BREAKING NEWS: WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AGING 2005

(excerpt from the report on the White House Conference on Aging 2005)
Washington, DC, December 13, 2005

FAVORITES EMERGE AMONG POLICY PROPOSALS PRESENTED TO DELEGATES WASHINGTON

Early tallies are in following Monday's voting by more than 2,000 delegates attending the 2005 White House Conference on Aging.
Delegates were asked to select 50 resolutions from a list of 73. The original list was developed in the weeks and months leading up to the WHCoA. That list can be viewed at http://www.whcoa.gov/about/resolutions/Resolutions.pdf
The selection of the top 50 resolutions is seen as vitally important in that the chosen issues will form the core basis for federal lawmakers and other government officials as they craft future policies affecting the nation's seniors.
While an official count is not yet available, preliminary results show the following to be the top 50 choices of WHCoA delegates who voted during Monday's balloting:
Res. 1: Provide Financial and Other Economic Incentives and Policy Changes to
Encourage and Facilitate Increased Retirement Savings.
Res. 4: Establish Principles to Strengthen Social Security.
Res. 5: Foster Innovations in Financing Long-Term Care Services to Increase Options Available to Consumers.
Res. 7: Strengthen Law Enforcement Efforts at the Federal, State, and Local Level to Investigate and Prosecute Cases of Elder Financial Crime.
Res. 9: Modernize the Supplemental Security Income Program.
Res. 10: Strengthen the Social Security Disability Insurance Program.
Res. 11: Remove Barriers to the Retention and Hiring of Older Workers, Including Age Discrimination.
Res. 12: Promote Incentives for Older Workers to Continue Working and Improve Employment Training and Retraining Programs to Better Serve Older Workers.
Res. 14: Expand Opportunities for Developing Innovative Housing Designs for Seniors' Needs.
Res. 15: Encourage Redesign of Senior Centers for Broad Appeal and Community Participation.
Res. 17: Reauthorize The Older Americans Act Within The First Six Months Following the 2005 White House Conference On Aging.
Res. 18: Encourage Community Designs to Promote Livable Communities that Enable Aging in Place.
Res. 19: Create a National Strategy for Promoting Elder Justice Through the Prevention and Prosecution of Elder Abuse.
Res. 21: Support Older Drivers to Retain Mobility and Independence through Strategies to Continue Safe Driving.
Res. 22: Ensure That Older Americans Have Transportation Options to Retain Their Mobility and Independence.
Res. 23: Enhance the Availability of Housing for Older Americans.
Res. 24: Enhance the Affordability of Housing for Older Americans.
Res. 25: Encourage the Development of a Coordinated Federal, State, and Local Emergency Response Plan For Seniors in the Event of Public Health Emergencies or Disasters.
Res. 26: Support Older Adult Caregivers Raising Their Relatives' Children.
Res. 28: Promote Economic Development Policies that Respond to the Unique Needs of Rural Seniors.
Res. 29: Promote Enrollment of Seniors into the Medicare Prescription Drug Program.
Res. 30: 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.
Res. 31: Apply Evidence Based Research to the Delivery of Health and Social Services Where Appropriate.
Res. 32: Evaluate Payment and Coordination Policies in the Geriatric Healthcare Continuum to Ensure Continuity of Care.
Res. 33: Promote the Importance of Nutrition in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Management.
Res. 34: Improve The Health And Quality Of Life Of Older Americans Through Disease Management And Chronic Care Coordination.
Res. 36: Improve Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment of Mental Illness and Depression Among Older Americans.
Res. 37: Prevent Disease and Promote Healthier Lifestyles Through Educating Providers and Consumers on Consumer Healthcare.
Res. 39: Improve Health Decision Making Through Promotion of Health Education, Health Literacy and Cultural Competency.
Res. 40: Attain Adequate Numbers of Healthcare Personnel in All Professions Who are Skilled, Culturally Competent and Specialized in Geriatrics.
Res. 41: Support Geriatric Education And Training For All Healthcare Professionals, Paraprofessionals, Health Profession Students and Direct Care Workers.
Res. 42: Promote Innovative Models of Non-Institutional Long-Term Care.
Res. 43: Ensure Appropriate Care for Seniors with Disabilities.
Res. 44: Reduce Healthcare Disparities Among Minorities by Developing Strategies to Prevent Disease, Promote Health and Deliver Appropriate Care and Wellness.
Res. 46: Promote Innovative Evidence-Based and Practice-Based Medical and Aging Research.
Res. 47: Encourage Appropriate Sharing Of Healthcare Information Across Multiple Management Systems.
Res. 48: Ensure Appropriate Recognition and Care For Veterans Across All Healthcare Settings.
Res. 50: Strengthen and Improve the Medicaid Program for Seniors.
Res. 51: Strengthen and Improve the Medicare Program.
Res. 52: Educate Americans on End of Life Issues.
Res. 53: Improve Access to Care for Older Adults Living in Rural Areas.
Res. 55: Improve Patient Advocacy to Assist Patients in and Across All Care Settings.
Res. 56: Develop a National Strategy for Promoting New and Meaningful Volunteer Activities and Civic Engagements for Current and Future Seniors.
Res. 59: Reauthorize the National and Community Service Act to Expand Opportunities for Volunteer and Civic Engagement Activities.
Res. 61: Promote the Integration of Health and Aging Services to Improve Access and Quality of Care for Older Americans.
Res. 62: Develop Incentives to Encourage the Expansion of Appropriate Use of Health Information Technology.
Res. 67: Develop a National Strategy for Supporting Informal Caregivers of Seniors to Enable Adequate Quality and Supply of Services.
Res. 69: Implement a Strategy and Plan for Accountability to Sustain the Momentum, Public Visibility and Oversight of the Implementation of 2005 WHCoA Resolutions.
Res. 71: Improve State- and Local-Based Integrated Delivery Systems to Meet 21st Century Needs of Seniors.
Res. 72: Review Alignment of Government Programs That Deliver Services to Older Americans.