Washington, DC--The 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) officially closed today, with delegates previewing the recommendations they will send to the President and Congress, to help guide national aging policies for the next ten years and beyond.

Vermont delegates Lt. Governor Brian Dubie, AARP President Nancy Lang, Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living Deputy (DAIL) Commissioner Joan Senecal and former Community of Vermont Elders (COVE) Director Harriet Goodwin were among some 1200 delegates who ratified the 50 policy resolutions and developed implementation strategies, all of which will be in the President’s and lawmakers’ hands by June 2006.

Dubie said, “We see Vermont’s seniors as an asset, and their value will only grow as our state’s demographic continues to shift. We need them participating in whatever ways they can, and that means we must remove the barriers that may be preventing that now – be it transportation, tax policy, physical access issues, or, of course, health care issues.”

The top 10 resolutions as voted by the conference are:

1. Reauthorize the Older Americans Act Within the First Six Months Following the 2005 White House Conference on Aging

2. 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

3. Ensure that Older Americans Have Transportation Options to Retain Their Mobility and Independence

4. Strengthen and Improve the Medicaid Program for Seniors

5. Strengthen and Improve the Medicare Program

6. Support Geriatric Education and Training for All Healthcare Professionals, Paraprofessionals, Health Profession Students, and Direct Care Workers

7. Promote Innovative Models of Non-Institutional Long-Term Care

8. Improve Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment of Mental Illness and Depression Among Older Americans

9. Assure Adequate Numbers of Healthcare Personnel in All Professions Who are Skilled, Culturally Competent, and Specialize in Geriatrics

10. Improve State and Local-Based Integrated Delivery Systems to Meet 21st Century Needs of Seniors

White House Conferences on Aging (WHCoA) are decennial events designed to develop recommendations for research and action in the field of aging. Over the course of the 20th century, approximately 35 conferences carrying the name of the White House have been held.

Yet only the White House Conference on Aging has been held more than twice. With a tradition of diversity in participants, focus, and interests, each of the White House Conferences on Aging has had an impact on aging policies in this country. The 2005 White House Conference on Aging occurs as the first wave of the baby boom generation prepares for retirement, creating an important opportunity to creatively reassess aging in America and focus on the lives of older Americans.
For a full listing of the 50 resolutions, visit www.whcoa.gov.