NCOA Celebrates Older Americans Month with 4 Ways to Connect

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is proud to support the Administration on Aging's Older Americans Month in May as a way to help all older adults live healthy and economically secure.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100615/NCOALOGO)

This year's theme, "Older Americans: Connecting the Community," spotlights the many ways seniors enrich and strengthen our lives. NCOA encourages communities, businesses, and groups of all ages to connect with older adults this month.

Today, many of these connections involve technology—whether it's using email stay in touch with grandchildren or accessing web-based services that can help older adults improve their health, economic security, and quality of life.

Four Ways to Connect

NCOA offers four ways older adults and people of all ages can connect online to improve lives during Older Americans Month:

1. Raise Your Voice: One in three older adults lives in or on the edge of poverty. They struggle every day just to pay for food, medicine, and a place to live. They're one bad break away from financial crisis. NCOA's One Away campaign is collecting stories of economic struggle so we can convince Congress to act. Ask seniors you know to share a story, watch a video, discuss solutions, and send a message to Congress on OneAway.org.
2. Benefit Someone You Love: This month, give two older adults who are close to you a BenefitsCheckUp® screening. In tight economic times, who wouldn't want to be sure they're getting all the benefits they're eligible for? Free and available anytime online, NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp.org screens for more than 2,000 public and private benefits to help seniors pay for food, medicine, energy costs, and more.
3. Take Control of Your Health: Managing your own health is key to living the life you want. NCOA's Better Choices, Better Health® (SelfManage.org) is an online workshop for people with ongoing health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Participants learn how to reduce pain, fatigue, and stress and communicate with their doctors. Free and available nationwide, BCBH is an easy way for people with limited mobility, caregiving responsibilities, or privacy concerns to get the support they need to live better.
4. Bowl Together, Get Together! Why should the kids have all the fun? This year's Older Americans Month features a virtual Wii bowling tournament at senior centers across the country. View this week's winners here and see if you can beat their scores!

About NCOA
The National Council on Aging is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCOA is a national voice for millions of older adults—especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged—and the community organizations that serve them. It brings together nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government to develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults. NCOA works with thousands of organizations across the country to help seniors find jobs and benefits, improve their health, live independently, and remain active in their communities. For more information, please visit: www.NCOA.org / www.facebook.com/NCOAging / www.twitter.com/NCOAging.

SOURCE National Council on Aging