Category Archives for Healthcare

AARP study on older adult stereotypes in on-line images. We think they can help

Published in RINewsToday on September 30, 2024

Following on the heels of an intense national media debate of President Joe Biden’s age and his ability to govern, a new AARP study finds a positive shift over the past five years in how adults 50-plus are portrayed online in marketing and media imagery. Researchers found that negative sentiment in online media and marketing images dropped from 28% in 2018 to just 10% in 2023.

AARP’s analysis compared images from 2018 to 2023, revealing the strengths and limitations in how aging is portrayed in media and marketing.  

AARP’s Media Landscape Review analyzed a random sample of over 1,000 online images and 500 videos featuring adults 50-plus from brands and thought leaders posted on news sites and social media with at least two million followers or readers. But political content was excluded.

According to Lauren Goodson, AARP Research Director of Growth, Enablement & Membership, AARP conducted the initial study to demonstrate the opportunity for companies/brands to more accurately and honestly represent older adults. The 2018 study found 28% of online images portrayed adults 50-plus in a negative manner compared to just 4% of those under the age of 50. “We are encouraged to see that efforts by AARP and other organizations to raise concerns about ageism have resulted in significant improvement over the past 5 years, says Goodson, noting that no decisions have yet been made about a third wave of the study.

The research findings indicated that the age 50 and over population is pictured as more active and independent, less fearful, and more likely to use technology, reflecting a growing recognition of older adults’ active lifestyles and valuable engagement in society.

While the results were promising about the decrease of ageism on the internet, note researchers, they stressed that challenges still remain.  Social media images of older workers aged 50 and over in the workplace remained unrealistically rare, they say, while depictions of this age group spending time with family actually fell over the past five years.

“At AARP, we have been leading the fight to combat ageism in marketing and media imagery, and it looks like the creative industry is starting to really listen,” said AARP Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Martha Boudreau, in a Sept. 23 statement announcing the study’s findings. “As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the age of social media, and with the ubiquity of advertising across people’s daily lives, this is truer than ever. The images we see shape what we think and can even influence how we act towards one another. Progress has been made in improving how 50-plus adults are portrayed but we still have a lot of work to do. Studies like these point the way forward and give us a solid roadmap for how to continue to make things better,” she adds.

AARP’s study details positive improvements showing a shift “from decline to vitality.” For instance, aging was viewed as more active than before.  The researchers say that the portrayal of America’s older adults has “moved from fear-based, with an emphasis on financial and medical themes, to active and healthy lifestyles.  When reviewing on-line images and videos, findings show that 26% of people 50-plus shown in images were physically active, compared to 15% in 2018.

The AARP research findings revealed a striking increase in depictions of adults 50-plus using technology. In 2023, 33% of images showed people 50-plus using tech devices, up from just 4% in 2018.  The study’s findings, indicating an uptick in the use of tech devices, better reflects this age cohort’s acceptance of technology, challenging outdated ageist stereotypes and highlighting the reality of their digital use.

As they age, nearly 80 percent of America’s older adults aged 50 and over want to age in place in their community, choosing not to be placed in an assisted living or nursing facilities.  The study showing 73 % of static images showing people at home vs. 39 % in 2018, reflects that this trend has been more visibly reflected in media in recent years

Meanwhile, just 8% of static images showed people in a retirement community compared to 15% in 2018. The researchers say it’s a sign that retirement centers are less likely to be the visual shorthand for aging, with recent images elevating independence over medical worries or reliance on assistance.

Even with positive changes, there is more room for improvement especially with portrayal of older adults in the workplace.  Despite older workers making up over one-third of the workforce, the study found only 14% of social media images show age 50 and older adults at work, this being almost unchanged from 13 % in 2018. Researchers say, “this under representation misses both on what people 50-plus are adding to the economy and what long, satisfying careers are adding to their lives.” Also, how long people are working or have gone back to work due to outliving income streams, a negative, but realistic image.

As to mobility challenges, AARP’s study reveals a substantial gap in representing mobility challenges among age 50 and over adults.  The findings indicate that only 1% of images show consumers with mobility aids, despite 12% of these older adults, in fact, regularly using a mobility device for assistance walking or navigating stairs. 

