May is Older Americans Month: Let’s flip the script on aging

Older Americans Month: Flip the Script on Aging

When you flip the script, you take control and reverse the usual course of events. In that spirit, the theme for Older Americans Month in May 2025 asks people of all ages to alter how we view aging.

“The 2025 theme, Flip the Script on Aging, focuses on transforming how society approaches, perceives and talks about aging,” according to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This theme encourages individual Americans and communities across the country to challenge stereotypes, dispel misconceptions and highlight the benefits of healthy aging.

The ACL invites the country to celebrate Older Americans Month by:

  • Honoring older adults’ contributions
  • Exploring the many opportunities for staying active and engaged as we age
  • Highlighting the opportunities for purpose, exploration and connection that come with aging

The history of Older Americans Month

Every May, the ACL leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate older Americans’ contributions, highlight aging trends and reaffirm a commitment to serving older adults.

Established in 1963, Older Americans Month highlights the contributions and achievements of older adults in the country. The tradition started in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy declared May as Senior Citizens Month to honor Americans aged 65 and older. In 1980, it became Older Americans Month. Since 1992, the Administration on Aging, a unit within the ACL, selects the theme for Older Americans Month.

A few ways people are celebrating across the U.S.

Area Agencies on Aging, businesses, nonprofits and local governments are celebrating Older Americans Month and the Flip the Script on Aging theme in a variety of ways.

Partying like you’re 60+

Groups are coming together for wellness fairs and senior expos, combining healthy aging education with entertainment and networking. The Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City is throwing an Age of Celebration 60+ Block Party. Other examples include senior expos and wellness fairs in Central Ohio, Bangor, Maine, and East Texas.

Honoring local heroes

Organizations are honoring programs, caregivers, workers and older Americans who make a difference. Examples include the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens.

Redefining aging through the arts

Month-long series are an engaging way to celebrate. The 14th Street Y Educational Alliance (EA) in New York City is hosting a CelebratEArts Festival for five weeks to celebrate older adults in the community.

According to the festival’s website, “Our 2025 theme, Flip the Script, aligns with the national theme set by the Administration for Community Living and challenges artists and audiences to break boundaries, redefine narratives and transform society’s perception of aging. CelebratEArts provides a dynamic platform for older adults to share their art, express themselves and connect with the community.” 

How do you flip the script on aging?

Join in the discussion on social media with #OlderAmericansMonth.

To see how Yardi Senior Living Suite clients are embracing the power and potential of older Americans and flipping the script on aging every day, read their stories.  

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AUTHOR

Amy Reinholds is a marketing writer at Yardi, covering senior living. She has written for newspapers, software companies and music magazines and is passionate about successful housing solutions. Amy writes about technology and industry trends and loves sharing stories of the people behind thriving communities.

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