ODs participate in White House forum on aging

White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) officials came to Dallas on Friday during Optometry's Meeting, the American Optometric Association's 108th Annual Congress, to hold a forum on "Eye Care Access: Eliminating Barriers for Seniors and Baby Boomers." According to an AOA press release, this is the "only public solutions forum designed to focus on eliminating barriers to eye and vision care services for America's seniors."

Panel members presented information on health and long-term living, the workplace of the future, our community and social engagement. In addition to eight optometrists, panelists included Rosie Janiszewski, the National Eye Institute's deputy director of the Office of Communication, Health Education and Public Liaison, and William Sexton, president-elect of the National Rural Health Association and chief executive for the North Coast Service Area of Providence Health System in Oregon. Dorcas R. Hardy, chair of the WHCoA Policy Committee; committee member Rodolfo Arredondo, EdD; and Adelaide Horn, deputy commissioner of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, also participated.

The information presented during the forum will be considered by the WHCoA Policy Committee. According to the AOA, the WHCoA "views improved access to eye care for seniors as an important component of overall good health."

The AOA press release stated that the White House Conference on Aging, which is scheduled to take place in December in Washington, "is a decennial event intended to produce recommendations for the President and Congress to help guide national policies on aging for the next decade and beyond." Public events are taking place across the country prior to this conference to focus on the nation's aging concerns, such as access to care for baby boomers.