NASW Practice Snapshot:
The 2005 White House Conference on Aging
Office of Social Work Specialty Practice
The White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) — scheduled for October
2005 — is held once a decade to make aging policy recommendations
to the President and Congress, and to assist the public and private
sectors in promoting dignity, health, independence, and economic
security of current and future generations of older Americans. Past
White House Conferences on Aging have contributed to the establishment
of many key aging programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, the Older
Americans Act, the Supplemental Security Income Program, and establishment
of the National Institute on Aging.
The White House Conference on Aging Policy Committee is made up
of 17 members, appointed by the President and Congress. The Policy
Committee's role is to provide direction and guidance for the conference.
The Committee meets regularly to make decisions on the conference
agenda, theme, delegate selection, pre-conference events, topic areas,
and general direction of the conference. The Policy Committee adopted
a broad agenda for the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. The
agenda items are:
- Planning along the Lifespan
- The Workplace of the Future
- Our Community
- Health and Long-Term Living
- Social Engagement
- Marketplace
As part of the process to solicit input from numerous stakeholders,
the White House Conference on Aging's Policy Committee will conduct
a series of Listening Sessions through January 2005. During the fall
of 2004, NASW Staff participated in an important Listening Session
before key Policy Committee members who are charged with developing
the scope of this year's conference.
It is expected that the Policy Committee will finalize the list
of major issues to be covered during the conference by February 2005.
At that time, through July 2005, Solution Forums will replace Listening
Sessions as the Policy Committee continues to solicit input from
stakeholders on possible solutions and recommendations for potential
consideration as conference resolutions.
Visit http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/aging/aging090904.asp to
view NASW's comments to the Policy Committee in more detail.
To find out more about conference activities, visit the official
White House Conference on Aging's Web site at www.whcoa.gov
NASW, January 2005
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