Finally, the study found a significant decline compared to 2018 in people aged 50 and older shown in multi-generational families. There was a significant decline compared to 2018 in these older adults shown in a family situation (17% to 9%) or with their grandchildren (13% to 6%), this suggesting a major opportunity for social media to more accurately reflect an important source of joy and meaning for many over 50. This finding suggests a need for the social media and marketing companies to better portray the important family roles and relationships older adults have, as these connections become more significant as one ages.

Finally, the research tracked still images and video content, with video proving to be more successful at showing adults 50-plus interacting with others, outside the home and using technology.

Every picture tells a story, don’t it?

“Those of us in communications often search for images to use to accompany stories, says Nancy Thomas, publisher of RINewsToday, a state-wide new site, noting that usually original images, with credits to photographers and artists are used. “Whether we buy them from a photographer or image service or use ones provided in what is called a Media Library on such platforms as WordPress, searching for just that right image to illustrate an article we’re publishing can be extremely difficult if the image you want is first that of an “older person,” admits Thomas.

Thomas, who ran a marketing company and held senior communications positions for over 30 years, says “it’s the hardest search we’ll do.”

According to Thomas, common searches for “a dog and family,” a “child in daycare”, “people camping” or “networking” are pretty simple, but it is more difficult to find group shots featuring accurate age spectrums and finding no person looking older than 40. “Looking back years ago,” she says, “there were no people of color, but today that has changed significantly.”

“But older people? Aging? You might find them in a nursing home setting, in a bed, with a younger person holding their hand. And then there is the active couple, running gently at the water’s edge. Or sitting at a Thanksgiving table,” quips Thomas.

“But to find an older person at work? At a training meeting? Maybe even doing the training?  It’s hard to find. At a computer? Only if someone is at their shoulder, ‘helping them’. But no doctors – they all look 30 years old. No accountants. No writers. Or even people in therapy. All young,” she says.

“It’s a conundrum, and entirely unfair for small communication and marking firms and news sites. “We’ve written to WordPress expressing our suggestion that the next time they make paid assignments to add to their Media Library they think about common images to show older people in everyday settings. At work. Watching television. Cooking. Doing art. Having a spa day. At the playground with their grandchildren. Shopping. As the medical expert. Or technician,” says Thomas, noting that “All images amazingly absent.”

Thomas adds: “When we do find images of older men and women, how often are they in muted colors? Wearing sweaters. Or, of course, there are the handsomely grey-haired men with the twinkle in their eye.  We wonder what AI will bring to the table, being programmed, as it were, by younger people?  Request an image of grandma and grandpa playing with their newborn grandchild – see what you get,” she asks.

“Let’s push back against being seen, regardless of our age, as either “the wealthy” or “the impoverished” – most of us, regardless of our age, are somewhere floating up and down in the middle. A healthy dose of realism led by the photographs we show, and the images we keep, is due all the way around,” says Thomas. 

A suggestion for AARP – beyond studies – to solution!

Thomas went on to suggest one thing AARP could change much of this. They could create a bank of photos that groups could use with “approved” AARP images (even giving an AARP credit line so small websites and publication sites could dramatically improve their images overnight – not only would AARP be creating an almost instant solution, they could add a small fee to subscribe to the service that would help fund their future studies into issues of concern for aging Americans.

On-line Imagery Should Accurately Reflect Society

According to Betty Galligan, APR, president of Pawtucket-based Newberry Public Relations and Marketing, as the AARP study points out, the creative media industry has a long way to go in portraying life as an older person in today’s society. In addition to photo and video imagery on news sites and social media platforms, streaming video content is an opportunity that holds a lot of influence to normalize the way we see 50-plus adults. “It would be wonderful to see a romantic series or movie featuring an older leading man or woman who uses a wheelchair or walker to get around. Or to show more older heroes and heroines in the workplace. “The Intern” movie with Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway comes to mind, as does the stereotype of Meryl Streep’s character in “The Devil Wears Prada”,” she says.

