Tag Archives for Senate Aging Committee

Looking back at 2024, sharing some favorites

Published in RINewsToday on January 7, 2025

Like many national news organizations, RINewsToday, The Pawtucket Times and Woonsocket Call (now combined into one newspaper called the Blackstone Valley Call & Times), offers its readers an ‘age beat’ editorial commentary, covering a myriad of aging issues, Congress (including Social Security and Medicare) retirement, the long-term care continuum, consumer issues, spirituality, pop culture, health care and even economics. Throughout these years

I’ve covered these issues as they relate to older Rhode Islanders, also covering Smith Hill, when there are state policy debates on issues that will impact older Rhode Islanders.

As a Rhode Island ‘age beat’ journalist for over 45 years, I have penned over 1,000 stories covering issues of interest to our readers. These authored and coauthored pieces have appeared in national, state and trade publications.

For many of these editorial commentaries, I have consistently drawn on the invaluable research produced by the Washington, DC-based AARP. Their insightful reports, polls, and studies have provided a wealth of information that has deepened public understanding of the challenges and opportunities of aging. I’ve also drawn on the expertise of professionals in the Rhode Island aging network for their perspective and comments on these topics, giving the editorial a good, local slant, where possible.

In 2024, my commentaries have appeared weekly in daily news outlets, also in other media outlets including RINewsToday – that’s about 52 articles a year – over quite a few years now! I’ve written for digital news publications, Senior Digest, a monthly publication for those over age 50, the Narragansett Times, Kent County Daily, Cranston Herald, Warwick Beacon and the Johnston Sun who have picked up stories, and of course, my own blog.

As we celebrate the New Year and look forward to 2025, looking back, I have selected my top five favorite commentaries published in 2024. Specifically:

“Stoic Tips for the Class of 2024,” May 27, 2024.

Generally, thousands of commencement speeches occur annually at university and colleges in the U.S. The common themes of these speakers (traditionally 10 minutes in length, up to 2,500 words) that typically emerge in their speeches in 2024 were: resilience and overcoming challenges; embracing change and innovation; social responsibility and making a difference; the power of community and collaboration; and personal growth and lifelong learning; mental health and well-being and finally embracing diversity and inclusion.

Over the years, never being invited to give a commencement speech, I have traditionally penned my own. So, in 2024, advice was giving to graduating seniors, pulling from stoicism, a school of Hellenistic philosophy that thrived in Ancient Greece and Rome. Advice came from: Epictetus, a former slave in Hierapolis (modern-day Turkey) around 50 CE; Seneca the Younger, who lived in the 1st century CE; Stoic Philosopher Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor who ruled from 161 to 180 CE; and Stoic Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.

Graduating seniors were advised to remember the teachings of Stoic philosophy that would offer them a timeless roadmap for living a life of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.

“Congressman Magaziner Takes Baton on Bring Back House Aging Committee,” March 4, 2024

Over 30 years ago, the US House Democratic leadership’s belt-tightening efforts to save $1.5 million resulted in the termination of the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging. This commentary announced Cong. Seth Magaziner (RI-2) legislative attempt to bring back the House Select Committee on Aging (HSCoA) when he picked up the baton from former Cong. David Cicilline who sought to bring it back during the 114th-117th Congresses.

The Commentary announced that Cong. Seth Magaziner’s introduction of H. Res. 1029, on Feb. 23, 2024, (cosponsored by Cong. Gabe Amo (RI-1) and 27 House Democratic lawmakers) to reestablish the HSCoA. It was referred to the House Committee on Rules for mark-up, (which never occurred) and the legislative resolution died at the conclusion of the 118th Congress.

According to the commentary, every day 12,000 Americans turn 60. By 2030, nearly 75 million people in the U.S. — or 20% of the country — will be age 65 or older. With the graying of our nation, the need for support and services provided under programs like Social Security, SSI, Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act increases.

Magaziner’s 213-word resolution would have authorized the HSCoA to study the use of all practicable means and methods of encouraging the development of public and private programs and policies which will assist seniors in taking a full part in national life and which will encourage the utilization of the knowledge, skills, special aptitudes, and abilities of seniors to contribute to a better quality of life for all Americans.

