Together We Thrive: Empowering All Voices

June is Elder Abuse Prevention Awareness Month—a time to raise our voices, strengthen our communities, and ensure that every older adult is treated with dignity, respect, and care.

Elder abuse can take many forms—emotional, physical, financial—and it often goes unreported. For older adults from LGBTQ+, immigrants, or other culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the barriers to speaking up can be even greater. Cultural expectations, language differences, fear of discrimination, or past trauma can make it harder to recognize abuse or ask for help.

That’s why this year’s theme, Together We Thrive: Empowering All Voices Against Elder Abuse, is so important. It reminds us that prevention starts with inclusion—and that listening, learning, and acting with empathy can make a real difference.

Here are a few ways we can all help:

• Respect identity and relationships. Use the names and pronouns that older adults choose, and don’t assume all couples are heterosexual.
• Be culturally aware. Understand that in some cultures, family honor or caregiving expectations may prevent elders from speaking out.
• Watch for isolation. Older adults who are cut off from community or support networks may be more vulnerable to mistreatment.
• Use clear, accessible communication. Language barriers can prevent some seniors from accessing services or understanding their rights.
• Build trust. Ask about their life, listen closely, and connect them to resources that reflect their identity and values.

Every voice matters. Learn how you can help protect and uplift older adults in your community at www.agencyonaging4.org/protecting-elders-against-abuse

Together, we can create a safer, more inclusive world for all older adults—where every voice is heard, and every person can thrive.

This year’s 2025 Men’s Health Month theme is centered on closing the Empathy Gap in men’s health through advocacy, awareness, and action.

The Empathy Gap refers to the lack of care, funding, and support for men’s issues, including health, education, and emotional well-being. Men’s challenges are often overlooked, leading to fewer resources, delayed care, and limited awareness.

While awareness and funding efforts have successfully addressed numerous health challenges over the years, men’s health issues receive significantly less attention, despite statistics demonstrating clear concern.

• Men die 6 years earlier than women due to preventable health issues.

• Prostate cancer & testicular cancer receive far less attention.

• Suicide rates among men are significantly higher, yet mental health initiatives often fail to

acknowledge interventions that resonate with men.

How Can You Help?

Start a conversation: A simple conversation can spark transformation. Whether a father, brother, uncle, friend, or colleague, check in with the men in your life.

Share resources: Help normalize seeking help by sharing information about mental health support services, hotlines, and local organizations. Let others know support is available — and that it works.

Create safe spaces: Encourage environments — at home, work, school, barbershop, gym, church, or in the community — where men feel comfortable opening up without judgment. Sometimes, just knowing it’s OK to talk makes all the difference.

By the year 2030, 1 in every 5 Americans will be age 65 or older but—currently, less than 15 percent of older adults meet the aerobic and muscle strengthening physical activity recommendations in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults. 

Physically active older adults live longer on average than inactive older adults and are less likely to have chronic diseases and mobility challenges requiring costly medical care.

Other benefits include a lower risk of dementia, better perceived quality of life, and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, doing physical activity with others can provide opportunities for social engagement and interaction.

Benefits of physical activity include:

• Being physically active makes it easier to perform activities of daily living — including eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, getting into or out of a bed or chair, and moving around the house or neighborhood.
• Physically active older adults are less likely to fall than their sedentary counterparts, and if they do fall, they’re less likely to be seriously injured. 
• Physical activity can also preserve physical function and mobility, which may help maintain independence and delay the onset of major disability. 
• Physical activity has been shown to help prevent or slow the progression of many chronic conditions common among older adults—such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, obesity, certain types of cancer, and dementias including Alzheimer’s disease.
•  Muscle-strengthening activities are key to helping older adults maintain their strength and slow the progression of muscle mass loss (sarcopenia) as they age, making it easier to perform daily tasks. 
• Physical activity can benefit people at any stage of life, and its benefits are essential for healthy aging. Older adults gain substantial health benefits from regular physical activity, and it’s never too late to start. 

The graphic below outlines the amount and types of activity the Guidelines recommends for older adults:

Celebrate California's LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month!

Pride is an entire month dedicated to uplifting LGBTQ voices, celebration of LGBTQ culture and support of LGBTQ rights.

For older adults, Pride Month means much more than a celebration of identity and love but also a recognition of the struggles and triumphs experienced over decades. 

For many, Pride Month is a vital celebration for LGBTQ+ seniors, offering a time to honor their past, celebrate their present, and advocate for a more inclusive future. 

For older adults, it’s also an opportunity to mark the progress they’ve helped forge along the way. Their stories and experiences enrich the fabric of the LGBTQ community and remind us of the importance of continuing the fight for equality and acceptance for all.

Sacramento celebrates Pride Month!

Every year, more than 20,000 visitors descend on Sacramento for the city’s two-day SacPride event.

On June 14–15, the Capitol Mall transforms into a buzzing entertainment zone with food vendors and musical performances from Drag Race stars like Shea Couleé as well as local talent. Watch colorful floats and musical acts make their way from Southside Park to the State Capitol—or pre-register to join the march yourself!

We have a limited amount of free tickets available for SacPride!

Email German at gayon@agencyonaging4.org for more information. Free tickets are first come, first serve.

By the time people reach 65, 90% will have some form of cataracts.

By age 80, over 60% have cataracts, and many others have had cataract surgery. Cataracts are a common part of aging, and are the most common cause of vision loss worldwide. 

What are cataracts?

Cataracts are cloudy areas that develop in the lens in the front of the eye. Normally, the lens of the eye is clear like a camera lens. Cataracts keep light from easily passing through the lens to the back of the eye (the retina), causing blurry vision. Cataracts usually form slowly, causing no pain, redness, or tearing of the eye; some stay small and don’t alter eyesight.

If they become large or thick and have a significant impact on vision, like looking through a dirty window, they can almost aways be removed with surgery. Cataracts cannot be treated with medication or corrected with glasses.

When they are progressed and impair your vision to a degree where it negatively affects your daily life, the only effective treatment is to surgically remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an implant, a so-called intraocular lens (IOL).

Surgical treatment is very effective in restoring sight. Most patients decide to undergo the surgery when this eye disease interferes with their ability to perform normal daily activities, such as reading or driving at night.

We have teamed up with GetSetUp to provide hundreds of live online classes to keep you mentally, physically, and socially active. Classes are interactive, easy to join, offered day and night and free for our community.

All those 60+ are welcome and workshops are free when using passcode "area4-ca". 

This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The materials or product were a result of a project funded by a contract with the California Department of Aging.