Administration on Aging Reaches Partnership Goal in You Can! Program

Department of Health and Human Services
Administration on Aging

Tuesday, May 10, 2005
For Release: Immediately
Contact: AoA Press Office
(202) 357-3507

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), announces that it has reached its two-year objective of enrolling 2,000 partners in the You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging campaign. AoA reached this objective in seven months – much earlier than expected. AoA will be working with its partners to reach two million adults by 2006.

The You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging campaign aims to boost physical activity and improve food choices among older Americans, and has enrolled more than 2,000 partners nationwide since the campaign launch last September. As of today, You Can! Partners represent:

Community partners —more than 1,300 organizations that directly encourage older adults to eat better and move more.

Champion partners —more than 600 national, state, international and area agencies on aging that promote the You Can! campaign to stakeholders, members, and local affiliates.

Media partners — Publications and media outlets that agree to feature the You Can! campaign as part of the news or other programming.

Federal partners — seventeen federal agencies that have agreed to help spread the word about the importance of healthier lifestyle choices for seniors.

“We are delighted that so many organizations have partnered with us to encourage and promote healthier lifestyle choices among older adults,” said AoA Assistant Secretary Josefina G. Carbonell. “By educating elders about the importance of prevention we can save and improve the quality of life among older adults in our local communities.”

The You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging Campaign is a part of President George W. Bush’s Healthier U.S. initiative and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Steps to a Healthier U.S. initiative, created to help all Americans make healthier choices. For older Americans, healthy choices are especially important. Medical research shows that a healthy diet and physical activity can help older adults maintain their mobility and independence and reduce the onset of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.

For more information about how to get involved in the You Can! campaign, organizations can visit www.aoa.gov/youcan.

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The AoA is a Federal agency dedicated to policy development, planning and the delivery of supportive home and community-based services to older persons and their caregivers through the national aging network of state and local agencies on aging, tribal organizations, service providers and volunteers.

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