Finally, the House Resolution would also allow the HSCoA to develop policies that would encourage the coordination of both governmental and private programs designed to deal with problems of aging and to review any recommendations made by the President or by the White House Conference on aging in relation to programs or policies affecting seniors.

Hopefully, we will see Magaziner continue his attempt to bring back the HSCoA by reintroducing a new resolution during this new Congress. With his

“If You Want a Friend in Washington, Get a Furry Friend,” Aug. 5, 2024.

With an increasing number of adults reporting a decrease in the number of close friends, the old adage, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog,” might also be applicable outside the Beltway, even in the Ocean State. This companionship can also boost your physical and mental health. Your furry friends’ capacity for unconditional love enables them to share our lives’ highs and lows.

This commentary stressed the powerful bond of owning a pet and how the relationship offers mental and emotion support to their owners.

According to the findings of an American Psychiatric Association (APA) Healthy Minds Monthly poll released jointly with the American Veterinary Medical Association, among the many mental health benefits of pets, nearly two-thirds of pet owners say that their animals offer companionship (65%), are a true friend (65%) and provide unconditional love and support (64%), the survey finds. Eighty-four percent of pet owners say that their pets have a mostly positive impact on their mental health, similar to the findings of last year’s polling on the same topic. The poll was of 2,200 adults, done by Morning Consult.

Furthermore, the survey’s findings indicated 62 percent of the survey’s respondents say that pets provide a calming presence and also help reduce their stress and anxiety. Thirty-five percent note that their pet encourages them to be more physically active, too. The findings note that owning a pet adds structure to a respondent’s schedule and can even increase social connections with others (19%).

Yes, in Washington or outside the Beltway, if you want a friend, get a dog (or even a cat, bird or hamster). Pets can become a protective buffer against physical and mental disorders and life stressors.

“Someone’s Trash is a Military Family’s Treasure: Ours,” June 3, 2024.

This commentary, in the Blackstone Valley Call & Times, highlighted my efforts to retrieve a military footlocker that belonged to my father, after being notified that a Detroit couple, Michael Shannon and his girlfriend Cetaura Bell, found it cast away on a sidewalk for anyone to claim. The trunk had sat in a vacant garage for over 60 years (with the owner having no relations with the owner Lt. Frank M. Weiss). The couple went out of their way to try and finally successfully track me down thru an internet search.

My story was picked up by RINewsToday, and then in several local papers. The Detroit Free Press, a Gannet publication also did a story, in both their digital and print editions, and then other Gannet papers, including the Providence Journal, the Cincinnati paper and the Indy Star. Perhaps the biggest connection, though, was made with Stars & Stripes – the US military’s independent news source with a circulation of over 1 million readers.

“Shortage of direct care professionals a local and national concern,” April 22, 2024

Over 23 years ago, commentaries in the Pawtucket Times that I wrote reported on the crisis of a direct care staffing shortage and inadequate reimbursement being paid to nursing facilities to care for Rhode Island’s frail seniors. As we enter 2025, NOTHING has changed and these staffing and reimbursement issues still continue to exit.

The commentary took a look at a U.S. Special Committee on Aging hearing, chaired by Chairman Bob Casey, (D-PA), showcasing S. 4120, legislation that he introduced with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act, introduced during the 118thCongress,would ensure that direct care professionals have a sustainable, lifelong career by providing substantial new funding to support these workers in every part of the long-term care industry, from nursing homes to home care, to assisted living facilities.

The Senate Aging Committee hearing revealed a number of statistical findings showing the need for Congress to address the nation’s severe ongoing direct care professional workforce shortage. It was noted that a recently released survey revealed 92% of nursing facility respondents and nearly 70% of assisted living facilities reported significant or severe workforce shortages.

The April 16th hearing entitled, “The Long-Term Care Workforce: Addressing Shortages and Improving the Profession,” examined the challenges currently facing long-term care workers who are often underpaid and overworked, leading to widespread worker shortages that threaten the availability of care for those who need it.

“It’s a crisis that stems largely from a lack of support for and investment in our care giving workforce,” warned Casey in his opening statement. “Between 50 to over 90 percent of long-term care settings and providers report significant staffing shortages, affecting their ability to provide services, accept new clients, or even to remain open,” he said, with witnesses providing personal testimony about this policy issue.

