[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11798-11799]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         OLDER AMERICANS MONTH

  (Mrs. DINGELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, this month is an opportunity to celebrate 
some critical programs. The Older Americans Act celebrated its 50th 
anniversary this past Tuesday. Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 later this 
month. And Social Security turns 80 in August.
  But it is also a time to reframe how we look at aging in this 
country. With Americans living longer and healthier lives, we need to 
create a new paradigm that ensures older Americans are living longer 
with the highest quality of life for the longest time possible.
  Doing this means we help our aging population feel part of the 
community, provide opportunities for them to stay physically and 
socially active, and maintain a serious purpose of life and a zest for 
life.
  I came to Congress to protect Medicare and Social Security. They are 
bedrock programs that seniors depend on for a safe, healthy, and secure 
retirement.
  As we celebrate the anniversaries this year, we need to improve and 
strengthen these programs to better meet the needs of our seniors. We 
can start by expanding Medicare to cover things like hearing aids.

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