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Press Releases
For Immediate Release WHCOA Press
Office
202-357-3507
September 29, 2004
2005 White House Conference On Aging Launches New Web
Site The White
House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) today unveiled its
Web site (http://www.whcoa.gov), which houses an array
of information about the planning and progress of 2005
White House Conference on Aging. The site not only features
architecture for easy navigation and access to information,
but also contains a calendar of events and links to other
resources. The site is designed to reach a growing number
of individuals who increasingly use the Internet to gain
information, conduct daily business and lead healthier,
better quality lives.
“Today’s launch marks the first time a White
House Conference on Aging has established a presence
on the Web, specifically designed to provide the public
with updates and information about the Conference,” said Dr.
Ann Y. McGee, Executive Director of the 2005 White
House Conference on Aging. “We know that the Internet
has increasingly become part of every day life for many
Americans, thus launching this Web site is an integral
component of our ongoing efforts to be responsive to
the needs of consumers through the use of modern technology,” said
McGee.
The WHCOA’s new Web site
will provide information about the Conference, which
is scheduled to take place
on October 23-26, 2005 in Washington, D.C. Included on
the site will be results of Policy Committee meetings including the development of the Conference agenda, topic
areas and the delegate selection, as well as important
regional, state and local information related to the
Conference. The WHCOA Web site will continue to be updated
as information becomes available.
“With computers in more than half of U.S households,
and more than one in five seniors online, we hope our
new site can serve as a vehicle to effectively communicate
our mission and progress on a broader scale. We are looking
to the future as we prepare for this historic event,” said
Policy Chair Dorcas
R. Hardy. Twenty-two percent of seniors
(about 8 million) were Internet users in 2004, up from
15 percent in 2000, according to a recent study conducted
by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This
group, together with the country’s 78 million baby
boomers, makes up the fastest growing Internet population.
“I applaud the White House Conference on Aging
for moving quickly to develop a Web site so that more
people can learn about the 2005 White House Conference
on Aging and
the critical issues it advocates on behalf of older Americans,” said
Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging
of the U.S. Administration on Aging.
The mission of the WHCOA is to make policy recommendations
to the President and Congress, and to assist the public
and private sectors in promoting dignity, health, independence,
and economic security of current and future generations
of older persons. In addition to addressing issues of
the current older population, the 2005 White House Conference
has a mandate to focus on needs and impact of those individuals
born between 1946 and 1964 (baby boomers).
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