Online media shapes and informs public opinion, and its influence is evident in the way people view older adults, says Galligan. “The recently released AARP study reveals a positive shift because the 50-plus population today is indeed way more active than in past generations,” she said.

 “We all know a grandparent who is using text messaging, TikTok and technology to keep up with their grandchildren. We also know older folks who are athletic and energetic well into their 80s, sometimes more so than their younger counterparts. Marketing imagery should hold up the proverbial mirror to society and reflect this,” adds Galligan, who has worked in the Boston and Providence advertising sector for nearly 40 years.

In the past, successful advertising and marketing was ideally aspirational, reflecting what consumers desire to be versus what they actually are,” observes Galligan. “At its core, it can be deceptive. Images depicting stereotypes of a thin model smoking, for example, drove sales for cigarette brands especially among women who used smoking as a diet aid,” she said, stressing that today’s realism is in vogue.

“Popular reality TV shows, the “celebrification” of ordinary people, citizen  journalism on social media platforms all play a role in portraying the average person (including older adults) in ways we’ve not experienced before,” notes Galligan.

Galligan notes that people are healthier than in past decades, living longer and with more vitality. In general, the 50-plus market segment has greater disposable income, so it’s no wonder that brands are embracing this demographic reality. “Marketing has become bolder and more inclusive than before – case in point, ads depicting older same-gender couples and ladies wearing disposable garments for incontinence, says Galligan.

To get AARP’s 2018 Media Landscape review, go to https://www.aarp.org/research/topics/life/info-2019/age-representation-in-online-media-images.html.

To get AARP’s latest (2024) latest Media Landscape review, go to:

https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/topics/aging-experience/demographics/ageism-online-media.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00852.001.pdf.

Learn more about this study at AARP.org/50plusmedia.

New report re-examines workplace policies and caregiving

Published in RINewsToday on June 10, 2024

As a newly released AARP and S&P Global report notes, working while being a caregiver is complicated.  While the researchers say that since the previously issued report in 2020, US employers have stepped up to the plate to offer access to caregiving benefits.  However, much more must be done. 

Since the 2020 AARP and S&P Global’s last report, employers have become attuned to the needs of working parents over the past decade and especially during the pandemic, and are now moving from awareness to action in providing support for employees with adult caregiving responsibilities.

Taking a look at caregiver employees

The report’s authors say this study “explores the workplace experiences of caregivers and how they use employer provided benefits and policies to remain successful at work while providing care at home. It reveals not only the challenges of balancing work and caregiving, but also how the right workplace policies can ease the burdens.”

According to the new analysis conducted last December by AARP and S&P Global, the unpredictable nature of caregiving for an adult is one of the biggest stressors the caregiver employee faces.  Sixty seven percent of family caregivers have a very difficult time balancing work with their caregiver responsibilities.  

Half of the working caregiver respondents reported having to make work scheduling changes, (including going in early, leaving late, or just taking time off because of caregiving responsibilities), the findings indicated.

The findings indicate that workers are even reducing hours at work.  Twenty seven percent of working caregivers have shifted from full-time to part-time work or have even reduced hours, while 16% have turned down a promotion.

Meanwhile the findings indicated that 16% have stopped working entirely for a period of time — and 13% have changed employers — in order to meet their caregiving responsibilities.

With the nation’s number of adults ages 65-plus projected to surpass the population of children by 2030, the report warns that US employers must continue to offer policies and benefits that are friendly and supportive of adult caregivers to keep them in the workforce.

In order to get a handle on the needs of working caregivers and understand the importance of employer benefits for balancing work and family care obligations, in 2023 AARP and S&P Global surveyed 1,200 self-identified caregivers who worked full-time or part-time at large US companies (employing more than 1,000 employees) and who provide at least six hours of care each week to an adult.

It’s complicated – being a working caregiver 

There were other key highlights from the Working while caregiving: It’s complicated report.  

