Observance

October is Residents' Rights Month, a month to honor residents living in long-term care facilities. This month is a time to celebrate and bring awareness to the dignity, respect, and value of every single resident. This year's theme is "CARE Matters," which has the goal of encouraging residents and others to be educated about staffing and long-term care. The Consumer Voice held a competition for residents in the United States to submit pieces of art ranging from stories to photographs that represent this year's theme.

The National Family Caregivers Month is this November, 2015. The Caregiver Action Network (CAN) has chosen the theme for this year, which is "Respite: Care for Caregivers." This year is focused specifically on Respite care, the important service that allows caregivers crucial time to rest and relax, energize, sleep, use programs, imagination, and exhale. CAN has resources available for the public to celebrate National Family Caregivers Month.

The ADvancing States office will be closed in observance of Independence Day.

Since 1992, the annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

November 18, 2014 is National Memory Screening Day. This day provides free, confidential memory screenings to individuals concerned about memory loss with the objective of early detection and intervention. The event encourages Americans to participate by offering screenings at no charge and in convenient locations in communities across the nation. National Memory Screening Day also provides a valuable opportunity to learn more about healthy lifestyle choices for successful aging.

Click here to find a screening in your area.

LGBT older adults have spent their lives building their own families and communities-the relationships that sustain all of us. Yet as they age, more and more of them begin to feel less connected. SAGE wants to collect their stories and yours. What does "community" mean to you? How do you stay connected to the people who matter most to you?