[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 86 (Thursday, May 6, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 24301-24302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09739]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 86 / Thursday, May 6, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 24301]]


                Proclamation 10200 of May 3, 2021

                
Older Americans Month, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                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.

[[Page 24302]]

                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.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-09739
Filed 5-5-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P