2005 White House Conference on Aging Closes Top 10 Resolutions Announced

The 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) officially closed Wednesday, December 14, 2005 with delegates sharing recommendations to be sent to the President and Congress on the pressing aging issues of today and the future. Delegates in attendance selected the top 50 resolutions to present and participated in working groups to develop strategies for implementing the resolutions. The top 10 resolutions as voted by the delegates are:

• Reauthorize the Older Americans Act Within the First Six Months Following the 2005 White House Conference on Aging
• Develop a Coordinated, Comprehensive Long-Term Care Strategy by Supporting Public and Private Sector Initiatives that Address Financing, Choice, Quality, Service Delivery, and the Paid and Unpaid Workforce
• Ensure that Older Americans Have Transportation Options to Retain Their Mobility and Independence
• Strengthen and Improve the Medicaid Program for Seniors
• Strengthen and Improve the Medicare Program
• Support Geriatric Education and Training for All Healthcare Professionals, Paraprofessionals, Health Profession Students, and Direct Care Workers
• Promote Innovative Models of Non-Institutional Long-Term Care
• Improve Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment of Mental Illness and Depression Among Older Americans
• Attain Adequate Numbers of Healthcare Personnel in All Professions Who are Skilled, Culturally Competent, and Specialized Geriatrics
• Improve State and Local Based Integrated Delivery Systems to Meet 21st Century Needs of Seniors

By statute, the final report from the conference will be presented to the President and Congress by June 2006. For a full listing of the 50 resolutions, visit www.whcoa.gov. The 2005 WHCoA is the fifth WHCoA in history. Its purpose is to make recommendations to the President and Congress to help guide national aging policies for the next ten years and beyond. The 2005 WHCoA will focus on the aging of today and tomorrow, including 78 million baby boomers who will begin to turn 60 in January 2006.