ARGENTUM ADVOCATES
SENIOR Act Crafted to Support Senior Living, Present and Future
By Sara Wildberger A
t its best, the democratic process is inspiring and inspired. Getting involved in supporting a cause you
care about and using your voice to help get an essential and effective piece of legislation passed is not only personally meaningful— such action also strengthens democracy itself and can be a gift to the future. The SENIOR Act—it stands for Safe-
guarding Elderly Needs for Infrastructure and Occupational Resources—has been crafted by Argentum with this in mind. It’s a response to the immediate needs of old- er adults and providers alike for care and caregivers in the wake of the pandemic, but also addresses the growing needs inevitable in our future: • Every day, 10,000 Americans turn age 65. • The number of adults aged 85 and old- er—the group predominately requiring care—will nearly quadruple between 2000 and 2040.
• By 2050, the number of seniors with cognitive decline and memory impair- ment will increase five-fold.
• In just 13 years, for the first time in our nation’s history, there will be more se- niors than children.
• Nearly 70 percent of these seniors will need some form of long-term care, yet by 2025, there will be a shortage of 1.4 million caregivers.
If the needs of this fragile population aren’t addressed now, we risk losing the choices older people enjoy today about how and where they want to live. What’s true for a person is true for a na-
tion: If you don’t plan for aging, you risk ending up with the least desirable and most expensive solution.
Preserving choice and dignity As senior living professionals know, older adults and their loved ones enjoy having the choice of senior living communities avail- able today—more than 2 million seniors choose assisted living, independent living, or memory care residences to be their homes. They also report more than 90 percent sat- isfaction rate with these communities. In the communities where we work, res-
idents and their loved ones can count on professionally trained staff, assistance with activities of daily living, social engagement, security, and safety—at a cost that can often be below traditional in-home care. However, our communities are struggling
because of inequitable federal relief for COVID-related losses and extreme work- force shortages. A recent survey showed that more than half are operating at a loss, and all face caregiver shortages that worsen daily.
The SENIOR Act solution How does the SENIOR Act address this crisis? It starts through addressing the imminent
need for investing in human infrastructure. While this term may sound unusual, it sim- ply means that senior living caregivers and frontline workers assisting our seniors must be sustained and their value recognized as an essential part of what holds the nation together. Innovative action based on prov- en successful programs is needed to ensure safety for seniors and workers alike. The SENIOR Act proposes: Growing the senior caregiver workforce.
The SENIOR Act builds upon existing workforce programs that have proven successful in meeting our nation’s varying healthcare requirements. Specifically, it
52 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
bolsters workforce development programs within Health Resources & Services Admin- istration (HRSA) and Department of Labor (DOL) by emphasizing geriatric care and the needs of this vulnerable population. Expanding the caregiving workforce and increasing the number of individuals eager to serve our nation’s seniors will address the systemic workforce shortages that have been exacerbated by COVID. Creating a Caregiver Sustainability Fund
for struggling caregivers. The SENIOR Act establishes a Caregiver Sustainability Fund (CSF) to ensure that critical caregivers who are still struggling financially due to extreme COVID-related losses and insufficient fed- eral relief—such as assisted living commu- nities—can keep their doors open. Assisted living caregivers incurred over $30 billion in losses while keeping seniors safe during the pandemic yet received less than 1 percent of the Provider Relief Fund. The majority now operates at a financial loss. The CSF would stabilize assisted living caregivers and other senior congregate caregivers who can demonstrate significant and uncompensated COVID-related losses due to direct senior care. To keep up with the latest in the
progress of the SENIOR Act and other advocacy work, please join Argentum Ad- vocates:
argentum.com/argentumadvocates
SAVE THE DATE
Argentum’s 2022 Public Policy Institute will be held March 7-9, 2022, in Washington, D.C. See
argentum.org/ppi for updates!
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