National Silver Haired Congress Identifies Top Aging Issues
Delegates from seventeen states – from Georgia to Montana, California to New York, and points in between, attended the 12th Annual Meeting of the National Silver Haired Congress (NSHC) in Alexandria, Virginia from February 13-17. The major emphasis of the meeting was to identify and prioritize the top five (5) issues confronting America's older citizens.
Proposed resolutions were presented, considered in committees, debated in the bi-cameral Silver House and Silver Senate and then voted on by the delegates to determine the Top Five issues from grassroots input for legislation and/or policy action by the US Congress and the President:
1). Establish a "Silver Alert" Notification Network for Missing Elderly Citizens, similar to the Amber Alert for Children so that law enforcement, news media, and the general public may be promptly notified and a timely search and rescue may be undertaken when a vulnerable, disoriented elderly person is discovered missing. NOTE: HR 632, National Silver Alert. passed the US House on February 10 and was sent to the Senate for consideration on February 12.
2) Pass Elder Justice Legislation that will prevent, detect, treat, intervene in, and prosecute offenders involved in elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. NOTE: HR 448, Elder Abuse Victims Act, was passed by the US House on February 11 and was sent to the Senate for consideration on February 12.
3) Enact legislation, with strict enforcement provisions, to create a National Background Check and Registry of all employees of health care facilities, home health agencies, and residential care facilities.
4) Pass Legislation that will not only provide sufficient funds for the increasing numbers of Seniors and persons with disabilities needing long-term care services, but also provide for the shifting of some of those funds from institutional care to home and community based services.
5). Mandate Geriatric Education for all Students preparing for health careers in Tax Supported Medical Schools
There were three Special Proclamations passed in addition to the Top Five Resolutions for which advocates will be following and talking with the US Congress and President:
I. RESOLVED, That we, as members of the National Silver Haired Congress, wish to express our deep concern for the plight of many of our Veterans, and urge Congress to enact legislation and provide funding that will ensure all our past and present active duty military members, reserves and veterans receive the high level of medical care, life insurance and support they have more than earned.
II. RESOLVED, That the National Silver Haired Congress strongly urges the U.S. Congress to increase funding of the Older Americans Act commensurate with inflation rates and increases in the population of older U.S. citizens.
III. RESOLVED, That we, as members of the National Silver-Haired Congress strongly support the Leadership Council on Aging Organizations recommendation that a single point for coordination and accountability of all senior citizen programs be created within the Executive Office of the President to more efficiently and economically address the critical needs of this expanding population of older adults.
The delegates also were considering the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Following is a press release which explains the state by state numbers on how this Act will impact various states. As you will note, there are links to individual pages for additional information:
For Immediate Release
February 17, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The White House today released state-specific details on the local impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a nationwide effort to create jobs, jumpstart growth and transform our economy to compete in the 21st century. The compromise package of $789 billion will create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. Jobs created will be in a range of industries from clean energy to health care, with over 90% in the private sector.
Below are links to tables and fact sheets outlining the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The estimates are derived from an analysis of the overall employment impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act conducted by Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist for the Vice President, and detailed estimates of the working age population, employment, and industrial composition of each state.
IMPACT OF AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT ON WORKING
FAMILIES
EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS BY STATE
EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
EDUCATION FACT SHEET
ENERGY FACT SHEET
HEALTH CARE FACT SHEET
INFRASTRUCTURE FACT SHEET
As additional information is received on the status of bills encouraged by the NSHC, that information will be posted on this website.
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