Eighty percent of the survey caregiver respondents believe that companies were more understanding of childcare issues – rather than adult caregiving responsibilities.  The researchers say that this is particularly the case among caregivers who have an under-18 child at home and they have recent experience of both caregiving situations. Those caregivers without children reported less satisfaction with company support than caregivers with children (69% versus 89%, respectively).

For those working remotely, the survey’s findings indicate that they were more likely to feel penalized or discriminated against at work because of caregiving responsibilities when compared to in-office or hybrid workers (49% versus a combined average of 29%). The researchers say that this might reflect employer challenges in assessing and engaging with remote employees’ work-life needs.

Finally, the study found that among working caregivers providing more than 21 hours of care a week, 37% say they are experiencing significantly increased difficulty due to inflation. And for those providing fewer than 10 hours of care, 25% say inflation has made providing care significantly more difficult.

According to AARP, previous AARP research shows that of the nearly 48 million family caregivers in the US, 61% are juggling both work and caregiving responsibilities, including assistance with daily living activities, medical or nursing tasks, coordinating services and supports, transportation, shopping, and serving as an advocate for their care recipient. Most family caregivers provide at least 20 hours of care each week, equal to an unpaid part-time job.

The new report’s findings found that access to a flexible work schedule at the time of caregiving increased from 32% in 2020 to 45% in 2023. Additionally, the availability of caregiving policies or benefits increased in every category except unpaid leave. 

“As the backbone of America’s long-term care system, providing $600 billion every year in unpaid labor, family caregivers need and deserve greater support from their own employers,” said Susan Reinhard, Senior Vice President and Director of AARP Public Policy Institute, in a May 16th statement announcing the release of the 21 page report’s findings.  “As our population ages, it’s critical that employers support family caregivers in the workforce with the policies, such as paid leave, that can ease their everyday burdens,” she said.

“Despite the progress observed since 2020, the latest data shows the majority of employees with adult caregiving responsibilities continue to face barriers at balancing work and caregiving obligations and need greater support from employers through enhanced benefits and policies to stay engaged in the workforce,” noted Alexandra Dimitrijevic, Co-chair of S&P Global Research Council. “Employers can help by paying forward-looking attention to employee needs and the demographics shift of the workforce in the coming years,” she added.

Best Practices to support working caregivers

The report’s authors say that employers can do more to support working caregivers and detail best practices that companies can take to support their employees. 

They call on companies to consider offering and support flexible schedules and flexible work locations either hybrid/remote. Employer-supported access to support groups, career coaching and financial advising resources could be offered.  Paid leave specifically for caregivers and/or flexible leave can be used to help with caregiving duties, they suggest.

Yes, information is power.  Companies could host free sessions to highlight how caregiving employees can optimize employer benefits and policies, as a way to address the lack of awareness in using benefits.  Senior leaders could be asked to share their stories as to how they have used the company’s caregiver-supportive benefits and policies, signaling to both people managers and their teams that they are encouraged to use them.

The report’s authors urge companies to train people managers on caregiver-inclusive managerial practices and ensure that they are aware of caregiver-supportive benefits and policies. They must make it clear that it is safe to use them all without incurring career risk.

Finally, companies can start or support an Employee Resource Group (ERG) for parents and caregivers or create a caregiving initiative across all ERGs. 

To view the full 2024 report:

https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/featured/special-editorial/working-while-caregiving.

To view the 2020 report:

Click to access somethingsgottagive_spgiaarp.pdf

For details on caregiving: 

Click to access full-report-caregiving-in-the-united-states.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.001.pdf

Bipartisan support needed to re-establish House Aging Committee

Published in RINewsToday on May 6, 2024

It was almost like attending a 34th high school reunion.  After over three decades, an on-line meeting on April 25th, would bring five former senior staffers of the House Select Committee on Aging (HSCoA) and House Rules Committee back together to provide firsthand accounts to Maia Leeds, legislative assistant for Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), as to why the New Jersey Congressman, co-chair of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, should call on the caucus to endorse H. Res. 1029, re-establishing the House Select Committee on Aging. 

