The 2005 White House Conference on Aging: An Overview

The purpose of this webpage is to present information on the White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA). This information is targeted to those individuals who are largely unfamiliar with the conference by addressing the following questions:

* What is the White House Conference on Aging?

* Who organized and attended the 2005 White House Conference on Aging?

* What activities occurred as part of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging?

* What resolutions came out of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging?

To access the official 2005 WHCoA website, click here.

What is the White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA)?

The WHCoA historically has occurred once a decade in Washington, D.C., and brings together leading experts and stakeholders in the area of older adults and aging. The WHCoA serves as a forum to discuss aging-related policy, to influence decision-makers at the state and federal levels, and to guide the public and private sectors in contributing to the well-being of older adults.

The WHCoA began through a bill introduced in the House of Representatives in 1958 that called for a national citizens’ forum to focus public attention on older Americans and to integrate recommendations from conferences on aging across the States. That year, the bill was passed and signed into law, thereby authorizing the first WHCoA, which convened in 1961. Since then, the law has been reauthorized periodically, and conferences have been held in 1971, 1981, 1995, and 2005.

Who organized and attended the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA)?

The President and Congress appointed 17 people to a WHCoA Policy Committee, whose members included congress people, directors of national agencies, public affairs consultants, and others. The Policy Committee was the main body that oversaw the direction and operations of the WHCoA. The President also appointed 22 people to an Advisory Committee whose members assisted the Policy Committee in pre-conference preparations. (Click here for a full list of members on the Policy Committee. Click here for a full list of members on the Advisory Committee.)

The 2005 WHCoA was attended by 1,200 delegates. Delegates collectively represented a range of interests and professions, including aging and health professionals, baby boomers, business and industry leaders, adults with disabilities, non-profit organizations, government, and military service veterans. Most of the delegates were appointed by Governors from all 50 states, the U.S. Territories, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Members of Congress, and the National Congress of American Indians. Other members were appointed by the Policy Committee following an extensive application process.

What activities occurred as part of the 2005 White Conference on Aging?

The WHCoA took place from December 11 to 14, 2005, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Preparations for the conference, however, began more than a year before the actual conference.

The Policy Committee, as the WHCoA organizational body, solicited public input to identify important aging-related policy concerns by hosting hundreds of listening sessions, solutions forums, and mini-conferences across the country. They also received input from events organized by organizations operating independently from the committee, as well as from agencies that wrote unsolicited letters to the Committee.

Based on this input, the Committee formulated 73 resolutions indicating various priorities for aging-related processes. Several months before the conference, these resolutions were distributed among the delegates. Upon delegates’ arrival to the conference, they were asked to vote on the 50 resolutions that they felt were the most important for current and future generations of older adults. On the second day of the Conference, delegates began attending “Implementation Sessions” to discuss strategies for moving forward with the various resolutions. (To view a copy of the complete conference program, click here.)

Data collected before and during the conference informed the Policy Committee’s creation of the final report, which was sent to Congress and the President. The report—which focuses on suggestions for administrative action and legislation necessary to implement recommendations—reflects ideas developed throughout conference activities, as well as from input solicited directly from Governors.

What resolutions came out of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging?

To view the 50 resolutions and their rankings from the 2005 conference, click here.

To view the final report of the 2005 conference, click here.