White House Conference on Aging

In 1956 President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the Federal-State Council on Aging to more effectively coordinate policy and to help determine the "resources of the States and of the Federal government that can be mobilized in an attack on the problems of the later years."

A group gathered for a 3-day conference in Washington, DC, to explore solutions for seniors that could benefit from coordination of Federal and State Resources.

Congress enacted the White House Conference on Aging Act (Public Law 85-908), and the bill was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The law called for a national citizens' forum to focus attention on the problems of older Americans and to make consensus policy recommendations on how to enhance the economic security of this demographic group.

Legislation in 1977 led to a 1981 conference, which was attended by 2,000 delegates, and was the first to use a quota-like system to ensure that various segments of the population—such as women, minorities and the disabled—were sufficiently represented.

Then-President Bush was at a retirement village in Northern Virginia and avoided the White House Conference on Aging to steer clear of concerned older adults, policy makers, and advocates on the new Medicare Part D Plan many were not pleased with.

Listening sessions and independent aging agenda events confirmed that communities around the country have implemented their own ways of accommodating the growing elderly population.

These goals were accomplished through the leadership of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, who co-sponsored the event with assistance from the National Senior Games Association (NSGA).

Co-sponsored by ZivaGuide, a customized health care information provider, the Exhibit Hall featured more than 140 exhibitors representing a wide variety of public, private and non-profit organizations, and firms and government agencies presenting some of the latest initiatives and innovations in providing services to the aging community.

Another portion of the Exhibit Hall, sponsored by the Department of Transportation, was dedicated to illuminating promising trends and programs in improving mobility for America’s seniors.

[8] The central idea coming from the 2005 Conference was “that we must now modernize our aging policies for the 21st Century to deal with the challenges we are facing and those we see on the horizon.”[7] A set of philosophies were developed to promote forward thinking and a call to action.

First was to "proactively realign and modernize current aging programs and networks to be more efficient and effective in their performance, so as to free-up resources for unmet needs.

Third was to "proactively work to fully integrate the efforts of Federal, State, Tribal, local and community, private, and not-for-profit stakeholders."