Washington, DC-based groups, including the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), Social Security Works and the Alliance for Retired Americans, including this writer, along with key staff of Congressman Seth Magaziner (D-RI), the primary sponsor of the resolution, participated in the discussion of how the Rhode Island Congressman could attract more cosponsors, especially House Republican lawmakers.   

Throughout the half-hour meeting, Leeds and others stressed the importance of recruiting Republican lawmakers, calling for bipartisan support of H. Res. 1029. According to “Votes in Congress” published in the New York Times on Oct. 13, 1974, even with the Democrats controlling the House in 1974, the HSCoA was established by a huge bipartisan vote of 299 to 74.  In 1993, House Democratic belt-tightening efforts to save $ 1.5 million funding the operations of HSCoA would force it to close its door.

The House Aging Committee was not charged with drafting legislation. Its mission was to conduct investigations and hold hearings to put the spotlight on aging issues that would ultimately lead standing committees with aging jurisdiction to craft legislation to address these issues. 

From the 114th Congress, until he retired during the 117th Congress, in each Congressional session, former Congressman David Cicilline had introduced a resolution to bring back the HSCoA. The resolution failed to gain traction and get support from either House Republic Leader Paul Ryan or House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Magaziner would ultimately pick up the baton and introduce H. Res. 1029, on Feb. 23, 2024. This resolution was referred to the House Committee on Rules for mark-up, and if passed will be considered by the full House. At press time, there are only 26 Democratic cosponsors, with no Republican cosponsors.

Simply Put…

Magaziner’s 213-word resolution simply amends the Rules of the House to establish a HSCoA, without legislative jurisdiction, to conduct a continuing comprehensive study and review an array of aging issues, including income maintenance, poverty, housing, health (including medical research), welfare, employment, education, and long-term care.

H. Res. 1029 also calls for the reestablished HSCoA to study ways that would encourage the development of public and private sector programs and policies that would keep older Americans active in their community.   

The resolution would also allow the HSCoA to develop policies that would encourage the coordination of both government and private programs designed to deal with problems of aging -and to review any recommendations made by the President or White House Conference on Aging in relations to programs and policies impacting seniors.

According to EveryCRS Report, the House can easily establish an ad hoc (temporary) select committee just by approving a simple resolution with no Senate or Presidential approval. It contains language establishing the committee, detailing a purpose, defining membership. Salaries and expenses of standing committees, special and select, are authorized through the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

Magaziner, currently out on parental leave, couldn’t make the online meeting, but Chief of Staff Clayton Schroers, and Kyra Whitelaw, Legislative Assistant, came to monitor the gathering to gain insight from former staffers of HSCoA’s impact on the development of aging policy.

According to Magaziner, his staff are working hard to speak to other congressional offices about the benefits of the proposed committee and who will continue to work to raise the profile of this resolution to encourage other members to become cosponsors. “I was grateful for the opportunity to present to the Leadership Council on Aging, a national coalition of national nonprofit organizations that works on policy issues related to the well-being of America’s seniors,” says Magaziner, noting that his resolution has the support of the NCPSSM and Meals on Wheels America.”

As Magaziner works to increase the number of cosponsors for H. Res. 1029, he says: “The support of advocates is important to encouraging Congressional representatives to cosponsor this resolution.”

“I’m ready to work with anyone, from either party, to deliver results for Rhode Island—and that includes finding common ground on important legislation like H. Res. 1029,” says Magaziner. “I believe there’s still room for bipartisanship, and ensuring we address issues for seniors across the country should be an area where we can all agree. I will continue to urge my Republican colleagues to work together with Democrats to move our country forward,” he says.

Former Congressional staffers call for passage of H. Res. 1029

“A House Aging Committee would centralize Congress’s consideration of older American issues and could be of assistance to authorizing committees with legislative jurisdiction over agencies and programs important to seniors,” says Max Richtman, NCPSSM’s President and CEO, explaining why NCPSSM will directly encourage House members to cosponsor H. Res. 1029.  

According to Richtman, a 16-year veteran of Capitol Hill, the pros outweigh the cons on supporting Magaziner’s resolution. A House Aging Committee would centralize Congress’s consideration of older American issues and could be of assistance to authorizing committees with legislative jurisdiction over agencies and programs important to seniors. However, it would take staff and clerk hire (money) away from the authorizing committees.

