National Senior Citizen Day 2022

In the United States there are many holidays honoring soldiers, important historical figures or different family members. The Americans, however, do not forget about the people who are in every American city, and are an important part of the history of the USA – senior citizens.

First attempts of honoring senior Americans were made in 1935, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. This Act introduced an old-age program which was supposed to help elderly citizens in various aspects of life. As the law was signed on August 14, this date was for many years associated with Senior Citizens Day. Officially, however, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan declared August 21 to be National Senior Citizens Day.

Although this is not a public holiday, it is an important observance and a great opportunity to show the appreciation for nearly 50 million seniors living in the United States. As Ronald Reagan said in his Presidential Proclamation: “For all that they have achieved throughout their lives and for all that they continue to do, we owe our gratitude and sincere greetings to our senior citizens”. The truth is, several decades ago they were the ones who created the country and shaped its current form. They truly deserve the respect and support from the young generation.

Many events are being organized on National Senior Citizens Day. Social media are also filled with posts with special hashtags. The most important way to celebrate, however, is to simply spend time with senior citizens.

Did you know?

Many shops or restaurants give special discounts to seniors on Senior Citizens Day. For example, in 2019 many restaurants offered a 10 to 15 percent discounts on food or beverage, which is a great occasion to take a senior citizen out for a dinner and spend some time together.