Author: Ryan Hill
The Durham Senior Divas and Dudes perform during a First Friday event celebrating Older Americans Month.
May 8, 2019 – Older Americans Month took center stage at Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Campus on May 3 as the Division of Aging and Adult Services sponsored the Department of Health and Human Services’ monthly First Friday event.
“We talk often about the challenges and how to overcome them and help older Americans among us connect, create and contribute the way they want to,” said DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD. “Older adults truly make a huge impact across the board.”
The Secretary also read aloud Governor Roy Cooper’s proclamation recognizing May as Older Americans Month and honoring older adults and the people who serve them. North Carolina ranks 9th nationally both in total population and in number of residents aged 65 and older.
Secretary Mandy Cohen holds up Governor Cooper’s Older Americans Month proclamation.
The celebration featured a performance by the Durham Senior Divas and Dudes, a cheerleading group made up of adults aged 55-80. There was also a gallery exhibition of the Silver Arts, a part of the North Carolina Senior Games that celebrates the creative expression of seniors. Since May is also Hearing Loss Awareness Month, the Division of Aging and Adult Services offered hearing tests for those interested.
“We think of aging a lot and we think of needs,” said Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) Director Joyce Massey-Smith. “But aging can be a very positive thing and the gifts, talents and experience of older adults means so much to what we can do to improve the lives of others in our state.”
DAAS works to promote the independence and enhance the dignity of older adults and their families through a community-based system of opportunities, services, benefits and protections. Learn more about their work.