Honor Older New Yorkers Day

October 1, 2025, as International Day of Older Persons in the State of New York WHEREAS, Senior citizens bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the increasingly active roles they play in today's society; their past contributions and future participation are a vital part of, and valuable asset to, the fabric of community life and activity; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim October 1, 2025, as International Day of Older Persons in the State of New York; and WHEREAS, The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated every year on October 1st; on December 14, 1990, the General Assembly of the United Nations voted to declare October 1st as the International Day of Older Persons as stated in Resolution 45/106; the holiday was first celebrated on October 1, 1991; and WHEREAS, The world's population is aging fast; the United Nations is estimating that one in five people will be over 60 by 2050; it is estimated that the number of aged over 80 will triple from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050; and WHEREAS, New York State is now home to more people aged 65 and older, 3.2 million, than the entire population of 21 states; about one in six New Yorkers now stands at 65 and beyond (16 percent), a greater share of the State's population than ever; and WHEREAS, 76 in 1,000 older New Yorkers are victims of elder abuse, and in recent years, the number of reported cases of elder abuse is growing; and WHEREAS, In July of 2018, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $8.4 million in state and federal funding to expand services for vulnerable adults through the Elder Abuse Interventions and Enhanced Multidisciplinary Teams Initiative; this helped to expand resources for older New Yorkers and ultimately put an end to elder abuse; and WHEREAS, On October 1, 2019, The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a package of tools to observe the day, including a digital application (App) to help health and social workers provide better care for elderly people; and WHEREAS, Each year on International Day of Older Persons, the State of New York aims at enshrining and upholding the rights of older people and supporting and mobilizing activists to protect those rights; the event features a panel addressing sub-themes including care sector inequalities, work/life balance in lifelong learning, and social protection; and WHEREAS, The Elderly have raised, coached, taught, and shared with younger generations; many were hard working folks who comprised the backbone of America's "Greatest" generation; they were the history makers and today, they are our neighbors who often need help in order to remain independent and to continue to live in the homes they love; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim October 1, 2025, as International Day of Older Persons in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.