Washington, DC (October 19, 2006) – This week the President signed into law the renewal of the Older Americans Act for fiscal years 2007-2011. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15), ranking member of the Select Education Subcommittee of the Education and Workforce Committee, worked with members of the committee and House of Representatives in a bi-partisan basis to craft the legislation and see it through final passage in the House and Senate.
The Older Americans Act authorizes the Meals on Wheels program, provides grants to states for community planning and services programs, as well as for research, demonstration and training projects in the field of aging. Over the years, grants provided funds to Area Agencies on Aging for local needs identification, planning, and funding of services, including but not limited to nutrition programs in the community as well as for those who are homebound; programs which serve Native American elders; services targeted at low-income minority elders; health promotion and disease prevention activities; in-home services for frail elders, and those services which protect the rights of older persons.
“After months of hard work, I am so pleased that the President signed the Older Americans Act into law,” said Hinojosa. “The Older Americans Act represents our continued commitment to meeting the needs of older Americans and providing people with programs that address their health, nutrition education, financial literacy, and community involvement.”
The Older Americans Act promotes greater access to services for individuals who are more comfortable in a language other than English. It maintains the structure of the Senior Community Service Employment Program and reaffirms the dual purpose of the programs – employment and community service. It strengthens the very successful family caregiver program. It promotes greater choices and health and nutrition education so that our seniors can remain at home and in their communities. It promotes financial literacy for family caregivers and seniors so that older Americans physical and mental health is not jeopardized by poor financial health. It strengthens our system of protecting older Americans from abuse. Finally, it recognizes that seniors are a growing resource for the aging network.
“The Older Americans Act is one part of an overall promise to our aging population,” Hinojosa continued. “By ensuring that the proper resources are available to them, we can ensure that their overall well-being and quality of life is made better.”