Like Magaziner, Richtman observes that bipartisan support for programs and agencies important to senior has a mixed record. “There is some bipartisan agreement on the Older Americans Act (OAA). But even on OAA, bipartisan action can vary widely, says Richtman, especially when Republicans want to make across the board cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, including OAA, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance  Program. “And there appears to be no bipartisan agreement on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid,” he says.

Richtman, a former Staff Director of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, says that the upper chamber sees the value of the Senate Aging Committee, noting that he believes that it has operated in a bipartisan manner. 

Bob Blancato, former Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging and former Staff Director, Subcommittee on Housing & Consumer Interests, from 1978-93, has joined the efforts to pass H. Res. 1029. “I just wanted to add another voice in favor of this resolution,” says Blancato, President of Matz, Blancato and Associates.

According to Blancato, who served as Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Human Services from 1977 to 1991, important policies were addressed over those years.  Several amendments to the Older Americans Act were adopting, including creating a separate program for home delivered meals. He remembers his subcommittee held the first hearing ever on the issue of grandparent visitation rights.  

Although some standing committee chairs felt THE aging committee made them work harder because of issues raised in their legislative jurisdictions, there were many examples of both “working together,” says Blancato. He recalls the House Education and Labor Committee working close with his subcommittee on legislation, including the Older Americans Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Blancato sees the need to bringing back the HSCoA. Since it was abolished over 30 years ago, there are many issues that need to be addressed with the graying of the nation’s population, he says.  

“A good gauge to see if House lawmakers consider aging policy to be a bipartisan issue is if the Older Americans Act gets renewed on a bipartisan vote this year,” notes Blancato, stressing that “this will be a good test.”

Elaina K. Goldstein, JD, MPA remembers the day when the HSCoA ceased to exist. “It was heartbreaking to have to pack up the incredible work done by the HSCoA and I am thrilled to be involved with its resurrection,” says the former Legal Counsel for the Subcommittee on Retirement and Employment. “It would be incredible if H. Res. 1029 passes, to once again see its staff work hand in hand with the Committees of jurisdiction to get important issues into the light so they could be remedied to make life better for seniors,” she says.   

As a former HSCoA staffer, Goldstein disagrees with those seeing conflict between the Select Committee and Standing Committees. “Quite the opposite,” she said, noting that Subcommittees did not have and will not have any legislative jurisdiction.,” she noted.  

According to Goldstein, many of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) health concerns and subsequent hearings held by HSCoA were uncovered by the Senate Finance Committee staff who felt they could not move forward politically in their Committee but felt the House Aging Committee could get the issue out in the open and then they could follow up. “As I said, these issues were ultimately addressed in the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and accountability Act of 1996,” she noted.

As to gaining Republican cosponsors, Goldstein sees aging policy losing some of its bi-partisan appeal with the debates over Social Security and Medicare. “It seems that Republican lawmakers feel the issues of Social Security and Medicare are Democratic issues,” she says, noting that there are so many others. “If the Committee would also take on the issues and concerns of people with disabilities —which they do in the Senate Aging committee —many issues that impact the aging are issues for the disabled as well,” she says, stressing this could well increase bi-partisan appeal.

Robert Weiner, President of Robert Weiner Associates News, saw the negative impact of the HSCoA being abolished. As Staff Director of the Health and Long-Term Care Subcommittee from 1975-76 and the former Claude Pepper’s  (D-FL) Chief of Staff (1976-80) when he chaired the full committee, Weiner knew how shortchanged seniors would be when the committee was abolished. “I always have wanted that decision reconsidered.,” he said.

“Reform”, instead of facts on Social Security have unfortunately now become the political value system norm, and age discrimination has crept back more and more, from hiring and firing in everything  whether private sector or politics. The Aging Committee and its members were and could again be a wedge of power representing older Americans of both parties,” says Weiner, who was a close confident of Pepper until he died in 1989.

