This Sunday, June 15, is Father’s Day, a day devoted to honoring our fathers—and our father figures—for the love and support they have given us over the course of our lives. Fittingly, it is also World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), a day devoted to raising awareness of a serious world health issue that affects as many as one in ten older Americans.

In recent years, the United States has experienced a number of significant natural disasters. Several of these events happened with little or no warning. One key lesson that we have learned from these unfortunate circumstances is to "be prepared," a message that is especially important for older Americans and people with disabilities. September is officially designated National Preparedness Month, but preparedness is something we should be thinking about all year long.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2014 (WIOA), signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014, transfers the Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living programs funded under title VII, Chapter 1 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA (P.L. 113-128) (Rehabilitation Act) from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), U.S. Department of Education, to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Administration on Aging, a program division within ACL, is pleased to announce that it has awarded grants—totaling over $4.8 million and funded by the 2014 Prevention and Public Health Fund—to advance the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies across the nation.

The Administration on Aging, a program division within ACL, is pleased to announce that it has awarded a grant in the amount of $765,152 to the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. The grant continues funding of the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA).

ACL is pleased to announce awards totaling $2,023,646 to seventeen states to further implement the requirements of the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter designated the first Sunday after Labor Day, National Grandparents Day. This observance honors the ways grandparents improve the lives of others by sharing their wisdom and life experiences with younger generations. Even as they deal with advancing age, many grandparents continue to take an active role in providing for their family’s needs. In fact, according to the U.S. Census (PDF), more than 2.7 million adults are helping to raise their grandchildren.

        ACL NEWS U.S. Administration for Community Living Department of Health and Human Services Contact: ACL Press Office (202) 357-3507 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This Veterans Day, ACL joins the nation in thanking our brave men and women who have served honorably in the U.S. military (read the proclamation). There are approximately 21 million veterans living today. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, about 9.6 million of these veterans are over the age of 65. In addition, there are nearly four million veterans living with service-connected disabilities.

At the Administration for Community Living (ACL), we recognize the sacrifices caregivers make so the people they love can age with dignity and remain in their homes and communities as long as possible. Caregivers juggle personal and home care, transport their loved ones to medical appointments, and often make tough financial decisions. They offer emotional support to family members and serve as a communication hub between medical practitioners. They do all this while balancing the competing demands of their own families, jobs, and personal lives.