John E. Gage, MBA, NHA, President & CEO, of the Rhode Island Health Care Association (RIHCA), Maureen Maigret, policy advisory of the Senior Agenda of RI (SACRI), offered their views of the nation’s severe ongoing direct care professional workforce shortage citing Rhode Island specific examples.

In conclusion…

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the thousands of individuals I have interviewed over these 45 years. Their comments reflecting insights and observations about aging, health care, and medical issues, have profoundly enriched these commentaries.

To review all my 53 commentaries that appeared in 2024 (including the above cited), go to http://www.herbweiss.blog.

Chair Casey leaves mark on national aging policy. Leadership changes in DC and RI 

Published in RINewsToday on December 16, 2024

Last week, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, held his last hearing, entitled “Empowering People with Disabilities to Live, Work, Learn, and Thrive, in SD 106.  This hearing was his swan song as Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee. 

The 3-term Democratic Senator, first elected in 2006, lost his reelection bid for a fourth term to Republican Dave McCormick, a West Point graduate, combat veteran and Bronze star recipient, and a national security expert, and former hedge fund manager.  A recount of votes confirmed that Casey lost by 16,000 votes (3,398,628 to 3,382,423) and he conceded the race on Nov. 21st.

With the dust settling after the Nov. 5th presidential election, Republicans will take control of the legislative agenda of the upper chamber, with a 53-47 majority, and control the house.

According to a Senate Aging Committee, during the upcoming 119th Congress Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a former Ranking Member, is expected to replace Casey as chairman on Jan. 3rd, 2025. Former Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-Ind) will leave the Senate after becoming Governor-elect of Indiana. 

An advocate for America’s seniors

During the 118th, the Senate Aging Committee under the helm of Casey held 18 full hearings, five field hearings, and one joint full hearing.  His final hearing, lasting one hour and 46 minutes, highlighted his long record as a champion for people with disabilities, and laid out his vision for how Congress must continue to work to empower them. 

“From the beginning of my time in the Senate, I heard a constant refrain from disability advocates that their needs were not being met—they faced barriers to save for their future, they were being paid well below a living wage, and they could not afford or access the care they needed,” says Casey in his opening statement. “Those refrains, including from some of the people we heard from at today’s hearing, are what inspired me to make people with disabilities a focus of my Senate career and time as Aging Committee Chairman,” he said.

During his 18 years in the Senate, Casey has been one of the foremost champions in Washington for people with disabilities. He created the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) program, which has helped hundreds of thousands of families save for long-term care for their disabled loved ones with a tax-advantage savings account. The Associated Press hailed this legislation as “the most important new law for [those with disabilities] in 25 years.  He also made federal websites more accessible for people with disabilities, and propelled the fight for access to home care to the forefront of the national conversation. 

In addition, the Pennsylvania Senator led efforts to improve care in nursing homes by expanding and strengthening oversight over poor-performing facilities while ensuring that nursing homes and long-term care facilities have the resources they need to provide high-quality care to residents. His work has led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to publicly release information about nursing facilities with a documented pattern of poor care, ensuring older adults and their families have the information they 

At the Dec. 12th hearing, Chairman Casey also released a series of issue briefs documenting his record chairing the Aging Committee on making government technology accessible, expanding access to home care, improving nursing homes, lowering prescription drug costs, and ensuring economic security for older adults:

“We have made a lot of progress, from creating the ABLE program to making government technology more accessible,” Casey continued. “But as we heard today, there is still a lot more to do—from expanding access to home care to finally phasing out the subminimum wage,” he added.

Kudos to Casey’s advocacy for America’s disabled Seniors

At the hearing, witnesses from Pennsylvania and national organizations testified about the impact of Casey’s work impacting the disability community in the Commonwealth and around the country.

I want to thank Senator Casey for your leadership. None of the successes I outlined would have been possible without your steadfast championship, advocacy and partnership. It is daunting to think about facing the challenges ahead, particularly the threats to Medicaid, without you at the helm, but we have been emboldened to reimagine what is possible because of your leadership,” says Witness Ai-Jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Executive Director of Caring Across Generations.