Looking back, “We got legislation passed abolishing age-based mandatory retirement, as well as Medicare expansion of home health care, standards for cancer insurance, a major Social Security protection deal co-authored by Pepper, and many other laws by initial press during our investigations and then working closely with the standing committees on the bills,” says Weiner.

Some say that Cicilline’s efforts to pass the resolution to reestablish the HSCoA stalled because of the standing committee’s fear of loss of power in the legislative process. “This is anything but new. We did, and any new committee must, cooperate with, meet with, and support the standing committees’ efforts.  Pepper always made friends and cooperated. We worked closely with chairs and leaders from Gus Hawkins (D-CA) to Gladys Spellman (D-MD)  to Dan Rostenkoswski (D-Ill) to House Speaker Tip O’Neill (D-Mass) and Republican leader Bob Michel (R-Ill),” remembered Weiner.

The key to getting Magaziner’s resolution passed is for the Congressman to actively work to expand the co-sponsorships by taking co-sponsorship sign-up sheets and have conversations around the House floor and cloakrooms and thereby get to well over 100,” says Weiner. 

 A Final Note:

At the on-line meeting, former Senior Staff of HSCoA and Washington, DC-based aging groups, and Rhode Island senior advocates, praised Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s co-sponsorship of H. Res. 1029. Increasing the number of co-sponsors to over 100, especially recruiting GOP lawmakers, might just give the resolution traction this Congress.  Hopefully, Congressman Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and the moderate Democratic and Republican members of his caucus will see the value of following Gottheimer’s lead. Yes, aging should be considered a bipartisan issue, just like it was in 1974 when both Democrats and Republicans rallied to establish HSCoA.  

Without support of the House Republican leadership, Richtman warns that it is unlikely that H. Res. 1029 will be considered during the 118th Congress.  However, efforts to drive up the number of cosponsors – especially if it can attract some Republican support – might enable the resolution to be considered if there is a more pro-senior majority in the House of Representatives,” he says.

It’s now time for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to step to the plate and support H. Res. 1029, and consider aging to be a bipartisan issue.  The switching of legislative control in the Senate over 47 years and the contentious debates over Social Security and Medicare, has had little impact on the operations of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. The bipartisan panel has continued to investigate and put the spotlight on critical aging issues, working with Senate standing committees to draft legislation to enhance the life and well-being of America’s seniors.  It’s now time for the House to bring back the HSCoA.  

Herb Weiss, LRI’12, is a Pawtucket-based writer who has covered aging, health care and medical issues for over 44 years. To purchase his books, Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly, and a sequel, compiling weekly articles published in this commentary, go to herbweiss.com.

 Participants of April 25 online meeting:

House Staffers: Chief of Staff Clayton Schroers and Kyra Whitelaw, Legislative Assistant, Office of Congressman Seth Magaziner; Maia Leeds, legislative Assistant, for Josh Gottheimer, Office of Congressman Josh Gottheimer.

Senior House Staffers: Bill Benson, former Assistant Secretary for Aging, US Dept. of Health and Human Services and former Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Housing & Consumer Interests, House Permanent Select Committee on Aging, from 1987-90;  Bob Blancato, former Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging and former Staff Director, Subcommittee on Housing & Consumer Interests, from 1978-93; Elaina K. Goldstein, JD, MPA,  former Legal Counsel for the Subcommittee on Retirement Income and Employment; Robert S. Weiner, former Staff Director, Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care from 1975-77, Chief of Staff of the full Aging Committee from 1976-80); Thomas J. Spulak, former Staff Director, House Rules Committee (under Congressman Pepper), 1982-89 and Chair, the Claude Pepper Foundation.

National Aging Organizations: Nancy Altman, President, Social Security Works, Dan Adcock, Government Relations and Policy Director of the NCPSSM; and David Simon, Legislative Representative for the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Rhode Island: Vincent Marzullo, former Director of the Corporation for National Community Service, Board member of the Senior Agenda of RI, and member of Magaziner’s Senior Advisory Council; Robert Robillard, President of RI Senior Center Directors Association; and writer Herb Weiss.