The Aging Report

On June 15th, we observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), which is a day that focuses global attention on the problem of physical, financial, and emotional abuse of older adults. With a growing global population of elderly people, and increasing longevity, abuse of the elderly is a serious problem that affects health and human rights and can cause death. It is vital to raise awareness of this issue and thus prevent it whenever and wherever possible. 

WEAAD aims to provide an opportunity for communities to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect and raise awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. 

Special Legislative Session

This special virtual session will be held on Tuesday, July 25th from 10 - 11 AM and will focus on Equity in Longevity in anticipation of the upcoming Aging Summit. The session will be an opportunity to introduce the topic for the Aging Summit, which focuses on the longevity gap in the United States. We will discuss how the longevity gap is fueled and maintained and what we can do to understand—and eventually close—the gap, by exploring the major focal points that impact equity in longevity including: Financial Prosperity, Place, Social Connection, Health, and Race/Social Justice. Stay tuned for more information.

2nd Annual Aging Summit

AgeGuide is excited to announce the 2nd annual Aging Summit will be held on Wednesday, August 23rd from 8 AM - 3:30 PM at the NIU Outreach Campus in Naperville!

Join us as we create space for meaningful conversations around age, longevity, and inclusive communities. Keynote speaker, Raymond A. Jetson, will kick off the day talking about race and discrimination's role in building equity in longevity.

Registration is now open with early bird rates running through July 5th! For more information, visit www.ageguide.org/agingsummit

Celebrating older adults during Pride Month is a wonderful way to recognize and honor the experiences and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals who have lived through different periods of history. Older adults within the LGBTQ+ community have often faced unique challenges and have played significant roles in advancing LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. AgeGuide’s mission is to be a vital resource and advocate for people as we age by providing thoughtful guidance, supportive services, and meaningful connections, including LGBTQ+ older adults and their caregivers.

Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19th to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came two and a half years earlier on January 1, 1863, many slave owners continued to hold their enslaved people captive after the announcement, so Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.

Our next series will shine a light on Veterans and the services available to them through the Veterans Directed Care program. This program allows Veterans to continue to live in their homes for as long as possible by receiving home and community-based services. We want to express the unique needs of the heroes in our community who fought for our country and the people who care for them. In this episode, we interviewed Pat O’Connor who was on the underwater demolition team in the Navy and his wife, Peggy, who is his caregiver. 

Temperatures are rising, and so is the debate concerning the nation’s debt ceiling! After weeks of political gridlock, tense negotiations and escalating economic anxiety, President Biden signed The Fiscal Responsibility Act, on June 3, 2023. The bill gives final approval to bipartisan legislation suspending the debt limit and imposing new spending caps. “The economic change is just not very big relative to the baseline,” says William Gale, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, in a recent AARP article, “It’s relatively close to the status quo.”

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) wants to help people nativate and understand Medicare, including what you can do to prevent fraud. Read the article to learn about how you can fight fraud.

Howard Brown's Aging Servce recently relaunched their newsletter! The goal of the newsletter is to help the community stay informed of the groups, events, and other resources happening at Howard Brown Health. This edition of the newsletter celebrates the milestones in LGBTQ+ history and highlights organizations serving the needs of older adults.

At AgeGuide, we love getting social! Stay up to date with the latest news, updates and learn more about AgeGuide and our work advocating for older adults and the services they need on our social media pages!