Witness Neil McDevitt, Mayor of North Wales, Pennsylvania, noted: “Senator Casey, you have been a steadfast ally of North Wales Borough, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and millions of disabled and Deaf Americans. We owe you a debt that can never be repaid.”

“Things are actually changing. We are not yet where we need to be when it comes to disability access and acceptance, but we are getting there. It brings me great joy when I hear of disabled people in my community getting good paying jobs and not being relegated to sheltered workshops for less than minimum wage,” adds Erin Willman, CEO of White Cane Coffee in Warren, Pennsylvania. 

Witness Lydia Brown, Director of Policy, National Disability Institute, told the attending Senators:“Ten years ago, Sen. Casey’s leadership in introducing and passing The ABLE Act changed the game. People whose disabilities began before age 26 can now access a savings vehicle that can conserve up to $100,000 total without their savings counting against them in determining eligibility for SSI and Medicaid. Money in an ABLE account can be used for a wide range of qualified disability expenses, including otherwise unaffordable assistive technology and health care, as well as educational and employment related costs. For many disabled people on Medicaid, an ABLE account is also their only available means to save for retirement.”

A fond farewell 

“Bob Casey served honorably as the chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.  He held a wide range of hearings intended to develop a record that could be used to help shape future legislation,” says Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare who also is a  former staff director of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Casey had held numerous hearings on issues facing older adults that helped build support for components of the Older Americans Act reauthorization – which just passed the Senate and may be included in the end-of-year package, noted Richtman. 

“Senator Casey also held hearings on disabled older adults, including one with former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley to discuss what the Social Security Administration (SSA) is doing to make the application process easier,” added Richtman, noting that other hearings were held on scammers preying on the elderly – designed to help older adults and their families know what to look for — and protect against.  

“We can only hope that when Republicans assume control of the Senate in January, this committee will continue the serious work of looking after the interests of seniors, who have contributed so much to our society and yet are among our most vulnerable citizens,” says Richtman.

“Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) thanks Senator Bob Casey for his leadership and dedication to improving the lives of older Americans through his work on the Senate Aging Committee,” said Debra Whitman, LCAO Chair. “We look forward to collaborating with incoming Chairman Rick Scott to continue addressing the needs and enhancing the well-being of our nation’s growing aging population,” she says.

“As Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Bob Casey was a critical champion for seniors. He fought to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, stop elder abuse, and improve conditions in nursing homes. Casey will be greatly missed in the Senate by everyone who cares about senior issues. We urge the next chairman of this invaluable committee to continue his legacy.” Says Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works.

“It is wonderful to have a Senate Aging Committee and Senator Casey’s terrific advocacy but inexcusable for the House not to restore its counterpart, which Chairman Claude Pepper proved is indispensable,” said Robert Weiner, former Chief of Staff of the House Select Committee on Aging and later a senior White House spokesman.

Announcing job transitions and retirement – in Rhode Island

Two well-known aging advocates have announced their departures.

The Alliance for Better Long-Term Care announces the retirement of Kathleen “Kathy” Heren. She dedicated 26 years to serving Rhode Island’s seniors.  For the past 15 years, Heren has served as the Rhode Island State Long Term Care Ombudsman, tirelessly advocating for the rights and well-being of residents in long-term care facilities across the state. She is known for her “fierce dedication, wisdom, and compassion have made her an unwavering champion for those in need.”

After serving as Executive Director of LeadingAgeRI for over 16 years, James P. Nyberg is leaving the nonprofit to become Senior Advisor at the Boston-based Public Consulting Group.   He will provide his expertise to the company on home and community-based services.

During his tenure, he significantly advanced aging services by advocating for quality, affordable care and fostering partnerships with state and national stakeholders. His leadership has driven innovative initiatives addressing the needs of older Rhode Islanders while supporting workforce development and professional growth among member organizations.

Nyberg ably served as Chair of the state’s Advisory Commission on Aging for over six years.

Hoarding and seniors: “The Consequences of Clutter” Report 

Published in RINewsToday on July 22, 2024

With the number of seniors afflicted with a hoarding disorder expected to skyrocket to over 14 million, on July 2 U.S. Sen, Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, unveiled a report putting the spotlight on its impact on older hoarders and their communities.  For seniors those consequences include health and safety risks, social isolation, eviction, and homelessness. For communities, those consequences include public health concerns, increased risk of fire, and dangers to emergency responders.

