Bill Receives New Support to Drive More Funding for Senior Care

Updates introduced this week to the Older Americans Act would improve the funding potential for senior care services across the nation. Amendments to the existing legislation, reintroduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), would help support initiatives toward allowing older Americans to age in their homes and their communities. 

The support of Sanders, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, as well as a handful of others, would strengthen the Older Americans Act—a supporter of various programs for older Americans.

“With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, our country’s growing population of seniors includes many who rely on these critical programs to help them stay in their own homes and communities,” Sanders said.

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The new legislation amends the act, originally passed in 1965 to provide infrastructure for social services such as meal delivery, caregiver support, protection from elder abuse and job training services with an eye toward independence of seniors and supporting their ability to maintain independence in their homes.

If passed, the amendments would reauthorize core programs of the act through 2018 with a 12% increase to address a growing senior population. They would also update and address the areas of greatest need, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease; and would include added senior protections against abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Read a fact sheet on the bill.

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Written by Elizabeth Ecker