media outlets. New resources are available from the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center, and you can click here for more AHA resources on behavioral health, including case examples of AHA member organizations using innovation to improve access to behavioral health care and reduce the impact of the opioid crisis.
