(Jackson, Miss.) – Governor Tate Reeves today signed a proclamation naming May as Older Americans Month in Mississippi. Joining him for the signing was Mississippi Department of Human Services Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson, and Kenyada Blake-Washington, Director of the MDHS Division of Aging and Adult Services.
In the proclamation the governor states, “I, Tate Reeves, Governor of the State of Mississippi, do hereby proclaim May 2021 to be Older Americans Month. I urge every resident to recognize older adults and the people who support them as essential contributors to the strength of our state.”
According to the 2020 census, there are currently 541,163 citizens aged 60-years-old and older.
The Division Aging and Adult Services within the Mississippi Department of Human Services has a mission to assist aging and vulnerable adults, their families, and caregivers in achieving healthy, safe, and independent lifestyles, through advocacy, protection, education, and stewardship of public resources.
“The Mississippi Department of Human Services’ Division of Aging and Adult Services is committed to strengthening our community by connecting with and supporting older adults, their families, and caregivers,” Blake-Washington said. “I’m so grateful to Governor Reeves for acknowledging the importance of recognizing our aging population.”
“Older Mississippians bestow gifts of wisdom and insight upon our younger generations and strengthen the bonds between neighbors to create a better place for us to live,” Anderson said. “Our aging population has spent their lives taking care of us. Now it’s time for us to take care of them.”
For more information on the Division of Aging and Adult Services and the programs available, visit https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/adults-seniors/.
Photo cutline: Mississippi Department of Human Services Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson (right), and Kenyada Blake-Washington, Director of the MDHS Division of Aging and Adult Services (left), join Governor Tate Reeves as he declares May 2021 as Older Americans Month. (Photo courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Human Services)