According to the report, citing the Administration for Community Living’s 2020 Profile of Older Americans, the number of seniors in the U.S. is expected to increase from about 54 million in 2019 to over 94 million in 2060. “Because hoarding disorder disproportionately impacts older adults, experts worry that aging could fuel a rise in hoarding in the coming decades,” notes the report, quoting NPR Morning Edition’s Rose Conlon. 

According to the Majority Staff of the Senate Aging Committee who wrote the report (with a whopping 270 citations), it was developed for information purposes only and does not represent the findings or recommendations formally adopted by the Committee.

Hoarding is a chronic and progressive condition

The report notes that this chronic and progressive condition impacts roughly two percent of the general population, while it affects about six percent of those over the age of 70.

“Hoarding disorder is a heartbreaking condition that is posing challenges to older adults, their families, and their communities across the country,” said Chairman Casey (D-PA) in a July 2 statement announcing his report. “The federal government has an obligation to ensure that Americans can age with dignity and this report makes clear that obligation must include doing more to address hoarding disorder,” he says.

According to Casey, the new report, “The Consequences of Clutter: How Hoarding Disorder Affects America’s Older Adults, First Responders, and Their Communities,” demonstrates the scope and severity of the challenges of this complex mental health condition and offers a path forward for how we can help people, communities, and local governments contend with this condition. 

Local communities throughout the United States are already working to address cases of hoarding disorder, including through the formation of hoarding task forces to coordinate response efforts, says

Casey’s report, noting that the local resources  available often do not correspond with the level of challenge communities are facing. 

Casey’s report issued a series of nine recommendations for how the federal government can increase support to communities that are contending with hoarding disorder, including expanding access to treatment for the condition, providing local officials with more extensive guidance and training to support afflicted individuals, and expanding the scope of tracking and research about how hoarding disorder is affecting individuals and communities nationwide.

The report compiles 55 requests for information, responses, and stakeholder statements submitted by non-profits, social services organizations as well as state and local governments to gather information to better understand the impact of hoarding in local communities. 

“Overall, the report does a good job of outlining the importance of the topic and identifies the federal and state agencies that should be involved in assessment and intervention,” says Randy O. Frost, professor emeritus of psychology at Smith College and a leading researcher on hoarding and related topics.

“Hoarding Disorder is a relatively [recognized] new disorder, having just entered the DSM in 2013. Consequently, there are not identified agencies who can claim ownership of the problem and the potential solutions.” This report legitimizes this problem for attention from these agencies, says Frost, noting that this report also highlights the fact that the prevalence of hoarding is extremely high among the elderly.

“Severe cases are sometimes life threatening for the individual and those living nearby or those called in to provide help,” adds Frost.

An Expert’s take…

According to Frost, the report covers the important issues related to hoarding, including education of the general public as well as family, friends, and people suffering with the problem. It highlights the need to train professionals in best practices for intervention. An important assumption underlying the report is that this is a problem which touches many different social service disciplines, from first responders to assisted living facilities, adult protective services, animal control, mental health, public health, child health, elder services, etc. “When a local case is identified, in current practice, it is not unusual for 4 or 5 of these agencies to be involved, often not knowing what each other are doing. Integration among these agency professionals is crucial for dealing with hoarding efficiently,” he says.

“There is a lot more that could be said about this problem, and a lot more detail could have been included regarding specific recommendations,” he said, stressing that this was not the purpose of the report. “The report was to outline the problem and point different agencies in appropriate directions moving forward. It does so and is a welcome effort from a federal agency,” he says.

Spotlight on Rhode Island

“Hoarding is a serious problem that has apparently not been adequately addressed in Rhode Island as well as in the nation as a whole,” charges long-time advocate for vulnerable and marginalized populations Susan Sweet, former associate director of the Department of Elderly Affairs, and founder of the Rhode Island Minority Elder Task Force (RIMETF).  “While it is present in all age groups, adults over 60 years have the highest level of hoarding behavior and the most risk because of diminished physical and often cognitive abilities,” she says.

