By Wally Pearce, Winters Elder Day Council Special to the Express Do you have an older person in your life, a family member or friend, that you love and appreciate? Do you have an elderly person in your life that you love and appreciate? National Senior Citizens Day, Saturday, Aug. 21 is that annual day to let them know how much you care about them and it’s an opportunity to recognize their accomplishments to family and community. The 2021 National Senior Citizens Day theme is to Raise awareness of the special health needs of older persons and of their contributions to their own health and to the functioning of the societies in which they live. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed this holiday to raise awareness about issues that affect senior citizens and their quality of life. Today, seniors are still active in their communities as well as continuing to have a strong presence in the workforce. For all they do and have achieved for the good of their communities, senior citizens deserve our thanks. The history of the National Senior Citizen’s Day dates to 1988. It was officially founded by Reagan who signed on Aug. 19, 1988, the promulgation of 5847, which appeared on August 21 as National Day of the Third Age. Reagan was the first to announce the first National Day of the Third Age. The main purpose of National Senior Citizen’s Day is to raise awareness of the condition of older people and to support them throughout their aging process. The day is also recognized for the well-being of the elderly to recognize and appreciate their accomplishments and their participation in society to promote their skills and knowledge. The reason to celebrate this day is to thank our elders for everything they’ve done for their children and to acknowledge them. They sacrifice their entire lives to nurture their relationships. Such a selfless service that his whole life has received from his family deserves something important. That’s why National Senior Citizens’ Day is celebrated. When they dedicate a special day of the year to the elderly, they give their families the opportunity to see their love and commitment. National Senior Citizens’ Day is an important moment to remind the government of its commitment to work towards goals, to help seniors and, among other things, to end hunger and poverty for the elderly and people of all ages. On Saturday, Aug. 21, please join with the Winters Elder Day Council as we celebrate National Senior Citizens Day, the annual day set aside to let these trailblazers know how much we support, and care about them. Although Senior Citizen Day is that one day each year where we officially honor our older adults, every-day we should take time to rejoice the people who are part of the fastest-growing demographic in the world. According to the traditional definition, a senior citizen (older adult) is anyone older than 65 years of age, but this seems young by today’s standards. National Senior Citizens Day is the day to show them our sincere appreciation and recognize their life accomplishments. It’s also a time to help raise awareness of various issues that affect senior citizens each day. In 1988, Reagan declared the holiday, but prior to this many observed Aug. 14 as Senior Citizens Day as it was the day in 1935 when Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Today, senior citizens are still continually active in our communities and workforce. Older adults contribute heavily to our society and for what they have accomplished and continue to achieve, they deserve our sincere gratitude. This year, in honor of National Senior Citizens Day, please spend time with your favorite relatives and friends and make a commitment to volunteer in a service area that benefits older adults sometime in the next year. Please join with the Winters Elder Day Council in recognizing all the senior citizens in our community for who they are and for all they have accomplished and will contribute.
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