Josefina G. Carbonell: 1950—: Head of U.S. Administration on Aging

Carbonell led a U. S. delegation to the Second World Assembly on Aging in Madrid, Spain. She and other representatives of United Nations member states established the International Plan of Action on Aging. The plan looked into global needs arising from changes in the environment and from migrations in a population rapidly rising in median age. Carbonell emphasized the urgent need for reasonable policies at the domestic level, which impact some 35 million elderly Americans.

For Older Americans Month in May of 2002, Carbon-ell chose the theme "America: A Community for All Ages." She paid tribute to the family as the nation's strength and noted that 95 percent of personal care comes from the family. She saluted unselfish gifts of comfort, security, and sustenance, and honored the historical perspective that the elderly provide to young people as they seek self-affirmation and prosperity. For fiscal 2003, she requested $1.3 billion to fund the NFCSP as well as Medicare patrols, research and training, home services, and Meals on Wheels.

As head of the AoA, Carbonell has also established goals to lessen language barriers, upgrade literacy and acculturation, and counter isolation and post-traumatic stress disorders among refugees. As a Cuban immigrant, she commiserated with the difficulty of adjusting to a foreign land and customs, and the fear of the elderly that they will die and be buried far from home. To reach people of retirement age often overlooked by community support groups, she proposed agency collaboration to build trust and enhance quality of life.