“This report outlines the difficult life circumstances that elders with the problem of hoarding face.  The Rhode Island network of aging programs and advocates for older adults do not have the resources to create and implement effective remedies,” warns Sweet. “I hope that shining a light on the issue will encourage policy, funding, and attention to what is a mental health issue and a complication in physical illnesses that create obstacles in attempts to help elders afflicted with the disorder,” she says.

According to Sweet, the Ocean State is one of the few areas and the only state that has organized a Hoarding Taskforce to point the way towards effective client management, education and training of eldercare healthcare, mental health programs and social work entities.  The health and well-being of individuals and communities is greatly impacted by the fire hazards, evictions, safety issues, and other self-neglect problems that occur with hoarding behavior.

“Awareness of the prevalence of hoarding and the danger to our communities and citizens should quicken the pace of funding and support to combat this growing threat,” says Sweet.

Like Sweet, Robin Covington, a member of Rhode Island’s Hoarding Task Force, sees the value of the released Senate Aging Committee’s report on hoarding and its recommendations. “As an adult protective services caseworker I saw firsthand the implications of hoarding,” said Covington, who serves as Coalition Director of Saint Elizabeth Haven for Elder Justice. “Hoarding creates health, fire hazard and safety risks, social isolation, eviction and homelessness,” she said. 

“Often times, people who hoard don’t think they have a problem because of their attachment to their possessions, which makes it difficult to deal with”, says Covington.  Because of its behavioral aspects a person with this behavior needs clinical assistance, she notes, not just decluttering of personal items. 

Covington believes that there is a lack of programs and clinical support in place in Rhode Island to address the increasing problem of hoarding. However, the state’s Hoarding Taskforce is working on helping support case managers and providers by developing a workforce initiative to support individuals with clutter or hoarding tendencies. 

Increase funding for Case Manager interventions

But more funding must be given to Community Action Programs who subcontract with OHA to oversee Adult Protective Services. “It’s pricey to cover the costs of visits, intervention and coordination of a clean-up company,” Covington says. 

A lot of times when it is someone over 60, a report to Adult Protective Services is provided and a CAP agency case manager goes out and visits the older adult to put eyes on them and to help with an intervention like the coordination of a clean-up company, but that can be expensive, notes Covington. 

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over 23 years and RIMETF’s president  Lori Brennan-Almeida has seen the negative impact of hoarding up close.  For over 20 years, she has seen RIMETF provide emergency assistance to seniors age 55 and over to pay for services to clean their apartments to avoid eviction.

“Clinical intervention is necessary to stop seniors from hoarding”, says Almeida, stressing the importance of home-based therapy. “Grief counseling may be needed because a person often forms an attachment to compensate for a personal loss,” adds Brennan-Almeida.  

“Without counseling, hoarding may well continue after the debris is gone from their apartment and the senior will just collect more items”, says Brennan-Almeida.  

Keeping tabs on hoarding

“This is our first ever hoarding report,” says Misha Linnehan, Deputy Press Secretary for Sen. Casey.  When asked if there would be a follow-up report next year, she stated: “There are currently no plans for another but it is always a possibility.” 

Kudos to Chairman Casey and the Majority Staff for putting resources, time and effort into crafting this report.  For those people in the trenches, future reports should be written and formal Senate Aging Committee hearings held to keep tabs on this growing problem and to determine if the recommendations from this first report are being implemented. 

Don’t drop the ball on this one.

RI Hoarding Task Force

Janet Spinelli and Kelly McHugh are co-chairs of the RI Hoarding Task Force which is convened through the RI Elder Mental Health and Addiction Coalition co-chaired by Chris Gadbois and Janet Spinelli. 

The RI Hoarding Task Force has two committees including the HD Task Force Toolkit Development Committee lead by Christopher Liu, an undergraduate at Brown University and the HD Task Force Website and Outreach Committee.  

Anyone interested in joining the Task Force can email RIEMHAC@gmail.com  More information and resources can be found at RIHoardingtf.ri.gov which is supported through the EOHHS Money Follows the Person Program.

For download a copy of the Senate Aging Committee’s hoarding report, go to chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.aging.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/the_consequences_of_clutter.pdf