Announcement on the White House Conference on Aging

The President announced today that he is formally calling for a White House Conference on Aging to be convened in May of 1995.

"I am pleased to resume the proud traditions of White House Conference on Aging begun by President John F. Kennedy in 1961," said the President, noting that there has not been a White House Conference on Aging since 1981. "The fact that this will be the last White House Conference on Aging of the 20th century makes this one even more significant."

Under the terms of the Older Americans Act, which authorizes that such a Conference be held, a 25-member policy committee chosen jointly by the President and the Congress will be selected to work out the specifics of the Conference, including its agenda and the number of participants. Earlier in the fall, President Clinton announced his selection of Robert B. Blancato, formerly of the National Italian-American Foundation and the former House Select Committee on Aging, to be the Executive Director of the White House Conference on Aging.

"An older America must soon face a new century," concluded the President. "A 1995 White House Conference on Aging allows us to plan for this challenge by working together to develop policy recommendations for the 21st century. We owe this to future generations."